Are they twins?!?

Our friends the Craney's came to visit for the weekend......it's hard to believe that we traveled to Korea with them to bring home our boys a whole 18 months ago! The boys are close in age and are into so many of the same things right now. We knew they would have tons of fun together and they did....oh, and we enjoyed spending time with Rebecca and James as well!

They arrived Friday evening and we ran out for a bite to eat. We sat the boys across from each other and they had a ball sending the train back and forth. Such good sharing!






Saturday morning brought some really rainy weather and our trip to see Thomas which is outlined in detail in a previous post. It was at lunch that we were asked if they were twins....yes, because if 2 super cute Asian boys are together (and just happened to both be wearing red shirts that day), they most definitely have to be twins.

When we got home from Thomas and after the afternoon naps were complete, I pulled out some special surprises in our requisite choo-choo theme. The boys loved their Thomas lunchboxes (also good for carrying cars and trains), stickers and WHISTLES!






The boys share their love of cars and trains!


Weird look on Paul's face and J doesn't look very happy....but they were having lots of fun!

Having lots of fun in the tent.....

Telling secrets in the tent.....

Paul was waiting "patiently" for J to come upstairs this morning......I just love the way he says J's name - too cute!

The boys had too much fun together - the house is perfectly designed for a good game of chase and they did just that! This video just cracks me up - the screaming and chasing was so cute in a loud kind of way.

The cool dude was ready to roll.....I love this picture.
The boys gave each other a big hug before the Craney's had to hit the road.....we were sad to see them go after such a fun weekend. Man, I wish they lived closer!

We were hoping to have a full fledged reunion with all 3 families that traveled together, but the Lipic family just moved into a new house so they couldn't make it this time. We had lots of fun, but we definitely missed seeing Kathy and Mark and the kids......we'll have to start planning now for another get together in a few months.

Another bit of good news - we finally finished the renovations to the lower level......you might recall that the basement flooded about 2 months ago and it has taken us this long to finally get all the contractors through and the renovations complete. They literally finished on Thursday and we spent all of Friday getting everything cleaned up and moving the furniture back in. It was just in the nick of time since our guest suite is in the lower level and that is where the Craney's were staying! Everything looks beautiful and we are SO happy to have our family room back!

A Day Out with Thomas.....a RAINY day!

We've been planning a super fun weekend for months....and the weekend finally arrived......and so did the rain. As is typically the case, it was beautiful on Friday and Sunday, but the day that we had tickets for the event is was literally pouring rain. I am not just talking a few sprinkles or an overcast day - I mean pouring rain! Our pants were soaked up to our knees which made it pretty miserable. But, we were determined to make the best of it.



Our good friend Thomas the Tank Engine.....he pulled a train that we got to ride on. I am not going to lie - the ride was pretty lame. We got on and got seated - they started up some Thomas music and pulled out of the station. We rode about half a mile and then stopped....and then chugged in reverse right back into the station. We saw some old trains on tracks and some corn fields....and that's about it! It lasted all of 20 minutes and I am not even sure the kids thought it was all that fun. But, we did it and I am glad that we did.....even though I was miserable in my soaking wet shoes and jeans!

Our famous locomotive......doesn't he look stunning against the gloomy backdrop?

Checking out the scenery.....

The kids got a Junior Engineer Certificate.....cute.

After the ride, we got our picture taken with Thomas.....can you tell how much fun I am having at this point?!?

The best shot we could get of the boys together with Thomas.....they were ready to get out of the rain!

We did a few more quick things and then packed up and headed to grab some lunch......a yummy end to a wet morning!

Clark, that there is an RV!

It was an accident filled week for the little man.....on Wednesday, he fell off his chair at school and bit his tongue - relatively minor, but required an accident report from the school. Literally while I was signing the accident report while picking him up, he bumped his head on a bookcase which resulted in a big goose egg on his forehead. The next day, I got a call from school that Paul had taken a spill on the playground - nasty scrape on his forehead (next to the goose egg) and under his noise. Nothing major, but the 3rd accident of the week! It's been quiet since then, so let's hope for a coming week with no reports!

