Tiaras Make you Taller

I've Moved......

2009-01-25T21:08:00.000-05:00

......not my house silly! My blog. Check it out here http://lovelikethereisnotomorrow.blogspot.com/

One Week Until The Walk!

2008-09-21T15:38:00.003-04:00

I am humbled to announce that our Walk for Autism team is in 1st place! Our little grassroot's team has out-fundraised some big names in the Cleveland autism community. I am so proud!

Please consider making a small donation to our team. Just $5 or $10 dollars makes a difference!
http://www.walknowforautism.org/cleveland/personal/logan

I'm just a little under hitting my personal goal for The Puzzle Pal's team. Help a momma out :)

Running With Scissors, sort of

2008-09-17T15:16:00.003-04:00

Some things are best left to the professionals. For example artfully preparing fois grois, representing ones self in legal matters and trimming the bangs of an almost 2 year old that has NO desire to sit still. Ergo, the literal running with scissors. Devon's bangs were getting long and I was feeling too cheap to go the fancy kid salon so I took matters (and scissors) into my own hands. She ran around the living room and laughed and I chased her and mumbled under my breath. Her perfectly straight hair is a wee bit crooked. Needless to say, she will be sporting little fountain ponytails for a while and I will never attempt this haircutting business again! She's smiling because she hasn't looked into a mirror yet to see what I did
Ketchup makes perfect lipstick

All pulled up....no one is the wiser

She still loves me :)

The Start of Fall Soccer

2008-09-06T22:43:00.002-04:00

Logan's Fall soccer season started today. Logan is playing in a league a little closer to home and I'm happy for that on Saturday morning ;) He did a really great job. They had to wear those scrimmage shirts which really bugged him. His was purple and he said that he was on the red team, not the purple team. Plus it itched. We ditched the scrimmage shirt. His Buddy is soooo sweet and I think Logan has another Buddy crush....lol.

Hey Mickey......Here We Come!

2008-09-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

I am sooooo excited to say that we are going to DISNEY in October! I've been a Disney fan practically since birth and I got Curly hooked when we went there for our honeymoon. Logan had to love it because he rode Space Mountain before I knew that I was pregnant (doh!). This will be Devon's 1st trip. The last time we were there was in September of 2006. We dropped off our adoption dossier in the Fed Ex box before getting on the plane so she was there in our hearts.

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO STOKED! WoooooHooooooo!

Logan Started Kindergarten Today!

2008-08-21T21:53:00.002-04:00

My little man joined the big leagues and started Kindergarten today! I cannot believe how grown up he is! He was honestly so excited to head back to school and I was so happy for him. He now goes every day, all day and I missed him like crazy today. Today was an orientation where I drove him in and he rode the bus home. Tomorrow starts the 1st day with the whole class and riding the bus back and forth. I'm so proud of him!!

Here is Logan with his new teacher

Smiling with his backpack in the hallway

Posing with his buddy and sissy

Here comes the bus!

Climbing off the bus from the front seat

Devon and I played around with camera outside while we were waiting for Logan to come home. Here is my sweet little ham :)

Our Hilton Head, SC Vacation

2008-08-19T23:54:00.015-04:00

So, I bet you thought I dropped off of the face of the earth, eh? Nope! We just got back from a 10 day relaxing (haha!) vacation in Hilton Head. I'll tell you, all things considered, we had a GREAT time. It was low key and we had time to do what ever we wanted and just got to be a family. That was an awesome feeling.

It's ab0ut 12 hours from us so we stopped the 1st night in Charlotte, NC. We had some insanely awesome BBQ (we stopped here on our last trip through) and laughs at The Residence Inn. We took our time the next day getting to our condo in HH. It was on a golf course (foooooooooore! I wanted to scream soooo bad from the patio) and decorated so nicely. We each had our own bedroom which sort of help keep with our at home sleep routines. The pool was amazing. It was one of those zero depth ones where the kids can just walk in to and it had tons of sprinklers and water thing-a-ma-jigs that kept my kiddos VERY busy all week. The beach was about a mile a way. We didn't go there as often as I would have liked (the sand was white and the water was warm) because Logan had some "issues" thanks to a few too many Sponge Bob episodes (grrrrrr!) but I've learned to pick my battles and serenity on vacation was what I was looking for :)

We had so much fun swimming and shopping (weeeeeee!) and playing min-golf and eating ice cream (every night!) that it was hard to come to real life. But we're here now and real life is still a pretty happy place to be :)

Here are my 10 zillion pics:

Logan in his bed

The Kitchen

The Living Room & Patio

Logan giving "the Fonz"

Playing Ping Pong -- My Olympic Hopefuls :)

Logan zipping around the wharf at The Salty Dog

Shy? Are you kidding me?

Ice Cream Social -- Don't they look thrilled??

My honey and me

Precious as always

Sipping her Lemonade

Say "Cheese" if you loves the ice cream!

Pretty Boats

My Beach Bugs

This was Devon's 1st trip to the ocean. She looooooved the sand!

In the stockade at "Pirate Golf"

Devon's 1st time playing Putt-Putt

Logan being a cool dude on stage with an odd magician man

Devon mesmerized that Big Bro was doing magic

Ahhhhhhh, more ice cream!

It rained one day and Logan scored a Nintendo DS Lite & Mario

How cute is Devon here??

Get Down, Get Down!

The Sprinkler Queen!

Logan floating in the pool

This alligator lived in the pond by the pool. He was real! There were signs posted "Do NOT Feed Alligators: $10,000 Fine!" I wasn't looking to be gator bait!

Totally blurry but me and the love bugs :)

My dudes :)

My Princessa and me

I tried soooo hard to get a picture of them together. I tried, I swear! They were too busy having fun to pose.

My camera survived this sand storm that Logan launched at me. "Why I am too afraid to by an SLR" by Tara

The happiest little girl on earth

Yes, my son is wearing a funny hat....lol.

I love Devon's smile in this picture

Here are my Disco Fever stars getting down at The Shannon Tanner Show at Shelter Harbor

Logan volunteered to sing a song on stage (!!!)

He busted out "YMCA"

My Brother's kickin' it disco!

Silly Devon at the hotel on the way home in VA

Boating with Friends

2008-08-05T20:28:00.003-04:00

I am happy to report that Devon's GI Scope went well yesterday. The Dr. did not see anything obvious but he did take some biopsies. We will know those results in about 3 weeks. Poor bug was so tired and worn out yesterday.

We were so lucky to get the chance to relax with our friends Ruthanne and Andrew and my brother and sister-in-law last night. Ruthanne was so nice and picked up authentic Philly hoagies and cheesesteaks for us. Oh my gosh....they rocked! I truly never realized that there was a difference between a hoagie and cheesesteak, but like a fine wine we compared and contrasted their tasting notes.....lol. Let's just say that I was chowing down the scraps again at 10pm. After dinner, we cruised around the lake on Shawn's boat. It was Andrew's first boat trip and I'm pretty sure that he like it. They spent the night and Andrew slept like a champ. Logan woke up with a fever and tummy bug in the morning and Ruthanne and Andrew watched him for me while I took Devon to OT. I owe her BIG TIME!

Here are some pics from our 3 hour tour.....a 3 hour tour (just kidding).

Devon driving the boat with Unc Shawn

The cutest little skipper :)

"I look speed in the face and laugh!"

We call this one "Windblown"

More funny hair

"My name is Logan and the world is my urinal"

Birth Mom Found! & Going Under

2008-08-03T22:36:00.003-04:00

I'll start with the hardest part. Devon has to go under tomorrow morning at 7am for a GI Scope. Many of you know that she has had some serious eating issues and we are trying to get to the bottom of it to determine if it is phsyiological or psychological or a combo of both. She has been on medicine for a month and a half with not much luck and she has been seeing Logan's fabulous OT and will get on her schedule regularly in a few weeks. The last few days have been really rough on her with food and it breaks my heart to see her struggle. I hope that we get some answers tomorrow and pray that it is quick and painless for her.

Now for the EXCITING news. We made successful contact with Devon's First Mom with searcher Nancy Hoffman. We learned information that we will treasure from the simple (her favorite music and foods) to deeper things like her heritage from El Salvador (!!! I have an entire NEW culture to study!) and siblings. Two amazing things that came from the search was the peace that she said she now had in her decision to create an adoption plan for Devon and that she would like to meet us some day! Nancy is sending back some pictures to the States with a family that was down there on a reunion and I hope to have them soon. I am thrilled at the idea of meeting some day. I truly could not have asked for a better outcome. I'm still in shock and it still chokes me up thinking about it.

The Guat-Tots Take on Kalahari!

2008-08-02T23:03:00.006-04:00

We just got home a few days ago from one of my favorite trips of all times: Kalahari in Sundusky, OH with our group of friends that we call "The Summer Sisters". We all started our adoption process for Guatemala in the Summer of '06 and are from all over the country and have grown so close since we 1st all met. We knew that we wanted to get together this summer and Curly chose to go to Kalahari for his 40th birthday (I love my big kid!) so I let the Summer Sisters know and Viola! We had The Cash Crew in from TN with Kelly sister Kasey and her son Alex, Ruthanne & Andrew from Chicago, Sheri, Eliot & Curtis from NYC, Marcy & her beautiful girls from Orlando and Nikki & her kiddos from Dover, OH. I think someone counted 17 kids! Man oh man! It was a BLAST!

We checked in on Tuesday and immediately found Sheri and her DH and son. It was so exciting to finally meet them! We had a pizza party in their room on Tuesday night and went back to hit the slides.

Wednesday started off with a light rain so we tackled the indoor waterpark. That night we had a "Fiesta" to celebrate Curly's BIG 4-0! We had a taco bar, homemade corn and black bean salsa, fresh guacamole and then tres leches cake for dessert. We went back out swimming after all that (I promise that we waited the required 30 minutes....lol).

Thursday was check out and time for more goodbyes. I was sad but know that we will all see each other again.....hopefully sooner than later!

We created some awesome memories that I will never, ever forget!

Our "Roomies": Ruthanne & Andrew

Devon and boyfriend Andrew :)

All of the kids (minus Logan & Mason who were off doing cool 5 year old stuff and Alex who was busy being cute somewhere else)

Sofie, Devon, Andrew, Bryce, Isabelle (checking out her friend's shoes....like mother like daughter....lol) and Kemry

Ready!!!

