The Wolf Family

The Next Step!

2012-01-18T08:58:00.003-06:00

It has taken us a while, but we are FINALLY finished with our Formal Application - Step 2. It only took us 5 months! Ha! Any of you that know us well know that we don't do anything quickly - especially paperwork. Korea does not require a dossier, so this application included all the paperwork that will be sent to Korea. I finally mailed the entire pile of papers (about 1 1/2 inches!) and it felt wonderful! Once this part of the application process is approved, we will begin our home study process.Thank you for your prayers!

Here is the picture we sent with our paperwork. A sweet friend from church took this picture for us! Her name is Janice and her family is also in the adoption process for Korea! She takes beautiful pictures! Check out her website at adorationsphoto.com.

Family News!

2011-07-31T22:09:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a long time! We have some exciting family news that I wanted to share and I plan to continue blogging. This spring our family made the decision to start an international adoption. After lots of prayer and research we decided on Buckner/Dillion International as our agency and chose Korea. We have had lots of different reactions, but mostly positive from people when we tell them that we are planning to adopt. The biggest question is "Why? Especially when you already have 3 children!" I hope this will answer some of the "Why" questions!

About a year ago, the Lord opened our eyes to a great and overwhelming need. There are over 143 MILLION orphans worldwide today. As we started thinking and praying about the possibility of adoption, the subject continued to come up in Bible studies, sermons at church, books we were reading, and conversations with friends. It very quickly became clear to us that God was specifically calling us to adopt.

"When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." - Deuteronomy 24:19

"Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the orphan who had no helper." - Job 29:12

"Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
- Isaiah 1:17

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27

The Lord has a great love for orphans. We were faced with this reality and with a calling and a choice. We decided to obey. Now comes the hard part - the paperwork!!

Here's where we are in the process:
After a lot of thought, research and prayer we have decided that Korea is the best match for us. We will adopt a toddler, probably between 18 months and 2 years old. They told us that about 80 % of the babies adopted out of Korea are boys. We will most likely be matched with a boy, but we can't specify gender. The children live with a foster family and have excellent medical care while we are waiting. We have been told that it takes anywhere from 20-27 months to complete the process, but of course that can change at any time. Recently, our Step 1 application was approved and we have officially been accepted into the Korea program. We just received Step 2 in the mail and we have a LOT of work to do!

Thank you for praying for us on this crazy journey!

3 Months of Catching Up!

2010-03-21T22:55:00.012-05:00

Most of you have figured out that I have trouble keeping up with blogging! Here are a few pictures from the last few months. Alex is 7 months now and cuter than ever! He is having a hard time with ear infections, but otherwise a great baby. Kyle and Haley are enjoying their classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kyle is learning so much and having lots of fun!

Camping trip this weekend (before the snow!)

Bathtime! Alex is sitting up now!

8 inches of snow in February!

January

Santa Pictures!

2009-12-16T14:00:00.004-06:00

It has been a while since I updated our blog, so I am not going to try to catch up. Here are some pictures we took today. Alex is doing great, but he definitely adds another layer to our already busy schedule. I don't seem to find as much time to blog as I used to. I can't imagine why!!

We went to see Santa today and got some great pictures. We went to a mall near us and there was not a single person there today! The kids got to talk to Santa for about 10 minutes and just loved it! Santa was really nice and it was fun to have that extra time instead of standing in a line and feeling rushed. Haley asked for a doll and Kyle asked for a real gun so he can shoot the wild animals when we go camping. Santa said maybe a Nerf gun would be a better idea. I think Mommy and Daddy agree. :)

Alex was fussy so he did not end up in this picture. We did get one with all three that we bought for us. He wasn't happy about it, but he did tolerate it.

He was happy when we got home so I took advantage of that and got some adorable pictures in his Santa suit!

Alex will be 4 months next week. He loves to be entertained by Kyle and Haley and they are so sweet with him. He is laughing now and smiles all the time. We are now consistently sleeping through the night, which makes everything better! He is getting bigger and stronger and has managed to wiggle out of his bouncy seat more than once. I have to strap him into everything now. He is very social (is that a surprise in our family?) and is starting to fuss when we walk off and leave him. He is also really big - our biggest baby by far! - and almost wearing 6-9 month clothes. He loves to cuddle and I am taking full advantage of that since he will forever be the baby of our family.

3 Months!

2009-11-24T23:15:00.003-06:00

Alex and Kyle - Haley was not in the mood for a photo session that day.

