We Got Elfed

OK, you have to watch this funny video! It makes me laugh harder than one person should.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9562262395

Click on that link :) Haha and HoHoHo!

Referral-versary!

A year ago yesterday, we received a long awaited phone call. A baby girl was born in Guatemala City named Maria Guadaupe and would we like to see her pictures.........Heck yes!!! I quickly got Logan dressed and we hopped in the car and drove in the sleeting rain across town to the agency.

As we drove there, I thought to myself "I am going to see my daughter for the 1st time!". She was my daughter in my heart before I saw a picture, before I heard a word about her. She was my baby.

She was so perfect and beautiful in the pictures. A tiny little peanut in the pictures weighing 4.8 pounds at 2 days old. Some people don't believe in love at 1st sight but I do and this was it. Love.

Party! Party! Par-tay!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today we celebrated Devon's 1st Birthday and Homecoming with our Family and Friends at the marina. Everything turned out fantastic even though I stressed (and schvitzed) quite a bit at the last minute. Devon was a gracious little guest of honor :)

Besides arranging to have her birthday during the Browns/Steelers game (seriously I am clueless about such things) we had a HUGE turnout....nearly 70 people! It felt so amazing to have the people who mean so much to us and supported us like rocks during the process to bring her home there with us. I get so emotional thinking about all of the love that surrounds us.

I have to send two huge shout outs. 1st to Aunt Fannie (my SIL Tiffany) & my brother for making Devon the most scrumptous tres leches cake, guacamole, salsa and chili. 2nd shout out goes to Mindy for hooking me up in the picture department! Without her, I would only have about 5 pictures of my daughter's special day.....I forgot my memory card at home!

I can't stop saying that I can't believe my baby girl is 1!!!

Happy Birthday Princess!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

A year ago today at 8:25am a beautiful little miracle was born. An amazing mother bravely created an adoption plan and my daughter was born. I cannot believe that she is one. November 9th has always been a special day for us. It is my brother's birthday and also the day that we lost my Grandpa many years ago. It has even more meaning that it is my daughter's birthday. She is such a precious little girl and to see her with her big brother always makes me smile. I am so blessed to call her my daughter.

The video above was put together by a very dear friend of mine as a gift. It is something we will forever cherish.

Today truly was a great day. We went out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant with my Mom and Dad where Devon is always doted on. She loves it when they speak to her in Spanish. She is also a huge fan of their refried beans. I swear that we could have just stuck a candle in a plate of those and called it a night! LOL. Then they really surprised her at the restaurant by placing a BIG pink sombrero on her head and sang Feliz Cumpleanos. She found the hat to be quite annoying! I thought it was adorable :)

After dinner we came back home to open presents and have birthday cake. Logan did a great job opening the gifts and playing with the toys while Devon played in the paper. Boy, is she easy to shop for...lol.

I made a Tres Leches Cake (3 milks in Spanish) for her birthday cake. It came out pretty good considering that I just found out today that Tres Leches is not traditional Guatemalan cake. It is MEXICAN.....duh! My good friend Ruthanne went to a Guatemalan bakery in Chicago this morning and got schooled on the origins of Tres Leches.

Right now, my beautiful little angel is fast asleep in her bed and I have plenty of work before her big bash on Sunday!!

My Mind is Full

Devon turns 1 on Friday. I've been busy planning for her BIG party on Sunday with our family and friends. Through all of the hustle and bustle, I cannot stop thinking about Devon's First Mom. While I am stealing kisses from my little sugar muffin and making lists and cookies and centerpieces, my thoughts keep coming back to her. I think about how her life was last year at this time, about to give birth to Devon, making a selfless sacrifice. I can't even begin to imagine how she felt at that time or how she is feeling now. I can't imagine the pain of saying goodbye but then seeing your baby again to be photographed together at the DNA test.

I feel like the luckiest mother in the world. I have two beautiful, happy children that love me and I love them with my entire heart and soul. I feel so blessed that Devon is home with us to celebrate her 1st birthday. So many children in Guatemala get stalled in the system and don't make it home to celebrate with their families. And then there are mothers, like Devon's First Mother, that don't have the chance to be with their babies on their first birthdays.

Before I fall into bed on Sunday night, I am going to write Devon's First Mom a letter to tell her how truly thankful I am for making an adoption plan and giving me the chance to be the Mother of the most beautiful miracle ever. I want her to know how perfectly she fits into our family and completes us. I want her to know that her smile and personality can light up any room and how determined she is. I bet they are a lot alike. I like seeing Devon's personality shine because it makes me feel closer to her First Mom, almost like I already know her beyond the few pictures and writings we have. May her heart be full of peace.

Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car!

We totally hit The Wiggles lottery today, if there is such a thing :)

I wanted to get tickets early on but missed all of the prime "secret password" seats. Logan (like me) is spoiled (in a good way!) and we like to be up close where the action is. I tried getting some on eBay but floor seats were selling for over $300 bucks....HECK NO! Feeling bad that I didn't score any because Logan seriously rocks out to them, I called the box office late this afternoon and the lady said that some seats became available and to come down.