Woooosh!!!

Splash!!!

Devon & Kemry bustin' a move in the tree house

Curly: The "Pied Piper" of cute kids

We didn't have a place to hang the pinata, so Curly held it.

We didn't have anything to break it open so we used a pasta spoon and then resorted to having Curly just rip in to it! Hey, whatever works :)

Curly opening that AMAZING gift basket of Trader Joe yummies from the Summer Sisters

Devon sitting on Nikki's lap trying to sneak some of Isabelle's beans

Devon pounding a juicebox on Kasey's lap and her sweet son (I ADORE his cheeks) Alex

"Do all of those beans show on my swimsuit figure???"

Curly blowing out his candles (40 real candles would have set off the condo's fire alarm!)

Funny M&M's I had made with Curly's face and funny sayings

Logan soaking up some rays at the outdoor water park

Some things in life are best shared with a friend at the end of a loooooooong day!

LOL @ our Yard!

2008-07-25T23:39:00.004-04:00

As we were leaving to go out to dinner the doorbell rang. I answered thinking it was the UPS guy. Nope, two guys and a big truck saying “We’re here for the delivery and set up”. I was like “Huh??”. He pulls out the invoice and tells me that I ordered a cave man inflatable and a Twister bounce house. I look at the "Bill To" name and it has my SIL Tiffany’s name on it. Turns out this is her surprise present for Curly. We died laughing and proceeded out to dinner and to Home Depot while the guys set it up. We came home and it is bigger than we could ever imagine! People are driving by and honking! We are gonna have fun tomorrow!

My #1 Band Has a Kids Album

2008-07-15T14:43:00.004-04:00

Curly and I are nuts for Barenaked Ladies. In fact, we've been Ladies Room fan club members for a loooong time. Imagine my surprise and happiness when they came out with a kids album called "Snacktime". Here is a video of one of my favorite songs called "Pollywog on a Bog". It's super cute and there is a Shaggy/Chris Cross rap in the middle. I hope they tour with this album, you know "for the kids".....lol

See the video here

PLEASE Sign this Petition!!

2008-07-14T19:24:00.003-04:00

Many of us mom's with kids on the spectrum feel that there is a link between the onset of symptoms and the enormous amounts of vaccines that our kids receive often at one appointment and when the conditions to vaccinate (not sick, not on meds, etc) are not favorable.

Right now, the government (lower case g because that's how I feel about them) has set the statute of limitations at 3 years from symptoms to file a law suit in what they call "vaccine court".

We missed the deadline and so have millions of other mom's and dad's. We missed it because we were told that we would never "win" and honestly we were too focused on getting our son the BEST therapy that we could during the critical early intervention years.

I beg you, I plead with you to PLEASE sign the petition to extend the statute of limitations. Whether you agree or not, we need more time because the science is JUST now coming out (The Hannah Polling case) and former CDC members (Bernadine Healy) are saying that there very well could be a link and we aren't just a bunch of kooky parents.

I appreciate you helping me fight the good fight!!!

Peace!

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/vaccjust/

Ducks & Reggae Weekend

2008-07-13T23:19:00.004-04:00

We had such a great weekend that started off with a Friday night spent in Chagrin Falls. We ate dinner at a great little dinner, fed the ducks, played on the playground, looked at the falls and then finished it off with some awesome ice cream :) Chagrin Falls is just about 5 miles away and is such a cute Norman Rockwell type of town.

Logan luring in the ducks with hot dog buns Devon and Daddy against a beautiful background
Here ducky, ducky
Have comb will travel
Devon does have shorts on.....well just a diaper cover from a dress that was in the car. She had a wee bit of a blow out....lol.

Saturday was chill and we had dinner out (shocker, I know) at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

On Sunday we had an early dinner over at my brother's place with my folks and then headed downtown to the waterfront to watch our favorite reggae band, Carlos Jones (formly known as First Light from my college days.....god are we old?). We've been taking Logan to dance to Carlos since he was a pip squeak. He's even played the bongos on stage in the past. Today he just danced his little heart out. Devon looooooved the reggae music and danced too. This was her 1st concert...lol....we start 'em young. I love the awesome mix of people that turn out for their shows. Some we've been seeing for years and now we all bring our kids. Carlos even sang the Sesamee Street theme for the little ones. Logan and Devon both gave each other that "Yeah! We know this one!" and started singing. Logan and Carlos smiling in the sun
Logan downing his cola
Look at smiley sitting at the bar!
Dancing with Aunt Fannie

Here is a video of Devon dancing to "Shake, Shake Senora". Muchas gracias to my bud Ruthanne for editing it for me. I need to upgrade to "Pro". I'm so last year....lol.

Devon's Passport Came!

2008-07-09T23:09:00.003-04:00

It only took about 8 days from when we turned in the app at the Post Office and I didn't pay extra to expedite it! We can now officially go to random and wild places like.....Canada :) Seriously, I've missed Canada. We haven't been there since Devon's been home. It is a quick and easy drive plus they have Wheel of Fortune slot machines there that make me happy.
Check out this "mug". She had to stand on a stool at Walgreen's to get her picture taken. She has that WTH look on her face because Logan and I were tickling her and trying to make her laugh. You can see how well that worked...lol.

Running with her passport.
Staring at it with a WooHoo face :)

Happy 4th of July -- The Eagle has landed!

2008-07-04T23:37:00.006-04:00

The 1st part of my title is self-explanatory, the 2nd part is something that I am pretty excited about. We've decided to move forward and hire a searcher in GC to search for Devon's 1st Mom. We put together some of our favorite pictures (like 40) and wrote her a letter, trying to tell her everything we'd think that she'd want to know. We also included a list of questions that we have or that Devon might have when she is older. As an adoptee with no family history or information, I think we are doing the right thing for Devon. I wanted to take this step now because I imagine that finding her might be harder the longer we wait. I put it all together yesterday and dropped the package off at FedEx. I just got an email that it arrived in Antigua today! My fingers are crossed so tightly that they might break :) I don't know what she will want in terms of contact and I don't want to get my hopes up....but I can't help it!

Today was a gorgeous day! After days of rain, we woke up to blue and sunny skies. We got the wagon decorated and watched the parade down our main street plus got loads of candy. After that we followed the parade down to the marina to meet up with our friends and family. This year they had a bounce house and bounce slide, a cook-out and cotton candy. Logan was thrilled with the bounce slide! He was so cute! Aunt Fanny secretly wanted to go on so she "pretended" that Devon wanted to try it out.....lol. Turns out, Devon loved it and Aunt Fanny had to go again and again. She's a trooper.

After the parade/marina business we headed out onto Uncle Shawn's boat for some holiday fun at "Boater's Beach". We heard a hillarious country song while we were there called "Redneck Yacht Club". I'll tell ya, it kind of fits our crew down there.....lol.

Since today was so full, we are going to watch fireworks tomorrow night.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!

This is what "Sugar Lips" look like.

I swear this bottle was empty and capped. It was just a funny pic!
Devon enjoying her Forever Family Day Tres Leches cake that momma made.

Our 1st Forever Family Day

2008-07-03T21:38:00.004-04:00

A year ago today, we left our hotel to the Guatemala City airport at about 4am to catch our flight home. Finally, our baby was coming home with us! It was a long and amazing day. Of course Devon had a "take-off blow out" that had her becoming a citizen in a white onsie....lol. We made our way home and to Logan (who I missed terribly while we were away!) and landed in Cleveland around 4:30pm. Our family and friends were all there holding signs, balloons and flags. It made me cry. Logan saw us and came running saying "Monny, Daddy....BABY SISTER!" We came home to a decorated front lawn and door. We have the best friends and family in the world. I can't believe that it has been a year already that we've been together. It has been a WONDERFUL year and I am the luckiest Mommy in the world!

Devon at the LaAurora Aeropuerto
Houston: We have an American (and dang is she cute!)
Our AWESOME family and friends in Cleveland
Devon in her crib for the 1st time. Oh how I long for this for months!
Princess Sweetness today at Uncle Shawn's restaurant
Isn't my cowgirl precious?????

My Summer Fun Kiddo

2008-07-01T00:05:00.007-04:00

The other day I got the video in the mail of Logan doing his Summer Fun Kid thing for the WKYC Weather Forecast. It came on a VHS tape so I went super hi-tech and videotaped the TV. Pay no mind to the fingerprints on the TV. The kids like to physically TOUCH the TV when Dora asks where something is. Also don't mind that narration by Curly and me as we remark how much our 5 year old big kid still has the same face and smile that he has in his baby pictures above the TV.

Poor little Devon didn't make the final cut as she was too busy running away from the cameras. Princess has YEARS to become a star, right??

Logan hasn't officially aired yet (that we know of) but we are hoping that he will get some play over the 4th of July weekend in his red, white and blue duds :)

A Year Ago ~~ Forever in our Arms

2008-06-27T15:20:00.002-04:00

It was a year ago today that Guadalupe, Devon's Foster Mom, place her in our arms forever. It was one of my life's most joyous times and from that moment on my life has only gotten better with Devon in our life.

I remember Curly and I being so excited and nervous as we waited for Guadalupe and her husband to ring our hotel room. She was so small and precious as she slept in Guadalupe's arms. Guadalupe was so sad to have to say goodbye to her that I didn't immediately reach out and take her out of respect. She needed that time to say goodbye to our angel that she loved for 8 months and I had a lifetime of love ahead of me with her. Slowly she handed her to me and I remember just staring at her and crying. She was so little. Only 13 pounds. She woke up and looked a little confused. Then in typical Devon fashion she immediately started blowing raspberries. This made me laugh out loud (and those of you that know me know how loud that really is! LOL). She stopped and looked at me and smiled as if she remembered my laugh from our visit trip and she began to laugh. My daughter looked at me and smiled and laughed and my heart skipped a beat. It was the end of a journey that led us to her but the beginning of our lifetime together. Man, oh man do I love my daughter Devon with every ounce of my soul.

We're going out to dinner tonight (shocker I know....lol) for a mini-celebration but we are holding out until July 3rd for the full blown celebration because that is the day that we landed back home and when Logan got to see his baby sister again. That is our "Forever Family Day" and I cannot wait to celebrate it for years to come :)

She was so tired after meeting us that she immediately napped in her crib.