This shot is from Wednesday - after the tongue biting and goose egg but before the scrape to the face that occurred on Thursday. Even with a goose egg, he can still crack a smile! He was loving his Elmo boo-boo buddy!

We had a low key weekend - second one in a row! Ran some errands, went out to eat....normal drill. Today we headed to the RV and camper show at the fairgrounds. It was dreary weather and that was a perfect inside activity. We had fun checking out all the cool campers and Paul had a ball pretending to drive the big ones!

Mommy, check out all these big campers!

Check out my mad driving skills!

Walking in the mist back to the car - my cute Bears boys!

We grabbed lunch at Smashburger.....here's the little man sitting in a big boy seat.

Daddy giving Paul some love......

Hey Paul, who ya' calling?

Have I told you how much I love this boy?

Oh, and the Bears and the Dolphins won today - it was a good day!

Sending a special message to Korea.....

We have been talking to Paul a lot more lately about his adoption story. We talk about how he was born in Korea - and he is starting to say the word Korea now (he's still working on a clear pronunciation but he's making progress!) We have decided that since Paul knows us as mommy and daddy, his foster mom and dad will be Ohma and Appa which is Korean for mom and dad. This is what they would have been called while he was in their loving care.

사랑하는 어머니와 아버지, 당신을 정말로 사랑합니다.

Crazy skies

We've had some wacky weather today - it went from a beautiful and sunny day to windy and stormy. We missed the high winds and hail but got a little rain and some crazy looking skies as the sun was setting. I had to run outside to snap a few pictures......they don't even do it justice.

And because I can't make a post without something Paul related.....here's a funny little video from dinner tonight. It's a short one, but he just cracks me up!

A ho-hum kind of weekend!

We are pretty excited to have a low key weekend planned.....which means we have NOTHING planned at all! The weather is beautiful and we don't have anywhere that we have to be which means we can play outside or take a walk or whatever. We went out for dinner last night and then ran a few quick errands.

The cool dude ready to leave for dinner.....gotta love the choo-choo shirt with his new Chucks!

We splurged with onion rings with ranch before our dinner......don't judge me, it had been a long week!

We hung out in our pj's this morning - Paul went diaper only. Our little artist decided to color with a new package of crayons.

And then we broke out the stickers.....this boy LOVES stickers!

And then it was off to video chat with Gram and Pa.

A little outside play time before lunch......such a nice day!

Paul ate his lunch outside. I told him to lean over his bowl so he didn't make a mess and this is how far he leaned!

Paul took a nice long nap this afternoon - Jason ran a few errands and I paid a few bills.....how exciting, right?!? We grilled out for dinner and then jumped in the car to grab some ice cream. Paul and I shared a turtle sundae.....it definitely hit the spot!

When we got home, Paul decided that the window sill made a good parking lot for his cars.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.....hopefully another pretty day!

Wrapping up a long weekend!

We had such a fun Labor Day weekend - Jason had a good time camping with his friend and GranJo had a fun visit with Mommy and Paul. On Sunday morning as we waited for Daddy to come home, we spent some time hanging on the deck. The weather was wonderful so we spent the morning outside enjoying it.

In addition to the garden that we planted this year, I also had 2 pots on the deck with tomato plants (one roma and one cherry). Paul really enjoyed picking the tomatoes......he doesn't totally have the hang of only picking the red ones, but it's fun to see him excited to pick fresh produce. Given the time of year, the plants are really ready to be pitched and have produced lots and lots of yummy tomatoes - but he just haven't quite gotten around to pitching them yet. So, Paul was picking the green ones for us......such determination on his face.
What a stockpile he has - a pile of green tomatoes, a few Matchbox cars and he is two-fisting his crayons!

We pulled out the easel and the chalk and our artist went to town.

Such a mischievous face!

We continue to battle the sleeping situation. At this point, we are happy when he sleeps - we don't really care if he sleeps in his bed or on the floor although we would much prefer that he sleeps in his bed. He's not kicking the door nearly as much as he used to and the time it takes for him to settle down and go to sleep after going to bed is much less than it was when we initially transitioned to his toddler bed. As you might recall, Paul was our super sleeper in his crib - he forced the issue when he climbed out of his crib. While I am glad that we are making progress, I really miss my super sleeper! We have 2 infrared cameras in his room - one is aimed at his bed and the other is aimed at his door (where he spends a lot of time sleeping on the floor). Here's a still shot from tonight - at least he is sleeping in front of his crib.....progress?