At 4:40 before the 5:00 show, we got got 6th Row Center! Logan was besides himself with glee (OK, I was too...lol). Right there, in front of us were the REAL Wiggles, including the ever-side splitting Captain Feathersword. I had a real hard time dealing with Greg not being there. Poor Sam's got some big wiggly shoes to fill. Logan said to me "Hey, dat no Greg!". I told him that Greg called in sick and Sam was nice enough to take his place. Phew! Good recovery, Momma!

Devon thought it was pretty cool, too. She danced and bopped around. She knows the songs because we listen to them in the car and Logan sings them in her ear (loudly!). Here are some pictures.

Is this an ad for Pepsi or that smashing new haircut Logan got today?
Look at how serious these two are.
Captain Feathersword and a Murray Blow-up Doll (DOH!)
This picture of Murray makes me cry laughing....look at what a rock star he is here!
Anthony (by far the cutest Wiggle according to most moms) and Dorothy the Dinosaur

Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet

Some people like Halloween. Some people hate Halloween. Some are indifferent. I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I always have. Now that I have kids, they are extra special.

This Halloween was the best ever! Logan was so in to it. His favorite part (besides dressing up in his wardrobe of costumes) was passing out candy. We get a ton of trick-or-treaters at our house. He was so completely stoked to see everyone in their costumes and loudly wished everyone a "Happy Halloween". He even met some people at the end of our driveway to give them candy! The weather was perfect...a little chilly...but luckily not snowing or raining.

Devon had fun, too. Or maybe I just had fun dressing her up?? :) She started out with her USA cheerleader costume for the My Gym party and was a Pumpkin Princess at Logan's school party. By the time Halloween night came, I knew she needed something warmer so I dug out Logan's old alligator costumed and "girl-ed it up" a little with a pink tutu. Voila! She was toasty and ready to go! She was a crawling machine and it was hillarious because the hood kept flopping over and she had no idea where she was going but she was full steam ahead....lol.

Anyways.....here are my Spooktacular little cuties in all of their partying glory! Some kid actually came up to Logan and said "Dude, you are HUGE!" while looking at his Spiderman built in muscles. I almost peed my pants!
Devon wondering why the hood on her head has more teeth than she does.
The Fire Dept hands out free donuts and cider.


Don't tell her that she is being swallowed by an alligator!


Flexing some Spidie Muscle!
Ahhhhh! Devon is driving Grandpa's Jeep!
Note to self---She will be asking for the keys early!
Our Pumpkins: Curly, Mommy, Logan and Devon

Logan's Class -- How cute are these little stinkers?

Logan and Sissy at class

Devon wanted to be the "center" of attention at My Gym
So happy being Thomas
Logan thinks something is stinky?!?!
Getting down to the Chicken Dance!

Boo at the Zoo, Patches & FUN!

I love Halloween and all of the fun stuff that goes along with it. Now that we have kids, it is even more fun! On Thursday we went to Boo at the Zoo with our awesome friends from the Guatemalan Forum. The weather was great. It stopped raining just in time and ended up being kind of warm. On Saturday, Devon and I hit the outlet mall with our friends Lisa, Sophia and Katelyn.

Sunday was another gorgeous day, so we headed out to a pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa. There was a ton of fun kid things to do there including a petting farm, maize, hay ride, train.... I eneded up dressing the kids entirely too warmly for the temp hence the picture of Logan in the pumpkin looking like one of those naked people wearing a barrel!

Yesterday we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday (Happy BDay Aunt Bannie). We went out for Japanese/Malaysian food. It was delicious! Logan loved Udon and Soba Noodles, Miso Soup and Tempura Chicken. Devon was happy with her pineapples. I ate my weight in sushi :)

Hey Baby Sister, don't tip!

Happy Little Pumpkin
Devon and her pal Isabelle
I will make this face until you give me candy!
PASSED OUT!
Hugs and Love
This picture makes me pee my pants!
Pretty Pumpkin
Cruising on the John Deere train
Searching for the perfect pumpkin with Granpa

Why Postmaster General?? WHY?

I'm not a big stamp user thanks to online bill payments. What I have is a hodge podge of bells and flags and other stampy images in my cabinet and not one stinking stamp has the amount on it!

If you are gonna change the price of stamps every time I change a diaper the least you could do is tell me the value of my bell sticker!

Those post office people best not give me a Return to Sender because I don't get their patriotic code of letter currency.

A WET Day at the Apple Ochard

Weather in Ohio can be so freaky. The beginning of the week it was in the high 80's. By the time Wednesday came, it was 40-50 and raining big time. Regardless of what Mother Nature tossed at us, we had fun at Logan's field trip to the Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Farm. Curly rode the bus with Logan and his friends and I followed behind in my car with Devon. It rained so much that we basically hung out in the one covered area and played before eating our soggy sandwiches. I need we are going to do a family "do over" when it's a little drier.

Here are my honies :)

Logan coming down the pole
Eating a very sour apple
Having some fun in the hay
Look at how wet he is!
Devon was not so sure about the weather
Do you LOVE her cowboy boots or what?
Hmmm, hay tastes a lot like grass, just drier