I decided to try the ads on my blog for a bit. Apparently each click on the ad adds up to some money. Maybe I can make a whole dime! :) The ads are based on what I write about in my blog.
Anyway, I couldn't help but notice some of the ads. Many were for international adoption which I think is quite obvious for my blog. Another was for adhesive remover! :) By the way, Andrew's eye is better! :)
These are probably quite boring unless you are Josh who has been away and misses his kids :)
The first is Andrew at a local city festival. He saw people on this gyrogym thing and wanted to try it. I was quite surprised. The video is the first part of his ride. Of course, after I turned off the camera the guy comes by and asks Andrew if he wanted to go faster and made it go quite fast. Andrew described that part as scary, but fun. :)
The next is Andrew playing for his group piano lesson. His group has 4 boys and 1 girl. Andrew did well considering all the distractions. One little boy had been walking up to the piano and acting silly and everytime the boy moved, Andrew would hesitate. Then someone walked in the door and then a phone went off. He was quite frustrated about the job he did, but I think he did great considering he's only been playing for less than 3 months!
I picked up Andrew from school today and he got in the back of the van and said something like "I don't want you to worry about my eye, ok?" Needless to say I turned around to see what he was talking about. I saw the red and I also saw what looked like dirt.
Turns out another little boy in his class (who is often his partner in crime) found some duct tape under a table. The little boy took the tape off and slapped it onto Andrew's eye. Then the little boy immediately ripped it off! The result? One black (I guess it's technically red but it's bruised) eye that is VERY sticky.
Upon closer inspection I realized that the sticky needed to come off as painlessly as possible. So I got some cotton balls and some Goo Gone. I sprayed the Goo Gone onto the cotton balls and carefully took the sticky off. It was most difficult on his eyelid! He says it hurts under his eye.
Some have asked about the little boy. He was punished at school and I'm not really angry. Honestly, I was just glad Andrew wasn't the one who found the duct tape first!!!
This is not the best picture of Andrew (with his messed up hair, etc) but you can obviously see the red. What looks like dirt is the adhesive from the duct tape. 
I made a tutu today. I plan to make 2 total very soon. Leila liked it but didn't like to wear it. Leah wouldn't stop dancing around in it. It was too cute! :)
When we were at McDonald's for breakfast, a little, old man admired the girls and then said "It's nice to have grandma to help!" My SISTER was with me!!! :) I smiled and said, "Yes, it probably would be, but my sister is helping me today and I'm glad!" :)
My sister didn't find it too funny!!! She's nine years older than me and when she was a teen could pass for an adult. I can't count how many times over the years people have thought she was my mother. :)
After a few hours in Chuck E Cheese, I was quickly reminded why I don't go there very often!!! :) The kids did have fun though! I did get weepy when I thought about all that has happened since we started the process. I'm sure I looked crazy weeping while Chuck E Cheese sang 80s songs. :)
Lunch was at the local Mexican restaurant. Granted, the girls became American citizens just hours before, but Grandma wanted Mexican. :) It was fine! We actually ran into the judge again while we were there!
After lunch, we headed home. Josh had already arrived and was anxiously waiting for us in the house. We got home and we were all happy to see him. We decided to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. The girls liked dancing on the blue screen. It was cute until Leila started lifting her dress up for all to see!!! 
This wasn't the worst she'd do. She would have both hands on the dress and would pull it as high as she could!!!
We got a picture of the family that was there for the hearing. My mom, dad and oldest sister were able to come.
We then headed over to the courthouse and my dad had one of the girls in his arms. We were going down the stairs out of the lawyer's office and he fell! We grabbed the baby (she was fine) and I tried to help him up but as you can see, he's a big guy! Our lawyer was able to help (Thankfully). He was fine. I was surprised he didn't break anything. He'll be 76 next month.
After we got through security we waited in the waiting area of the judge's chambers. He was running behind so we had fun trying to entertain the girls. HA!
After breakfast, we headed to the courthhouse. Our lawyer asked us to be at his office at 8:30am so we could tie up any loose ends and head across the street to the courthouse for the 8:55am hearing.