Daddy's Little Princess Playing

OMG ~~ Playing MAJOR Catch Up!

2008-06-26T21:47:00.010-04:00

Holy Moley! I cannot believe what a bad bloggin' mamma I've been! Almost one month. I promise that we are still here, just busy, busy, busy. I also started back doing ebay after I realized that my stimulus check was going to come later and be less than I thought (WTG GWB.....ya tool).

I have to say that we have been loving summer over here at Casa de Santilli. Curly took the 1st week of June off to hang with us and that was awesome. We had so much fun just being a family. Poor Curly had a "honey-do" list a mile long :) Then Logan had a week of Safety Town, which was adorable and well planned out. After that he had a week of camp with his speech therapist Holly. Right now we are on a 2 week camp break before he starts up again.

Here are some pictures from the last month for my faithful (lol) blog readers....all 2 of you out there :)
These pics are from The Memphis Kiddie Park. When Curly was off from work, we went there for the day and had a blast.

Don't let this face fool you.......this was Logan's 1st reaction to the roller coaster. After this, he must have rode it 10 times in a row. In fact he ended up with a huge blister from running off of it and looping back over to us to get another ticket then getting back into line.
Gotta love Devon's reaction to her 1st ride. She was like WTH are you putting me on?? After it started moving, she realized that it was fun and perked right up.

Devon LOVES pushing her stroller. I need to get her a carriage for her babies.

How cute are these two bugs?

Sprinkler FUN :)

We had the fun of celebrating our little buddies birthday, Christian. Here are a few pics from that day. It was HOT but Gina busted out the sprinkler for the kids.

Talking on the phone just like Mommy Swinging
Sweaty and Sweet :)

Christian smiling away at his cake.

Here are some pictures from Logan's Safety Town graduation.

Logan running with excitement

Devon clapping for Big Brother

Logan getting his awards

We've been spending a lot of time out in the water this summer. I am so thankful that I have little fishies :)

Logan finished his soccer season this past Saturday. I think we found his sport. He loved it and did so well.

The team Getting his trophy.
Logan loving on his trophy. He is sooooo proud of it! It has his name and we have it displayed on our entertainment center.

On Tuesday, we went to a little old amusement park in Erie with my mom and dad. It was so cute and just the perfect size for the kids. Grandpa went on all kinds of roller coasters and spinny rides with Logan. I swear, my dad is so awesome!

OK, that's all for now. I promise that I won't be such a stranger from now on :)

Peace!

My PreSchool Graduate & TV Stars

2008-05-29T20:20:00.006-04:00

For weeks now Logan would wake up and ask me if it was summer yet. He asked countless times "Monny, when I come home from school will it be summer?" Well, summer is finally here. Logan is an official preschool graduate. I am excited that he has a few weeks off before starting what we call in the special ed world ESY or Extended School Year. Logan and his teacher for the past 3 years. We are going to miss her! She helped Logan so, so much.

His teacher opening up the gift from the class. We got her and the classroom aide gift certificates to the local outlet mall and a picture of the class with all of the kids' names on the matte.

Back in February I attended a luncheon/auction for one of the places that Logan receives therapy at and attends summer classes at called Hattie Larlham. Hattie is an incredible place that does SO much for so many kids. Many of them are profoundly disabled. One of the "items" up for auction was to have your kids be a "Bus Stop Forcast Kid"......basically the kids are shown on the weather at our NBC affliate so people know how to dress for the day. Well, I bidded (that word looks weird??) on the auction and won! Today was our filming at the station for the "Summer Fun Kids". I went to great lengths to plan their outfits and props and it all went by so fast. Logan did AWESOME! Devon....not so much. She did NOT want to stay on the white background and when she did, she just cried. Oh well. Such is life. At one point, Logan said "Baby sister is done"......lol. He knows how to call it!

The spots are going to start airing on June 8th and run through August. The station manager said that he would send a VHS tape in a few weeks so. He also gave us a tour and Logan and Devon got to sit behind the news desk. It was really fun and cool.

Logan with his dino umbrella and Devon skipping town....lol.

Why can't we film on the morning show set??

Momma's "Anchorman" with Devon and Daddy being silly in the background.

Since we were downtown, we decided to hit a Cleveland Central American restaurant called "La Feliz Tortilla (aka The Happy Tortilla). It was sooooo freakin' yummy. My mojito was out of this world and so was the food :) Devon gobbled up the fried plantains and frijoles. Daddy and Logan had a Cubano sandwich and I had a tamale (came steamed in a banana leaf) and enchiladas done on a round crispy tortilla with red sauce, cabage and eggs. Way yummy! We will be back.

Dude, where's my food???

My boy loves his salt!

Devon kept saying "Happy" when she was eating her plantains. She DOES look happy, huh?

Lordie Lou, is this schtuff gooooood!

I Covet this VAN!!!

2008-05-27T22:30:00.002-04:00

DUDE!!!! VW is coming out with a van this Fall called the Routan. Do normal people get geeked over stuff like this? We are major Vee-Dub fans around this house and I was so bummed that they didn't offer a van when it was time for me to turn in the old Passat. I did some reading up on it and it appears that it is basically a Town & Country with the cute little happy VW circle on the front. I'm down with that because I already have a T&C and like it plenty. Now I need to wait until my lease is up in June of 2010.....lol. I'm sure they'll have ironed out all of the kinks by then :)

I'm feeling SUPER sentimental today. Today was Logan's last official day of preschool. It was toy washing day :) Tomorrow we go to a park for a class picnic. Then he moves on the big world of Kindergarten. His teachers are so incredible. They made us scrapbooks with pictures and art and little sayings from throughout the year. I read it and had a big, fat cry. My baby is growing up!

Two Zoos and a Beach

2008-05-26T22:53:00.007-04:00

Holy Hamburgers! Have we been busy! I'm not complaining.....we've had a blast and I've loved every minute of it.

We started with our 1st zoo adventure with Logan's class to the Akron Zoo. I was so thankful that Curly took the day off from work to join us. He and Logan rode out on the bus and Devon and I drove out in the van. We had so much fun with his friends from school. We've been to the zoo plenty of times but this was the 1st time that Devon "got" that you were there to see animals. She was off the hook jumping up and down in her stroller shreiking "doggy" and "kitty" at all of the animals that were neither doggies or kitties....lol.

On Friday I had a "Girl's Night" and I haven't done that in eons. My BFF's and I went to a salon for mani's and pedi's. I treated myself to French on the nails and toes. I broke my will and had pink and white acrylics put on. I haven't worn them since Logan was born and I looooooove them :)

Hanging in front of the waterfall
Logan and his teacher......tomorrow is his last day of pre-school :(
Mama's little Happy Feet
Soooo cute :)

On Saturday we headed to the Cleveland Zoo for an annual picnic that our adoption agency has. It was so awesome seeing friends that we made on our visit and pick up trips and fellow bloggers. The weather was beautiful! We had a parade behind our country's flag throughout the zoo and then came back to the pavillion to the song "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond. It gave me goosebumps. Devon was a dancing fool! My girl has mooooooves! I was so impressed that our agency invited Dignitaries from Guatemala to see how happy the children and families were. We wanted to put a face to the paperwork, so to speak. Right now, adoptions are on hold for new cases in Guatemala and friends who started before the closing are in a terrible holding pattern waiting to bring their children home. I really hope that it changes for the better. It keeps me up at night thinking about the children who cannot be placed and don't have room in the overflowing orphanages.

Thumbs up for balloons and cotton candy!
Oh pu-leeez! No autographs! LOL
Marching in the parade of nations.
How pretty is she her?
Dancing her sandals off!

I am sooo happy that the weather turned out OK today. They were predicting rain but we ended up dodging it. We took out Uncle Shawn's new boat and caught some rays. We did a little swimming but the water on the lake was still kind of cold from all of the rain and cooler temps in the past weeks. We cooked up and ate, ate, ate!! A few of my favorite things :)

Bathing beauty alert!
Here wanna eat some of this sand?? It's tasty.....NOT!

Logan, Daddy, Aunt Fannie and Uncle Shawn on Unc's new boat. Sweet ride!
Aunt Schell's in the smoking section on the boat
Vogue!

Giggles Devon and Aunt Fannie :)

Well, tomorrow is Logan's last official day of pre-school. I cannot believe that my little man is growing up and on to Kindergarten next year. We have another fun filled week in store and I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Devon's Re-Adoption Day ~~ We're Official!

2008-05-19T20:33:00.006-04:00

Exactly 1 year and 3 days from getting out of PGN was Devon's re-adoption ceremony and name change. We officially added Devon to her birth names that have so much meaning to us.

Wow, it was such a beautiful day and what a difference a year can make in your heart. We are beyond blessed to be this sweet child's parents and we love her with every ounce of our souls. To know her is to love her. She's that special and we are that lucky :)
Of course no day would be complete without some Logan-ism's....lol.....so here are a few for ya: He sat in the witness chair and tapped the mic and said “Is this thing on??”. Then he told the judge to “spank her hammer down” (the gavel). She asked him if he was excited that his sister was going to officially be adopted and he answered “Yes judge. I want to be a doctor”. (He wants to be a back Dr.). He can make you smile no matter what.
We were so happy to have Curly's mom and Sis and my Brother and Sister-in-Law there with us to celebrate. Our attorney was none other than my fabulous college roommate. It was so awesome to have such great support.
Afterwards, we went out for an early dinner and my folks met up with us. We went for a little Italian which is one of Devon's favorites.

Ahhhhh, today rocked!! In the parking garage with Daddy. We waited to put her dress on once we got there after experiencing the massive "take off blow out" on our flight home....lol. We are so wise!
So happy!

More in the parking lot....camera happy momma!

Don't they look like they are dancing here?

My Silly Boys

Monkey-ing around on the steps is as fun as you can get in court

Steps are SOOOOOO fun!

Me & Mi Princessa :)

2 Kids trying to bolt from their parents

Aunt Fannie, Logan and Uncle Shawn

Do you love this stink face or what???

All of us

More all of us :)

Pushing down the County Seal as a FAMILY!

Devon's still pushing!

We're done!

