Worth the Wait

Christmas

2010-12-28T20:20:00.005-06:00

The kids loved opening all of their presents and examining what the other one got to see if it was more interesting (oh the joys of multiple children)! Sienna's big gift was an iPod touch (she is always begging to play with our phones) and we bought Ahren a workbench since he loves to play with tools.

Christmas at home:

Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa:

Christmas with Grannie & Papa:

Santa

2010-12-28T20:12:00.003-06:00

Sienna loved seeing Santa and went on and on about what she wanted for Christmas, but Ahren was absolutely terrified! I had flashbacks to Sienna's reaction to the Easter Bunny, but he didn't seem to be that bad (we were able to get a picture of him on Santa's lap).

Christmas at Church

2010-12-28T19:52:00.002-06:00

Sienna was an angel in the church Christmas program and Ahren was supposed to be a shepherd, but he was too attached to me to stay up in front of everyone! They were both very cute, whether they were up front or on my lap!

Halloween

2010-12-28T19:46:00.005-06:00

Sienna loved her Snow White costume, but Ahren wasn't the happiest with his Ewok costume. Ahren pooped out about ten houses into trick-or-treating, but Sienna found a group of kids and was happy to finish without him!

Illinois College Homecoming

2010-12-28T19:42:00.001-06:00

Here are a few photos from the IC homecoming parade. The kids had a lot of fun and we ended up with a TON of candy!

Photos

2010-12-28T18:56:00.008-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything I thought I would start off with various photos from the past several months:

Outdoor fun:

Ride 'em cowboy:

Checking herself out:

What a mess:

Life is so hard:

Power tools:

My angel:

He thinks he's a big boy:

Pouting:

Stuck:

My stylish angel:

He's a daredevil:

Silly girl:

My loves:

Someone watches mommy get ready a little too intently:

Such a cute outfit:

Skinny Bear

2010-10-01T23:03:00.003-05:00

Ahren's skinny jeans fit him so well and he looked so FREAKING cute today! I am so happy with my purchases for the kids. Ahren refused to let go of his waffle so I could take pictures, but since he's such a pig I figured it was very much him.

Suspenders

2010-10-01T22:55:00.003-05:00

Sienna has had these jeans for a year or two, but she's finally able to wear them! She was not a fan, but Seth and I certainly are. At least she was in a modeling mood this morning.

Boots

2010-09-30T20:41:00.002-05:00

I found the cutest boots for Sienna online and they came in today! She had a fun time modeling them for me, but when Seth asked if she liked them, her answer was, "yeah, kind of." I'm so happy she's excited...note the sarcasm?

Despite her lack of enthusiasm, I am quite pleased with my purchase and ready for her to be the most fashionable child at school (not that she isn't already).

This is my new favorite photo of Sienna:

*I also bought an awesome pair of skinny jeans for Ahren, but we had company tonight and he passed out before I got a chance to put them on him...pictures tomorrow (hopefully).

Ahren the handyman

2010-09-22T18:00:00.003-05:00

Ahren has discovered a love with tools and screams for them if we every get them out. Here he is fixing the shopping cart.

*He even found the screws when he was fixing it!

Fun in the high chair

2010-09-22T17:55:00.002-05:00

For some reason Ahren always maneuvers one of his legs out of his high chair when he decides he's done eating:

Fashion

2010-09-22T17:38:00.005-05:00

Sienna certainly has her own fashion ideas and she knows what she wants (and what she doesn't want) to wear. I've taken some pictures of some of her outfits in the mornings and she's just too cute!

I made these pants for her a few years ago and I really love the capri look now:

She looks so good in brown:

She LOVED the knee-highs from Barbie in a Fashion Fairytale:

* I love that she's so tech-savvy!

Haircuts...again

2010-09-04T17:24:00.003-05:00

Ahren got his fourth haircut on Wednesday. He did such a great job and Jolinda was able to use the clippers to get a close cut! I don't think I was ready for such a drastic change, but I like it!

Here's my little ham showing off his new cut:

Sienna also got a trim. We let her choose what she wanted to do with her hair and she decided she likes the cut she has because she likes it short (but not short like a boy)!

Spiderman

2010-08-25T19:46:00.003-05:00

We were shopping the other day and I noticed some pj's for sale in a slightly larger size than Ahren wears, but for $3.40 I couldn't pass them up! I rolled the pants down a little bit, but they kinda fit him.

Here he is as Spidey:

Junior Kindergarten

2010-08-25T19:40:00.003-05:00

Sienna moved into a new class at school this past Monday and she's loving it! They call her new room Junior Kindergarten and it's almost everything that kids are learning in kindergarten. She enjoys being able to take a backpack to school everyday. It's so amazing to see how smart my little girl is!!

