We're still here

There's not much time to blog these days, but I thought I'd post something so you all know we are still here. We are doing great. Mike finished the wall and has set the posts for the fence. Hallelujah! Meanwhile, Kieran is talking more and more every day. He is a parrot and will repeat almost anything we say. Recently he picked up a new word, "bummer". Too cute! Sometimes his non-stop chatter can be overwhelming though. For three long months I wished he would be able to say mommy. Now he says it constantly! Just for fun, I counted one day to find out how often he actually did say mommy. 250 times was the total for the day! Be careful what you wish for!!

Here are some random pictures taken last week.
Enjoying an A to Z Walk Through the Park with Daddy.
We made more pumpkin spice zucchini bread together. Yes,I'm guilty of letting our son lick the batter. His comment about this rare treat, "Mmmm!"
Kieran on his trusty steed from Pakistan. Thank you Aunt Teresa!

Growing by leaps, and Boundaries

Yesterday marked four months since we first met Kieran. I was amazed as I realized just how much progress Kieran has made in such a short amount of time. He went from crawling, to walking to running; not knowing English to speaking in short sentences (like, "I get it!"); and transitioning from all baby food to all table food. The very best change, he went from being an orphan to having a mommy and daddy and a huge extended family that all adore him! He's one happy little boy that smiles, laughs, and plays non-stop most of the day. We are so blessed to be his parents. At times, we are exhausted and struggle to keep up with his boundless energy, but we have so much fun with him. He brings sunshine wherever he goes.

Quick update on the wall project...it's almost complete! Mike has labored many days to get this wall finished. He's our hero! He has a few things left to do and then he'll be building a fence so Kieran can safely play in the backyard. I think the street is magnetic, it seems to pull kids toward it with remarkable consistency. Therefore, a fence is in order ASAP so we can actually relax in our backyard while Kieran plays. You get the picture! Speaking of pictures, here are a few of the wall. It really looks great.





Thanks for dropping by.

Mommy's sous-chef

Yesterday Kieran helped me make some pumpkin spice zucchini bread. This was our first time baking together. He absolutely loved it! Of course, he got flour everywhere while he stirred the dry ingredients, but I didn't care. Next time I'll remember to use a bigger bowl.


If you have some zucchini to use up, try this recipe; it's super easy and delicious! (By the way, thanks mom for the recipe and supplying the zucchini from your garden.)

Pumpkin Spice Zucchini Bread
In a large bowl, blend three eggs. Then add 1 cup oil and 2 cups of sugar. (I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.) Stir mixture until blended and then mix in 2 cups peeled and grated zucchini. In a separate bowl, mix 3 cups flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1tsp. soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1 TB pumpkin pie spice. Pour flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir till fully blended. {If you want to jazz up the bread you can also add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.} Pour batter into two greased 9 x 5 loaf pans and bake for 65-70 minutes at 325 degrees. Enjoy!


We sampled the bread while it was still warm. Yum!! Kieran thought it was delicious. He kept asking for more, so I taught him to say, "Mmm...good!" I love my little sous-chef!

Summer vacation

We've been on vacation! We went to the beach and had a blast. Our hotel gave us a pail and shovel for Kieran, which he made good use of. We made a sand castle and played in the waves, and that's about it. We're learning that vacationing with a child means everything happens at a slower pace. That's good though because it forced us to really relax and not be in a hurry. I even finished an entire novel while we were there!




After our time at the beach, we traveled to our home town. On Sunday, we had Kieran dedicated at an outdoor church service. When the pastor announced that Kieran was adopted from Rwanda, everyone clapped. Kieran clapped too! It was so precious. It was really awesome to have so many people that we know and love there supporting us in prayer that day. (A baby dedication is simply an opportunity to pray with a church congregation specifically seeking God for His help and wisdom in raising a child.)

While we were home, there were many people to visit. Kieran got to meet his Grandma Helen for the first time, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and even second cousins! This picture shows just a few of the family members that he met. Everybody welcomed him with open arms, and he was happy to just soak in all the love and attention they showered on him. Mike and I were both so blessed and thankful to see how God has given our son an extended family that loves him so much. We saw a vivid illustration of God's promise in Psalm 68:6 that says, "God places the lonely in families". It's a beautiful thing to watch God work.

So big!

Kieran is getting so big! He is able to do so many things that he couldn't do three months ago when we first met him. He is feeding himself and getting most of the food in his mouth. I'm really loving the fact that he able to feed himself more independently, which means less work for mom and dad- yes!



The movie quote, "Everywhere I went, I was running!" fits Kieran perfectly. He is zipping around with ease now. It's hard to remember that when we met him in May, he was unable to stand without support, and walking was almost impossible. It's awesome to see the transformation.
Pictured below: Kieran enjoying a book with his Auntie Kendra

Kieran is also making great strides in his verbal skills. He's become quite talkative! It's fun to have "conversations" with him. Books have been instrumental in helping Kieran learn English. He has several books that he loves,Skippyjon Jones Up and Down (a book about opposites), and The Squeaky Door are his absolute favorites, with Snuggle Puppy close behind. Of course, all three of us have them, and many other stories, memorized. Kieran will spontaneously start quoting Skippyjon Jones and we'll fill in the blanks with the words he can't say yet. It's hilarious. We visit the library at least once a week to find new books so Mike and I can have a break from the standard favorites. Two great books that we found there are, Dear Zoo , which is where Kieran learned animal names and the sounds they make, and Blue Hat, Green Hat which is obviously a book about colors but more importantly, it's funny and Kieran gets why it's funny. The turkey in the story puts the clothing on the wrong body part and always says, "oops". Kieran says "oops" every time the turkey gets it wrong. It's just adorable!

Can you tell we're in love with this kid??