A Night to Remember

My cousin, Ellen, got married Saturday night at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It was a wonderful and unique wedding. The ceremony took place in the planetarium with a short star show prior it to beginning. Ellen looked beautiful and her new husband is such a sweetheart. We are so happy to have him join our family. The cocktail hour was in the room with the giant heart! The food was delicious! We then went on to the reception for more eating, drinking and LOTS of dancing. We wish Ellen and Andy a lifetime of happiness!

This picture is of Franklin Hall where the reception was held. I took it while sitting at my table. It is such a beautiful room! The statue of Ben is huge!

Here's the family!

NOT WEDDING RELATED!
Mom mom and Pop-pop let the boys have this desk that used to by mine when I was a teenager. I loved that desk! The desk top can lie flat or be lifted up to different heights. It wasn't getting any use, so now the boys can use it. Aidan has really been into drawing lately and is destroying the little table and chairs set that I would like to save for the baby when she gets her first kitchen set! Now they have a place to be creative and I can rescue the table set!

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas! We went to Christmas Eve mass down by my parents. A lot of my family members meet there every year. It's my favorite mass of the year! We then all go back to my grandmother's house for food, drinks, gifts from Santa and the best Chinese Auction ever! You may know that game by a different name. We play with more than 30 people and it involves a lot of stealing of gifts and laughs. I ended up leaving with Margarita mix and Mojito mix. Perfect for the summer by the pool!
Christmas day was great, except for the fact that Aidan woke me up at 4:30 am to open presents!!! I sent him back to bed and about an hour later when I was just falling asleep again, he came back. We never ended getting out of bed until 7am, but I was up since 4:30. The boys loved their gifts and Aidan said, "Santa is so nice because he gives lots of gifts for no reason." My immediate family came over for the day. We tried something new this year. We had to give homemade gifts. Everybody loved the fleece blankets I made for them. I had such fun giving them! We weren't sure how it would work out, but it was really special and turned out being a great idea. My sister, MIchelle, made homemade lime mustard! I can't wait to try it. Denise made everyone knitted scarves!
I had one moment of feeling sad. We haven't even met our little girl yet, but I felt sad for her not being with us this year. Next year will be awesome having a baby around again for Christmas morning! We will be going to Brad's parents next weekend for the Wunderly Christmas!!! We will get to see Brad's brother, Todd and his family and his sister, Amy. The boys will get to play with their cousins, Ryan and Emma (who they are crazy about!). We look forward to going and I'll post some pictures afterwards. I hope everyone had a wonderful day and was able to spend it with people they love. I'll leave you with some pictures from the holidays!

The boys helped me bake Spritz cookies for the first time (successfully).

Aidan enjoyed the cookie gun (for about 30 seconds).

Nate the Cookie Gun Master

Aidan, Nate and JImmy. "Who?" you ask. Jimmy our little red "Elf on the Shelf". Jimmy came to us with an adorable story called "Elf on the Shelf". The story explains how Santa sent him to us to "watch" us and report back to Santa every night. So every morning he is in a different spot in the house and the boys have to run around and find him. The boys were so excited that we got to learn this special Christmas secret of how Santa knows if we have been naughty or nice. They were sad to say goodbye to Jimmy on Christmas Eve because he needed to return to the North Pole until next December. Cutest thing ever!!! Highly recommended!

Christmas Eve at Nanny's house.

Mom mom and Pop-Pop

Nanny and the boys. Doesn't she look amazing for 92 years old!?!

Christmas morning

Nate and his Lego!

Aidan and the blanket I made him!

We Elfed Ourselves

Check out this link for a laugh and then make one of your own!
Merry Christmas!

Click Here

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Nothing exciting going on here. We have had a very routine and typical week. Boys are doing well in school. Brad is finishing up the semester. Woohoo!! And to make that an even bigger WOOHOO, he is taking next semester off because of the adoption. The boys and I are very excited to have more of him until September. I've been in Christmas mode, which I love! I'm done shopping and wrapping. I love getting things done early, because I like to enjoy the season and not feel pressure. I want to be able to put on the Christmas music and bake cookies and not worry about other things that need to get done.

We have one more piece of paper ready to apostille in Harrisburg, then I THINK we are done for a while! The boys are really getting excited about their baby sister. Aidan always makes up scenarios about what will be happening and what he'll say. Of course, it is always something silly and usually doesn't make much sense. But we laugh and he's happy because he got the exact reaction he is ALWAYS looking for. I think Aidan is most excited about not being the baby anymore. He often comments on getting to be a big brother. Sometimes I hesitate to talk about their sister. There is that fear that something will go wrong and their hearts would be broken. But we keep praying for her and the other children that need homes and look forward to bringing our little girl home. As our expected referral time approaches, please keep us in your prayers. Thanks for all the support.