Here she is ready to go on her first day:

Pictures

2010-08-01T08:10:00.007-05:00

I have the best boss at my part-time job and she used to be a professional photographer. She's been taking the kids' pictures for me the past couple times (Sienna's three-year and then our holiday pictures from last year) and they've been exceptional! The pictures she took for me last month are no different! Check out Sienna's four-year and Ahren's one-year pictures.

Sienna's four-year:

Ahren's one-year:

Our two angels:

A little trim

2010-07-17T09:23:00.004-05:00

Ahren's hair was getting a little long and he needed a little trim to last him through the end of the summer. He was excellent and even let JoLinda use the clippers!

Sweet Girl

2010-07-16T18:05:00.002-05:00

Ahren has strep throat so the kids and I stayed home today. Considering we didn't even change out of our pajamas (or nightgown or Sienna's case), I was surprised when Sienna decided she wanted to pose for some pictures this afternoon. It was so humid outside she thought it was better to pose inside.

Spike/Sun

2010-07-16T17:49:00.003-05:00

We took the kids to the water park and it was the first time poor Ahren's skin met with the sun for an extended period of time. I managed to get sunscreen on his nose, ears and body, but the area right under his eyes is a place that I will have to do better with in the future! I've always put plenty of sunscreen on Sienna, but have never had to worry about her getting burned (I'm certainly careful to prevent that, but she's just not a susceptible). I also couldn't find our spray sunscreen and had to put lotion in his hair to protect his scalp. I will say that he made quite the fashion statement!

Here he is in his slightly pink, spikiness:

*minus the pink cheeks he'd be stylin'

Dentist

2010-07-10T10:47:00.003-05:00

Sienna isn't much of a candy eater, but she is a snacker. She loves to brush her teeth and she always lets us help her brush well. Needless to say I was surprised to find that she has multiple cavities when we went to the dentist!

The amount of juice she drinks came to mind and then I recalled how we used to have such an issue with her holding food in her mouth. Like I said, she doesn't each much candy, but she does enjoy fruit snacks (I do spend the extra money for the healthier ones) and while they might be better for her nutrition, fruit snacks aren't any better on teeth than candy.

We will see a pediatric dentist next month to determine the best course of action. Sienna is surprisingly excited (mostly because she doesn't want the cavities in her mouth), but she's not too happy about the new food and drink restrictions we have enforced.

The majority of her cavities are in her molars, and I'm glad we were able to get her to cooperate with the x-rays. Sienna's mouth is quite small and even the children's x-ray film was uncomfortable in her mouth and the hygienist had to bend them a little so Sienna could close her mouth.

Here are two pictures of her getting ready for her x-rays:

Smiles

2010-07-10T10:34:00.005-05:00

There are days that neither child has any patience for the camera, but there are others that they are more than happy to pose. Last Wednesday was one of those days...

Sienna showing off her preferred poses:

Ahren cheesin' for the camera:

Those blue eyes just kill me:

Piggy

2010-06-26T21:25:00.006-05:00

Both of my children LOVE to eat, but the zealousness of babies is always fun to watch!

Here's Ahren eating one of our favorite dishes (penne, sausage, mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper & tomato)~I love that he will eat all of it:

One of those 'How your baby is doing this week' e-mails provided me with a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi. I made a TON, but it worked out for the best since Ahren loves it.

Ahren in the requisite spaghetti photos:

Sienna wanted her picture taken, too:

Derby Day

2010-06-26T21:21:00.004-05:00

Sienna chose a dress from her closet to wear on Thursday. She chose to wear a winter jumper (at least it was a jumper and could be worn with nothing under it). She later added a hat (she dislikes hats made for children, but had taken a liking to a floppy hat I bought to take on vacation years ago).

She was ready to get dressed the next morning and was excited to show off her hat to her classmates. She even let her boyfriend/bff, Alex, try on her hat when he arrived at school.

BIrthday Boy

2010-06-26T20:42:00.005-05:00

Ahren turned one on June 21st and he is SO big! He's walking all over the place and can climb like a monkey. He climbs things that I would never think of him being able to climb (this is quite hard to handle some times). He has also learned that if he puts something on the floor near where he wants to climb he can reach higher (what newly-one-year-old knows this).

He's starting to become a little bully. He has moved on from the occasional bite (not out of anger, but to see what would happen) to actually making a child puke at school by shoving his fingers down the poor child's throat! He also throws things and has started to push...ugh!