Alex continues to be a wonderful baby! I can't believe he is 3 months already. He loves to sit in his bouncy chair and watch Kyle and Haley. He is grinning all the time and he just lights up when anyone talks to him. When he gets really excited his whole body wiggles! He has started grabbing onto things and found his feet last week. He rolled over a few weeks ago, but hasn't done it since. He is growing fast - his feet are at the end of his 3-6 month sleepers already. I bet he will be tall like everyone else in the family (except for me).

2 Months

2009-11-07T14:49:00.004-06:00

2 Months Old!!

Wow! Time has really been flying in the Wolf household. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but it has been hard to find a quiet minute to work on this. Alex is doing great! He was 12 lbs and 25 in. long at his 2 month checkup. He is still having some trouble with the reflux, but the medicine he is on is really helping a lot. He is such a wonderful baby. He is sleeping 8-9 hours at night (most nights) and takes 3 or 4 naps during the day. He is so happy when he is awake and is always smiling. He is starting to make some really cute "talking" noises and is almost laughing. Kyle and Haley really enjoy talking to him especially now that he smiles back! Alex is such a wonderful addition to our family and I am just loving having a baby around the house again. For those of you that were around when Haley was a baby you know that we had a rough first 6 months with her. As much as I wanted to enjoy her when she was tiny, it was hard sometimes. Alex is almost a complete opposite and we are so glad for an easy going baby this time. He has already attended a bunch of soccer games, does great in restaurants and goes shopping with me while Kyle and Haley are in preschool. I hope you enjoy our latest pictures!

Proud big brother! Kyle has fed Alex several times and he will actually sit there long enough to give him the whole bottle! Very helpful for a busy mommy!

Sweet big sister! Haley just adores Alex and is always giving him kisses and helping to entertain him.

Alex at 2 months. And yes - the hair is real!

Haley's First Bike

2009-09-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

Haley has been asking and asking for a bike for about 6 months now and we decided with the nicer weather it was finally time! She was so excited to go to Toys R Us last week and pick out a bike! Of course she picked one of the girliest bikes they had - a purple Tinkerbell bike. Daddy put it together and she is having so much fun! She is still learning and goes pretty slow, but she is getting the hang of it fast. She will be racing her brother in no time! I can't believe my baby girl is riding a bike! It seems like yesterday she was Alex's size.

Alex's First Two Weeks

2009-09-07T08:36:00.010-05:00

We have been a little busy lately and I haven't gotten a chance to update the blog, so here are a bunch of pictures to show you what we have been up to the last two weeks. Alex is doing great, other than some reflux problems. He is sleeping pretty well at night - most nights we are up between 3 and 4am and that is it! Kyle and Haley love having their little brother home and they are both big helpers. We have had some crazy moments, but overall things are going well.

Alex just before we left the hospital on August 22

Going home!

First car ride (I couldn't figure out how to rotate this - any ideas?)

Our first day at home

Alex's first bath - he did not enjoy it!

August 24

Mommy's helpers

Sept. 6

Sleeping - Alex's favorite thing to do right now

Sept. 6

Announcing Our Newest Arrival!

2009-08-22T22:00:00.006-05:00

Alex Michael Wolf entered the world on Thursday, August 20 after a very short labor. He weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. He has the most blond hair of all our kids!

Rough morning!

Blondie!

Baby Day!

2009-08-19T16:02:00.006-05:00

Since Alex has decided he is nice and comfortable where he is and has not decided to come on his own, we will be inducing tomorrow. We are all excited to meet him and I am especially excited that I will not be pregnant anymore. I feel huge and am terribly uncomfortable so I am glad the end is near! Please pray for us tomorrow if you think about it. My doctor thinks it should go quickly and easily and we are hoping for the best! I have been having pretty strong contractions on and off for 4 or 5 days now so I don't think it will take much to get things going. We will post an update (with pictures!!) as soon as we can.

Our last picture as a family of 4!

40 weeks!

Swimming

2009-08-10T22:06:00.006-05:00

As we headed to the neighborhood pool tonight I realized that I really haven't taken any pictures of the kids in the water this summer. Here are a few that I took tonight.

Having fun!

Kyle swimming! Kyle took swimming lessons in May with a wonderful teacher and was swimming by his 3rd lesson. Ever since then he has been a little fish!

Haley in her swim vest

Kyle jumping

Cousins!

2009-08-02T22:24:00.003-05:00

My sister, Claire, has been visiting and we have had the best time catching up and letting the kids get to know each other. Kyle and Haley are both completely smitten with their little cousin and just can't get enough of her! Here are some pictures we took this weekend of them together.

Haley's Last Ballet Class

2009-07-31T08:40:00.005-05:00

This week was Haley's last ballet/tumbling class of the summer. She really enjoyed it and is already asking to go back! We are not signing her up for the fall since we will be a little busy with the new little one, but we may try again in the spring. Here are a few pictures from their class.