Homemade Pasta! Yum!

Brad and the boys made homemade pasta and ravioli on Sunday! They worked for hours and hours. I kept my distance and my mouth shut about the mess they were creating! Brad made a homemade cream sauce also. It was worth all the time and effort, because everything was delicious! And even better than that was the quality time my boys all had together, while I kept the couch warm and the remote nearby. :)

Aidan did a great job kneading the dough.

Here Nate is using the pasta machine to roll out the dough.

Aidan used the pasta maker to make angel hair pasta.

Nate stuffed the raviolis with spinach and cheese.

Here it is! And Denise will be happy to notice the whole wheat flour that was used!

Mmmmmm!

Mmm - Hey, wait a minute. That doesn't look like pasta. It looks more like pancakes and sausage! Little bugger!

Ohhhh Christmas Tree...

Today we went out to find the perfect Christmas Tree. We searched deep into the woods with only an ax. No, not really. But that would have been fun! Brad and I in the woods with an ax :) We went to a local tree farm where the owners are so friendly and offer you hot apple cider! We found a great tree and we will decorate it tonight. The boys love to find their ornaments that they made or that were given to them. It never fails, the first 20 ornaments that come out of the box all belong to one kid. So the other one keeps asking, "Is that one mine?" And we have to watch and listen to his disappointment. Hopefully this year will be different :)



We found one that we love!

And now it is time for hot apple cider!

Ladybug Myth

As some of you already know, ladybugs are believed to be a sign that a referral is coming. Years ago there was a time when very few referrals were coming from China. Then across the nation, ladybugs were seen everywhere. Well, shortly after that tons of referrals came to waiting families. People believed the ladybugs brought the referrals. So now they say when you see a ladybug, a referral is coming for you.
When I saw my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Pete on Thanksgiving, they gave us fabric for the 100 Good Wishes Quilt and this adorable ladybug ornament for our baby girl. Ladybugs hold special meaning for my Aunt Ginny and now this little ladybug will have a special place on our tree. Aunt Ginny will have to tell her story to our daughter one day.

Here is a beautiful poem my aunt and uncle included.

Kisses in the Wind by Pamela Durkota
I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are...what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This year we went to my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. There were 23 of us and we were all able to fit at the table! We had a great time with delicious food and wonderful company. I am thankful for so much this year. My wonderful husband and kids. We are all healthy, happy and Brad is still employed!!!!! I am thankful that we are so close to meeting our daughter and completing our family. I am thankful that we will be able to bring her home to an amazing extended family. She will be welcomed by the four best grandparents in the world and fun, loving aunts, uncles and cousins! She will be loved by 3 great grandparents and tons of great aunts and great uncles. I am thankful for our wonderful neighborhood, filled with amazing friends. I am thankful for all the support and love we have received from friends and family from near and far (all the way to California!). We are all so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Thank you and we hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

The boys and their Great Grandmother, Nanny!

Nanny and my cousin Christine!

The boys with Mom mom and Pop-pop.

Sisters!

Getting ready to dive into the turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin bread, rolls, etc...


This kid can put it away!!! I swear he ate more than me and this is what he looked like after he finally took his last bite!

Go Denise! But not in your pants!

Today was the Philadelphia Marathon and my sister, Denise, was running it for the first time! We (Brad, me, Nate, Aidan, Mom and Dad) all went down to watch and cheer her on at miles 19 and 21. She did great! We made a poster for her to make her laugh, because that's what runners like...distraction :) The poster referenced a previous running experience that Denise had recently. Enough said. Mom thought it wasn't nice, but I saw lots of runners who smiled, so they must understand. It's cold out today, but we were bundled up nicely and had hot chocolate and donuts to keep the kids happy... and the adults. It really was inspiring to see so many people reach such a goal. From listening to Denise and my father-in-law, I now know what goes into the training for a marathon. We saw men and women of all ages running their hearts out. Some looked a little sadder than others. Denise looked great and finished with her planned time.

I also brought party horns to help make "some" noise for the runners, but Aidan took it a little far and blew on his constantly for the first 15 minutes!

Here is our awesome poster!!!

Here she comes in the purple shirt and black pants! Looking good!

Congratulations, Denise! You did it!

Who Would Have Thought?

The boys are getting to the age where they get great pleasure in driving the other one crazy mad!!! They have always been so close and play together all the time, but lately they are bickering and teasing A LOT! But just when we thought they can never be in the same room again, we catch them watching TV together like this...

Melts your heart!!!