I am not looking forwarded to heading back to work tomorrow but at least it is a short week! The painter comes tomorrow to paint the new trim installed last week in the basement - he will then start on the walls soon too. We still have to settle on which carpet to order and then we should be on the homestretch. I can't wait to have the space back!

Hey JO!

We are having a fun-filled Labor Day weekend.....daddy is camping with a friend and GranJo drove up for a visit. The weather couldn't be more perfect! We ran a few errands last night and then grabbed dinner at The Cheesecake Factory - yummo! With full bellies, everyone slept well last night for sure.

Today has been gorgeous - I am so anxious for fall weather! We decided to head to the Science Center to catch a cool movie in the Star Auditorium. It had Big Bird and Elmo and it was all about the stars and the moon....seemed like it would be right up Paul's alley...but alas, he was scared to death. I'll give it to him though - he lasted about 20 minutes of the 25 minute movie. It was actually really cool - a domed ceiling and a neat movie. But, the sound was pretty loud and I think that kind of freaked him a bit. So, he said he wanted to leave and we did. We'll try it again another time.

We took the opportunity to play in some of the other exhibits at the Science Center and the Elmo movie experience was forgotten (until much later in the day on the way home when he brought it back up again).


Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.....having fun with magnetic robot parts!

Checking out the colored windows with GranJo.....

It appears that his nose needed scratching (or picking) in this one....

Ahhhh, the bubble room....filled with VATS of bubbles and big wands. A boy's dream!

Getting a little help from GranJo......

A cool, golf ball swirly machine......does it get any better?

We had packed a picnic lunch, so we scoped out a cool place to eat our lunch at a park downtown. Check out the view from our picnic table.

Toasting their cookies - a favorite past time in our house. Any reason to toast something is FUN!

Loving his milk from his Spiderman thermos.

I love this boy!

It's so cute this weekend that Paul keeps calling GranJo.....JO! And he doesn't just say it, he YELLS it almost every time. He must get her complete and undivided attention before he will speak. It has been cracking us both us. While he can't quite say the whole thing, it is so nice that he is calling people by their names. So, JO will have to do for now.

Paul and GranJo (aka JO!) taking his treasure (aka a big stick) to throw in the lake.

Paul's first xray....not cool......

So it was only a matter of time before our rough and tumble little man had to have his first xray......but I would have been just fine for him to wait just a tad longer. When Paul and I got home yesterday, his hand accidentally got slammed in the car door. It was a frightening experience for the both of us. He had locked the door as it was happening which meant it took me a bit longer to get the door open to free his little fingers. When his fingers came out of the door, he had a big gash on his pointer finger and both his pointer finger and middle finger were bent backwards at an odd angle. I immediately thought that his fingers were broken. We got him in the house, got the blood cleaned up and put his hand on ice. I called our pediatrician on his cell phone (thank goodness for pediatricians that are also good family friends!).....he got us a late appointment at the pediatric clinic near our house. We took Paul to see the doctor and get some xrays of his fingers to ensure they weren't broken.

Paul was such a trooper! They took great care of him and he showed them all what a big boy he is......they took 3 views on the xray and he stayed so still that they didn't have to do any retakes. He got a Spiderman sticker AND a red piggy beanie baby for being such a big boy.....like I said, they took great care of him. In the end, we determined the fingers weren't broken - thank goodness! We are just keeping his cut covered and treated with antibiotic ointment. It was a good excuse to buy him some Cars bandages.

Mommy, check out my Cars bandage......I love Cars!
We'll see if he loses the fingernail - its a deep bruise under the nail. The swelling is pretty low today and no major bruising on the finger itself. He is still favoring his right hand and not really using it as much as normal, but he is using it. I am sure it still hurts quite a bit so we will just keep watching him to make sure he starts to really use it.

A close up of his Cars bandage and his bruised finger nail.

This is how I eat my banana....you got a problem with that?

I love my daddy!

Have I told you how much I love this kid?!?!

Here's hoping that the week improves....