Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Ask and you shall receive...
This was just a few days ago and now we have this:
Thanks, Melissa, for capturing this celebratory Bump-it from game 6! Think she has a heating pad under there to keep warm? Just a thought.
Go Cards!
Thanks, Melissa, for capturing this celebratory Bump-it from game 6! Think she has a heating pad under there to keep warm? Just a thought.
Go Cards!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I mean...
Dear American Doll peeps,
Quit it.
First this.
Now this:
I went ahead and put them together for you:
Remind me to keep an eye on you...
Quit it.
First this.
Now this:
I went ahead and put them together for you:
Remind me to keep an eye on you...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The half. The 5k. The 200m.
Found on pinterest. (where else do people find stuff these days?)
I'm going to take .5 seconds and pat myself on the back. I ran in a half marathon this weekend and got my best time out of the three I've run. Some may not be impressed but I'm super proud to say my time was 2:22.
There were over 20,000 participants, the course went all through the best parts of St. Louis and the weather was perfection. Friends Beth and Dana also ran it, which just added to the fun. If you've ever run a race like that you know that the spectators make it 10x more fun also, especially with their clever signs.
Some of my fav:
*Humpty Dumpty had wall issues, too.
*(about mile 8) So, you still think this was a good idea?
*I thought they said "Rum"
*(a little girl held this one) Hurry up! My arms are getting tired!
* You have great stamina! Call me!
*Run like you have to poop!
*Your calves look sexy.
*You're almost there! (that's what she said)
*Run like you stole something!
*You look Kenyan to me!
*You are wasting your Sunday and mine!
*Toenails are for sissies!
*Don't stop, everyone is watching!
*Worst Parade Ever!
I haven't had a chance to post about this yet, but we went to Disney at the beginning of the month and while there, Joy and I ran in their 5K through Animal Kingdom. We had a blast, definitely adding to the great memories of that trip!
And I'm super proud to say that Flash, I mean Eliot, ran in his first race at Disney, too! His age category ran a 200m part of the track at ESPN world at Disney. We were so proud of him!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Leaves fall, Bump-its rise...
A good friend from college sent me this with the phrase, "for your bump-it collection". That made me laugh. Never fancied myself as a collector but I'm not going to deny the allegations.
And this little snap shot of goodness came straight from the Idaho state fair from cousin Jessica! Or is it Iowa? Hmmm, can't seem to remember.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda hoping someone is able to spot and capture a world series bump-it. Pretty sure that's a widespread desire, right? I'll let you know.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
2 new favorites...
Pictures, that is.
After our long day out, both boys crashed. Eliot snuggling at Dez's toes? Kills me.
Dez-nudo!
After our long day out, both boys crashed. Eliot snuggling at Dez's toes? Kills me.
Dez-nudo!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Surprise! You're adopted!
Once we got Eliot's referral we started the jokes that since he looked so much like us, we'd have to be real honest with him from the beginning that he was, in fact, adopted. Otherwise, he'd never know.
I had no idea people who adopted out of their race actually tried to keep the adoption element a secret from their differently colored children. No judgements here, just confusion.
I also had no idea how much of a banner "Adoption" would become for our family, so "when to tell Eliot" was never an issue. He's heard his adoption story 9 million times. He knows he's from Guatemala and has fallen in love with his birth country as much as we have. There's still some confusion given the fact that he's a 5 year old trying to understand a pretty complex part of his life but he has a fundamental understanding of it all.
Fast forward to last spring, while we were in our foster training classes (which we loved loved loved, shout out One Heart) and one of the trainers shared part of her story. Each of her children has a unique story and birth family involvement. When someone in the class ask her how she handles that, she casually mentioned that there are pics on their fridge of birth family. They are recognized as a character of each child's story in a way that makes it so commonplace that there's no mystery. Russ and I loved it.
We've had a pic of Eliot's birth fam in our safe for years. Not knowing what to do with it, we kept it there. Other adoptive moms have mentioned that they create a scrapbook type adoption story book and include any birth family photos in there. It's accessible. It takes out any mystery.
Adoption can be confusing for everyone, but children especially. As E gets older, there will be more questions. I love that those around us are smarter than we are and were willing to share their ideas. There will be no big reveal of Eliot's story as far as we're concerned. His foundation for this part of his identity will be the same today as it will be in ten years. As his parents, it's our job to set him up for success in every aspect and we're praying this is the right direction.
But then again, we're only 4 years and 2 adoptions into this, so as usual, we're kinda making this stuff up as we go. Isn't that what parenting is all about? Er...
I had no idea people who adopted out of their race actually tried to keep the adoption element a secret from their differently colored children. No judgements here, just confusion.
I also had no idea how much of a banner "Adoption" would become for our family, so "when to tell Eliot" was never an issue. He's heard his adoption story 9 million times. He knows he's from Guatemala and has fallen in love with his birth country as much as we have. There's still some confusion given the fact that he's a 5 year old trying to understand a pretty complex part of his life but he has a fundamental understanding of it all.
Fast forward to last spring, while we were in our foster training classes (which we loved loved loved, shout out One Heart) and one of the trainers shared part of her story. Each of her children has a unique story and birth family involvement. When someone in the class ask her how she handles that, she casually mentioned that there are pics on their fridge of birth family. They are recognized as a character of each child's story in a way that makes it so commonplace that there's no mystery. Russ and I loved it.
We've had a pic of Eliot's birth fam in our safe for years. Not knowing what to do with it, we kept it there. Other adoptive moms have mentioned that they create a scrapbook type adoption story book and include any birth family photos in there. It's accessible. It takes out any mystery.