Outside the court room

I want pizza, pasta, meatballs, cheese and juice please :)

Phew! All of this re-adoption business can wear a girl out!!

Bust My Buffers! Day Out With Thomas

2008-05-18T22:45:00.003-04:00

Today was a great day. We went to a really cool event called A Day Out With Thomas. This was our second year going and Logan brought one of his best buddies along. It's been terribly rainy here in Ohio but we lucked out. The rain stopped as we parked the car and didn't start again until we were packed up and leaving. The boys and Daddy rode Thomas while Devon and I stomped around in the muddy muck. It really was a blast. Thomas "steaming down the line".

The boys posing with their #1 train

This is Devon's new favorite past time....pushing her stroller full force. She always has her head down and she plows!

On the train and happy

Oh! Devon had her 18 month well check on Tuesday. Guess how big my popcorn (remember when Logan nicknamed her that??) is?? She is 25 pounds and 32 inches. I cannot believe how she has blossomed. She is so beautiful and amazing. Tomorrow is her re-adoption ceremony and I am giddy!

It's Official: I am a Soccer Mom!

2008-05-11T00:48:00.003-04:00

There are some things that you take for granted when you have a typical child. He or she will have friends, probably do things like go to the prom, date, etc. The same is true when you have a kiddo with special needs but you sort of put it in your mind there are some things that you won't do. I don't mean for that to sound like I am not an optimist. Those of you that know me know that my glass is always way more than half full. It's just that you have so much to get done on your "short list" that you rarely have time to look at the "long list". For me one of them was seeing my son play sports on a team. I never, ever thought that I'd be a "Soccer Mom". Well maybe that was because Curly is not a soccer guy.....he's a football, tough-guy-sport dude....lol. Today, it happened.

An awesome man and his wife in a neighboring community who also have a child on the "spectrum" formed a league called "Soccer 4 All" where anyone can play. High school students from the area team up with the kids and are their buddies on the field (it's called a field right?? I don't know sports at all....lol). We worked on getting Logan used to the idea for a few weeks now and he was stoked! He had his shorts, spikes, shinguards.....he was ready to rock. We woke up to sunny skies here in Cleveland today which was awesome because the 1st game, last week, was rained out. Those of you that know Logan, know that he is extemely sensitive to light. We hooked him up with two pairs of glasses and Daddy's baseball hat and he took to the field like a champ. A really sweet girl named Molly started to engage with Logan by working with him and showing him some moves. It was awesome! They warmed up and then started the game. He was so focused and in to the game unlike anything I have ever seen. He loved it, he really, really loved it.

Wanna hear the "kicker" (pun intended...lol). LOGAN SCORED A GOAL!!!!!!!! It was so sweet and special seeing him do it and also seeing how excited he was after he scored. My baby!! It was a great day!

We ended the day by going over to Curly's sister's house to celebrate her 50th B-Day (Rock on Weezie the Geezie!.....lol) and Mother's Day with my Mother-in-Law. We had a really nice time just hanging out and talking. My BIL, makes a mean margarita! Y-u-m-m-y!!

Before the game giving "The Fonz"

Molly helping Logan with his laces

Molly and Logan (how cute is she???) Wonder if she babysits???

Running down the field with the ball

He's going in for the shot!

Getting ready to........

SCOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!!! (if only that kid in the red pants wasn't blocking my shot) Hi-5's from Molly

Little Miss Sunshine

Oh wait....she's eating rocks! But she sure is cute doing it, huh?

We All Scream for Ice Cream

2008-05-02T21:55:00.005-04:00

Oye! What a week! Curly was out of town at the beginning, it was Grandma Jan's B-day, Logan started with a new OT (LOVE HER!!!) and we had his IEP meeting on Thursday. It was a big one because he needed to be re-evaluted every which way before starting Kindergarten in the Fall. I really liked the new SLP and Sp. Ed teacher and look forward to meeting his new teacher (we are going to miss his pre-school teacher big time!).

We went to a pretty cool Latin American restaurant called Paladar for Grandma's b-day. It was pretty good and was more of a nuevo Latin American cuisine. The chef kindly made chicken tenders and fries for Logan (not on the menu) and Devon feasted on black beans and rice and sweet plantains (I helped her out with those!!! They brought me back to Guat). After dinner we went back to my brother and SIL's house to open presents and have cake and ice cream. Tiffany made this awesome cake called a Hummingbird Cake (??). She said it was Southern.....I said it was AWESOME! Devon just enjoyed the ice cream :) Yummy!
Ahhhh, ice cream soup!
Sweet Logan, my brother and Yukon (he has the big "C" and might not be with them much longer :( )
Logan and his Aunt Bannie
Logan lovin' on Grandpa

Devon had a really cool 1st on Thursday night......Her 1st ice cream truck frozen confection! Boy oh boy did she love it!! Logan of course went for a Spongebob popsicle. I am in so much trouble when they hear that tune-ful truck coming down the street playing that electric circus song. Can I tell you that there are 3 ice cream truck trolling my neighborhood??? Do they take credit???? LOL

Me likey
Me lovey
Me messy!!
Logan Squarepants

Sunny Days.....Everything is A-OK :)

2008-04-19T22:29:00.007-04:00

First, I wanted to say thank you to all of the wonderful people that posted and emailed me about the JERK bus driver. Curly called the next day and filed a complaint with the head of transportation. I couldn't do it because I was WAY too emotional and would have jut blubbered on the phone. They were appalled and even the regular (and NICE) driver apologized for his actions. My sweet friend Ruthanne wrote an awesome social story that we are now reading to Logan. I've also pulled out the old ones on appropriate bus behavior.

The weather here in Cleveland has been A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Curly took the day off on Friday and we worked in the yard together. Ahhhh, we have so much to do and are both horticulturally challenged (can I get an IEP for that???). My dad, who is one green thumbed dude, came over and helped Curly take down a tree that had roots that were starting to foul up our stamped concrete patio that we had put in a few years ago. I was inside with my mom and the kids and I heard Devon say "PaPa Monkey". I looked outside to see my dad IN the tree. No, he was not wearing work boots but Birkenstocks.
Doesn't it look like Curly is flying a kite here?? Nope. Just making sure that the tree landed in the yard and not on our roof! LOL Thank goodness my dad was over to direct this deal or we would be filing a claim with our home owner's insurance company right about now! LOL
So pretty in her dress :) She can wear them now that she is walking. It's too hard when they are crawling because they get all stuck and jumbled up.
OK, this is a close up of my son wearing nail polish (yep you read that right!) as lip stick. I polished my toes for literally the 1st time in months so I could wear sandals without being mocked by the fashion police. I made the mistake and left it on the kitchen counter. Curly walked in to seeing Logan applying it to his lips and saying "Look Daddy. I'm pretty!".

Mommy's sunshine sweetie :)
Logan driving grandma's Prius. Funny thing with this car is that since it is a Hybrid it doesn't make noise when it is on. Good thing he didn't drop it into "D".
Dancing to "We Did It" ala Dora.
Can you hear me now?? Wearing brother's socks as ear muffs because it grosses mommy out.
Touching Mommy's Laptop......things that will get you in a time out for sure! I'm pretty easy going but touching my buttons PUSHES my buttons!
Can you get over this Vogue pose?? Eat your heart out Madonna!

Bite Me, Bus Driver Bob

2008-04-16T16:01:00.004-04:00

Or whatever your name is. As if my day couldn't get crappier and I've been fighting back tears all day I had to deal with another insensitive fool that just doesn't get it. Here's how it went:

I see the bus coming down the street, it stops in front of the house. There is a new dude at the wheel.

Logan: Mommy!
Me: Hey sweetie! How was your day??
Bus Driver: Oh, so Logan belongs to you.
Me: Yes. I am the proud mom of this guy
Bus Driver: Logan got yelled at today on the bus
Me: Yelled at? For what?
Bus Driver: I had to stop the bus and yell at him because he stood up on the bus.

(Like this is a death penalty offense!)

Me: (In shock...the last time this happened he had a panic attack and threw up everywhere!)
Bus Driver: He wouldn't even look at me. (Dumb ass, he has autism. He doesn't look at ME!)
Me: Sir, I am not sure if you are aware but Logan has autism and part of the disbility includes an inability to maintain eye contact or to act as if he can't hear you.
Bus Driver: Well, whatever he has. I had to stop the bus and yell at him. I don't care what he has.

So to you, Bus Driver Bob, I say.....BITE ME!

Seriously, look at this little button. I've had it with people today!

Edited to add: He did end up throwing up from nerves. All over the table at a restaurant tonight. Thank you very little Senor Jackass!

Today Is WORLD Autism Day!

2008-04-02T00:05:00.002-04:00

I am humbled to say that today has been noted as "World Autism Day". Across the globe people are getting the word out that autism really is an epidemic and that it effects millions across the world.

Most of you know that autism has touched our life with Logan. My sweet, smiling Logan. He is 5 now at was officially diagnosed around 2 and a half however I knew something in him changed at around 15 months old. He went from being a gregarious and engaging little soul to fixating on ceiling fans seemingly overnight. What he was gaining in terms of development was lost. I was told by the "smart people" (ie. Dr's) to wait because boys develop later. What did I know? I was a 1st time Mom and only had my instinct to go on.

We started therapy before his diagnosis because we decided to act on instinct instead of the medical mainstream mantra. We started and never looked back and it was the best decision we could have ever made.

Those early days were often dark and seemed bleak. Looking back today, Logan has come so far. I remember the 1st time he said "Mom". I cried so hard to hear his beautiful voice say my name. I promise you that I will never tire of hearing him call my name. It still makes me smile. We have rough patches but we have so much to celebrate and so much to look forward to.

A diagnosis of autism isn't the end. It's just the beginning of a long road. A road filled with triumphs, tears, making new friends that "get it".....a road to life viewed a little differently, through the eyes of someone you love with autism.

Peace!

Oh CRAP! My Baby Makes a Swear!

2008-03-31T00:35:00.002-04:00

Well I knew it would happen sooner or later. When the combo is a sweetie that mimics words and mommy that sounds like a trucker, I'm surpised that it didn't happen sooner. Logan came down with a cold and we wanted to give him some Benadryl for his sniffles. We put it in a little measuring cup and he drink it from a straw. He hates the stuff and it takes a lot of coaxing and bribery with a sucker to get it down. Well, he sat on the couch with the little cup and was avoiding drinking it. He tried balancing it on his knee and Ka-Blam....it spilled and so did the swear.