The other little ballerinas in her class.

Almost There!

2009-07-26T16:22:00.005-05:00

Here I am at 36 1/2 weeks. I am feeling pretty huge and really ready to meet baby Alex. I am very tired and moving slowly these days. I am so thankful that Jared is willing to work on my long lists of things I want done before the baby comes. He is also doing dishes, grocery shopping and helping with the cooking (when we cook). The kids are so excited about meeting their baby brother. I hope the excitement lasts after he arrives! Their favorite new game is to put Legos on my tummy and watch Alex "kick" them off. He is a very active baby, the most active between about 9pm and midnight. That maybe a bad sign for our sleeping patterns in the next few weeks!

Here is a picture of me with Karen, my best friend since we were 6 years old! She is about 29 weeks pregnant with baby # 6, which is also a boy. We are really excited to have boys so close together! The funny thing is that even with this many kids (there will 9 between the two of us!) they are staggered and this is the closest we have ever had babies.

I should only have about 3 weeks left at the most. We will keep you posted!

July 4th

2009-07-12T21:43:00.005-05:00

July 4th Picture!

Ballet Class

2009-06-29T14:43:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Haley's first ballet class. We are not sure where she got this idea, but she has been asking to take a "ballerina class" for several months now. Thanks to a friend a church, we found a dance company nearby that has a 6-week summer class. Haley absolutely loves the class and asks to go everyday! Her outfit was so cute that I just couldn't resist sharing the pictures with you! There is nothing cuter than a 2 year old ballerina!

Face Painting

2009-06-29T14:32:00.002-05:00

Last week our church had a playdate and did bounce houses and face painting. Kyle and Haley had a great time and I got to sit in the air conditioning. It was a great way to spend the morning. They loved getting their faces painted! The lady that did it was so amazing I had to take a picture. Kyle chose Spiderman and Haley wanted a butterfly.

Oklahoma Trip

2009-06-26T20:38:00.011-05:00

Here are some pictures of our recent trip to Oklahoma. We rented a cabin and had a very relaxing and fun vacation. The kids did really well and are still talking about it! Mimi and Grandpa (Sara's parents) got to go with us. We enjoyed having some help and some time with them after the kids went to bed. Kyle and Haley enjoyed having a constant audience! Some of these pictures are a little out of order, but shows the highlights of the trip.

Playing mini-golf one evening

Boys and fire...

Smores!

Riding the train

Cotton candy after the train ride

Here is a picture of the cabin we stayed in. Nice beds, AC, bathrooms, kitchen and TV! Not exactly camping...

7 (almost 8) Month Picture

2009-06-19T15:43:00.003-05:00

For those of you brave enough to look, here I am at 31 weeks (8 months) pregnant. I feel huge and uncomfortable and I have never been so hot in my life! Even with all the unpleasant things associated with being pregnant (especially a 3rd pregnancy) we are really excited about meeting this new little addition to our family. After my doctor's appointment last week, she told me that he had dropped in the last week and is head down, which is unusually early for this to happen. I don't want to get too excited, but I'm hoping that means he might make an early appearance, but not too early.

Potty Training

2009-06-19T15:10:00.002-05:00

This would not have been my timing, but those of you who know Haley know that she has her own timing (and opinion!) for everything. So, we were thinking about trying some potty training with her starting next week after our vacation and VBS at church. She had been asking occasionally to go potty and had actually started going sometimes. We had been talking to her about wearing "big girl panties" soon and she seemed excited about it. Well, last Wednesday afternoon after her nap she took off her diaper, announced that she was now a big girl and refused to put a diaper back on. Great timing, of course, with another day of VBS on Thursday and our vacation coming up in a few days. I did NOT want to be running to the potty every few minutes on vacation. Anyway, she has been doing great, with a few accidents, but really seems to be getting the concept. We have even ventured out to eat and to Wal-Mart in panties and stayed accident-free. She did great on our vacation (still a few accidents), but we have been using a Pull-Up when we are out sometimes, if we can get her to put one on. I am hoping she will be completely potty trained by the time the baby comes and really hoping that she will not regress once he arrives. We'll see...

We finally have a name!

2009-06-07T16:17:00.003-05:00

After much debate on my part and none on Jared's part (he wanted this name from the beginning) we have settled on a name for our newest little one. It is:

Alex Michael

I am now 7 months pregnant and feeling huge! I'll post a picture soon.

