November Roundup

our back yard cherry tree

Wow! This month has flown by. I just realized I have only published one post this month and December begins in a couple of hours. Here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to this month: 

Sam went to work peeling and sanding the logs he harvested for his parents banister. 

Cohen started using the toilet - very infrequently, but it's still a major celebration at your house!

Sam taught Cohen the art of tortilla making and Cohen became a master of glue while making our first displayed Christmas decoration (it's on the fridge behind him)

For the 3rd year in a row, we participated in the annual Adoption Walk With Me 5K to raise awareness of the positive outcomes of adoption in our community. BTW, Katrina is doing great on her mission. She's in a new area that she loves. We miss her TONS and can't wait to spend some time with her family who will be in town next month. 

Sam tried to use the shop-vac as a leaf blower. It didn't work very well, but Cohen had a blast playing with it. 

We discovered the joy of indoor camping. Cohen calls marshmallows "farfallows".

The newest member of our extended family was born last month. He was born 8 minutes after Megan's sister arrived at the hospital! Cohen calls him Baby Will and we can't get enough of him. 

Grandma (Megan's mom), Cohen and William on Thanksgiving.

We decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Cohen's tree ended up looking very similar to the way he decorated it last year. At least this year he hasn't tried eating any of the ornaments.

One night when Cohen was supposed to be in bed he got into the gift wrapping box and had a lot of fun with the ribbon.

And last of all, some stuff I've been thinking about A LOT lately, but I'm not quite sure what to say about it ...

We've only been approved to adopt again for a few months. Why does it feel like SO MUCH longer?! I obviously have yet to master the art of patience!

This month we've had contact with a couple of different women trying to find families for their children. This time is such a roller coster of emotions. Trying to be realistic while staying hopeful, faithful and grateful can be a struggle at times. Discouragement and doubt keep trying to rear their ugly heads. And trying to make sure we're doing all we can to help our next child find his/her way to our family vs. having faith that the Lord will bring us together can be a tough balancing act. 

However, as frustrated and powerless as I sometimes feel, I always think of those planning to  place their child for adoption and the task they have of trying to find the right family. Now THEY have the hard part in all of this. I cannot imagine the pressure that must accompany making such an important decision. I'm glad we can be a part of a few of their journeys. I truly feel blessed for the opportunity to do whatever we can to help them with their decision. We clearly experienced through Cohen's adoption that Heavenly Father has a way of working things out. I just have to be patient. 

Axel & Buzz

Happy Halloween!

This really is the first holiday (besides birthdays) that Cohen has really gotten excited about. It's been my favorite Halloween ever! 

Cohen dressed up as a character from his favorite movie, Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. He does a great, "To infinity and beyond!" We went to the store today and I let him wear his costume (minus the wings) and he thought that was pretty cool. I'm such a dork--we were going down the escalator (Cohen's favorite part of going to this particular store) and I began thinking about how happy and blessed I felt. There I was at the store with my darling little boy, who was elated to be riding the escalator and even more excited about being dressed up as Buzz. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. I totally almost started to cry--I had to put in some serious effort to keep a normal face and hold back the tears. I am so grateful for Katrina and our Father in Heaven for giving me the chance to be Cohen's mom. I am so blessed!

Sam stayed up until 2 a.m. working on Buzz's wings and then got up extra early in the morning to finish them. Also, when it came time to trick-or-treat (we went to my sister's house to hang out and trick-or-treat in her neighborhood), Sam and Cohen were the first ones out the door (seriously, Sam couldn't wait for the other kids to be ready). 

Our jack-o-lantern.

Our little family at my sister's annual Halloween party. Cohen as Buzz Lighyear, Sam as Axel Rose, and me in a costume I threw on last minute to put a smile on Sam's face (he was bummed that I didn't plan on dressing up this year)

Check out THE wings! 

At some point during the night I mentioned to my sister that I'd always wanted blue hair. Low-and-behold, she had this wig. What do you think?!

We let Cohen have free reign of his candy bucket on ride home.  The next day we found this. No wonder he now asks Sam or me to take off the wrappers!