Back in the Day

Since Matthew is such a big fan of talking on the phone, my parents brought him a special present when they came to visit last weekend. How many of you out there had one of these old school Fisher Price phones when you were little? Matthew was very excited to be able to make some more calls :)

You know what struck me as he played with this phone? One day I will be having a conversation with him about how this is called a rotary dial phone and how this is what phones were like when mommy was little...and he will probably wrinkle his little face in confusion and try to imagine a world without cordless phones or cell phones! And then I will spend the next hour trying to convince him that I'm still young and hip, even though the first computer I used was a Commodore 64...

And the first video system I played was an Atari...

Yep, I'm thinking that young and hip might be a stretch!

Little Chatterbox

Matthew is such a little talker these days. Now, we're not hearing a lot of real words, although he has managed to say more, up, mama, and dada. But last night while my sisters were babysitting, they taught him to say "Sarah"! I was so glad to see they got it on video (mostly because I was a bit of a skeptic!)

Anyway, here's the video - I know my mom has been dying to see it :)

Lessons Learned

Laundry gets done much more quickly when you have help.

Having family near is the best thing in the world.

A husband holding a sleeping baby is an attractive husband indeed :)

Take time to enjoy the view...wherever you are.

Life doesn't get much better than this.

Four Months Home and An Exciting Day!

I realized this morning that today marks 4 months that Matthew has been with us! The time seems to be flying by. Every day is so full now and we are so thankful for every moment as a family of three.

Matthew has really changed over the last month or so. He is getting more confident and seems much more happy and relaxed. He is learning new things every day which just thrill this momma to no end!

For example...today he learned to walk!

The other day he took two or three steps to Brad or I, but they were always very unsteady and mostly he was just leaning to get to us and his feet happened to move. Then all of a sudden today, this happened:

He can now take 10 or 11 steps in a row without falling! It was amazing to see him figure this out all of a sudden and I feel so blessed that we were able to see this milestone in his life. All the excitement wore him right out and he went to bed at 7pm! What a great day :)

Wondering...

I wonder...

...how much more work two children are compared to one?

...what it would be like to have another little one in our home?

...if our home is big enough for two little ones?

...how long it will be until we start another adoption (don't get excited - we have to wait until Matthew has been home at least a year!)

...where we will adopt from next?

...if the rumors I hear about South Korea closing to international adoptions in 2011 will turn out to be true?

...if I am crazy to even be thinking about this right now!

Coming Home

I feel a bit like I'm going through a mid-life crisis. Or maybe just an identity crisis!

I wrote the other day that I am getting back to life (back to some of the things I used to do before Matthew came home), but what I didn't say is how hard I am finding it. It is a strange thing. I used to know who I was, I felt pretty confident about my role in life and where I should serve or what I should do with my time. But now it feels like everything is different. I feel like I am not sure where I fit anymore. That is the thought that just continues to go through my head as I try to resume some of my previous activities. Where do I fit? All of the jobs/ministries I used to do have been taken over by other people, so even though I'm going back, I'm not really needed in the same way I used to be. Of course, I didn't think the world would stop spinning just because I had a baby and took some time off from things, and I understand that other people had to take over the things I was doing...but I just don't know where that leaves me now. I feel obsolete and I'm not sure what to do with that, other than pray for direction.

I realized the other night as I was driving up my driveway, and these thoughts were all swirling in my head, and I was having a bit of a pity party and an "ugly cry" (it was okay since it was dark and I was alone!) that I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I arrived home. Home, safety, comfort. Those are the things I feel when I get here.

When I'm home, I know who I am. I am a wife to a wonderful man who just gets me. I don't have to try to be something I'm not. He accepts it all - the good, the bad, and the ugly (cry). I never have to doubt that.

When I'm home, I'm also a mom. I feel comfortable in that now, and it is the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life. Every day I feel so blessed that I get to be at home with my little man, taking care of him, training him and loving him and teaching him. I feel like I have the best job in the whole world. And how could I not when I see this gorgeous face every day?