Tumbling Class

2009-05-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

This spring Haley took a 6 week tumbling class and she loved it! She learned how to do a front roll, straddle roll, pencil roll, walk on a little balance beam and did some balance exercises. They also learned a little routine the last few weeks. She was so excited to have an activity that was just for her! Here are some pictures of her at her class with her teacher Miss Candy, who was very sweet and patient with three crazy two-year olds. The funniest part about the class is that she would come home and immediately want to teach Kyle what she had learned that day!

Learning her front roll

" Going upside down" - this was one of her favorite things to do in class. I just have to keep her from doing "upside down" off the couch, bed, kitchen chair, etc..

Stretching

Chicago Trip

2009-05-11T14:59:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago Jared and I went (alone!) to Chicago. We had a great time. Well, Jared had a great time after Saturday morning. The reason we went was so he could take his Oral Board Exam. This was the last step in his Board Certification in Emergency Medicine. It wasn't much fun for him, but he said it went well. We had a lot of fun just hanging out with my sister, Claire, her husband Carl, and little Micah. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

The John Hancock tower.

The next few pictures are views of downtown Chicago taken from the top (94th floor!) of the John Hancock Tower.

Claire and I couldn't wait to get to the Ghirardelli Chocolate store! Two pregnant women surrounded by chocolate - we were in heaven!

These were our $8 ice cream sundae's. Expensive, but so worth it!

My adorable neice, Micah, at 9 months old. We had a great time playing with her while we were there. She is so easygoing and happy. And she loves to eat!

Haley's 2 year Pictures

2009-04-29T15:51:00.008-05:00

Well, I know she is almost 2 1/2, but we finally got some good 2 year pictures done today. We went to a wonderful studio and I was SO happy with the results. Haley had a great time today and LOVED posing for the camera. It was so hard to pick! After pictures, we stopped and had pizza for lunch. She loved all the attention and it was so fun for me to have a morning just with her. Kyle had a fun morning with Daddy playing miniature golf and we hope to have his T-ball pictures back soon to post.

Here are some of the best ones from today.

Think Blue!

2009-04-06T20:58:00.004-05:00

Well, a very funny thing happened today. I had my normal 20 week sonogram to take measurements and check the growth of the baby. We were also hoping for confirmation that is was a girl since my other sono was a little early (17 weeks). Were we ever so surprised when we discovered it was really a boy! Even the radiologist went back and forth several times this morning before she decided it truly was a boy. Crazy, huh?! At the very end, he decided to really cooperate and gave us a really good shot with his legs wide and it sure is a boy! We are surprised and so excited that Kyle will have a brother! Of course we would be thrilled with either a boy or a girl, but are most excited that his growth is right on track and he looks very healthy. Kyle was a little confused today when we told him the doctor was wrong the first time, but he quickly adjusted and is super excited. My heart melted tonight when I put him to bed and he asked if he could pray for his baby brother. We are not 100% sure of his name, but we think it will be Alex Michael. What a fun surprise today!

Also, here is my 5 month picture. I can't believe I am almost halfway done with this pregnancy. It goes by so fast when you have two others to chase around! He is a very active baby and is already kicking me pretty hard. Jared has already felt him move a few times, so it looks like we have a pretty busy little boy!

Kyle's 1st T-ball Game

2009-03-31T11:07:00.007-05:00

Last night was Kyle's very first T-ball game. He was so excited and it was really fun to see him all dressed for the game. He looked so grown up and it is hard to believe my baby boy is old enough to be playing sports! The kids had a great time and provided wonderful entertainment for those of us watching. Kyle hit the ball great several times! They all ran in different directions after batting! It was fun watching the coaches trying to get them where they were supposed to be. Here are some pictures from last night's game.

Hitting the ball

Waiting for the ball
(He looks just like Jared in this picture!)

All dressed and ready to go!

The Kids Ate Broccoli!!

2009-03-18T20:26:00.004-05:00

Can you believe it? I'm not sure I even believe it! Okay, so it wasn't much broccoli and I did hide it, but they actually ate it. Here is the recipe for something new I tried tonight that was really good and easy.

Broccoli, tomato, and mozzarella stromboli
1 lb pizza dough, thawed if frozen (I used two cans of the Pillsbury dough)
all-purpose flour, for work surface
1 pkg (1lb) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed - I ended up using only about 1/2 of the package
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (and more for dipping later)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami, chopped (I got this at the Wal-Mart deli)
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lined a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. I used my Pampered Chef pizza stone and it worked great. Divide dough into 4 pieces (I didn't use all of the dough from the 2nd can). On a lightly floured surface stretch out the dough a little bit into ovals (mine never ended up oval shaped and don't stretch it too much or it will fall apart when you roll it up).

