Tag: 2013

  • DNA

    When we started the adoption process we wanted to adopt siblings, we wanted them to have someone that looked like them and shared their dna. It was something that was important to us.

    We had the boys dna tested though 23 & me to help fill in their medical history. It is nice having the information to share with their doctor.

    The added bonus of using 23 & me is that other adoptive families are also using it and we are finding distant cousins (3rd to 5th). I think it is really cool learning about all their cousins. We now have cousins that share our dna all over the country.

    If you are interested in using 23 & me and use one of the links I put in, I do receive a small referral fee.

  • Fire Station Open House

    Today the boys went to Tempe Fire’s open house. They had a ton of fun and were the only ones there! They told the firefighters all about the fire trucks, fire safety, and that they did push-ups every day so they could grow up to be firefighters. Our local fire station even has fire poles! They weren’t allowed to go down them though, but they thought it was super cool.

    Wearing the headsets
    Wearing the headsets
    Checking out the tools
    Checking out the tools
    Noah and the nozzle
    Noah and the nozzle
    Ezra and the nozzle
    Ezra and the nozzle
    Watching the poles in action
    Watching the poles in action
    Noah driving, serious business
    Noah driving, serious business
    Ezra driving
    Ezra driving
    Gun show for the firefighters.
    Gun show for the firefighters.

  • Gamma’s Bird Bath

    We made Gamma a bird bath for mother’s day. The boys had a ton of fun and it turned out pretty cute.

    Pouring the paint
    Pouring the paint
    Rainbow swirl
    Rainbow swirl
    Finished product
    Finished product
    Handprints
    Handprints

  • View from the backseat

    Yesterday Ezra took their camera to show and tell. He took pictures on the way home and I enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes.

    Boots
    Boots
    His eyes
    His eyes
    His almost smile
    His almost smile
    Noah
    Noah
    Mommy
    Mommy
    Traffic
    Traffic
    What the poor kid probably sees most of the time!
    What the poor kid probably sees most of the time!

  • Mother’s Day Tea

    The boys’ preschool hosted a mother’s day tea. We had yummy snacks and tea. The boys made gifts and cards. They put on a little show. Ezra was super animated while singing and Noah covered his ears. Apparently he doesn’t love his classmates voices.

    Ezra smiling for mommy
    Ezra smiling for mommy
    This boy loves to say cheese!
    This boy loves to say cheese!
    Me and my boys
    Me and my boys

  • First mountain biking adventure

    Showing off his elbow
    Showing off his elbow

    Back in March Matt took the boys mountain biking for the first time. The boys had been doing really well on their bikes and were super excited to go. Poor Noah got going too fast down a hill and lost control. He was a little sore that day, but was back on his bike the next day.

    Here’s a video of him riding before the crash:

  • Funny Quotes XI

    “The sun is really hot. If I sit on the sun it will burn my booty.” – Ezra

    Ezra, “can I have corn cheese?”
    Me, “what are you talking about?”
    Ezra, “you said corn cheese!”
    Me, “oh I said no more cheese.”

    Out of context Ezra, “I’m giving the chicks some weed.”

    More out of context Ezra, “Daddy, daddy I’m gonna be your weed guy!”

    Noah to Ezra, “I don’t want your attitude.”

    Me, “boys can you help me pick up so I can vacuum?”
    Ezra, “why? Is somebody coming over?”

    Me: what did you boys talk about in Sunday school today?
    Ezra: well me and garret were telling funny jokes in the bathroom
    Me: okay what did your teachers talk about?
    Ezra: I don’t know.

    Ezra: Daddy, someone needs to chop these weeds and mow this grass
    Me sarcastically: I know, who is in charge around here?
    Ezra serious: I guess i have to everything around here

    Me: Hey Boys, we need to paint the chicken coop today, can you help?
    Ezra: Well, um… It sounds like a hard job, I’ll see what I can do. I may not be able to do all of it.

    Ezra to me, “I’m gonna tell the chicks to stay away from our hammers and stuff so they don’t get hurt.”
    Ezra to the chicks, “tweet tweet tweet tweet.”

  • Lucky to have an artist in the family

    Last week I snapped this photo:

    Noah Icecream

    and this week Nana painted this:

    Noah Painting

    If you’d like to see more of her beautiful work, check it out here!