Logan: OH CRAP!
Mommy: Huh?
Logan: Logan spilled medicine.....Oh Crap!
Mommy: Did you just say "Crap"???
Logan: No Mommy, I said "Oh Crab"

He did not say crab. He said crap. I guess it is one of the milder ones that he could have dipped into. I have to remind myself to be careful for what you wish for....lol. A few years ago when he was non-verbal I would have happily accepted the F-Bomb :)

Daddy played hookey on Friday and we went to the Science Center on Friday. It was the perfect ending to Logan's Spring Break.

"The Swearer"

Sweet Sassy Molassy

Trying to take her shoes off. Can I duct tape these things on somehow??

Logan and Mommy making their hair stand up at the Science Fair. SHOCKING! LOL

Bunny Phobia, Dress Up & Cheese-Balls

2008-03-18T22:37:00.003-04:00

Logan loves characters dressed in fuzzy costumes BIG TIME.....Devon, not so much. She disliked Santa and felt about the same towards the Easter Bunny. Boy oh boy did he freak her out! We had a our North East Ohio Guatemalan Families get together on Saturday (Thanks Mindy!!) which included breakfast with the bunny and an egg hunt. Check out the look on her face! This was the evil eye that she gave him/her (or whatever was in that suit). Not a happy camper...lol. She held on to me with the death grip and didn't smile again until she was buckled into her carseat and we were headed home.
On Monday morning, Logan got up a little before me. His room is 100% safe and he cannot get out until I let him out. Well, I found him dressed in his Spiderman Halloween costume. It was flippin' hysterical because not only did he have it on backwards with the foamy muscles on his back but he was also wearing 2 pairs of shorts and 2 shirts underneath. I got lucky because he wanted to keep this get up on for the day! Could you imagine us at the grocery store??

Here is my little cheeseball :) It was bath night so I let her feed herself the mac and cheese. She is saying "Cheese" in this shot. Such a stinker bug!

Preschool Cowboys & Momma Gets Older

2008-03-13T23:21:00.006-04:00

I love my son's school. Every year the preschoolers put on a BIG Rodeo Show for the parents. This is Logan's 3rd year (and last :( ) of preschool. The first year that he participated in the show, he had only been in school about 3 weeks. He was so shy and barely used words to communicate. He got upset and ran off during the performance. Oh boy! Not this year! Logan did a GREAT job! He did all the steps and had a blast. In fact, he might be talking a little too much as he called one of his friend's dads "grandpa" not once or twice but THREE times! Oye! Talk about wanting to crawl into a hole! LOL.

Here is my little cowpoke :)

Here he is in full Cowboy Spirit! Note how he is a bit over zealous in his "partner twirling" and sends one girl flying to the floor! Poor thing!

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On Wednesday, I got a little older. Hey, you cannot complain about getting old if you get presents and dinners out with family and friends, right??? My awesomely special friends Ruthanne and Kelly sent me these beautiful flowers :) They are starting to open and look gorgeous!

On Tuesday we went out to dinner with my Mom, Dad, Brother and SIL to a "Neuvo" Mexican place. The food was great....the margaritas were even better! Woooo! We all strolled over to my favorite Cold Stone Creamery for a sweet night cap afterwards. Delish!

Devon and Papa

Tiffany and Me feeling peaceful after some muy delicioso margaritas :)

The handsome men in my world :)

Devon stylin' and profilin' in Aunt Fannie's Pradas.....notice the tight grip Tiff has!

Wanna Be a Rockstar?

2008-03-08T00:39:00.003-05:00

I do. I want a reality break. I'm Candi Stardust, who are you?

Your Rockstar Name Is...

Candi Stardust

What's Your Rockstar Name?

Ice & Princesses with Bed Head

2008-03-06T23:58:00.003-05:00

OK, so Tuesday night didn't turn out how I would have liked. I guess I'm pretty used to it because I haven't picked a winner since Bill's 2nd run....well actually since Gore won the popular vote in 2000. I still have my sign in the front yard and still am an Obama Mamma (until Howard Dean tells me otherwise....lol)

Funnier and lighter, here is Devon wearing a totally cute shirt that my friend Lynn got for her. It says "This is what a Guatemala Princess looks like". Ain't that the truth?? She is sporting her bed head 'do.

Here's a picture of an ice covered tree in my backyard. Aren't I artsy??? LOL

Soooooo Excited for March 4th!

2008-03-03T16:15:00.005-05:00

To divert a little from my typical Mommy Musings......

Those of you that know me personally know that I love politics. Not just semi-interested. I really, really get into this stuff. Some people like sports. I like Hardball.

As a life long Democrat (well except for that one time I voted for Ross Perot after what clearly was the ill effect of too much indulgence at a college "penny beer" night) I am so stoked for Barack Obama. What he has said to me as a voter, Ohioan, Mom, person who truly does have HOPE has inspired me.

I will admit that he wasn't my 1st choice. I was planning on caucusing for either Bill Richardson (STRONG on foreign policy) or John Edwards (INCREDIBLE health plan especially mental health parity which hurts my checkbook every day). Well, you all know that they are both out and still haven't formally endorsed a candidate. Curly and I have been studying and researching and clinging to every detail of both viable camaigns. We can say without a doubt that Barack is our choice.

Ohio is a pretty exciting place to live during an election cycle if you like politics. I think I just need to start answering my phone (that rings nearly every 10 minutes) with "Santilli residence: Obama supporters"....lol. Now if I could get them to only call when Devon wasn't napping! LOL

I'm excited that my yard signs and bumper stickers finally came in the mail today :) I'm off to get my car washed so they stick for (hopefully) the next 4 or better yet 8 years!

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

2008-03-02T12:21:00.002-05:00

A year ago today I truly became a different person. This is the day that I met my daughter for the 1st time. The little face that I saw in pictures was actually placed in my arms for an all too brief 4 days. It feels like years ago on one hand but like just yesterday on the other hand. Curly, Logan and I travelled down to Guatemala City on March 1st and Devon came to us with her Foster Mom on March 2nd. I remember being so filled with wonder that I could barely sleep the night before. I was such a nervous wreck at breakfast that I could barely eat and I knocked over a huge table umbrella as I tried to exit. How were people casually eating eggs and tamales knowing that their baby could possibly be in the same building at that very moment??

Then she came and we held her. I swear that I never wanted to let go. We got to see how much her Foster Mom loved her and and how well she was cared for. We got a glimpse into the personality of the little ham that would one day fill our house with giggles galore. Being with her those days were magical.

Leaving was so hard on all of us. Logan sat between us on the plane. Before take off he started crying. I asked him why he was sad and he responded "I miss my baby sister". He made the connection too.

It would be many months until we went back to hold her for good. Although leaving was hard, I wouldn't trade that time with my angel for anything. I had the memories and pictures to help me hang on to the time when we would be together forever.

Here is a montage that I made last year with pictures from our trip:

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The Kalahari Kowabunga!

2008-02-29T21:27:00.006-05:00

We had an awesome time celebrating Logan's birthday this year! We packed up the mini and headed to The Kalahari Resort and Indoor Waterpark in Sandusky from Saturday until Monday. It was amazing and the kids had a blast. We swam, ate, limbo-ed, played golf, played arcade games and rode the waves. We had Logan's presents and baloons all set up when he woke up on Sunday morning. We ate birthday cake for breakfast. It was so much fun and I wish we could do it everyday.

Here's my Lightening McQueen cruising down the halls in Cars Crocs
Bathing Beauty
The Limbo KING!
Mommy with a fu-fu umbrella drink
So pretty (eating a VERY unsanitary ballpit ball...PUKE!)
Breakfast is served!
The Loot

On Tuesday we celebrated....again! Logan had a snow day (so much for the #5 cookies I made for the class!). We picked up Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Fannie and Daddy and Uncle Shawn met us at Chuck E. Cheese. We literally had the place to ourselves because we were the only people who managed to get out in the blizzard. We had a fun time and Logan LOVES the Chuckster.

Yeah, this guy's da man!

Not so sure about this ride thing Uncle Shawn kicking major 80's butt in arcade games!
A boy and his cake

Finally, we capped off birthday celebrations on Wednesday at school. Devon and I visited the class with treats (the #5 cookies made it along with some cupcakes). I love Logan's class and feel so sentimental that this is his last year of pre-school. Next year, he is on to the Big League of Kindergarten.

Logan and his teacher
Snacky, snack, snack, snack (ala Yo Gabba Gabba)
T-R-O-U-B-L-E

My Baby is Growing Up!

2008-02-22T20:15:00.002-05:00

Logan turns 5 on Sunday. Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday that I wondered if the cramps that were "coming and going" were actually labor...lol.

This remarkable little boy has changed our lives for nothing but the better and he brightens everyone's day everywhere he goes. His smile is beacon and his laugh makes your heart warm. He is my little hero and has accomplished more in his 5 years than many can do in a lifetime.

I'm lucky to be Logan's mom. I love him with every ounce of my heart and soul.

We are taking the kids to Kalahari waterpark to celebrate his birthday so I will be sure to post pics when we get back.

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My Funny Valentine's

2008-02-19T14:35:00.006-05:00

Logan's teachers are always coming up with cute ways to thrill parents. After his fun Valentine's Day party, I got the adorable letter in the mail. I think it is soooo precious! He also made me a darling beaded necklace that I proudly wore out to dinner that night. Everyday with Curly, Logan and Devon feels like Valentine's Day. I'm the luckiest momma and wife in the the world :)

Here are some more pictures from our Love Day :)

Eat your heart out Martha! LOL

Look Who's "SPEC"-tacular!

2008-02-04T15:28:00.001-05:00

How cute is Logey in his specs?? We just got home from picking up his vision therapy glasses. I think he looks adorable :) He loves wearing them and so far doesn't want to take them off. He's such a big, sophisticated man :)

BEAT IT Bug-ga-boo's!

