Enjoying summer

Kieran & Mommy at neighborhood picnic

Neighborhood kids eating dessert together.
Kieran rarely gets chocolate, so he's really excited!

Just goofin around after a long day of yard work.  (See below.)

Our latest project...adding sod, plants, and trees to the cozy nook Mike created.

Progress update

Potty training.  It's tougher than I imagined!  I'm amazed that Mike and I still have hair on our heads.  We've done a lot of proverbial hair pulling these past two weeks, but also celebrated many milestones along the way.  Today is day fourteen.  Kieran is mostly potty trained and has been since day four!!  Awesome.  We've gone to church, taken walks, played in the pool, ran errands to various stores and the library,  jumped in bouncy houses, and gone to a neighborhood bbq all with great success.   (I am now familiar with the bathrooms in all of the places mentioned above.) Kieran does an excellent job of letting us know he needs to pee and he usually waits till we get to the bathroom.  However, pooh has been a major battle as he doesn't always want to go in the toilet.  Thus the figurative hair pulling.  On many occasions,  Kieran has cried and twice I even cried in frustration.  The main thing I've learned is to let it be, and allow him to take charge of his potty needs.  Keeping the potty chair where he can see Mommy, but also have some privacy, has been the ticket.   Also, a high fiber diet has been very helpful!  We're so proud of Kieran for transitioning out of diapers in such a short time span.  We're  also very thankful that we're getting this accomplished before Marisa comes home!  I wish everyone else who is working on potty training all the best!

My Car by Byron Barton, great reading material for any occasion!

China.  I think about Marisa every day.  Where is she?  How's she doing?  Who is taking care of her?  Are her needs being met?  What size will she be wearing?  How will Kieran respond to a baby sister?  What will her personality be like?  How will our family change once she's home?  How will parenting a girl be different from parenting a boy? {Have I annoyed my readers with this litany of questions?}  Finally, when will we be getting our referral??  I am starting to go through that "nesting" stage that I went through before Kieran's arrival.  I'm cleaning out closets.  I'm dreaming of how I want to decorate the nursery.   Last week Kieran and I went browsing for possible items to put on the walls in Marisa's room.  Nothing caught my eye as a fit for what I've got in mind, but I did see a quote that certainly applies to adoption, "Keep dreaming until your dreams come true."  Kieran is our dream come true for sure!  Having completed his adoption gives me hope and a healthy perspective as we wait for Marisa's adoption to be completed.  A calm excitement is the best way I can describe my feelings about getting closer to the end of the journey to Marisa.  (But, I'm also antsy to know when we'll actually be going to get her. )

Wish I knew who to credit for this clever "sonogram" of China.

  

Progress times two

This has been a week of progress.

First, we are on day three of potty training Kieran.  He's doing well, but still having occasional accidents.  Overall, we're making progress.  I'm really quite proud of how he's doing.  I love that kid!

Second, we got good news from our agency about our China adoption.  The CCAA processed 14 LIDs in one month, rather than the three they've been averaging each month.  So, there are only 6 LIDs left till our turn!  Which means, we could be getting a referral for Marisa sooner than we thought.  Nobody knows when it will be, but this month they made a big leap towards our log in date of 5-16-06.   It's amazing that our wait is almost over.  I'm guessing October is very possibly the month that we will see our daughter's face for the first time.  It's a guess, so we'll just have to wait and see.  Anyway, we're making progress!

Finally, one cute picture for all the Kieran fans out there.  

Quick update

Kieran had a great time with Grandma & Grandpa while we were in Hawaii.  He got to go to the park, the beach, Red Robin, jump in a bouncy house, and many other adventures.  He also had fun with his aunties and cousin, Haley.  

A big thank you to my parents for doing such a great job watching Kieran while we were away.  We love you!

Now that we are home, here's what we've been up to...

 We have been outside daily now that the weather has decided to acknowledge summer.  Kieran loves to play in the water whether it's a kiddie pool, hose, sprinkler, or wagon filled with water.  While he played,  I took a bunch of pictures of him.  This one is my favorite.

 My sister Katie came to visit us recently.  So Mike got to meet his new niece, Haley.  She is just a couple of weeks old and so tiny compared to Kieran.  We think Haley is great practice for Kieran to get used to having a younger sibling.  While we enjoy Haley, we eagerly await news from China about our future daughter.  Nothing to report yet.  But we are several months away from good news! 

For everything there is a season

Mike & I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a trip to Hawaii.  Kieran stayed home with grandma & grandpa.  It was the first time we've been away from Kieran since we adopted him last year.  It was very tough to leave him.  But everyone did well, and we got some much needed rest.  Kieran had a chain of paper rings to help him count down the days till we returned.  It really helped him.  Every third day was a red ring, and he got to open a present that Mommy & Daddy left for him.  We're home now, and so happy to be here with our sweet son.  He's delighted to have us home too, and checks in often to make sure we aren't going anywhere.  I'll post pictures soon of his fun adventures with the grandparents.  For now, here are a few photos from our trip to Maui... 

We took a day trip to snorkel and see the sea turtles.  That was a highlight of our vacation!  It's definitely worth the price.  We rented an underwater camera, also worth the expense.  Mike got some great pictures and video of the turtles swimming around us.  If you get the chance to go to Maui, consider going on a excursion with Alii Nui.  They did such a great job!

We pigged out on delicious food the whole week we were there.  Once we got home, the scale was not kind to us.  We gained a total of 10 pounds between us!  Time to get back to exercising and eating right.  Sigh.

The view from our hotel was a vacation all by itself.  We sat at dinner in the open air restaurant and watched the sun set each evening.  

"There's a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."  Ecclesiastes 3:1