Turns out the loose ends was a picture with our attorney. :) He just brought home a boy from Haiti about a month ago so it was nice to have someone who had "been there, done that." :)
I was so nervous that something would go wrong that it was hard to sleep the night before. I woke up at 1:30am, then 2:30am. I was worried I'd oversleep. I had set the alarm for 5:55am on the hotel alarm clock and asked Josh (who had a flight at 6:40am to call me at 6am to make sure we were up). The alarm didn't go off so I'm glad Josh called.
I'm so glad I had my sister there to help load the car, take a baby, push a stroller, etc. I wouldn't have been able to do it alone.
Here are some picture from breakfast at McDonald's. 
I'm very tired. I will post pictures tomorrow. All went well and quite smoothly. Tears of joy were shed. We came home after lunch and Josh was waiting for us. He got to fly in today for a few days but couldn't make it in time for the hearing this morning. I'll write more tomorrow! :)
The first is of the girls dancing to toy Andrew got at McDonald's in Morocco. It plays the Cha Cha Slide.
The next is of Leah. She likes the Wiggles just fine, but this one song freaks her out!!! It took me a while to try to figure out WHAT exactly was causing her to freak out. Was it the children dressed up as farm animals? Nope! It was the big straw hats that the Wiggles are wearing. I now try to remember to skip this song on the DVD but if I forget, she quickly reminds me! :)
Thanks all for telling me about the same videos :)
I wanted to join a gym in January (after I finished grad school). Josh was home though and we were doing a LOT around the house to get it set up before he left. My wake up call was when I needed some new pants for our family portrait. I'm not going to say what size they were but they were 2 sizes bigger than when we moved to Morocco (Sept 2007). Twice the size of when we lived in Japan (03-06) and 6 times the size of when we got married (almost 11 years ago).
I kind of haphazardly worked out off and on when we were in Japan and I did do a lot of walking when we were out and about off base. I did a lot of watching what I ate, etc as well and I think that helped me maintain my size but not lose weight.
I looked into the two gyms in town that offered childcare while I worked out. The first place was about a 15-30 minute drive (depending on traffic) away, had state of the art facility, new everything, VERY flashy, etc. They told me that their "family plan" would only include me and the girls and if Andrew wanted to come I'd have to pay a per visit fee for him. WHAT?
The second place was 5 minutes away in a building that was built about 15 or so years ago, nice equipment, no bells and whistles (ie. like free gym bag with the gym's logo on it) but it was nice. It seemed more family friendly and you truly see all ages working out. It doesn't seem to be a competition of who has the newest workout clothes, most perfect body, etc. The family membership truly includes ALL of your family.
So, at the end of January I went to the second place to sign up for a membership. I happened to mention that Josh was deploying and thus would not need to be on my membership plan. Turns out at this facility, gym memberships are FREE for families of deployed service members! WOW! So I used the money I was going to use for the membership for a personal trainer.
So I have been going strong for about 6 weeks (minus the issues with everyone trying to get sick in February) and I have a love/hate relationship with my personal trainer. I think she is the devil for what she makes me do but I love her for it. :)
I don't feel any smaller or different but I did get into some jeans that I couldn't get into in December! My personal trainer will be measuring me again soon and we'll see if there is any progress. I feel good, I sleep well and so I think that is good. :)
I don't expect to be the size I was on my wedding day but half of the size I was in January would be good. :) I didn't tell anyone except Josh that I was working out because I was scared that I wouldn't stick to it and look like one of those who makes the new year's resolution that they don't keep! :)
I go 2-3 times a week in the morning and workout for 1-1.5 hours. I then use the rest of the time to take a nice hot shower, blow dry my hair, fix it, put on make up, etc and THEN I pick up the girls. They like the childcare place a lot. It's the same two ladies in there almost everytime so that helps. The other people there are pretty nice. Everybody does their thing and no one seems to be obnoxious. I do have a little old man who always wants to say hi, etc to me. He told me he didn't want to get in a fight with me with my biceps. LOL Ooooooooookkaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy!!! He's harmless. I think he's just trying to be cute. He has to be at least in his 70s. So, my secret is now out! :)
Wonder if he's hinting about something? He thinks we are going next year! :) I can't wait to surprise him! :)
March 19th at 8:55am the girls will be legally ours. They will become US citizens that day as well. This is the last legal step we'll have to do! Josh will miss it by a few hours (he'll fly in later that day). We have to go to Florida to finalize (as we are legal residents there) but my sister will get to come with me since it's Spring Break. It feels so good to be almost done! :)
You probably noticed the ticker at the top and thinking "Didn't they just get back from a Disney cruise?"