So I will continue to wrestle with all the changes in life...but I am so thankful that home is just the best place ever to be. It makes all the other stuff okay.

Back To It

What am I "back to"...?

Well, I am back to the gym. Sigh. It has been a very long time since I have done any physical activity other than carrying Matthew around and lifting loads of laundry :) I was excited to get a great deal on a gym membership for the next couple of months and joined with a friend. Today was the first day...yikes. Within minutes of being on the elliptical, laundry was sounding pretty good :) Thankfully I survived, and even did a 10 minute run. Pretty pathetic after my 10 mile run last summer, but still, it's a start.

I am also back to helping out at youth group. I took some time off to get adjusted to life as a mom, but lately have been feeling really ready to get back to it. I missed all the students and leaders so much!

Basically, I'm starting to feel like I am back to life outside of my house :) It's been weird in some ways to be at home so much, but so wonderful and relaxing too (if I block out of my head the 2am diaper changes and sickness and all that!). After almost a year, I am off my headache medicine and not having jaw pain. Guess it was stress after all!

Life is good. No, not just good. Great! It is more than I ever hoped for and I am so thankful that I can stay at home with my little man. I wouldn't change it for the world!

And now, here are a few random pictures of my dog, Daisie. She's been a little overshadowed lately by a certain adorable someone :) And she's kind of begging for attention these days!

I'm sure she'll be happy to know she made it on the blog!

Blast from the Past

I can't remember if I've shared this or not, but I was born in England and lived there until the age of seven when my parents moved to Canada, and I decided I'd go with them :)

While living in England, one of my favorite tv shows was called "Postman Pat". I even rocked a fabulous Postman Pat lunch box, which I have not been able to bring myself to part with yet. Yes, I was a pretty cool kid!

I had not seen Postman Pat since my time in England, so imagine my absolute joy and pure excitement to find that one of our local channels broadcasts Postman Pat every single day! I couldn't believe it! They did change the theme song, which I was pretty devastated about, but every once in a while, Pat (the Postman) will hum or whistle the old theme song while driving along in his car...so that helps ease the pain a little :)

Matthew absolutely loves Postman Pat! Maybe it's because I put it on every day so that I can watch it and relive my childhood. Either way, when that Postman starts delivering mail, we have one happy baby (and momma) on our hands!

Hibernation

I'm starting to feel a bit like a bear, hibernating for winter. Except that I can only wish I was sleeping all the time!

Matthew and I have been a couple of sickies again for the last few days. The doctor said that he would probably catch a lot of colds and things this winter, and she was right - it seems like it has just been sickness after another. I think I've left the house 3 times in the last week. I haven't had the energy or ambition to do much of anything, and yesterday I spent practically the whole day rocking my baby in the chair (Brad took over when he got home - so thankful for that man!). Poor Matthew has had his first American fever, has a nasty cough, and some other things I won't gross you out with :) I just felt so sorry for him yesterday when he was so sick...and I felt pretty sorry for myself as well since I was up from 5:45am until 12:30am, by which point I was feeling like a miserable zombie. It is hard to take care of someone else when you don't feel well, but I'm learning that as a mom, you just do it anyway. I'm gaining so much more appreciation for my mom these days, for all she did to take care of me. It is more than I ever realized!

Thankfully, today was much better and we even saw some smiles. Lunchtime was pretty exciting (well, for me anyway, and I think for Matthew!) as fed himself a bowl of oatmeal all by himself for the very first time!

Some of it even went in his mouth!

I am starting to really long for Spring to arrive, and for this season of sickness to be over at long last. Sunshine, birds, blue skies...yep, if I get to sleep tonight I am for sure going to dream about those things!

Our Journey to Matthew: Video :)

It is finally complete - I wanted to have something that would remind us of the incredible journey the Lord took us on these last couple of years, and here it is!

(There is music with it so make sure your speakers are on - it's just not the same without it!)

PS - What a weird freeze frame of Brad at the computer...and my floating miniature head! Not sure how to change that... :)

So Apparently We Don't Like Snow...

