Fun at the Zoo

Who doesn't love the zoo?? This thought ran through my mind when one of Ethan's BFF's invited us to join them at the zoo in Portland today. We said OF COURSE.

One thing I love about this friend is that he's adopted. I love that it helps familiarize Ethan with this concept. Ethan has now started talking about how he's going to be a big brother soon, but that his baby brother/sister is in another mommy's belly :) How sweet is that? He melts my heart.

First, we had to ride the golden goat...

Then, we used our binoculars to view the Sea Lions.

Then, we took a popcorn break. We also got to view the "All Star" animals up close and personal. These boys loved every second..

Then, we had a photo op right by the elephants..

I've been chomping at the BIT to see the new baby elephant at the zoo.

Did you know elephant's are pregnant for 2 years? Think about it..

Right as we walked up, the mama elephant was cleaning the baby elephants bum. The boys had a hay day with that one!

I have to admit - the boys' favorite part was looking at the map. 

What little men we have!

And again with the maps! Folding them back up was just as fun as exploring with them.

I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that we have a zoo so close by. I think I may get just as excited as Ethan to see the animals!

"Hey Mom! If all my skin fell off, there would be blood everywhere. Then I could be the Blood Monster! That would be SO COOL!" - Ethan

Let's be Sympathetic to Birthmoms

Something I didn't anticipate when announcing our choice to adopt was the stigma that is placed upon birth moms. It has never crossed my mind that a birth mom was anything less than a brave, incredibly unselfish person, so imagine my surprise finding out others might feel differently!

Some examples:

1. She's giving her baby away, so she probably doesn't care.

2. She's probably in high school, or a drop out.

3. She just wants someone to babysit her kid and pay her bills.

4. She can't parent - she's too young.

5. She probably doesn't have a support system.

I thought I could use this post to break some of these stigmas down.

1. She is not giving her baby away. 

She is placing her baby with a family that she has chosen after a (usually) long, exhaustive process. She has agonized over this decision, and she cares tremendously where her baby ends up, and how her baby is raised. She cares so much, in fact, that she is putting her baby's needs before her own. 

2. Many times a birth mother has finished high school and is over the age of 20. Adoption is not just for the 16-year-old sophomore (Sorry, 16 & Pregnant). These mothers can be very responsible, sometimes they are even in college. They are obviously responsible enough to recognize the importance of a baby having two stable parents in the home.

3. Adoption is most definitely not babysitting. A birth mother is looking for someone who will PARENT her child in a thoughtful and caring manner. She's looking for someone who will give her child everything she couldn't. Daycare is $2.50/hr. She could keep her baby and get a babysitter if she wanted to. Many times the birth mother takes on more of an aunty role, rather than a 3rd parent.

4. I would like to point out that most birth moms can parent. They just realize that the circumstances they are in are not ideal for a child. They are mature enough to realize that sometimes a baby deserves and needs more than she can give - which is a stable home environment. Also, see point #2 about their age. Sometimes they are not too young.

5. It's true, sometimes birth mothers do not have a support system; however, many times their support system is the reason they're able to place their child in the first place. 

Birth moms have a bad rap, and I'm not sure why. Many single women choose to parent their babies, and do a great job - it's what is best for them. But for some mothers, what is best for their children IS adoption. Let's make sure to use positive adoption language and support those women. Hug them and love them - they gave their baby and two parents the greatest gift.

Birth moms rock.

"A Birthmother puts the needs of her child above the wants of her heart"

Skye Hardwick
founder of "Life Mothers"

Sleepy Time is the Best Time

One of our favorite things to do before we go to bed is to walk into Ethan's room and watch him sleep?

Creepy? Ehh.. Probably.

But he just looks so angelic!

No matter what we've been through that day - whether it be embarrassing questions at the store, "Mommy, you smell bad. Did you toot?"

Or

Pee on the bathroom floor

Or 

A tantrum because we're going to a friend's house ..???

It just does our hearts good to see him safe and sound, with no cares in the world.

After all, that's how it should be, right?

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep 

because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 

-Dr. Seuss

Preschool Registration - Where Has the Time Gone??

I can't believe I'm registering my baby for preschool. I have put this moment off for way too long - after all, school starts in less than 2 weeks. 

Ethan could not be more excited.

We decided to enroll him in Sonshine Baptist Preschool. They have a great teacher:kid ratio, and a super awesome curriculum! 

I feel so Grown Up asking about teacher:kid ratios and curriculums. 

It feels pretty awesome.

We decided to have a little photo shoot on our way back to the car.

This is what happened...

Ninja

Spiderman

Batman

"I'm going to do some fighting moves so the kids will think I'm tough, okay Mom?"

Our FAVORITE Super Hero

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Little boys = super heroes

End of story.

Ethan and his friend Xander

Little boys are just super heroes in disguise.

Water Toys.. the Best Kind

I'm not sure why I bother buying summer clothes for Ethan. He always just ends up in his swim trunks one way or another! Who am I kidding - I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are both fish.

There's something magical about getting a group of boys together. Anyone can become a super hero - anything can become a flying device or a light saber - you get the idea! It's such a treat to just sit back and watch these boys' minds work. And all it took was a bounce-house water slide to make it all possible.