2. Place broccoli in a strainer and press to remove excess liquid. Transfer to a double layer of paper towels and pat dry.

3. Dividing evenly, scatter broccoli over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle with garlic and season with salt and pepper (I didn't use salt). Top each one with mozzarella, salami and marinara.

4. Roll up each stromboli and place seam side down on baking sheet. Using the tip of a paring knife, cut two slits in the top of each. Brush with olive oil. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with marinara for dipping.

I called these "Pizza Rolls" and the kids ate them up! Next time I plan to mix the broccoli in the marinara and hide it a little better. Kyle did find some "green stuff" after he had eaten almost the entire thing and didn't want any more. Who knows if they will ever eat them again, but at least they got some green veggies in them tonight.

Baby # 3 is a....

2009-03-12T18:48:00.003-05:00

GIRL! Yes, that's right! We are thrilled to have another little girl join our family. People kept asking me if I had any feeling about which one and I kept saying that I had no idea. When the doctor said that she was pretty sure it was a girl I was really surprised! I guess I really had thought all along it was a boy, especially since Kyle was convinced that he was having a little brother. He was a little disappointed at first, but he seems excited now. Right now we do not have a name. We'll keep you posted...

Kyle's First T-Ball Practice

2009-03-12T18:34:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday night Kyle had his first T-ball practice, which also happened to be my first one too. Jared recently bought him a glove, ball and official bat and he is SO excited! He is playing on a team with a bunch of his friends and two of our friends are coaching. Here are some pictures from our first practice.

Coach Tony talking to the kids.

Jared is not an official coach for the team, but he will be helping out when he is not working.

Kyle had fun batting and actually did a pretty good job. He hit the ball really well a few times.

2nd Trimester Update

2009-02-24T21:55:00.003-06:00

Well, I have now officially hit my 2nd trimester and I am definitely starting to look and feel pregnant. January was a little rough in our family, but I am really feeling a lot better. Jared has been a huge help with yucky diapers, cooking anything that involves raw meat, and putting up with my crazy food cravings and aversions. I am feeling a little more energetic, although I still fall asleep on the couch almost every night. Kyle and Haley are definitely starting to notice that something is going on and Kyle actually talks about the baby quite a bit. He is very excited about having a new baby brother (we'll see if his prediction is true!!). He even told me last week that he would help me change the baby's diapers - but only the poopy ones! Sounds good to me! Here is a picture Jared took last week. And yes - we are pretty sure it is only one, but some days I wonder!

Princess Party

2009-01-24T21:13:00.000-06:00

Today Haley went to her first princess party and she absolutely loved it! Here are some pictures of her enjoying the party.

Haley getting her nails done. She never sits still, but she did for this!

Eating her fancy food and drinking "Princess punch"

Dinosaurs!

2009-01-23T18:13:00.012-06:00

Today we took advantage of some beautiful weather and went to the Heard Wildlife Museum to see their dinosaur exhibit. They had robotic dinosaurs that made noise and moved around. Kyle loved it! Haley spent most of the time hiding behind my legs, but she has been talking about it ever since.

It's going to eat me!

Kyle and Haley pretending to be dinosaurs.

They had a fun play area where the kids could climb on some smaller, less scary dinosaurs. Haley enjoyed this part probably because it involved climbing!

Baby News!

2009-01-22T21:22:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's true! Jared and I are excited to announce that I am now 10 weeks pregnant with baby #3! We are due in mid-August. I don't think the kids really understand what is going on, but here are some funny things they have said about it.

Me: "What do you want to name the baby?"
Haley: "Baby Micah!" (This is their cousin's name)
Kyle: "I'll have to wait 'till the baby comes out to see it's name."

Me: "Would you like a brother or sister?"
Kyle: "I think I want a brother because I don't have one of those yet. I think God already chose a brother."

I haven't felt great the last few weeks, but definitely not as sick as I was the first two times. I think God knows I can only handle so much! My energy level has been really low and the kids wear me out most days. But they are supposed to do that, right?

Kyle and Haley

2009-01-22T21:03:00.002-06:00

I know it has been a little while since some of you have seen our kids, so I wanted to give you a little update on what they like to do. I was hoping to post this on their birthdays, but that never happened. And here we are, 2 months later. Oh well.

Kyle turned 4 at the end of November and continues to be our laid-back child. He loves riding the Lightning McQueen bike that he got for his birthday. He has gotten so fast that we are having trouble keeping up with him! He still loves to play outside any chance he gets. He is so friendly and outgoing and always makes a new friend wherever he goes. He is just starting to get into board games and would play all day if we had the patience! He loves to play pirates, swords and anything that has to do with racing cars. He is ALL boy. He is really excited about playing T-ball this spring and loves the new glove and ball that his daddy bought for him. It is fun to see his personality really develop. He has such a sweet spirit and loves to be around people.

