Silas turns two!!

As you can see I was a little lazy with the cake this year, well not so much lazy as unprepared and out of time. He didn't seem to mind that it didn't resemble any of his favorite cartoon characters. It was chocolate and it had candy on it...looked good to him!

Silas is one happy boy! Cake and icecream are both a rare treat in our house, makes them appreciate birthdays :) In fact if I ever do make a cake for no particular reason they always ask who's birthday it is. Kind of sad I know. Don't feel too sorry for them they do get homemade cookies all the time.

Our little table is all filled up with just our family.
Silas really enjoyed his party. You never know with a two year old. I think coming off of Christmas made him really eager and all practiced up for opening presents. As I was tucking him in bed he told me all about it" cake.....presents....cake...icecream...hat."
Needless to say it took a while for him to settle in to sleep.
Aili our resident party planner was hard at work all day making decorations and making balloon clusters to hang from the ceiling. The older she gets the better her party decorating skills get. Soon maybe I'll have her decorate the cakes too.
So now my baby isn't a baby anymore. sigh.

Silas is two today...and acting every bit of it!

I was awake at 6.20 this morning trying to keep a crabby tired toddler happy downstairs while everyone else sleeps. 6.20 came awfully early this morning due to being up more than I was down last night. I knew it had the potential of being a rather sleepless night as Silas hasn't been sleeping very well this week. No clue why , just hoping this phase passes quickly. We also picked up a 1 1/2 year old foster baby yesterday. He was up quite a bit too ( about 8 times) just needing some reassurance. I had some compassion for him knowing it is a huge adjustment and the poor guy is probably terrified. I'm hoping the sleep situation improves the longer he is here.

I'll back up a day. Yesterday Aili had an appointment in the city with a ear/nose/ throat specialist. She has been snoring something fierce, she has sleep apnea, she can't breath through her nose and we found out yesterday she can't hear out of one ear at all. The reason. - Her adnoids have grown back! Who would have thought?! She had her tonsils and adnoids removed when she was three due to all the reasons listed above. She had such enormous adnoids and tonsils she could barely breath and couldn't hear much at all. After the surgery she was 100% better but over the past year or so I've noticed it getting worse and worse. Apparently when adnoids are removed incompletely they can grow back. So now we are on a surgery waiting list to get them removed ....again. The wait list is 6 months to a year or more....yes we live in Canada. In the mean time she is tired and not sleeping well, can't breath through her nose and can't hear. We also got Silas some custom fit ear plugs so he can enjoy bathtime and swimming with the rest of the kids without out so much fuss about keeping his ears above water. (He has tubes)...boy my kids sound like wrecks don't they?
Speaking of wrecks we got a phone call from the school while we were at the dr. appointment saying Roman had smooshed his finger in the hinge side of the big metal doors. ouch. We felt so bad that we couldn't go get him. A wonderful lady who works at the school took him to the hospital and it looks like he'll be fine now. He just has a big purple, pinky finger with a nasty finger nail.

After the drs. appointment we went to pick up our new toddler. Our new little chubby cheeked brown eyed boy was there waiting for us. ...looking a little shell shocked . We visited a little with him and then drove him home. We got home around 4 pm so we had a nice evening of playing and bonding. The kids are so excited about having another little guy in the house. Aili has taken over as the self proclaimed favorite. After all she was there to pick him up with us. Actually she is being very helpful watching the little ones. Kade (name altered) was really mellow and snuggly yesterday. He giggled while he played with Silas , it was good to see him smile after quite a few hours of the stone face. We'll see what the day brings today.

Onto other news. Silas turns 2 today. I'm just hoping he takes a good nap , after last night.
He won't be the first kid to be crabby and uncooperative on his second birthday. We are having a low key, family party given the circumstances. Balloons, cake and presents what more does a two year old need? I even searched for "peanut- free facility" icecream. He loves icecream but usually can't have it due to allergies. I need to get started making my eggless cake this morning :) Well I hear another baby awake so I'll post more about the party later. sorry for typos. I have no time to proof read this morning....and my brain is toast.

Sugar Rush

Here is another flash back to our stay in Washington State. My kids with a bakery treat only a Grandparent would buy ...and only a kid would appreciate!

Notice the totally overwhelmed look on Aili's face, a few seconds later she asked me to scrape off the icing so she could taste the cupcake. I did the same to Romans...a total mom move I know. If you've been around Roman lately you are fully aware that he is full throttle enough without a pound of sugar :) Check out the crossed eyes though, he's in sugar utopia. He's got the sweet tooth of the family.

vacation pictures

We are home now and full fledged back into the swing of busy life. Here are a few more photos . Last time they didn't work. I have no idea why other that we are back to using dial up. I was totally spoiled using my mother-in-laws highspeed on our vacation. Its hard to go back!

