A Bedtime Story

Tonight I had gotten Aiden ready for bed and had
tucked him in with lots of hugs and kisses, turned
off his light and left the room. After I left, I
decided that I would quickly vaccum the floor before
he actually got to sleep so it wouldn't wake him. For
some reason he is terrified of the vaccum! So I asked
Shaelyn to stand by the nursery door just to make sure
he didn't start crying the moment he heard the
vaccum cut on. I told her I'd make it quick and to
comfort him if he cried. When I was done with the
vaccum I could hear Shaelyn talking and came to
Aiden's room to see what was going on. I found Shaelyn
on her knees in front of the crib reading him a story book.
It was just the sweetest thing! I quickly grabbed the
camera and took a few pictures before the story was over.
Shaelyn is learning to be a really good big sister!

Jack-o-lanterns

Nothing like waiting til 3 days before Halloween to carve
our pumpkins, but we have been very busy!! Anyway, tonight
was the night to make beautiful jack-o-lanterns from our
pumpkins. First we had to weight them. Aiden's pumpkin
weighed 20 pounds and Shaelyn's weighed 40 pounds! Shaelyn's
was so big that it was difficult to carve. Aiden quickly
joined the festivities by helping scoop out the insides and
even tasted a bit before deciding he didn't much like raw
pumpkin and seeds. After carving, we put our little battery operated
lights in them and set them on the porch. By the time we got
them all carved and on the porch it was dark outside and chilly.
We quickly set the kids on the porch for a mere 30 seconds,
took a picture and bounded back inside. NOW we are ready for
Halloween. That is the extent of our decorations as we don't
really do a lot for Halloween. Aiden and Shaelyn had a terrific
time and even Sophie (the dog) thought pumpkin seeds were yummy!
We have saved some of the seeds and just might see if we can't
grow pumpkins of our own next season. I have the green thumb
of a hamster so seriously doubt much will come of that! Oh well,
nice thought anyway!

Aiden's Surgery Scheduled!

Say a prayer for us and our little guy. Aiden's
eye surgery is scheduled for Nov. 5th. We are
anxious to get it over with and get him mended!
They will be lifting the eyelid 2 mm. The surgery is
an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia.
Please pray that he heals quickly!!

Ouch!

Well Aiden has received his first "boo-boo" since we've
been home. He had an "encounter" with the backyard swing and
the swing won. The entire incident upset Mommy more than
Aiden, in fact he didn't even cry. He has a small cut in
the eyebrow above his left eye. Thankfully it was not deep
enough to require stitches, a good 'ole Thomas the Tank
bandaide did the trick!

Haunted House

Shaelyn enjoyed decorating a haunted gingerbread house this
evening. She and her Daddy put it together a couple days
ago and waited for it to get nice and firm before she decorated
it. We waited until Aiden was sleeping so she could do it
without interruption. She enjoyed it very much and it turned
out really cute! She is proud of her creation!

US Citizenship Proof!

Even though we knew Aiden was a US Citizen the moment we
landed in Washington, it was still very exciting to actually
get the "proof" today in the mail. We received the
citizenship certificate earlier than we ever expected!
We are so happy they changed the law. We had to jump
through several additional "hoops" to prove Shaelyn's
citizenship, and are grateful we will not have to do that
with Aiden. Above is a picture of the "blessed certificate"!
We also got a letter from President Bush welcoming Aiden
into the US as a citizen! Yeah!!!!

Leaves and More Leaves!

We always have more than our share of leaves every fall!
We have huge trees around our house and we are simply covered
up with leaves every autumn. Shaelyn has always had a terrific
time playing in them and this year had an especially good time
with baby brother joining in. Aiden had so much fun and was
just nothing but smiles and giggles! Sophie (the dog) even got in
on the fun. Needless to say, all three of "my kids" got good baths
tonight!

Let's Eat!

Here are some photos of Aiden doing what he likes to do
the best! EAT! This kids eats more than anyone child
I have ever seen. He has gained 2.5 pds since we've
been home and is such a "chunk". I don't know if he
is just amazed by the seemingly endless supply of food or
if he is truly hungry, but he is interested in eating
all of the time. Can't imagine what teenage years will
be like!!

Aiden's Eye Appt

Good news!! We had our 2nd opinion Dr. visit today and got
some very encouraging news! The Doc. feels that the eyelid
needs to be lifted ASAP to prevent any further vision loss!
They did some testing today and said his eyes were healthy
but that the lid of the left eye completely covers his pupil.
They are concerned that his vision will be compromised if
surgery is not done soon. So....hopefully within 4-6 weeks
we will have the procedure done. We may have to do another
procedure when he is older to give it the optimal appearance
but right now they just want to get the lid up off the eye.
We were treated so well at this eye center and they took
a great deal of time working with Aiden. We are feeling very
encouraged by this news! Keep us in your prayers.

Truly My Own!

Having two adopted children, I am often asked crazy questions and
receive some pretty off-the-wall comments by well meaning people.
But today when I was asked how I could love someone elses child
because they sure couldn't, it really made me stop and think.
So to answer the question....

