My latest acquisitions

My lovely sister sent me my favorite quote framed for my birthday. I thought it was so kind. It found a home in the new green bedroom inside another frame. I love it.
We found this bed frame on craigslist. When we moved from Nampa, the bedroom set we had wouldn't fit on the truck. In-fact only the queen mattress made it. We have had the mattress on the floor but after finding this bed frame for $25 and some black spray paint we have a new look in the upstairs bedroom.

Movie Nite

At about 7 pm tonight Joseph said to Benjamin, "What do you want to do?" His response:
Movie Night; and got all cozy to watch Scooby Dooby Doo.
He was willing to smile though when I took the picture.
Lastly, these were flowers Joseph brought for my birthday. He did well!

Laptop

Joseph got me this little cutie for my birthday. It's perfect for my kitchen and really light. I feel so current. Next I'll be posting with all those hot texting abbreviations. LOL

This family Supports Adoption

We were recently invited to be on the board for the Northeast Region Families Supporting Adoption conference in Boston this fall. This was a surprise to us, and we are glad to serve. Our role is "Vice-Chair" with a specific assignment for education. We are working with two other couples and an adviser from Family Services, together we form the board.
Families Supporting Adoption is exactly what the name implies - a real "social network" for those interested in adoption. It provides support and training for families, like us, who are hoping to adopt, and it provides valuable support to birth families. It's a common meeting place for all who come at adoption for different reasons. We have been to many FSA activities in the past and found them very worthwhile.
We hope those of you who have been touched by adoption will participate with your local FSA group. If you are part of a birth family, you will have the opportunity to share your experience with others who are on your path. We assure you the experience will touch your heart, you will make a difference in someone's life, and it will make a difference in yours. We can't emphasize enough how valuable the birth family's perspective is to us - especially our dear friends we know through Benjamin.
If you live between Virginia, Indiana and Maine, we want to invite you to Boston this October. If you can't make it to Boston, there are always other local activities closer to home. We'll keep you posted.

Fire Engine

Our school group went to the fire station two weeks ago. Benjamin was in heaven. He asked the captain to put on his mask. The captain was surprised and stated that usually with a group this young he didn't put on the mask but would do it for Ben. Ben was in heaven. He even got a ride around the block with his friend Jacob. Life is good.

Luggage

I couldn't resist posting these pictures. Ben pulled his own luggage through the airport. Of course the suitcase was full of his toys. It was darling.

Sunny CA

We just came home from sunny California. We had a wonderful time visiting my brother Kenneth and his family. Kenneth has 3 children and adding Ben to the mix was stressful at times (i.e. 4 children 5 and under) but we had a grand time.

We were hoping to help Kenneth and Heidi as he was having his 4th round of Chemotherapy. Unfortunately Benjamin developed a cough and miserable "cold" on our way out and I found myself worried about what we were exposing their family too. We did go to an urgent care facility and got an antibiotic but I think that Ben had something viral.

Nonetheless we have some wonderful pictures and great memories.



Some lazy sea lions were a hit with the kids.

A view of the Golden Gate.

Frisbee in the back yard.
How would it be to have a orange tree in the back yard.

This was a cool teeter-totter that the kids loved.

This spinner made Ben dizzy but he loved it.
Joseph reading to all the children.
This picture was taken at the toy train exhibit at the redwood state park that we went to on Friday. The train had all kinds of characters on and around it. We even found Manny the Mammoth.

Our favorite outing was to the beach. We went to Santa Cruz and the view was breathtaking. The kids loved frolicking in the sand and getting their little legs wet. Ben says it was his favorite part of the trip.








Look at those dirty happy faces. Thank you Kenneth and Heidi!!