Adoption can be confusing for everyone, but children especially. As E gets older, there will be more questions. I love that those around us are smarter than we are and were willing to share their ideas. There will be no big reveal of Eliot's story as far as we're concerned. His foundation for this part of his identity will be the same today as it will be in ten years. As his parents, it's our job to set him up for success in every aspect and we're praying this is the right direction.
But then again, we're only 4 years and 2 adoptions into this, so as usual, we're kinda making this stuff up as we go. Isn't that what parenting is all about? Er...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The brother load.
Dear Eliot,
I can't get over it. The little man you've become in the last few months constantly overwhelms me.
On day 1 you insisted we move your booster seat to the middle of the car so you could be near Dez. You've asked countless times if we could move the bassinet and now the crib into your room instead of the nursery. You constantly check on D when he's sleeping and appointed yourself on pacifier duty til the end of time.
Kiddo, you were made for this.
I love the plans you're making for the two of you once he's older. From sharing cheerios and special treats, to light saber battles, to showing Dez the volcanoes in Guatemala. I love how you love him so much already. I love that you demand I chew on his face. I love that you get so impatient that his nap lasts longer than you want it to because you miss him.
You're incredible, Eliot Mohr.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A little back story...
A common question in my head and one people actually ask lately is how did I get two absolutely beautiful boys?
Well, it's easy when you get to pick them, right? We always ask (demand) the agency for at least 20 referrals and then pick the cutest 5. Then we conduct a series of IQ and aptitude tests. After we get to the final two, we run them through an Enneagram predictor to see who would fit the best. It's simple, really.
Okay, maybe not. But have you seen them? Ah! They're gorgeous. And amazing! All tacky kidding aside, I thought it was time you heard about how Dez came to our family.
So, a little back story for ya.
Back in the spring the other adoption had fallen through and Eliot graduated pre-school.
I decided that since I wasn't really working much over the summer that Eliot and I would carpe some diem and have THE.BEST.SUMMMER.EVER. So, we started on Monday, June 6 off to the strawberry patch.
(It was a wee bit hot that day...)
On the way to the farm, I got a call from our social worker. She asked if it's a good time to chat and I told her I'd call her back since it was probably just about wrapping things up for putting our name on the list of waiting families. She paused and said, "Well, it's actually about a baby but I can call you back later..." and I could tell she was trying not to giggle into the phone. All the sudden I was more than willing to talk, the strawberries would still be there.
She said it wasn't official but there was a 3 week old baby boy who would most likely be up for adoption and she just needed to know if we'd be interested. She gave us as many details of his case as she had and told me to get back to her soon because if we weren't interested, she would contact another family. She also said she had pictures if we wanted them but I told her to hold off. I tend to get a bit ahead of myself once there's a face involved.
So, we started the talks. There was still a whole lotta risk involved with this case and I wasn't sure I could walk confidently into another unsteady place. About a week later, one of the risks was removed and we decided to meet this one month old peanut.
On Monday June 19th, we walked into the agency and were ushered into their cute little hospitality room. Minutes later a nurse handed a teeeeny, bundled peanut to me.
Even at a month old, he's not so sure about this Russell guy.
And this guy was pretty smitten!
For the next month we were able to visit Dez as often as we wanted until the court issued us a court order for custody a month later. So, that's the word, peeps. The prequel of the addition to the Mohrs.
We never did get our names on that list...
Well, it's easy when you get to pick them, right? We always ask (demand) the agency for at least 20 referrals and then pick the cutest 5. Then we conduct a series of IQ and aptitude tests. After we get to the final two, we run them through an Enneagram predictor to see who would fit the best. It's simple, really.
Okay, maybe not. But have you seen them? Ah! They're gorgeous. And amazing! All tacky kidding aside, I thought it was time you heard about how Dez came to our family.
So, a little back story for ya.
Back in the spring the other adoption had fallen through and Eliot graduated pre-school.
I decided that since I wasn't really working much over the summer that Eliot and I would carpe some diem and have THE.BEST.SUMMMER.EVER. So, we started on Monday, June 6 off to the strawberry patch.
(It was a wee bit hot that day...)
On the way to the farm, I got a call from our social worker. She asked if it's a good time to chat and I told her I'd call her back since it was probably just about wrapping things up for putting our name on the list of waiting families. She paused and said, "Well, it's actually about a baby but I can call you back later..." and I could tell she was trying not to giggle into the phone. All the sudden I was more than willing to talk, the strawberries would still be there.
She said it wasn't official but there was a 3 week old baby boy who would most likely be up for adoption and she just needed to know if we'd be interested. She gave us as many details of his case as she had and told me to get back to her soon because if we weren't interested, she would contact another family. She also said she had pictures if we wanted them but I told her to hold off. I tend to get a bit ahead of myself once there's a face involved.
So, we started the talks. There was still a whole lotta risk involved with this case and I wasn't sure I could walk confidently into another unsteady place. About a week later, one of the risks was removed and we decided to meet this one month old peanut.
On Monday June 19th, we walked into the agency and were ushered into their cute little hospitality room. Minutes later a nurse handed a teeeeny, bundled peanut to me.
Even at a month old, he's not so sure about this Russell guy.
And this guy was pretty smitten!
For the next month we were able to visit Dez as often as we wanted until the court issued us a court order for custody a month later. So, that's the word, peeps. The prequel of the addition to the Mohrs.
We never did get our names on that list...