2008-02-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Wanna hear how long Curly had to wait with Devon at the Children's Hospital ER today to see a Dr?? 5 hours! Can you flippin' believe that nonsense? Poor little chica has RSV....basically a raw deal of a bad cough, excessively runny nose, fever and sleeplessness. Yep.....no sleep. I am thankful beyond belief that Logan is adapting well to the sleep medicine presecribed to him. I am fall-down-on-my-knees thankful because a good night's sleep for him changes his ENTIRE perspective on the day. Better living through pharmalogical (sp?) advances is GOOD.

On a fun and happy note....Devon received her 1st Valentine yesterday from her amiga Sophia. She was so happy to see Sophia all dressed up in her Princess gear. Then she tried to eat the card....lol. Lisa, your daughter is so precious!

Look at her sick little eyes. Bless her heart :)

I Understand that Home is the "Safe Place"

2008-01-31T13:37:00.000-05:00

I also understand that life isn't all ice cream cones and pony rides. I also know that sometimes I really dislike autism and what it does to my beautiful son.

The last few weeks have been rough. Rough is really putting it lightly. Logan went on a sleep strike which brought his resistance down and he ended up getting sick.....sick and angry. He didn't want to take any medicine which didn't help matters. I think we are finally making strides on getting his nighttime rythm back but he is still acting out. He's not acting out at school, with the therapists, at gym....it's all coming to a boiling point at home. Just getting him dressed for school was like performing an exorcism. He screamed, hit, scratched, kicked. I know, I know....don't take it personal. It's hard not to when the slap in the face really IS a slap in the face.

I love him unconditionally with every ounce of my being and understand that home is the safe place where you can let it all hang out. It's where you can be yourself after you've held it together to fit in all day. It just sucks to be on the receiving end of that.

My brain is tired and there is so much to do......get ready for the support group meeting tonight, try to make sense out of all of our medical deductibles so we can file our taxes, sort out what his summer plan is going to be (yes, it's not even Feb and camps start booking soon) and cleaning this mess of a house.

I want....no I NEED a vacation!

Snow Babies

2008-01-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

I really dislike winter in Ohio. The snow, cold weather, boogery noses, the yuck of it all. I finally took little Miss Sunshine out into "it" while Logan was waitng for the bus. She was intrigued at 1st but I think she has the same opinion on the cold as I do.....SEND ME SOUTH!

Logan all ready for school
Sissy can't stop looking at her boots
She looks like the kid in A Christmas Story here.....don't fall! I'm frozen in this position!
Wahhhhhhhhh! Do you blame her??
Can we go in now??
I like it better inside where it is warm and cozy!

My Blog got Pimped for a Cause

2008-01-20T21:37:00.001-05:00

Not only did I take a huge leap and get bangs today I also had my blog "style-ized". What do you all think? I think I L-O-V-E it ;)

If anyone is looking to give their blog some giddyup, you should contact Nikki. It is all for a great cause....kids who need help. She charges only $20. $15 of this goes to supporting her humanitarian trip to the Dominican Republic and $5 goes to a charity. The charity for this month is an orphanage for children with special needs in Santiago, DR. Check out her blog for details!

1st B-Ball Game & Curly Gets a New Hoop-Dee

2008-01-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

Logan had Tiger Spirit Week this week at school. The big finale of the week was the Tiger basketball game on Friday night. We had a great time. Logan loved seeing all of the Big Kids and Devon loved shaking and eating the pom-poms.

Logan wearing his Browns gear on "wear-your-favorite-team-jersey-day"

This is the face he made when the loud buzzer went off....can you blame him??

The future Tiger cheerleader :)....this is my 1st video upload...I hope it worked!

Mommy over spent (again!) with her Gymbucks today ;)

Still jumpin'

Here's Curly pulling in his new car....a 2008 Komfort Edition V-Dub Passat in Mocha Brown. It is sweeeeeet! He let me drive it a little tonight...what a guy! I'm so happy to have some VW turbo back in the Santilli house. This thing smokes :) It was around 10 degrees out tonight so here is a pic from Motortrend.

Playing MAJOR Catch Up!!!

2008-01-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.......well you get the point. I got a teensy bit wrapped up in the holidays and got a little behind with the blogging. But I'm back baby!

Here is a look in pictures from the past month or so :)

Santa came to visit us on his fire truck....Logan was in his glory!

We also happened upon the Jolly Old Elf in a shopping plaza...Logan was in his glory (again!)

Devon....not so in her glory

How precious is this face?

Oh man! Here he is AGAIN! Seriously, get me off this dude's lap!

Devon can tolerate him a little better when our friends Isabelle & Nikki are nearby

The Fam and Santa (Logan is, once again, in his glory.....this is the guy that HOOKS you UP!)

Logan and Devon at Sam & Snapps' Party.....no Santa

Logan's class party singing Gingerbread Man songs

Devon making herself at home at preschool by eating the toys...YUMMY!

Christmas Eve at our house with Curly's family. Devon LOVES her wagon!

Mommy's Little Guitar Hero

Right after Santa dropped off the goods on Christmas Eve

Curly and Logan in their matching jammies :)

OK, so let me get this straight....the fat guy that makes me cry brought me all of this??

Logan taking a turn in the wagon

Present time on Christmas Day with my family

Funny story on this one....my Dad wrapped the gifts this year and put a Curly tag on a Tara gift. Imagine Curly's surprise. He faked liking it really good! It was hysterical!

Grandpa and Grandma

Devon and Aunt Fannie

My parents got Logan a drum set....yeah, really funny Mom and Dad!

Devon's 1st Hair Cut!!

I took the plunge and got Devon's hair trimmed. Her bangs were in her eyes and her mullet reveled anything the great city of Parma could provide. We headed over to Cuts & Curls for Boys and Girls and Devon had her 1st spa experience. She loved it! Her throne was a Dora Jeep and she danced to Dora music the entire time.....almost so much that it made it hard on the stylist. We had a great time!

Before

During

Princess Devon is stylin :)

I promise to not be a stranger!!! Stay tuned for more :)

We Got Elfed

2007-11-21T00:38:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-11-16T12:52:00.000-05:00

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!!

2007-11-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-11-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-11-04T23:57:00.001-05:00

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

2007-10-31T23:08:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-23T19:49:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-10-14T23:50:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

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

Guatoberfest was AWESOME!!

2007-10-09T22:49:00.000-04:00

You know that you had a great time when it takes you 3 days to finally get your blog updated because you're too pooped to post!

We had soooo much fun. It was so incredibly special to finally be with the friends that I made over a year ago. Flash forward a year later and there we were, in a hotel together in Atlanta with our babies. Amazing! I am so lucky to call these awesome ladies my friends!

We couldn't participate in all of the activities because our little ones still need there naps and go to bed early. We didn't let that stop us from having a blast in our rooms. We stayed up LATE laughing and talking and getting our babies to bed or back to bed. :)

The flights there and back went fine. After all, our girls are international travelers...lol.

Here are some pics of all of the fun we had....

The "Gang"Andrew sporting his tutu 'fro

Aren't these outfits amazing?? Kelly did them!
Devon LOVED touching Andrew. Andrew did not :)

Waaaaaaaaa!
Isabelle needed earplugs for this one!
More Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!
Sweet SophieBug sleeping on her momma, Marcy

The "cat burglars" had fun playing with the safe

Posing at the CNN Bldg. We never did find Anderson!
Testing the water temp
Who's going in 1st?
Splash Splash, they are taking a bath and yes it is Saturday night
How cute are they???

Kemry is SO over this photoshoot! She's outta there!
"So Kemry, let me tell you about football..."
"Ava I need to program your # in mommy's cell"
Strike a pose, hot momma! Ruthanne and Andrew My Ohio amigas, Nikki and Isabelle

All the way from San Francisco.....Carrie and Grace and Carrie's Sis
The Summer Sisters finally together. We all started our process last summer.
Kelly and Kemry
PJ Party in Room 608!! My other Ohio amigas and flying partners Lisa and Sophia

Atlanta.....Here We Come!!!

2007-10-04T22:48:00.000-04:00

Devon and I will be boarding a plane to Atlanta with our friends Nikki, Isabelle, Lisa and Sophia bright and early tomorow. I am soooo excited to meet my friends that I have been talking to for over a year. This weekend is going to be awesome!

I promise to take a TON of pictures. I also promise to finish packing and get myself to bed! I am embarrassed at how big our suitcase is! LOL

We Walked, We Strolled, We Kicked Butt!

2007-10-01T23:31:00.001-04:00

A Million Thank You's to all of our friends and family across the country that sponsored us in the Autism Speaks Walk! We ended up raising $700 for autism!! The support and love we felt from everyone was just overwhelming. Our little team raised almost $12,000! Cleveland raised $600,000.00 and the goal was only $250,000.

Our family had such a great time despite some of the hectic-ness with the huge crowds, loud noise, bright sun and all other things that drive people on the spectrum (and ME) nutso. They think about 6500 people were there.

The big hit for Logan was seeing Geoffrey the Giraffe and Slider (The Indians mascot) and rocking it out to the drums. Logan is my hero :)

The Strollin' Santilli's

This kids' got rhythm!

Logan and his buddy with Slider

"Geoffrey I'm not letting go until you give me the ENTIRE Thomas line!"

I Woke Up Today to Something Amazing :)

2007-09-29T14:10:00.000-04:00

We got an email from Devon's Foster Mommy in Guatemala!!!!

We sent some pictures down a few weeks ago and included our email address. This morning I got an email from her brother and a scanned letter that she hand wrote to us. I was so excited!

My friend Natalie kindy translated it for us. Her beautiful words immediately brought me to tears. What an awesome blessing for Devon to have her Foster Mom in her life and know how much she is loved. I will forever save and cherish the correspondence with her.

I better get busy writing and translating and picking out my favorite pictures to email back!! This is just the coolest ever!!

Here's my silly little chica wearing her brother's frog boots :)

I Need to Get a Few Things Off My Chest

2007-09-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

Well you all already know how beautiful my children are so I am going to forgo adding new happy pictures of them today and do something I really never dreamed that I would have to do: defend my daughter's adoption. In light of new sensationalized "media" coverage I think the wonder of illegal activity surrounding adoptions from Guatemala is in people's minds and I'd like to set the record straight.