When Brad got home from work today, we decided it was finally time that we took Matthew out to play in the snow. I'm not sure if he got to be out in snow in Korea or not, but we thought it would be so much fun to take him out in the yard and pull him around in the sled, see him look around in wonder at the snow...you know, all those cute pictures you have in your head.

So we suited up the little man until he looked like a giant marshmallow, unable to move his arms or legs...

...headed out to the yard with Daisie, sat him in his little sled...

...and the tears began!

Let me give you a close-up of his sad little face just so you can understand how unhappy he was about the whole thing:

We thought maybe it was the sled thing, although we had pulled him around in it in our living room and he'd enjoyed that just fine. But Brad suggested we just let him sit in the snow, and maybe he'd like that better.

Nope.

Only Daddy's arms finally brought relief from the cries.

I think we spent a total of 2 minutes outside after spending 10 minutes getting ready!

Ah yes, the joys of winter :)

Hey Matthew...Wanna Talk To Daddy?

Every day when Brad calls to say hi, I hold the cell phone up to Matthew's ear so that Brad can say hi to him. Matthew listens intently, sometimes smiles when he hears his daddy's voice, and sits very still while Brad talks.

Recently Matthew has been doing something that we find pretty adorable. He has a toy cell phone that his foster family sent with him, and the other day we saw him holding it up to his ear and shouting "Dada!" into it. Over the next few days...he started using everything as a phone! It is so funny!

Here he is first thing this morning with his "cell phone" (also known as the silo that goes with his toy farm). And yes, he is shouting "Dada!" while listening to it :)

Later on his sippy cup became the phone...

And of course a toy hammer is always a good phone...

I'm pretty sure at lunch that he used his bread as a phone, too!

This kid cracks me up. Sometimes he hands it to me and I have to pretend to

talk to Brad before handing it back to him. So cute!

We had a great day and everyone here was in a good mood!

Even though he was pretty busy talking on the phone,

Matthew and I did manage to fit in a game or two of peek-a-boo :)

Overall, we had a great Monday!

Hello 2010...It's About Time I Welcome You!

You may be wondering if my New Year's Resolution is to never blog again...

But no, we have just been busy, and I've been lazy and enjoying these last few days Brad has had off. Tomorrow he goes back to work, and life will get back to its normal routine. I tried to convince him to use his 2010 vacation days and take the rest of January off, but he just wouldn't go for it :) I am so thankful for the time we have had as a family, and Matthew has just loved having Daddy home all the time! Every time Brad leaves the room, Matthew yells "DADA!" - it is so funny!

I have been thinking back on last year's resolutions - things I wanted to try to accomplish this year. I set only 3 goals last year, and in my own way I think I accomplished them (sort of!). They were:

1. Run a 1/2 marathon. Now, technically, I did not do this. I completed all the training for the 1/2 marathon, but then a totally wonderful awesome thing happened and Matthew arrived 4 days before the race! So I didn't get to run it, but I still feel pretty proud of myself for all the training I did. As for next year...we'll have to see how running fits in with this new "mommy" thing! I'm sure once it is warmer I will feel much more motivated, right?!

2. Take a picture a day and complete Project 365 (keeping an album with journaling about each picture). I did not technically take a picture a day, but I did take a picture most days and have just about finished my album! It is amazing to look back over my life for the last year and see so many memories. I am so glad I did this!

3. My last "resolution" was to grow closer to the Lord. It's not really a measurable resolution, but I know that I can say that without doubt, I am closer to Him than I was a year ago, and I have been changed by knowing Him this year.

For this year I'm thinking I want to focus on being a better friend, and being more hospitable (having people over for meals more, or just to hang out, without getting so stressed about it). I also want to enjoy every single moment with this little one, because they pass by so quickly.

I'll leave you today with this picture. It is Matthew trying to push his cousin, Ben, who is just a little younger than him, in this toy walker thing. He tried so hard to get it to move, then got frustrated and went to smack poor Ben on the head! I cannot WAIT to see these two playing together more this year :) Oh the fun that they are going to have!

Welcome, 2010...I think you're going to be a good one!