The Homestead

Let me start out by acknowledging the fact that it is Friday  night and I am blogging = Lo-ser.  I am on spring break, which come to find out means something COMPLETELY different when you have two boys than it does when you are a young carefree childless twenty-something with a whole lot of time to do absolutely whatever you want.  Well, this year on my spring break, besides going for walks and to the zoo and playing with trucks, I am also demonstrating my impending old age and uncoolness by attempting to spring clean my house.  Let's put it this way - It is Friday and I have one room done - one of the easier rooms even.  So while my students are out splashing around in Panama City in their tiny bikinis with the tans they've been working to achieve all winter at the local fake-bake parlor, I am getting down and dirty with my super old house.  Totally uncool.
The whole point of me writing this is because cleaning today got me thinking about our house and how much it has grown on me.  I am constantly thinking about moving - to a different town, or even a different state, but the truth is that I would be so sad to leave this house.  It isn't our first house, but it is the first house that we picked out completely on our own.  The first house we got to have total say in what we've done.  Also, since one of the main points of this blog (besides to keep all of you up on the details of my glamorous and fascinating life - blah) is to keep a record for my children of our lives, I wanted to tell them a little bit about the house that we started our family in.  (Because that is the kind of thing I would have found fascinating about my own parents' lives - trust me, I am aware of just how uncool I am.)
So here we go kids......

Our Homestead

We bought our house after being married and living in a neighboring city for 2.5 years.  It was owned by a woman named Verna whose own parents had built it in the 1920's.  When we moved in a young couple had been living here and although I'm sure they did some fabulous things that we can't truly appreciate, they also did a lot of really weird things.  For example, they pulled out every TLC painting trick in the book.  Now, I love TLC just as much as the next person (although not enough to actually pay for cable), but there comes a point when it is a little excessive. 

Now, almost 5 years later I've made Dustin paint every room twice, (what can I say - I'm sensitive to color. :)).  We've remodeled almost every room in some way, and there is so much more we want to do (like actually finish the second upstairs bedroom that has never been finished).....  So, for my children (and those of you that have actually made it this far in the post...) here are some photographs of the house our family started in.

The Kitchen

It used to be an enclosed room with some really funky cupboards.  One day Dustin came home from work and I had started knocking out the wall because I just couldn't stand it.  So began our first big renovation and almost 6 months without a kitchen sink.

 The Basement (a.k.a. ManLand)

Your dad couldn't wait to get the basement done.  You love to play down there and we love having friends over and hanging out in our newest addition to the basement.  It really had nowhere to go but up. (Yes, that is definitely a keggerator in the corner, and we definitely sold it in record time to a bunch of frat guys that saw a poster I hung up at the local college.)  Your dad and his friends studded it themselves and then your grandpa came out to help us do all of the lighting and add the half bath.  Your mom (me of course) did all of the wiring with a lot of guidance from grandpa.

The Dining Room

This is one room that I only painted once - but it did take many coats of paint.  The previous owners may have done weird stuff, but they did it well. :)
My dad (your grandpa) helped us put in a sliding glass door where there used to be windows so that we would use the backyard so much more.

The Boys' Room

This is the boy's room three paint colors earlier (like I said, I'm very sensitive to color).

The Living Room

This is one room that really hasn't changed all that much, but it is a room that you boys play in often.  You (Miles) love to look out of the picture window at the cars and trucks driving by.  You also stand on the couch to wave goodbye to us when ever we leave.  Miss Ele has even taught you how to get Bear to wave to us as well, which is super sweet.

Upstairs Bathroom

Your dad has never been able to share a bathroom, so this is his bathroom that we had to try to make "manly", whatever that means.  This is significant to you because of the leather box on the back of the toilet.  Your dad insists on having his toiletries out for convenience factors, so I make him keep them in a sweet leather tote.  You've (MIles) figured out how easy it is to get to these items and have a lot of fun grabbing his deodorant and licking it or rubbing it on your cheeks. 

The Backyard

We love our backyard now and you love being back there with us.  That is probably our favorite place to spend time together.  This picture below was actually taken two years ago, so the trees and plants are already so much bigger.  Your dad and I have even more dreams for this part of the house.

Some things not pictured:  

Great neighbors, including sweet Mrs. Alvey, Todd with the giant back tattoo, and two people we wouldn't recognize in daylight because we think they're allergic to the sun.