Two events bring me here to do this. The first was a completely biased report done on NPR's show All Things Considered. NPR was once a source I turned to for a balanced view on world events where I was able to formulate my own opinions. After last weeks story on Guatemalan adoptions I can no longer regard their "news" reporting as truth. They left listeners with the idea that all one needs is money and an adoption from Guatemala is "quick". Anyone that remotely knows me, knows the 12 month struggle it took to bring her home. For 8 months, I knew my baby and half of my heart was in Central America. Our case, just like all the others, went through the rigorous checks and balances of both the US and Guatemalan government. We followed the rules and brought our daughter home legally and ethically. Highly quoted in the piece was a representative from UNICEF. Yes, UNICEF has done plenty for countless children worldwide in terms of vaccines and food relief but they are VERY anti-adoption. To see what I mean please read this.

The 2nd was a reference a friend made that Guatemala is a "baby farm". Birth Mothers (often respectfully referred to as First Mothers) are NOT paid to relinquish their children in Guatemala. That is against the law. However, it should be noted that it is NOT against the law in the United States for a Prospective Adoptive Parent to provide financial assistance to an American First Mother. Money that is paid to the attorneys in Guatemala is for the care/food/medical needs of our babies, salary to the Foster Moms, translation of documents and fees for the attorney's honest work.

This is me, speaking as an adoptee. Imagine Devon's horror if one day 10 years from now she is online doing a Google search (or whatever the hip piece of technology will be at the time to find out info) and she reads an article that Guatemalan babies were bought or sold as a commodity because of sloppy reporting. Put yourself in her shoes. Put yourself in my shoes. It just is not true. To make the "media" accountable, please sign this online petition.

Yes, there are a few bad apples out there that have given adoptions a black eye. Those people have been caught and prosecuted. Rightfully so.

Adoptions in Guatemala may or may not stop at the end of this year. Not because of the unscrupulous few that tried to milk the system. Because of something called The Hague Treaty. To put it simply, The Hague Treaty was put into place to ensure that countries participating in international adoptions adhere to standards. Guatemala is working through legislation to comply with the treaty. In fact, they most likely will become compliant before the US does. That's right. The almighty US of A is not Hague Compliant.

That fact leads me to my next point. Because the US is not compliant and most other countries that are involved in International Adoption are, there are only a handful of countries that will permit Americans to adopt children from them. Russia, The Ukraine, China, Ethiopia, Haiti and Guatemala are all on the short list. From that list, you have issues with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in Eastern Europe, a nearly 3 year wait for a daughter from China and countries with black children, and let's face it, the stigma surrounding inter-race adoptions is alive and well.

Children in Guatemala are mostly cared for in private foster care, receive one on one attention. They are less likely to have FAS because culturally women do not drink alcohol there. Plus it is in our hemisphere making trips back to continually celebrate Devon's birth country an easier reality.

If you are wondering why so many children are placed for adoption in Guatemala, you can read this . It is 63 pages long and goes into detail to what the socioeconomic situation is like in Guatemala. If you've ever been to a slum in the US, it doesn't even begin to compare to the level of poverty in Guatemala. It isn't something that I talk a lot about. Devon's birth country is filled with natural beauty and warm people. Obviously the details need to be presented so you can assess for yourself why adoption is the only answer for many First Mothers.

If you've made it this far, you now understand how passionate I am about the need for the truth to be heard. You now understand that you cannot believe all that is reported in the "media". You probably already know how much we love our daughter and how much we respect the difficult decision a beautiful 18-year-old woman made to save her baby girl from poverty and social injustice.

Devon is waking from her nap now. I am signing off now to go and love my baby.

All Around Way Awesome Weekend!

2007-09-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Meeting friends, an over-night splash fest AND our anniversary!

This weekend was GREAT! It started with a much anticipated visit from my friend Ruthanne. She stopped in Cleveland on her way to her parents and more importantly, on her way to pick up her precious son in Guatemala (huge WoooHooo!!).

We met up with Nikki for a fun dinner at my brother's yummy restaurant. We had such a great time talking and laughing. It makes me that more excited for Guatoberfest in Atlanta.

The fabulous ladies on the town :)

Ruthanne and the calamari (THE "Squid")
Nikki and me with the tenticles...lol.
Ruthanne getting a little pre-bedtime Milo lovin' :)

Saturday was our 7th wedding anniversary. We really wanted to do something special but we didn't think Devon was ready for a babysitter (is she??). So we decided to spend our anniversary having fun as a family. We packed up the van and headed out to Sandusky to The Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark for the night. We ALL had a great time! Logan loved the slides and the arcade and Devon was all about splashing and storytime. Mommy and Daddy just loved watching those two laugh and giggle. Being a family is so awesome. I am so thankful for my amazing husband and all the love he has for the kids and me. Happy Anniversary to the BEST Daddy and Husband in the entire world!

Our room was so cool. It had a built in log cabin with bunk beds, a day bed, tv and room for Devon's pack-n-play. We were on the main floor and close to all of the "action". On the way home, all Logan kept saying was that he couldn't wait to go back to the "lodge".

Getting ready to hit the highway
Logan on his zillionth trip on the slide
Splashy and sassy!
This splashing is FUN!

All ready for storytime. I don't wanna take a nap!!
My 3 loves.
The kiddos and me

Logan on the top bunk in the in-room Kid Cabin
Climbing....climbing.....climbing
My sweet silly's at bed time
Hugs and goofing around
Passed out after 24 hours of PURE FUN!

There's a Party in our Potty!!!!!

2007-09-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

HE DID!!!! LOGAN PEE'D IN THE POTTY 2 TIMES TODAY!!!!!!

My friends with Nuero-typical friends might be thinking "Big Whoop, he's almost 5. He should already be going in there". Well, not so much. Logan had/has a ginormous fear of the toilet. I don't really know what the fear is. I try to guess, cold seat, loud flush sound, losing part of his "self", etc.

I am walking on air today!! This after our insurance company denied my claim to pay for pull-ups/kid Depends! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

Here are some pictures of my Big Boy sporting his Pirate Halloween costume that will never make it until Oct. 31st!

Logan Rode the Puke-a-Nator & Devon Rode the Merry-Go-Round!

2007-09-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

Today was the last day that Geauga Lake was open for the season so we headed there tonight after the Browns' game for a little family fun with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a great time! I cannot believe how daring Logan is! He dragged Daddy on a roller coaster (twice!) and this thing that I can only describe as a puke-a-nator that spins in circles REALLY fast (twice!). You guys should have seen Curly's hair after that! LMBO!

This was Devon's first go at an amusement park. She loved looking at all of the people (sometimes the people alone are the most amusing thing about an amusement park! The only ride that she went on was the Merry-Go-Round. They have pretty strict rules about being able to walk before being allowed to ride. Party poopers!

Ugh, I'm having some serious formatting issues so here are a bunch of pictures :)

Who Needs Sleep??

2007-09-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

For my fellow sleep deprived mommy's and daddy's. Enjoy!

Who Needs Sleep? Lyrics » Barenaked Ladies

Now I lay me down not to sleep
I just get tangled in the sheets
I swim in sweat three inches deepI just lay back and claim defeat
Chapter read and lesson learnedI turned the lights off while she burned
So while she's three hundred degrees
I throw the sheets off and I freeze
Lids down, I count sheepI count heartbeats
The only thing that counts is that I won't sleep
I countdown, I look around
Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that forWho needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War
My hands are locked up tight in fists
My mind is racing, filled with lists
of things to do and things I've done
Another sleepless night's begun
Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats
The only thing that counts is
that I won't sleep
I countdown, I look around
Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War
Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War
There's so much joy in life,
so many pleasures all around
But the pleasure of insomnia
is one I've never found
With all life has to offer,
there's so much to be enjoyed
But the pleasures of insomnia
are ones I can't avoid
Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats
The only thing that counts is
that I won't sleepI countdown,
I look around
Hala Hala Hala
Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War
[Repeat]

Isn't He Pretty in Pink????

2007-09-12T21:43:00.001-04:00

This little boy, Andrew, has made his Mommy the happiest woman on the planet. He is coming HOME to be with my dear friend Ruthanne forever. Their Embassy appointment is two weeks from today. Join me in wishing my future son-in-law and his Mom a big "WOOOHOOO"! http://www.thefochtfamily.blogspot.com/

Let the Race Begin!

2007-09-10T23:08:00.001-04:00

WATCH OUT WORLD....DEVON IS CRAWLING!

Yesterday my buttercup turned 10 months old and tonight she crawled! Oh man, I better get out my track shoes. She has also been teasing us with trying to walk.

For those of you wondering, yes I did video tape it and YES I'd like to sock Bill Gates and his crappy Vista for deleting it from my memory stick and not letting me open the file. I don't have a Mac why???

Assuming the position....soooo nervous!

"I think I can, I think I can"

This crawling business is intense!

I did it!!

Hmmmm, 1st crawling.....next conquer the world!

How pretty am I??

Devon's a droolin' fool!

I'll make this face until you buy the ENTIRE Royal Garden line from Gymboree!

Phew!

2007-09-06T23:55:00.000-04:00

I got a new laptop tonight! And YES I did get the if-the-dogs-eat-it-and-Logan-dismantles-it-you-get-a-new-one insurance plan for 2 years :)

Now I need to figure out this Vista dill-e-o and decide which email I'm going to use (This new Windows Mail or my old Outlook). Opinions anyone??? Buehler, Buehler??

Was Monday Really the End of Summer?

2007-09-05T12:31:00.001-04:00

Labor Day is the typical marker for the end of summer. Mind you, Logan's been back to school for a few weeks now, my mom's been back to work and nighttime comes earlier now. But Labor Day makes is more real.

On one hand, it seems like just yesterday that I was working on Devon's room before she came home and timing my day by the sound of the lifeguard's whistle from the newly opened for the season pool in our backyard. But it also seems like moons ago that we were getting Logan ready to start camp as we packed for Guatemala. There have been so many great days and so many hard days between then and now. Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic because Monday also marked 2 months of becoming a forever family here in Ohio. Maybe it's because, although it is darn hot, I'm not ready to say goodbye to the sun and get ready for the winter to come.

Regardless of what it is, I would not replace this calm in my heart for more days at the beach or after dinner runs out for ice cream. It's OK that summer is coming to an end because our family has new memories to make. There's Halloween and Christmas and all of the ordinary days in between that I am thankful for. There is so much to look forward to on days you least expect it.