  • International Women’s Day – March 8

    Women of all ages make up one of the most vulnerable populations in the world. They face violence, discrimination, lack of basic rights, lack of education and more. -FH

    Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and we have signed up for the Walk to Empower Women. It is organized by Food for the Hungry and is this Sunday in Phoenix.

    If you are in the Phoenix area and wish to join us we are team “Running with Scissors” (Meg I just had to borrow your blog title).

    If you wish to support any of us, here’s our links:

    Ezra’s page

    Noah’s page

    Stephanie’s page

    Matt’s page

    This was totally a last minute sign-up and we would thought it would be a fun family activity. Any monetary support is just icing on the cake. Thanks!

  • Ezra is officially a bike rider!

    Ezra has been able to pedal for a while, but he couldn’t get started on his own. He finally figured it out yesterday and is one HAPPY boy!

    He quickly graduated to wanting to learn to jump things.

  • A couple of random projects

    Remember the little pink-vanity-mirror-cabinets from the boys’ bathroom redo? We decided to repurpose them into jewelry cabinets. Matt made me and Abby one. 🙂

    Abby enjoying her jewelry cabinet.
    Abby enjoying her jewelry cabinet.
    The inside of mine
    The inside of mine

    We also founds a large mirror in the ally and put it up in the boys room.

    The boys' mirror
    The boys’ mirror

  • Funny Quotes X

    “I have the hook-ups.” both boys say this when they have hiccups.

    “My finger is all rumbly.” Ezra
    “Rumbly?” Me
    “yea the water did that.” Ezra
    “Wrinkly!” Me

    Ezra, “mommy I don’t know how to sleep.”
    Me, “well you start by closing your eyes and mouth.”
    Ezra, “but they keep popping open.”

    “Duty calls!” – Firefighter Noah
    “No, we say booty calls!” – Ezra

    I was informed today that vanilla frosties are for when it’s sunny out and chocolate frosties are for when it’s REALLY sunny out and eyes water from the sun.

    “Hey guys stop it! I’m trying to be difficult.” – Ezra talking to his toys

    Ezra is flipping a coin and calling either rock or scissors.

    Ezra, “we’re too young to go to garden school.”
    Me after thinking for a bit, “do you mean kindergarden?”

    Noah, “All that pizza made my tummy hurt.”
    Me, “Pizza?”
    Noah, “yea, pizza.”
    Me, “We didn’t have pizza.”
    Noah, “Oh.”

  • Oven Fire

    2013 started off with a bang. January 3 our oven caught fire! Luckily Matt is observant or it might have been worse. I was in the kitchen cooking dinner (it smelt so yummy and I couldn’t wait to devour it!) and Matt came in to tell me something. He noticed light in the oven and I told him that I had some foil in there and he was just seeing a reflection. Luckily he hardly ever listens to me, so he opened the oven. Sure enough a bright white flame was on the element. I grabbed the extinguisher and used it, which made the flames flare up! We slammed the oven shut, Matt called the fire department, and I took the boys outside. They were thrilled that a fire truck was coming to the house! By the time the firefighters arrived the fire was out, all they did was unplug the oven and told us not to use it. They told us we did the right things by keeping the oven closed and smothering the oven with the flame retardent. While the retardent didn’t work on the element, had the oven been messy (shockingly mine was clean) the grime would have caught fire and then spread to the cabinets.

    The boys and the firefighters
    The boys and the firefighters
    Noah in the truck
    Noah in the truck
    Ezra checking out the mess
    Ezra checking out the mess
    Me and the boys waving bye to the firetruck
    Me and the boys waving bye to the firetruck

    In the end all we had to do was replace the oven, we found a newish one on craigslist and now all our appliances match. 🙂

    Lesson: Keep your oven clean and never leave the house with the oven on or you could have a big fire.

  • Age 4

    IMG_5071

    Age 4 has hit me a little hard. Not in the “this age is so hard to parent” sense, because let’s face it every age has its hard-to-parent parts. Age 4 has really made me realize how fast they are growing up and how quickly my time with them is going by. Yes some days (okay maybe a lot of days) feel like they are never going to end, but man do the weeks and months fly by. I truly cannot believe I have two 4 year olds. They are now considered preschoolers and no longer toddlers. I am glad I have another whole school year before they reach kindergarden. I truly hope to treasure my moments with them before we reach school age.

    I love watching them grow and learn and don’t want them to be toddlers forever but wow this raising kids time really is just a blip on my own timeline.