Just a little preview

We are having both kids baptised on August 30th and I just went and picked up the dress from the tailor. I tried it on her and had to take a few pictures because I just could not resist how cute she is in it.. I also have a pair of fancy socks and shoes to go with the out fit but this was just a quickie photo shoot.. I love how she looks is white, I think she looks beautiful!!!

Getty up cowboys and cowgirls

Elise was really bouncing in this picture you can tell by her hair HA HA
Edward Carline and Elise. I think Elise wanted to know why Eddie and miss C are holding hands.

I thought the kids were so cute on their bounce and spin Zebra’s. They have so much fun riding them. I also wanted to add a few pictures of our last play date at Leslie’s Eddie and Elise have a ball with Caroline ( Edward's futrue bride ) and Bryce. Hope all is well with everyone.

Belinda

Happy Tuesday!!!

Elise at the park with my girlfriend Kim's son Kale. I thought this was the sweetest picture.
I am trying to toy with the kids nap time.. Because Elise no longer wants to take 2 naps a day and Edward refuses to take an afternoon nap so I cut out the morning nap and put them down just after lunch.. when I finished feeding Edward I turned around to throw the jars away and get his face rag to wash is face and they were both sound asleep. They are now taking a good 2.5 hour nap from around 12 noon to 2:30 or 3:00 which is nice and Edward is not such a pill in the evening.. Before he was only taking his morning nap from 10:30ish to 12 noon and then up from noon until 8:00pm.

Elise loves to kiss her brother!!!

Sweet baby girl!!!
Edward climbing again!!! UGAH he is going to give me a heart attack

Well not a bunch going on at our house… We are awaiting a visit from my mom in a few weeks and the kids are growing like crazy and have such cute little personalities ( most of the time ) Edward is now running not walking anymore and still climbing on everything.. I guess that is part of him being a boy.. Elise never climbs anything… Elise is talking a ton more lately and now putting two words together like Mommy eat and mommy hold me and mommy help so we are making small progress. One of my friends that I met through the wonderful world of adoption told me earlier this week that when your child says like truck when you say something back to them add a word like big truck and if they say juice say Elise’s Juice.. So I started doing that with both of the kiddo’s this week. I think that Elise is a little behind on her speech but that is very common for internationally adopted children. Elise starts preschool next week. I am so excited for her. She is going with my neighbors little girl Avery they are in the same class. I think that since Elise knows Avery it may help her a little bit with feeling more comfortable.. We will see. She gets very upset when she does not know where I am or thinks that I am going to leave her. Hope everyone reading this in the Midwest is enjoying the beautiful weather we are having!!
Belinda

WEEKEND FUN !!!!

Me Kim and Lia

Lia and her family

We were trying to get a picture of all the kids together and this was the best we could get.. we took a ton of pictures but you know with 6 little ones you cant get that picture were everyone is looking... AWAH they are so cute!!! from upper left . Vinnie and Mia, Lia's babies, then Zoe, Kim's little girl who is holding Elise and then the bottom row is Edward and Kale Kim's son. Edward and Elise at the Ski ball machine
Like father like son.. they match.. HA HA

This weekend one of my college roommates, Lia and her family came up from Chicago to visit. Friday we went to the Zoo which was extra hot… and then BBQ at my friend Kim and Brian’s house and then had a fire and made Smores which the kids loved ( Kim, Lia and I were all roommates at ISU ) and then Saturday we went to a family fun place where they have Arcade games and go carts and pizza/Pasta buffet. This was all inside.. which was a nice break from the scorching heat on Friday at the Zoo. Above are a few pictures from our weekend.

I thought Swimming was fun???

Elise in the pool for the first time.. I think it went over real well I think she liked it?? HA HA
Edward was in and then I got my camera and he was out....
they really liked to play on the Little Tykes stuff better ....
Now we are happy in the pool but not for long mom is getting ready to get us out....

Well last week I decided that it would be fun to take the kids swimming…… So here is how my swimming episode went.. In the late morning while the kids were taking their morning nap I brought the pool out of the garage and filled it with water so it could warm up ( even this part was a task because I had to get the hand pump out and pump up the pool a little bit because it had deflated a bit while in the hot garage.. then I could not get the hose screwed on the nozzle correctly but after about 3 tries I got it) then around 12 noon I got their lunches ready and woke them up and fed both of them.. then got them dressed in there swimming gear and headed outside.. I put Edward in the pool and he immediately climbed out. I put Elise in and she started to cry… Fine they are both out of the pool and wanting to play on the little tykes stuff which is fine.. Edward started to climb on the small picnic table and I went to get him off and he fell and hit his head ( not hard thankfully) but none the less hit his head and started to scream like all get out.. which in turn he proceeded to throw up all of his Broccoli Chicken and squash on me.. Down my back, in my hair, in my ear and then down the front of my shirt…. After he was done throwing up he was really upset and crying harder so I had to hold him in all the gooey mess for a few minutes, I then rinsed him off in the pool and I brought them both inside so I could change my clothes and rinse off.. they both were crying because they did not want to come inside but you can’t reason with a one and almost 2 year old.. So I get cleaned up while they are both in the kitchen crying…. I thought because they did not want to come in but after I was all cleaned up and ready to take them back out I noticed Edward was crying because Elise was on top of him shoving his face into the hardwood floor in the kitchen… UGAH .. OK we all go back out and we are now having a good time both are in the pool splashing ect then all of the sudden I had to go to the rest room.. So I drag them both in the house as fast as I can we are all in the powder room together ( you know because I can’t ever go to the bathroom alone anymore) they are dripping wet and I am sitting there asking myself why am I doing this to myself … this is ridiculous.. Elise was not so much into the pool and Edward could care less so after that I cleaned the wet floor in the rest room and changed there clothes and we were done. I let Jeff know that he could let the air out of the pool too… Maybe next year…. They get a bath ever other night so that can be there water play…..

A few new pictures of the kiddo's

Edward and Elise getting there pictures taken.... One of the few I was able to get Elise to smile in... For some reason when we got to the studio Elise saw the lady taking the pictures and went into a panic??? We had to come back in the afternoon to try again and I made sure we had a new lady to take the pictures..
Happy Elise
Who me??
Edward has found a new place to climb.. My dining room table.

Happy girl
I thought this picture was so sweet. My brother holding Elise.. Way past her bedtime.. Outside playing
Mom and Edward the morning she left
He is such a big boy!!!
Elsie

Edward is a year old

AAAh what a year it has been.. I have to laugh at how I went into labor.. On Monday I went in for my Doctors appointment and my Dr told me that I was no longer allowed to go into work so… I did go into work that day to get a few things done and to pass along a few things to the girl that was taking my place and went home thinking I had 2 weeks of “vacation” before Edward was born…. On Wednesday I had plans with my girlfriend Kim to have lunch and get a pedicure well we had lunch and then we went to get our pedicures and my water broke in the bathroom at the salon… Kim drove me home and while in route I was trying to call Jeff but he had taken some of the people that work in his office to drive race go carts and he could not hear his phone.. Kim drove me to the hospital in St. Louis and Jeff met us there. My mom flew in on Thursday and 36 hours of labor later Edward arrived into the world at 6 pounds 7 ounces and 19 ½ inches long….. I thought that I would post a few pictures of our little man last year on his Birthday and this year on his birthday.

Belinda