Haley turned 2 at the beginning of December and continues to be our strong-willed child! Not a surprise to most of you! She tests the limits and my sanity almost every day. On the other hand, she has a sparkling personality and can charm anyone with her smile. Like Kyle, she is very social and loves to go play with her friends. Her favorite toys right now are her baby dolls and her My Little Ponies. She is such a girly-girl! She is always carrying a purse around with various toys in it and is always giving her baby a bottle. She really enjoys playing dress-up with her friend, Madison. I would have to say that she is our trouble-maker - but always cute in the process! She keeps me on my toes by constantly getting into things around the house. She is still our little monkey that climbs everything and we are hoping to get her into a tumbling class this spring. She is talking a LOT (I wonder where she got that from?) and has an opinion about everything. Our house is usually chaotic, but we are having so much fun with Kyle and Haley!

Funny Story...

2008-12-26T13:28:00.002-06:00

I hope to have some Christmas pictures ready to post soon, but in the meantime I thought I would let you know what the kids are up to the day after Christmas. This morning I turned on Haley's new Elmo video for the kids so I could get dressed. I looked around quickly to make sure that there wasn't anything dangerous they could get into, then I ran in the bathroom for a quick shower. Since we had Christmas dinner with all of our family at our house last night, the living room and kitchen are still a disaster. I was almost finished showering when Haley came running in the bathroom completely naked with a cookie and bright blue icing all over her face. I managed to throw on a robe quickly and check on them and I found Kyle hiding behind the couch with a stash of 4 cookies. He blamed the whole thing on Haley! I guess I will have to be careful about what I leave on the counters while I am busy!

Christmas Day

2008-12-25T20:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day was hectic, but lots of fun. Kyle and Haley woke up at a decent time (around 7am) and where so excited to find their stocking and Santa gifts. I had trouble with my camera, so I don't have a lot of pictures.

Haley was SO excited to find her pink "bike" from Santa.

Kyle got a racetrack from Santa. This is still his current favorite toy! Good find, Santa!

Playing with new Christmas toys. They were giving Haley's baby a bath in her new bathtub. We had to put it away for a little while after Haley decided the bathtub needed real water and soaked one of her cloth babies in the tub. :)

Later that day, we had all of our family over for Christmas dinner. Everyone brought their favorite dish, so we had a delicious and huge meal! It was a lot of work to coordinate all of that, but my parents and Jared's parents helped a ton!

Another baby doll for Haley. I think her face says it all!

Can you believe the chaos? We are grateful for family that loves to give the kids gifts, but we had so many new toys that I put a few away for a cold or rainy day.

Haley is enjoying her Christmas dessert.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T15:35:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was a busy day for us! We did a lot of baking and cooking to get ready for Christmas dinner here at our house the next day. My wonderful husband helped with the kids and in the kitchen so we could get it all done. That afternoon we delivered some baked goodies to our neighbors and then attended the Christmas Eve service at our church. We made it through the service, but the kids were a little restless. I resorted to bribing them with orange lifesavers to keep them quiet. ;) On the way home we drove through some of our neighborhood and looked at some beautiful Christmas lights. Then it was back to the house to get ready for Santa.

Here they are getting the snacks ready for Santa. We convinced Kyle that Santa loves chocolate milk and double stuff Oreos!

Haley was getting tired and ready for bed. You know me - I just needed to take a few more pictures!

Matching pajamas!

Goofing around...

Haley was trying to be cute and wanted to take a picture with the cookies, but when we turned around she tried to eat them. Sneaky already!

Here is our last picture of the night. Meltdown at bedtime.
(This is how I felt at about midnight!)

Halloween

2008-12-08T17:55:00.005-06:00

I know I am behind a little bit (okay, really behind!), but here are some pictures from Halloween. Haley made a cute Minnie Mouse and Kyle a not-so-scary pirate. They both loved their costumes and enjoyed wearing them for several events.

State Fair Fun!

2008-10-24T17:11:00.011-05:00

Last Friday we went to the State Fair and had a wonderful time! We ate lots of yummy fried food, rode several rides and Kyle even won a prize at one of the games, but I think their favorite thing was the Frisbee dog show. They were worn out after a long day - Haley took a little snooze in her stroller in the afternoon and Kyle fell asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot. Here are a few pictures from our fun day!

They wore the pumpkin shirts I made for them. It was the brightest color I had.

We didn't want to lose them!