Logan striking a pose in from of Uncle Shawn's boat. (I turned this into an 8x10 for his newly designed Big Boy room with pictures to follow in a few days)

My little Beach Baby splashing to her heart's content

Curly schoolin' the "kids" in Boccie (It truly is an Old Italian Man's game...lol

So beautiful & amazing even when covered in sand

Logan 1st time playing Boccie. Watch out Rome, NY. Daddy's got a protege!

I Need a Military-Grade Laptop in this House!

2007-08-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

You know that movie "A Christmas Story"? Remember those dogs that lived next door that stole the Christmas turkey? They were The Bumpiss Dogs. The Bumpiss Dogs live at my house. Max and Milo....Big and Bigger...Dumb and Dumber. Horseplay became an all out Battle Royale wrestling match in my living room and the laptop (my life line, my connection to things that are not Yo Gabba Gabba) got tangled in a dog foot or leg or body and hit the ground.

The part I bought today didn't do the trick so I ordered another one off of eBay. God speed it's way to me. Please let it be the part! PLEASE!!!!!!

ROAD TRIP!!! GIRL'S WEEKEND!!!

2007-08-22T21:09:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that Devon and I will be attending Guatoberfest in Atlanta from Oct 5-7th!!! O M G!! It is going to be sooo much fun!! We are bunking with Kelly & Kemry and Nikki & Isabelle. Luckily we have a suite with 2 beds and a pull-out couch. Can you guys imagine the # of hairbows per square inch in that room? I'm wondering who will sleep less, the girls because they are in a new place or the mommies because we'll be up all night giggling?? Devon and I are going to fly down with Nikki and Isabelle. Did I mention how excited we are?? I've never been on a "girl's weekend" before. We (Kelly) have the room booked and I've paid the registration. Now all we need are plane tickets, t-shirts and of course some adorable twinkie outfits for the girls. :)

The Summer Birthday Extravaganza!

2007-08-19T12:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated the birthdays of Tracey, Ann, Michelle (it was her actual birthday) and Curly at our house. It was so awesome being together my girlfriends! I miss them all so much and don't get to spend nearly as much time with them as we used to or would like to. It was so much fun catching up! We had a blast!!! Here's to another year of being 29 again!

Together again :)

The Birthday Babes!

The Guys Grillin' & Chillin'

The Worlds Ugliest Cake didn't taste too bad

Devon & Auntie Pillows...aka Auntie Snapps...aka Barb :)

My Monkey getting a little lovin' from Aunt Chelles

Tee-Tee Ann has the magic touch :)

The Flowers....Logan's BF Kasey and Sara & Dave

Tracey & Chris all sporting their pre-season pre-game Brown & Orange!

Michelle & Jeff get the Cutest Couple award!

Matt (Curly's Piazano) & Ann

Look what Uncle Sam taught me!!

Baby Sister covered in party decor. Hmmm, wonder how that happened, Logan??

Fishin' for Sisters with our new toy from Aunt Chelles

"Daddy, you have a little BBQ sauce in your 'stache"

I love my family :)

A Bad Day for Teeth at Casa de Santilli

2007-08-16T23:46:00.000-04:00

My issues with teeth started a little after midnight, then again at 3am and once more at 6am. Devon is teething...BIG TIME! A right of passage in babyhood and mommyhood. I know that she is hurting because when she cries, real tears are pouring out. Poor thing. Tylenol is a no-no since she is on the INH meds so we've been going the homeopathic route. As Dr. Phil says "so how's that workin' for ya??" Not so much.

This mamma's tooth drama doesn't end there. Today was Logan's 6 month check-up at the dentist. Nope, it ain't a pretty scene. I usually go with help....Grandma or Dad. Not today. I went at it alone and brought Devon along for good measure. How did it go you ask?? I've decided how I could become a millionaire....open a bar next to the pediatric dentist that offers unlimited tequila shots for moms that make it out alive.

It started out sort of OK. Logan wanted to bring his swimming tubes in with us. I'm all for looking weird for the sake of making it through an event. Once we made it in the room, he FREAKED. He hid behind the chair and tried to convince us that Baby Sister should go instead (Come on, dude. She has 1 tooth! LOL). The dentist (who is the nicest woman on earth and probably should wear a hockey mask next time) helped me drag him out. We made it through the cleaning but doubtfully didn't instill confidence in the waiting toddlers that were next in line. No cavities were found today (YEAH!!!) but she did suggest as Logan grows bigger that we put him under, do all x-rays, fillings and apply some super duper cavity defying polymer on his teeth. Sounds like a party.

Tomorrow is a new day :)

Whaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Check out my pretty new "pearly white"!

Living for the Weekends

2007-08-13T23:45:00.000-04:00

I love the weekends. Especially in the summer. There is always something fun to look forward to and awesome memories to be made. Friends and family to see and neighbors outside enjoying the good weather.

On Saturday we went to a birthday party (Happy 5th Bday Alec!!) and had a great time. Logan got a few good whacks in on the pinata and he also gave fishing a whirl for the 1st time!

Sitting on the dock of the bay....

Devon and Mommy

Thanks Mindy for the awesome pics!!

On Sunday we did our favorite summer activity: Hanging out at Boaters Beach here. We have so much fun getting to spend time with my mom and dad and brother and sister-in-law (who I don't get to see nearly enough these days!!!) What could be more fun than a day at the beach??

My cool dude :)

Someone is trying to break free from their stroller!

Can You Help Me....Pretty Please???

2007-08-09T15:38:00.001-04:00

The parent support group that I help facilitate called SPARK will be participating in the Autism Speaks "Walk For Autism Now" walk on Sunday, September 30th. Curly, Logan, Devon and I will be walking with our friends from SPARK. We really hope to be successful and help raise a lot of money. We need your help! Please click on http://www.autismwalk.org/goto/santilli to donate. I've set a reasonable goal that I know with every one's help we can blow out of the park. My friend and teammate has already raised $1,000!!! (Go Lisa!)

Autism Speaks (which has now joined forces with Cure Autism Now) is an awesome organization. I'm sure that many of you have seen their commercials like the one where is says "1 in xxx,xxx kids will grow up to be a professional athlete. 1 in 150 will be diagnosed with autism". They are real eye-openers. Autism Speaks also has a ton of celebrity support and they are helping to promote awareness and research.

Having a child with autism can have its challenges but like with typical children, the rewards are enormous and outweigh it all. Seeing the progress that Logan is making is breathtaking. It's all because of his hard work, the dedication of his teachers and support from our friends like you.

Please consider donating to this awesome cause. Thank you!

If you are a reader, can I add your blog as one of Mi Amigas? Most of my traffic comes through my friends. Even if you can't donate, you will be helping by making the walk more visable :) Please add a comment and tell me it is OK.

2 Reasons I am so Lucky

2007-08-06T10:40:00.000-04:00

I might not get to shave my legs everyday, eat a warm meal or have a clean house but I have the world right here with these two. It's not about what I don't have. It's about how blessed I am to call these two special kiddos my children. I am so lucky!

Hair Envy?? No Mo'!

2007-08-04T16:36:00.000-04:00

Houston, we have a pony! After lots of elastics and tries, we got it baby!!

Eat your heart out AP and Ava....lol :) Well, pretty much all my Guata-Friends except Sofie :)

Typhoid Mary Ain't Got Nothing On This Cutie!

2007-08-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

Wow, what an exciting few days....NOT! Devon's TB skin test came back positive. Pretty scary stuff but I tried to remain calm until we got all of the info. Akron Children's hospital ordered a chest x-ray for her on Wednesday when they read her skin test. Luckily the x-ray came back negative for active TB!

So what does this mean??? Glad you asked! Devon cannot give anyone TB. It means that she was exposed to it in Guatemala and it is dormant in her system. Our International Adoption Ped, regualar Ped and the Infectious Diseases Ped (no, I never wanted THAT kind of dr.!) recommended that she take an antibiotic called INH for 9 months. Yep, daily for 9 months. They gave us a pill so I crush it up and sneak it into her morning cereal. This medicine can cause some "crappy" side effects if you catch my drift. Thanks to a friend's advice (Mindy...thank you!) we are also putting some probiotics in the cereal to help ease the tummy troubles. She just took her 1st does about an hour ago so cross your fingers for us that she tolerates it well!

On an awesome, exciting, fantabulous note: My Summer Sister Ruthanne found out yesterday that her little muffin man Andrew got out of PGN!!!! That is the BEST news ever!!!!!

Today is One Month Home!

2007-07-31T21:43:00.001-04:00

While we were stuck in process, I'd hear people say that once they were home all of that worry and sadness vanished. It's true! It melted away as soon as she was in our arms. I cannot believe that it has been a month already. A month in PGN or waiting for Pre-Approval felt like lifetime. We really do feel like she has always been here.

Having Devon home with us is truly the BEST feeling in the world. We love her so much....words cannot even describe it. Every time I see her sweet little smile or watch her fall asleep at night, I lose my breath. She has been a dream come true. Logan adores her. To watch them play together and laugh is so cool. She is his biggest fan! I've also made some incredible and unforgettable friends during our process to bring Devon home. Some are far away (but only a phone call or email away) and some live close by.....the one thing is that they will be lifelong :)

I love being the mom to my two beautiful children. Yes, it is challenging at times but oh so worth every second.

Here are some pictures of sweet Devon over the past month. Ahhhhh, I love this little girl!!

Happy Birthday Curly Daddy!

2007-07-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

Next year is the BIG 4-0!!! We had a great day. Curly took the day off and we headed to the Cleveland Zoo with the kiddos. Sounds like a great plan, right? Well, not so much. It was FREE Day for Cuyahoga County residents. UGH! The zoo was literally a zoo! LOL. Regardless, who could ask for a better day. Curly had both of his little pumpkins with him....hot and crabby little pumpkins....but the cutest hot and crabby pumpkins in the world.

I LOVE YOU CURLY!!! Happy Birthday and thanks for being my best friend!!!!!

Moving to Blogger

2007-07-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

OK, here we go. Time to start a new blog and actually update it.

Devon wants to crawl sooooo bad! Look at the focus on her face. We all cheer her on! Go Devon, go Devon, go, go, go Devon!