No Record

Our FBI fingerprints came back with "No Criminal Record". Yea!!! I knew I was safe, but a little worried about Brad :) Now we have to get them notorized, then apostilled and mail them off to our agency. We are getting there!

Now a little (or a lot) off topic. I wanted to share this story from this weekend. We went to visit Brad's parents on Sunday for dinner. Nate went into Mimi's newly redone, beautiful, kid-free bathroom and said, "I don't get it. How come other people's bathrooms are so clean?"
My response (that I did not share aloud) was, "Because Mimi and Poppie don't pee on the floor or leave toothpaste gunk in the sink. And they pick up there dirty clothes off the floor and they surely don't leave toys on the counter."
Oh, he'll understand some day!

Adoption Seminar

Brad and I went to an adoption seminar today from 9-5. It was a very long day sitting on our butts. We were the most fidgety of the whole group! But we learned a lot about attachment, medical issues to prepare for, post adoption depression (Yikes! Hope that doesn't happen!), being sensitive to cultural differences and helping our baby adjust easily to a completely different environment and culture.
The medical portion was very informative, but let's just say we will be stopping by the pharmacy for preventative lice shampoo and scabbies cream! We decided to hire an International Adoption Doctor. They are there for you prior to travel and while you are in country meeting your referral. We will email pictures, medical information and video of our referral baby and then the IA doctor will evaluate and help us make an informed decision as to whether we accept or decline our referral.
It was really neat to meet so many other families adopting from all different countries (China, Albania, Russia, Armenia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ukraine). They say once you adopt you are part of the "Club". I can't wait to be a member :)

A Little Turkey in Disguise

Aidan had a school project where he was to make a disguise for his paper turkey so it wouldn't end up on the Thanksgiving table. After many suggestions and lots of thought, Aidan decided to make his turkey a hippie. It ended up so cute that we had to share it with everyone! The kids were allowed to have help from their families, so we all worked on it together. Everybody came up with great ideas. Nate had the idea for the Peace flag and Brad thought up the Birkenstocks. It was a lot of fun and Aidan is so proud of his turkey!

Do I Have Any Followers???

I just added a "Followers" section to my blog on the left. I would love to know who checks in with us, so please let us know by becoming a follower! Thanks and we hope you are enjoying our blog!

More Paperwork

There was more adoption paperwork I had to do this week. We needed to send our fingerprints off to the FBI in Virginia to make sure there are no WANTED posters out there of us. And we needed to update our INS approval. I won't bore you with all the official terms and document titles, but this allows us to bring an orphan back into the country. Our government is so nice that they actually allow you to extend your approval one time for FREE! That is after the original fee of around $700.

Our dossier is expected to go to Russia sometime this month and hopefully in around 2-3 months we will be headed for Moscow! Knowing that a little girl is at the end of all this paperwork, confusion and trouble is what makes this sooooo worth it. We can't wait to meet our daughter! Please keep us in your prayers that everything goes smoothly!

Serious Air...

We went to Michelle. Lisa, and Christopher's this weekend for dinner. We had a very nice time seeing everyone and eating a delicious homemade meal. The boys love to hang out with Christopher. He was teaching them to go off his ramp with their scooters. They loved it and had some pretty interesting landings.

We like to call this one the "flamingo". And Aidan's legs are just about as skinny, too!

This is the "always safe and steady" landing, obviously performed by Nate. Your chances of falling are slim to none if both feet hit the ground at the same time.

And this is what it is suppose to look like! Great job, Christopher!

TRICK OR TREAT!

Trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. The boys are off for trick or treating by themselves! I can't believe my babies don't want us around anymore. Aidan actually went with some neighbors because Brad needed to hand out the candy since I'm on my death bed with a stomach bug. Slight exaggeration! Nate and Tyler (Nate's friend next door) are all grown up apparently and don't need adult supervision :) Luckily we live on a circle and we know all the neighbors.
In this picture, it is Aidan, Nate and Tyler.

Here is our Unknown Phantom complete with blinking red eyes!

Check out our scary skeleton. He doesn't have it here, but he brought an ax with him!!!

Happy Halloween!

With Halloween only a day away, we finally got our pumpkins carved. It's Brad's job to oversee the whole carving experience (MESS). I want nothing to do with the cleaning out of a pumpkin! My job is to roast the seeds and then blog about the event. The boys couldn't wait to get their carving kits out and take a knife to their pumpkins! They did a great job and now we are all enjoying my delicious pumpkin seeds.
Aidan finished his pumpkin in record time and then wanted to carve a second face in the back. Daddy vetoed that idea.


Nate worked very hard designing and carving his pumpkin! Complete with angry eyebrows!


Here are the finished products! Aren't they scary?!? Have a Happy Halloween! BOO!