We were (and probably still are) planning to go to the Disney Resort in FL when Josh returns from Iraq. While investigating options for budgeting purposes I learned that this year Disney is offering great deal for the military. The Active Duty service member gets in free for 5 days. Family members can get 5 days for $99 each. Hotels at the Disney resort are 40% off for active duty military.
Josh will get to come home for anywhere from 6 to 21 days between the time he finishes training in Kansas and the time he leaves for Iraq. This will be the last time we see him until Nov/Dec for 2 weeks when he gets his mid-tour RandR. We decided to get away as a family and had been thinking about getting a hotel in New Orleans and seeing the Aquarium, zoo, etc. With all the discounts Disney is offering the military, it is about the same price to go to Disney and we don't have to worry about the kids accidentally seeing something inappropriate at Disney! :)
So we decided that we want to surprise the kids (ok, surprise Andrew because Leah and Leila are clueless at this age :) ). We are trying to come up with a creative way to surprise him and we have a few in mind. Andrew is quite perceptive and will notice if I start packing bags or something so we'll probably tell him a day or two beforehand. He's seen my planning guides and I told him that I'm looking at them for our trip when Daddy gets back from Iraq.
So, I probably crazy for attempting to take twin 20 month olds to Disney World but it can't be any more crazy than going to New Orleans! :) We are going with the approach that we will not be able to see and do everything. Our goal is to spend a fun time together. :)
I've seen lists everywhere of ways people can help families of deployed soldiers. I wanted to share some of my favorites along with my thoughts. If you are looking for ideas of ways to help, be sure to check the comments, some of my fellow military spouses may have a few ideas to add! Here goes:
Call just to say hi - I could literally go a full day without talking to anyone over the age of 7. I force myself out of the house (or onto the phone) to get adult interaction. However, I welcome a phone call anytime! :)
Stop by with some baked (or store bought) goodies - I don't remember the last time I baked goodies. I do good to get dinner on the table! :) I got some goodies about a week ago from a friend at church and it made my day!!! She owns a bakery so they were REALLY yummy treats! :)
Offer to watch the kids for an hour or two - I pay $6/hr for a babysitter. That adds up FAST!!! By the time I get a sitter for the necessary stuff (ie. this week will be dentist appointments) there isn't much left for the fun stuff. My mother in law came to visit a few weekends ago and watched the girls while Andrew was at a Saturday program for a few hours. I got more done in 2 hours that I normally do in a week!!!
When you go to the store, call and ask if they need anything - My sister does this a lot for me. I almost always need a gallon of whole milk! :)
Do yard work - The last time I had my yard raked and mowed, the carport and sidewalks cleared and the yard toys stacked neatly. THe cost? $60!!! I did get lucky last fall when some guy asked if he could have my pinestraw for free if he raked my yard.
Avoid talking about the war - I don't watch the news. I do read the news online when I can pick and choose the articles I want to read about. Don't tell a family member about the latest attack over there. Also, if you oppose the war, that is your right. The soldiers there are there because they took an oath to follow orders whether they agree with the war or not. I know soldiers who agree with the war and soldiers who don't. Regardless, they serve and follow orders. Please respect that.
Order a pizza for them - Let them know ahead of time so it doesn't show up AFTER they have had dinner! :)
Bring flowers - I never really thought of this one but when I read it, I thought it was a sweet idea. I know in Morocco last Spring, when the adoption was getting rough, a friend of mine stopped by my house and brought me flowers. It made my day.
Bring them a gift card to a local restaurant - Cooking and watching kids at the same time is hard. Enough said. :)
Offer to do maintenance projects (change air filters, light bulbs, take the car in for an oil change, etc.) - I had a burned out light in my carport for about 6 weeks because I couldn't find a time in the daylight to watch my kids and safely climb a ladder to change the bulb! I'm waiting for my mother in law's next visit to get my brakes done and my tires rotated. Mechanic's waiting rooms are rarely toddler friendly! :)
Invite the family over for dinner; especially holiday meals. - It is possible the holidays may be too hard to visit. Also, understand that if they say “no thanks” that it may be because it’s not fun to try to enjoy a meal with friends while worrying if their children are tearing your house apart! Better yet, bring the meal to them! I honestly could never relax at someone else's house with my girls unless they had children around the same age.