A dilapidated garage.

A half-finished upstairs.

The stairs that you LOVE to climb.

The driveway that you can't get enough of.

So there you go.... our humble abode.  In looking at these pictures I'm still trying to figure out what your dad and I saw in this place nearly five years ago.  However, we have tried our best to make it an appropriate home for our new family.  We're not sure how long we'll be here, but we do know that it will always hold a special place in our heart.

Wordless Wednesday - Hey! This used to be mine!

It's funny how I keep finding Miles.....

in Liam's Swing...

  

in Liam's crib

in Liam's Hat

in Liam's Walker

aaaaahhhhhhhh..

That is a sigh of contentment after a fantastic weekend that was fun and relaxing.  We spent our extended weekend in northwest Ohio with my parents.  Not only did we celebrate Easter, but also our Family Day - the day we brought Miles home from Korea.  I love going home because it is all so familiar to me.  I miss being so far from my family and friends from that area, but I also appreciate the charm that goes along with indulging in it only a few times a year. 
We had a great weekend with my parents.  Rather than go on and on with lengthy text about the trip, I will show you what we did through pictures.  (I actually did a much better job of actually taking pictures this trip.)

   

We arrived late on Thursday evening - this illustrates Miles when he is SUPPOSED to be tired and ready to go to bed.

  

Friday morning Miles was ready for a bike ride with Grandpa.

  

One tradition in our family is to do a traditional churrascaria.  My dad always cooks and serves while we eat communally off of the grill.  My dad also treats us all to traditional Brasillian Caipirinhas.

   

Miles got stuck in the chair and we thought it was pretty funny.

 

Later we sat around the fire and enjoyed the beautiful evening.              Saturday morning - waffles!

Saturday was our Family Day and we wanted to fill it with things that Miles would love.  We thought long and hard about what to do with him today.  We considered the zoo, children's museum, and many other ideas.  We ended up with what we thought he would like the most - and we were totally right.  We took our little boy to Tractor Supply Company. :)

   

 Getting ready to go......           This was the first thing we saw when we walked in.  Miles was so excited and started just grabbing vehicles and putting them under his arm.  Luckily for us he could only carry three, so he had to keep putting some back until he decided on the three perfect "trucks".

   

Notice that he couldn't even REALLY enjoy the go-cart because he was so obsessed with holding onto his new trucks.

   

Luckily we got him to let go of the trucks long enough to strip down and color Easter Eggs. It was the fastest egg coloring in the history of man.  The second shot gives you an idea of just how fast the eggs were coming in and out.

   

 Next we had the first of two Easter Egg hunts.  My mom decided to break it up into two hunts - one on Sat. and one on Sun. b/c we all know what Miles' attention span is like.  He actually did pretty well finding the eggs.

   

Liam also enjoyed the Easter Egg hunt.

Saturday evening we went out to a really nice Korean Restaurant in Toledo.  This was a special treat for us because there are no Korean restaurants in our area.  Of course, the trucks had to come along.

   

   

  

When we got home we all had a Family Day cake.  I wish I could show you pictures of the lovely beautiful cake that we had to commemorate that day, but then I'd have to go out and find a cake that was actually lovely and beautiful - two things which the cake I decorated myself were not. :)

Easter Sunday Photo Shoot...... (again, the trucks - they were a big hit)

  

   

Easter Egg Hunt - Part Two.  This time great grandma and grandpa were there to watch.

 Home Again!  Traveling back to Illinois on Sunday actually went really well - until there were only about twenty minutes left.  Then it was a sad sad story.  Here is a relieved Liam to be back at his own pad. :)