When I look at the faces of my daughter and new son I must
admit I am overcome with emotion. It is very hard to explain
the enormity of my love for these two children I have been
blessed to call MINE. No, my blood does not course through
their veins, but I would give my life's blood for them without a
second thought. Neither of them bear any physical resemblance
to me, but I pray that my actions displayed in front of them
will make them want to model after me. I did not carry them
inside my body for nine months but I will carry their heartaches,
happiness and their tomorrows with me for as long as I am alive.
When asked how I could love someone elses child, I simply
responded.....they're NOT someone elses child, they're MINE!

Sunday School

Today was Aiden's 2nd time in Sunday School. I just
couldn't resist taking some pictures of him while he
was in his class. He looked so cute. I of course
stayed with him this time. Hopefully he will get use
to it well enough that he won't care if I leave. Right
now he wants to always see at least one of us. Rob
can only go to church every other Sunday due to his
work schedule so one Sunday I take the kids by myself.
My substitute teacher is teaching my class on the Sunday
Rob can't be there so that I'm freed up to take Aiden
to his class. This is the toddler class and as you can
expect ANYTHING can happen at any given moment. They
eat a snack, hear a story and sing. By the time all
that has happened they have lost all interest in doing
anything but chase each other around the room. It is
so cute and I take my hat off to the teacher!!

Autumn Sunday

Today was a gorgeous Autumn day! The weather was
a bit cool in the morning but quickly warmed to a nice
temp. I took the kids to church this morning and
took some pictures before we went. My "wiggle-worm
boy" would not hold still long enough to get a really
good picture, but it was still fun.

Pumpkin' Pickin'

My sister told me about this really neat pumpkin patch not far
from where we live. It truely was a neat experience. The patch
was huge and was full of all shapes and sizes of the most beautiful
pumpkins. Shaelyn had such a hard time deciding on one but she
finally made up her mind. It was so much fun! Thanks Maresa for
sharing your great find!

First Professional Photos

Here are Aiden's first Professional Photos! We think he is
just the cutest 20 month old on the planet:) Okay, maybe we're a
little biased. :)

A Lesson Learned with Cheerios

As I was cleaning up the house recently, I was wondering if
the cleanliness of my house would ever be the same again.
Aiden is in to everything and can make a mess in 2.5 seconds
flat. I'm ashamed to say, I was stressing it a little thinking
about how I was going to work full time, keep my house clean,
laundry caught up, all the pets fed and cleaned, the vehicles
cleaned, try to keep my scrapbooking caught up, teach a SS class
AND be a good Mom. Wheee....as I as about to say "I can't do
this", I noticed that some little hands had put some cheerios
in my candle on the living room end table. This may sound silly
but when I saw that I immediately was reproved. This little life
is far more important than a clean house or clean car. I stopped
what I was dusting and swooped Aiden up and just hugged him and
kissed him for as long as he would allow me to. I then of course
grabbed the camera and took this picture of the Cheerios in the
Candle. When I look at this picture it is a reminder to me to
slow down and appreciate the little moments that we often overlook
in our eagerness to get things accomplished.

A Happy Boy

We went to the Autumn Jubilee at Dan Nicholas Park
this weekend. We put him on the baby swings at the
playground and he was in heaven. He giggled and
giggled! He is adjusting so well and is just such
a happy little guy (most of the time:) We are thankful
everyday for this precious little boy that has
completed our family. He is exactly what we needed!

Our Little Man

Aiden got his first haircut this past Friday.
He was looking a bit shabby so I broke down and
had it done. We think he looks adorable! He
did very well, no crying....just a lot of
wiggling.

Aiden and Shae

Shaelyn is still in the process of adjusting to
a new little brother, but she is doing well. Aiden
adores her and gets excited when he sees her. He's
being going with me to pick Shae up from School
and always gives her a big grin when she gets in the
car. They have their moments, just like any sibling,
but all in all they love each other. Here is a photo
of Aiden on the tigger rocker that Mimi gave him, and
Shaelyn close by.

Aiden and Sophie

Aiden and our dog Sophie have had a love/hate relationship
since they met less than 2 weeks ago. I have been so
nervous when the two of them are together thinking that
at least one, if not two, would get bit. Well, I finally
told them both today (almost certain neither of them
understood a thing I said) that they would have to work it
out between them! That I could not watch ever second. I
had resigned myself to bloodshed, and with reckless
abandon decided to let them duke it out! I was sitting
at the dining room table working on something when I hear
a commotion. I look up to see that Aiden had gotten on the
couch and was laying on top of Sophie. Sophie was voicing
her discontentment while Aiden was squealing with delight!
Poor dog was getting the worse end of the deal. True to
my word, I did not quickly intervene instead....grabbed the
camera. The flash from the camera quickly separated the two
and each retreated to either side of the couch. Of course I
took a picture of that as well. Notice the mischievous look
Aiden has on his face. Surprisingly, Sophie did not go hide
under the bed but instead seemed to like it and kept coming
back for more. So, I guess this relationship (though sometimes
rocky), has officially been established. I have relaxed a
little and figure they both Aiden and Sophie could quite
possibly survive a bite from each other. Sophie is very
good natured and loves to play rough, so maybe all will be
well in the Roberts house. :) These are not great photos
so to get the detail of the photos click on them to make
them bigger. What was so cute was after I looked at the
2nd photo closer I see that Sophie is clearly the winner!
She still has her toy. Oh these cute little moments.....
how quickly they pass us by!