Category Archives: Everyday Life

An Everyday Adventure

July 23, 2012 Molly 1 Comment

It is so incredibly hot here… we like to take our dogs out for a walk every day, but it is hard when it is this unbearably hot. Instead of every day, it had been a week!

So, all 5 of us headed out for a walk together. This is the first time that all 5 of us have been out to the levee together.

Aaron and I have been coming here as long as we’ve lived in Kansas, and it’s always been one of my favorite places. I adore it this time of year, looking out over all of the corn and soy beans. I could tell you so much about this place and all of the memories we’ve made here, but I’ll skip on to the photos.

I wanted to get a picture of all 3 of my kids together. Gus is not having that.

“Hold his hands?,” I suggested. You can see how that went.

The big kids ran off to play with a soccer ball.

Lena did come back long enough to make Gus laugh. He loves her.

I told Aaron how easy it is to snap a cute photo of her… I wasn’t trying and had a few, while I struggled to get one of her little brother.

I am not going to smile for you.

Nope.

But, instead, I’ll eat this rock.

I’m really going to eat it.

Yum.

Big brother/guard Reed welcomes you to our favorite place. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at old photos recently and it’s hard to believe that my little monkey Ilya has grown up into this crazy kid!

Where he plopped down, right as we were getting ready to go. He was so mad that I picked him up and put him the car.

I think he likes it too.

Everyday Life

Weekend Update

July 22, 2012 Molly Leave a comment

Our weekend was pretty relaxed. Our one big to-do was that we wanted to each take each of our big kids out on a “date”. Some alone time to hang out and check-in with them.

I let them pick what they wanted to do. Reed wanted to go get ice cream. I told him we could do something else after we got ice cream and he was so excited to go to the playground for awhile. And, when we left, he was super excited to go home and go “swimming” in our “pool”. Reed moves fast!

Lena just wanted to go to the playground. Lena soaks up my undivided attention whenever she gets it. So, I put down my cell phone and gave it to her. All I needed to do was narrate everything she was doing on the swing. “Higher!” “Slooooower.” And she laughed and laughed. Then, I pushed her myself and sent her to outer space. She called me on the phone from outer space and told me she loved me.

Am I driving you crazy that I don’t have much of an update on Gus? Poor kid didn’t get to leave our house all weekend! Actually, that might be a happy thing for him– he hates getting buckled in to his car seat. It is also 100+ here every day, so the options for where to go are limited.

He did get to “swim” for awhile Saturday night, so he was happy about that!

A video of the little goofball.

Honestly, he’s a lot harder to photograph that my bigger kids, because he rarely slows down! I am trying to get some photos for an adoption announcement, and we’ll see if that ever happens…

Adoption, Everyday Life

Missing out on what?

July 20, 2012 Molly 4 Comments

This was not part of my plan. I did not want to parent 3 children before my 25th birthday, nor did I ever imagine I could. Sometimes, I feel crazy… actually, I always feel crazy when someone asks me my age, or when I am with people my own age. Yes, I am 24, and my husband and I have adopted 3 kids internationally. Yes, it is crazy. No, it was never part of MY plan. That’s what I often want to say, sort of shrugging off my own participation in the matter.

But, no, you know what’s crazy?

Missing out on this…

or this,

or this.

My best moments aren’t spent being 24, being carefree or whatever 24 year olds do… my best moments are spent with these 3, loving these 3 and being loved by them.

Missing out on the way Gus runs into my arms and slobbers all over my face. Missing out on Lena’s tender hugs, which make me feel like the most special person in the world. Missing out on Reed’s silly jokes, which make me laugh until my stomach hurts.

I won’t lie… there is a cost– a cost to adoption and a cost to parenting, but the reward?

Extravagant.

“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” -Art Williams

Adoption, Everyday Life

4,000 Words

July 18, 2012 Molly 4 Comments

Yeah, man! This is MY sister! -G

Someone save me. -L

Gotcha! – L & G

You can “honk” my nose, anytime, Gus. -L

Everyday Life

Life in Color

July 4, 2012 Molly 2 Comments

I went to upload the photos from my camera to my computer today… I didn’t realize how long it had been. But, I found some fun photos in the process…

When we were in Pennsylvania, the kids and I went to a playground with my best friend from high school. My BFF foreva, if you ask my 14 year old self.

And we brought chinese food… you don’t bring chinese food to the playground? Ashleigh and I have always brought food to this particular playground to sit and talk, and it seemed only appropriate that we brought the kids and our lunch there.

This was Miss Lena’s “fortune”. I love it.

And Reed’s. Made me giggle that out of the 4 of us, HE got that one.

Then, we played.

This is the miniature version of this rock his papa is sitting on in this photo, taken 5 years ago. Same park…

A few days ago, chilling in the baby pool while I sew. A baby pool is like an outdoor bath, right?

Gus’ quilt on my lap, as I sew the binding, outside in the 100+ degree heat, while R&L chill in the pool.

The finished quilt on his crib. Love looking at that!

I also made Gus a quiet book for on the plane… a special book that I will keep tucked away until the flight.

I think the page on the right is my favorite. Honestly, my sewing for this book was horrible(don’t ask me to make you one!), but I hope it will still be entertaining.

And, tonight, we had an awesome 4th of July with friends… we had such a great time, Reed and Lena especially. Jumping on a trampoline, sliding down the water slide into the baby pool, the slip and slide, dressing up like princesses, a new found love of sparklers, lighting off fireworks… so many memories were made. It was exactly what I want all of us to remember before we step into this transitional time of chaos. Grateful for the friends who made it happen.