Happy Family Day

Dear Miles,
A year ago today we were bringing you home with us from Korea.  We were nervous but excited.  We had a bedroom that we had carefully prepared for you and all sorts of toys ready for you.  Our wait was over and we couldn't have been more thrilled.  Your dad and I have been carefully thinking about what we are going to do today - on what we have decided to call "Family Day."  We want to celebrate the beginning of our family - the day we brought you home.
One thing that we are going to do is write a letter to both your foster mom and birth mom.  I've been thinking of what to write for weeks.  Hopefully someday you will be able to help me more with this.  What do I say to the two women who loved you before I had even met you?  One woman who loved you so much that she made the ultimate sacrifice - hoping for you to have a better life?  Or your foster mom, who gave you her whole heart knowing that you would have to someday leave her.  When we left Korea I promised her that someday we would take you back to visit her.  I know she must think of you daily.
This is what I will tell them...that you have grown so big.  I will tell them that you have filled my heart with so much joy - that my heart is so full of love that sometimes I can't catch my breath because there is no more room left for my lungs.  I will tell them that they have taken part in raising a happy, funny, active little boy that loves french fries, cars, trucks, and balls.  I will tell them about your ornery streak, but also about your loving streak.  I will tell them that you love bike rides and stuffed animals.  I will tell them that you are a great big brother and friend - good at sharing and laughing.  I will tell them stories about your funny nature - like today at naptime when I was pretending to sleep and you kept kissing my face because it would make me laugh.  I will tell them that you bring joy to those around you and that you are so silly.  I will tell your birth mom that the little boy she named after Joseph from the Bible is on his way to becoming the good man that she had prayed for.  I will tell your foster mother and father that their love has made you into a sweet and loving little boy.  I will tell them how you never stop moving, learning, and exploring.  I will tell them that my life got better the moment I was allowed to be your mom.
Happy one year Family Day Miles.  We love you, and we have big plans for you.  You have a lot of people rooting for you little boy.

I'll love you forever,
Your Mom :)

In the Words of Justin Timberlake: I'm bringing friendly back.

Okay, so I'm paraphrasing, but what JT offers to bring back is awfully friendly....

I've had a great Good Friday so far.  I should mention that I love Good Friday because it not only kicks off my spring break every year, but it was also on a Good Friday 8 years ago that Dustin and I decided to make this thing official and get married the following winter.  Some other day I'll bore you all with the details of his long-winded proposal that I could predict a mile away, but that will be another post, another day.
I woke up this morning in my parent's house with the window wide open and promises of a sunny day in the 80's.  I went for a walk with Liam to enjoy the beautiful weather and perfectly manicured lawns of my hometown.  At one point I even ran into some people I knew with their children.  When I got back there was fresh guacamole for lunch.  I might mention that through all of this and into the wee hours of the night I never stopped eating the rice krispies treats that my dad had made for our arrival last night.  I spent the afternoon (a.k.a. nap time) getting my daily dose of Vitamin D (a.k.a. sunbathing).  Right now I'm anticipating my parent's famous churrascaria (Brasilian BBQ) in the backyard for dinner.  It is a glorious Good Friday, which has lead to my most recent inspiration....
I was walking down the street today when something hit me - it was friendliness.  Whoa....hold the phone....people saying hello to me, looking me in the eye, AND smiling.  I almost couldn't take it.  Sure, people in our city say hello, but if it is even audible it is usually mumbled as the're looking at your feet and hurrying past you.  I'm guilty of it too.  I am WAY too intimidated by most strangers to say "hello" to just anyone.  It's not that I'm scared of them - okay maybe of the giant lady in Kroger that is telling her children to shut up in a not-very-nice-way - I might be scared of her.  It's more that I'm too embarrassed to say hi, or I'm just not in the mood to be friendly.  Even when someone says "hi" to me first - I sometimes don't respond out of the very idea that they are probably talking to someone else and I don't want to be the weirdo that thought they were talking to me.  Well, this morning it was surprising, fun, and enlightening to have total strangers be so friendly to me.
So, with all that being said, my plan next week is to bring friendly back to P-town.  No one is immune to my new friendly attitude.  I even practiced saying "hi" today on my walk with Liam.  (The key is to sound happy, but not bubbly - an awfully thin line - I don't want people to resent me.)  I plan on saying hello to every person I come into contact with (I might have to draw a line at the mall - where I would just be constantly spitting it out - that's just nuts).  Heck, I might even look them in the eye and flash them a smile - in fact, I vow to do that.
So watch out Peoria residents - I'm coming back from the land of milk and honey with an attitude of change.  No person is immune from my charm and charisma.  Watch out next door neighbor that never leaves his house during daylight hours.  Watch out strange man sitting on his porch watching me walk my two children by.  And watch out giant lady in the Kroger aisle yelling at your children.  You are all going to get a daily dose of friendly from yours truly.  We're going to start doing it like they do it in northwest Ohio - where the sun is always shining, the rice krispies are always plentiful, the guacamole is always fresh, you can't find a chain-link fence within a one mile radius, and I've probably just overdosed on Vitamin D (a.k.a. sunburn).