Haley feeding the animals at the petting zoo

Wild driver!

Kyle's dream car!

Yummy corn dogs! Kyle ate all of the cornbread from around the hot dog, then ate the hot dog last. This made for a messy meal!

This is the ride that Kyle chose.

Thankfully, he was tall enough to ride by himself.

Here is our family in front of Big Tex (well, part of Big Tex anyway).

We have now officially entered the real adult world!

2008-09-26T21:04:00.003-05:00

As of today, we are now proud owners of a brand new home. Our closing today went smoothly! It was much easier to sign for that huge amount of money than I thought! :) Here is a picture of us today. Also, we will not have internet access for a few days, so call us (instead of e-mail) if you need to reach us.

More House Pictures

2008-09-19T08:28:00.002-05:00

Here are the pictures I took after our walk-through yesterday. We are still right on schedule to close next Friday!

Almost Done!

2008-09-11T21:11:00.010-05:00

We have a closing date!! Right now, the closing is set for Friday, Sept. 26 and we hope it will stay that way. The house is almost done and we are so excited about moving. Okay, so maybe not so excited about the actual moving part, but excited about getting into the new house and being near our friends. Here are some updated pictures of the house. It is mostly finished with just the little touch up things left to be done. I know I have been posting pictures of the same rooms, but these are the rooms where you see the most progress.

Kitchen

Master bathroom

Staircase

Front entry (I am standing at the front door)

Mommy's moving helper

One thing I did not count on was how hard it would be to pack with two little ones running around. The last time we moved Kyle was the only child and he was only 5 months old. What a difference! I have doing what I can when they are asleep (which is never long enough). I think Haley actually enjoys making things difficult!! Her favorite thing is to pull things out of boxes that are already packed, so we are taping things up as quick as we can. Also, as you can see from the picture, she really likes to sit in the boxes. I think I could pack up all their toys and just give them some boxes to play with!

Where has all the toothpaste gone?

2008-09-07T20:26:00.002-05:00

So, today I solved a mystery that has been bugging me for several weeks. It seems like every time I brush the kids' teeth, there is less and less toothpaste. I knew that we should be using twice as much toothpaste since we have two that brush everyday, but how in the world do we go through two tubes in several weeks? This question was answered this afternoon when I found Kyle is the bathroom (he was supposed to be washing his hands) eating the toothpaste! Luckily, it is the toddler kind that is harmless. I guess it just tasted good.

MYSTERY SOLVED!!

Pee-Pee

2008-09-04T23:04:00.005-05:00

Potty training advice anyone? On Tuesday Haley said "Pee-Pee" over and over, grabbed my hand and very insistently led me to the bathroom. She then put the potty seat on the potty and managed to get her shorts mostly off by herself. She didn't actually do anything, but she was so proud of herself. I love this picture because it almost perfectly captures her personality!

Since I took this picture, she has asked to go "Pee-pee" several times this week. She also tells me (most of the time) as soon as she has a dirty diaper. So... does anyone have any success/failure stories or advice for potty training one this young? She is 21 months. I still haven't decided if I want to even try it, so I thought I would see what some of you have to say.

By the way, she will hate me for this in about 10 years (maybe sooner!) but it was too cute to keep to myself!

Visit with Micah

2008-08-31T16:25:00.004-05:00

I had a wonderful visit with Claire, Carl and Micah last week. I really missed my own kiddos, but it was hard to leave! Micah is such a beautiful, sweet baby! She is so content and rarely cries. She does like to eat though! Carl had to work some while I was there, so Claire and I enjoyed some fun girl time. We did some shopping, went to the park, took a long walk to the library and went out to eat twice! Micah did great and slept through most of the errands and both restaurant trips. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

House Update

2008-08-31T15:55:00.009-05:00

The house is coming along well! We just set our closing date this weekend for September 25 and we are so excited! Here are some pictures to show some of the progress.

I was a little unsure of the dark red for the kitchen when I first picked it, but now I really love it!!

Our bathroom - Hopefully this will give you an idea of the blue color in the bathroom. It has a very light and relaxing look.

Also, I drove by today and they have done most of the landscaping (no grass yet), put up the fence and stained the wood floors in the front of the house. The floors are beautiful! It is so much fun to see all of our design choices come together. It was hard for me to see the big picture when I was picking out paint colors, flooring, etc, but as I watch them put everything in I am so happy with all of the choices we made. Thanks to Joanna for helping me so much!

Most of all, I am getting more and more excited about finally being close to all of our wonderful friends! It won't be long!