Offer to go to a child’s extracurricular event for or with them - I was so thankful for family and friends who came to Andrew's soccer games last fall. Sometimes the girls were too challenging so I had to push them in the stroller and missed those goals. Thankfully he still had someone cheering for him.
Call the mom and ask her to go out for a girl’s night but give her enough time to get a sitter! - My sister and I went to see a movie a few weeks ago and it was so fun to be silly, giggly girls instead of busy mom.
Shovel their snow - Not necessary for me around here but anything outside is hard to do while watching children so I'm sure this would be appreciated in the colder climates.
Do their dishes - Thankfully I have a dishwasher but if someone came to my house and watched the girls in the living room while I cleaned another room I'd be thrilled!
Look for opportunities to recognize them – Local tv and newspapers that honor local soldiers, tv shows looking for families of deployed service members for special shows, etc. - I know sometimes tv shows do special things for families. I got a free gym membership that includes childcare and I'm thrilled! The girls love the childcare and I love my workout time.
Those are some of my favorites. OK, fellow military wives, speak up in my comments section!!! :)
Today is Leah and Leila's gotcha day. It's been one year since we brought the girls home (hence the name "gotcha"). I had a whole 6 weeks to comprehend that I had twins before I got to bring them home. I can't complain about that. I got 24 hours warning with Andrew! :)
I am so grateful that we got to bring them home when we did. Typically you can't bring children home until the Moroccan adoption is complete. That was June for us! I'm thankful that we lived in Morocco and could bring them home.
There were some complications (lost in translation?) with bringing them home. We were told it would be March 4th and then told by someone else that they had no idea why we were told that. We were devistated to go home empty handed that day. It seemed like as soon as we made progress, more steps were added. I began to wonder if we would ever bring the girls home. After a busy morning on March 6th with more steps being added, I went home, skipped lunch and crawled into bed. A little while later my Moroccan friend, Touria, called and said that she pulled some strings and the girls could come home RIGHT NOW! I jumped out of bed, pulled my hair up and within 5 minutes, Josh and I were on the way to Andrew's school to get him and hit the road. It was a 2 hour drive to the orphanage but I think we got there quicker! :)
I had ordered some cute dresses for the girls to wear when we brought them home but they had not arrived. I knew the ladies at the orphanage liked to layer lots of clothing on the babies (as many as 4 outfits!!!) so I brought a short sleeved onesie, a longed sleeved shirt, jeans, socks, sweater and shoes. The ladies added more clothing!!! :) I didn't care! We were bringing them home!!!
We had to borrow carseats and portacribs from embassy friends because our items had not arrived yet. Thanks Lori, Jan and Kate! :)
Andrew loves to hear his adoption story and how we stopped at McDonald's on the way home (Josh and I were too nervous to eat all day long and were starving by the time it all was done!) and I have a picture of Josh offering 10 day old Andrew a french fry. After picking up the girls, Andrew wanted to stop at McDonald's and do the same thing! :) So we did! :) Thank goodness there was a McDonald's in Meknes, Morocco!!! :)
I am so thankful that Leah and Leila have joined our family. It feels complete. They were the missing pieces that we were searching for.
Enjoy the pictures and excuse my bed hair! :)
Andrew talking to Leila while she waits to be changed into her going home clothes. :)
Leah and her Daddy :)
Leila getting dressed.
Andrew, Leila and Mommy outside the hospital.
Leah being held by her Daddy and Leila being held by her Mommy.
Andrew offers Leah a French Fry
Leila enjoys a bottle
FINALLY HOME!!!
One year later! :)
I first heard about Daddy Dolls on TV. Honestly, I thought they were a bit creepy, but it seemed to soothe children while Dad was away. When they arrived, Leila took hers, pointed to the head and said "Dada!"
I ordered them at http://www.hugahero.com/index.php