Here we are at the Columbia River on the Oregon side. The kids are actually facing the Astoria tower. It was all closed for winter though, along with the lighthouses and pretty much everything else. Still great scenery though even if it was cold.

Roman aspiring to be a viking. Ships, conquest, cool hats? Count him in.

Magdalena

My heart is broken once again for a family who were recently forced to say good-bye too soon. Little Magdalena Grace Roberts was born with Trisomy 18 this summer. I have been following her miraculous story, miraculous because with a Trisomy baby each day is a miracle and a blessing. My husband and I both enjoyed seeing her pictures with each blog post, watching her grow, cheering her on and celebrating each milestone from afar. She was adored by her two parents who loved and doted on their little girl knowing that someday they too would have to say good-bye. I can't imagine the pain of an empty bassinet, a closet full of clothes, and a big hole in the middle of a family . Being a parent one day and then being childless the next is a horrible thing. They are an amazing testimony and an amazing family. You can find them and see their little girl on my side bar "Oh love that will not let me go" . I can't beleive how much that little girl has worked her way into my heart. Her parents have asked that the people attending her celebration of life service tomorrow (Thurs.) would wear pink in honor of little Magdalena. Since I obviously won't be travelling to MS. tomorrow I will proudly be wearing pink anyway. I would invite you to have a glimpse of her life via her blog and then wear a little pink tomorrow in honor of a beautiful girl who has finished her work. Please keep her parents in your prayers too.

More vacation pictures

The best armed 5 year old around. Roman's highlight of Christmas was getting a real Swiss Army knife for Christmas from Grandpa. Daddy took it to the grinder though so its about as sharp as a letter opener. He came to the rescue of everyone opening a present with the offer of him opening it with his knife. What would we do without his resourcefulness. He went back to the mall with Grandpa to buy the holster for it so he will never be without his fancy new knife. I think he is sleeping with it under his pillow at the moment.

Exploring Long Beach Washington with the kids. It was really cold and windy but they loved it!

Dad and the kids going down for a closer look. Dad makes a great anchor.

New Years Resolutions

I was sitting here at my computer thinking that the passing of another year really deserves a blog post. The problem is that I'm on vacation still and any sort of creative or poetic energy seems to have been left at home. So forgive me if this isn't in anyway deep , inspiring or funny. Now that you are thoroughly wishing you had done something better with your time I'll try to organize a few thoughts.

New years is a time of resolutions. Out with the old failed attempts and in with a new shot at getting it right this year. I'm not big on one day a year resolutions....mostly because they only last until February at best. Just ask my "bow flex" machine how lonely it is. It makes a nice clothing rack though.

I sometimes make resolutions throughout the year like "I will not yell at my kids ever again"...well just ask my kids about that one. I try but it will only last until the next time I find them in an extreme fighting match or they have pushed me to the brink of insanity. I don't yell very often and try to maintain a firm but calm approach to discipline but all moms know that sometimes kids just know how to make your blood boil and then I'm back to feeling guilty again.
Fortunately asking for and giving forgiveness is a frequent occurrence at our house....even from mom.

So as I enter 2009 I am thinking what kind of resolutions I should come up with this year. I could exercise a little more, I could watch tv less, I could be a better mom and a better wife , I could eat better, laugh more....etc. But I know in my own power I will inevitably fail in all these areas so whats the point.

Here is a list of my New resolutions:

1. I will not train everyday for that marathon that I will not be running this year.

2. I will spend more time on my computer hopefully with high speed.

3. I will eat more taco chips and salsa..oohh maybe more guacamole too.

4. I will buy a larger size of jeans as a result of #3

5. I will take more time to read

6. I will let my dishes "soak" more often and play with my kids instead.

Well thats all I've got off the top of my head. I told you I haven't really put any for thought into this New Years. Pretty deep eh?

I think I will go into 2009, with all its crazy uncertainties, just knowing I need to focus on one thing. If I focus on the one thing that matters the rest will fall into place...my priorities, my actions, my parenting and my motivations. I will go into 2009 with my focus on eternity. I will set my eyes on the author and perfecter of my faith and I will run with all my heart, mind , and strength the race set before me. With my eyes and my heart focused solely on Him I will not become distracted by the things in life that just don't matter. I want to see the world through my Fathers eyes, I want to love the way He loves. I want to see the things that are so easy to overlook and feel the things that are sometimes unpleasant to feel. I want to enjoy everyday miracles and see the beauty of each moment we are given. Sounds a lot easier than a whole list of resolutions I can't keep anyway.