Picture of Micah

2008-08-22T08:32:00.005-05:00

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Micah. As I write this I am sitting at the computer holding her while Claire and Carl run an errand and take a much-needed coffee break ALONE. Micah is an absolutely beautiful baby and I am really enjoying being here with her. We have been pretty busy. Claire and I took Micah to her two week check-up yesterday and she is doing great! She is now 8lbs, 1 oz and 21 inches long. Then we did some shopping, went out for lunch and did some more shopping. Micah did great - she slept the entire time (with a few feedings in there too). We had a quiet morning at home with her today and a lady from their church brought by some spaghetti for our dinner. I hope you enjoy the picture. I will have more when I get home!

Bike Riding!

2008-08-17T22:55:00.005-05:00

Thanks to some wonderful friends of ours, the Trigueros, Kyle now has a bike to ride! Lucas got a new bike for his birthday, and they let us borrow his old one so Kyle could learn how to ride. He has had so much fun and is really getting the hang of it. He has only had one fall and landed in the dirt so thankfully he did not have any scraped elbows or knees. Kyle really likes to go fast, so if you are in our neighborhood, watch out!

House Update

2008-08-11T09:08:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures of the house that we took this weekend. It is really coming along well! The brick & stone is finished, all of the cabinets and wood floors are in and the staircase is in. None of the wood has been stained yet. We love the brick/stone colors! I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures.

The kitchen

Our little construction workers!

Baby Micah!

2008-08-03T23:09:00.003-05:00

More family news...

Baby Micah Grace was born today and I am definitely a proud aunt! She arrived today at 1:06pm and weighed 7 lbs, 7oz and was 20 inches long. I am so proud of my sister, Claire, who labored a good 12 hours and delivered with no epidural. Yikes! She is tired, but they are all doing well.

Congrats to the new parents - Claire and Carl!!!

Pictures will be coming soon.

Bricks and Walls!

2008-08-03T22:50:00.006-05:00

Here is a picture we took today of the house. They put all the sheet rock up this week, so we now have walls! Then, in the last two days they have started the brick and stone. We were really excited to see how the brick/stone combo that we picked would actually look on the house. They had to make some substitutions on the stone because they were running out of a certain color. Highland told us that they would make sure it would match the brick okay, but I was still a little nervous. Thankfully, Jared and I both love it, even though it doesn't look like what I had pictured in my mind, and I think I might even like it better than what we picked in the first place. Below is a close-up picture so you can see the colors better.

Standing at the front door. What a difference!

Pink Toes!

2008-07-24T15:48:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I painted Haley's toes for the first time and she loves it! She sat perfectly still while I painted them and couldn't stop looking at them all day. She showed Daddy her toes as soon as he walked in the door from work - before she would even give him a hug!

We have a roof!

2008-07-20T22:29:00.007-05:00

Here is a picture of the house we took today. It has a roof and windows! We have walked through it twice now and it is really exciting to see it take shape.

This picture was taken standing at our front door. I think I will try to take one in this same place each time so we can see the progress on the inside too.

New House Pictures!

2008-07-13T20:48:00.007-05:00

As a lot of you know we are in the process of building a house. Although I said that I would never do this, it actually has been a lot of fun. Right now, the house should be done in mid-September and we plan to close at the end of September. It has been so much fun watching it go up! Kyle especially loves to check on our new house and asks all the time if it is "builded yet". Kyle's favorite part about checking on the house (and mine too!) is going to Bahama Bucks for shaved ice on the way home. Here are some pictures to show you the progress so far.

Front view on June 18

July 5 - looking at our front porch

July 12 - What a difference a week makes!

July 4

2008-07-11T06:43:00.011-05:00

For July 4th this year we decided to brave the crowds and check out one of the many 4th of July celebrations going on near us. We met our friends, the Medinas and the Nelsons, and had a great time! Kyle and Haley enjoyed the bounce houses and making hats. By 8:30pm we had done everything and the kids were getting restless, so we decided to head to Bahama Bucks, get some shaved ice and watch the fireworks from there. The location turned out to be great and the kids all loved the fireworks! Here are a few pictures from our adventures. Jared had to work, so he is not in any of our pictures.

Kyle's Hat - he wasn't too into decorating

Gavin, Kyle and Claire

Kyle and Gavin enjoying Bahama Bucks

My First Posting!

2008-07-11T06:34:00.000-05:00

Well...

I decided that if everyone else is doing it, so should I! I love to take pictures of our kids and we are in the process of building a new house. I keep sending pictures by e-mail and my friend, Eve, said that I need a blog. So, here we are! I hope you enjoy our pictures and I will do my best to keep up with this new project (and maybe get Jared to blog a little). Check back often!