Favorite Ethan quote of the day:
"I wish God would've made us robots."

BFF's

Since Ethan doesn't have any siblings, I try to keep his social calendar PACKED! He loved playing with other kids, and it's so fun to watch him interact with other children. 

Yesterday, we invited some friends to go to the park, and then ended up meeting up with three other moms who had the same exact thought to go to the same exact park. Crazy, right?

Being Mormon has its perks, people.

Christian, Ethan, and Henrik

Ethan was ecstatic to have so many friends to play with. We ended up at the splash pad because it was so hot out. Don't you miss the days where running around, having water splashed in your face was fun? 

If only life were that simple! 

I love having Ethan to keep me grounded.

Our Agency Profile

As mentioned below, we were notified today that our home study has been approved, and that our profile is now posted on itsaboutlove.org. 

I can't tell you how much work and work and more work that has gone into this moment! All the paperwork, the fingerprints, background checks, adoption classes. Not to mention the hours and hours spent agonizing about what to write in our letter to the birthparents, or what pictures to put. And honestly, that's not even the half of it!

Now that it's all done, that it's all finished, I find myself aimlessly sitting in front of the computer, thinking I'm forgetting to do something! I'm so used to always having something that can be worked on, that I think I've forgotten how to relax :) It's a pretty good feeling to know that we now have all our ducks in a row.

So here it goes, let this roller coaster ride truly begin. We are so ready!

If you feel comfortable, please share our profile on your Facebook or blog. We are currently working on getting a blog "button" that you can put on the side of your page. 

Thanks so much for all your kind words and support!

If you'd like to view our page, click here.

Guess What??!

We are having the best day. Want to know why?

I got this in my e-mail inbox today :)

I got this e-mail after watching The Croods at the theater with Ethan. I MAY have cried a few tears in the parking lot. 

Blackberry Syrup

Why is August awesome? 

One word:

Blackberries

Blackberry picking is something I've done since I was 12. I would visit Oregon for a few weeks every summer, and blackberry picking became a beloved tradition! It's one of the main reasons I get excited for summer. I know, I'm pathetic..

Ethan and I have been out picking fruit for a few weeks now, and I decided to finally do something about it! Which is:

Blackberry syrup! 

Ethan thought he would help me.. here's out it went!

First, we ground the berries in our AMAZING Vitamix. 

Side note - if you don't have one, get one. We use it almost daily!

Then, we strained the seeds from the juice in our colander.

Then Ethan got distracted, and decided to make himself a peanut butter sandwich. He proceeded to eat peanut butter from a spoon for the next 20 minutes :)

While Ethan was eating peanut butter making his sandwich, I heated up the blackberry juice along with A LOT of sugar.

And there you have it! The most delicious blackberry syrup we've ever tasted!

Family Time

One reason we love Oregon is because of how green it is. It's gorgeous! I really can't understand why any of you suckers wouldn't live here. Seriously.

Yesterday, we joined some friends (the Johnsons), drove down to Corvallis, and explored. 

It was the right choice.

Ethan got to dress himself. He was so. excited.

Do his socks remind you of a certain movie?

Yeah - me neither.

Who wants to pull THIS handcart? Anyone? Beuhler?

This needs to be my backyard.

This was surprisingly easier than it looks. We all got to walk across to the docks in the middle of the lake. Ethan was better than both of us combined!

Just contemplating the Universe...

Redneck teeter totter.

Looking up just happens to be as gorgeous as anything else we saw on our hike!

After we were done hiking, we decided to introduce Ethan to a train park in Corvallis. We thought Ethan would love it, and - well - we were right!

Endless fun. There was a definitely tantrum when we left, but can you blame him?

Youth Conference

Recently I began working with the youth in my church, and I LOVE IT! 

Maybe because I'm way too immature for my age? 

We may never know.

So you can imagine how excited I was to spend more time with them this past Friday and Saturday. We met with other youth in Lincoln City (love that place!) We attended some good mini-talks at their ward building, and then headed to the beach for some kabobs and dancing.

That night, we slept in the local high school gym. Due to stupid poor planning on my part, I didn't bring a mat to sleep on, so me and my bum hips had to sleep on the gym floor. And no, it doesn't stop there. The gym lights wouldn't turn off. Wait - there's more. 

AND we had a snorer. A really, really, really, really loud snorer.

I got about 4 hours of restless sleep.

The next day, we headed over to help the ladies at Connie's Garden Conservatory. Some of us volunteered to help dig up some pesky ferns that are taking over. 

Why, you ask? Because it looked easiest. 

Boy, were we wrong! That's what we get for being underachievers, I guess!

 The amazingly huge pile of ferns.

Katelyn and I holding one fern. 

Youth Conference was so much fun - I can't wait to go again next year (maybe with a baby in tow?).

Side note - if anyone is in Lincoln City and wants to keep their kids busy for an hour or two, the ladies at this conservatory could really use your help. It's back-breaking work, and one volunteer informed us that there is no one under 60 involved with their garden. It was worth it, and we got the chance to learn a little something, too!