Ahren can say: no, don't, Nenna (Sienna's nickname), mom, dad, ball, dog, Sarah (also his teacher's name), fish, and a variety of words that only he knows what they mean!

He's completely off the bottle and is drinking whole milk! He also eats like a horse~just like his sister.

Ahren mimics everything he sees. He is always trying to put Sienna's shoes on since she leaves them wherever she decides to take them off. He knows which remotes are real and refuses to touch the fakes ones. He even points the real ones at the TV (bad, I know).

He's obsessed with phones. If he sees one, but doesn't have it, he will pretend that whatever is in his hands is a phone and will "talk" on it. He also loved to play with my cell and his favorite app is PianoWork.

Ahren is still obsessed with me and doesn't like me to be far away from him while at home. This does not make it easy for me to get anything done and is hard on Seth since Ahren refuses to be comforted by him.

He is interested in how things work/open and seeing if he can take things apart. Let's hope for an engineer!

Here are some pictures from his big day (he was not happy that I set him down so I could get some pictures):

Eating a cupcake at school:

The big 1

2010-06-26T20:30:00.004-05:00

We had Ahren's birthday party at our house on the 19th and while he enjoyed having people over, he really didn't care about opening gifts so I won't bother with pictures of me opening his gifts!

Ahren did like diving into his smash cake (but he really didn't eat much of it) and big sis Sienna was happy to help blow out the candle:

Getting to be a big man

2010-06-26T20:23:00.005-05:00

Ahren is getting so big and now that there are more options to dress him in shirts instead of onesies I am taking full advantage of it. He looks so much older when he wears little-man clothes!

Eggs

2010-05-22T18:02:00.003-05:00

So...while Sienna was posing for pictures, Ahren decided to crawl around the yard. I looked over and saw this:

A zoomed-in version:

I raced over to see what he was eating (my thought was grass - this wouldn't be the first time). To my surprise I noticed something blue. I was not prepared for what had been in his mouth. He had eaten about 1/4 of a hatched robin's egg!! Who does that?!?!?! I called my grandmother and she called my aunt (a nurse) who informed us that robins do not carry salmonella and the shell would probably have dissolved in his stomach already. I was relieved, but still shocked that my baby had eaten an egg shell!!

Here is the remainder of the shell:

Poses

2010-05-22T17:52:00.003-05:00

Playground

2010-05-22T17:36:00.006-05:00

The kids got a swingset for their birthdays (actually received on Sienna's birthday) and we have finally gotten most of it put together. I was amazed that Ahren could climb so far up the slide!

Sienna:

*Please ignore her rain boots and his pink pacifier:

Having fun in her 'clubhouse'

Ahren:

Gauging the climb:

Climbing:

So good:

Smug:

Sweet girl:

Showing off the boots:

Checking it all out:

Weddings

2010-05-22T17:13:00.008-05:00

Sienna adores weddings (mostly because she can captivate any audience). My cousin got married last Saturday and Sienna had a blast! Ahren was a little fussy, but that seems to be because he wants to be much more mobile than he is.

Sienna was ready to go a little earlier in the evening (about 10:30) than she was at the last wedding we went to because she was not the only child on the dance floor and therefore had some competition. She did not enjoy that one bit!

Bikeling

2010-05-22T17:06:00.002-05:00

We gave Sienna a bike for her birthday and she has been having a blast with it! She chose Hello Kitty from all of the other choices because there was a spot on the back for her stuffed Hello Kitty.

The best part of getting her a bike is hearing her talk about it. Since Seth has a road bike, he talks about cycling. We watch the major races on TV and Sienna hears a lot about cycling. This translated into 'bikeling.' It's what you do on a regular bike. Sienna requests to go bikeling or to go outside and bikel. She cracks me up!!

Rocking

2010-05-01T21:28:00.004-05:00

Ahren has discovered that little rocking chair that was Seth's when he was a child. He mostly uses it as something to brace himself to stand-up, but now that he knows he can rock in it he has been attempting to climb into it.

4

2010-05-01T20:35:00.006-05:00

I cannot believe that my little girl is 4!!! Where has the time gone? It feels that we just met her, but Vietnam seems so far away. She's still my little one at 27 lbs and 35 in, but even her doctor says she is much more like a five-year-old than a four-year-old...he also mentioned that her teen years started at three (what fun)!

The questions that come out of her mouth are questions one would expect from a child much older. Her comprehension of her adoption amazes me and the realizations she has made astound everyone! She randomly brought up her birth-father (something that is fairly atypical-especially at her age). She is also quite upset that she did not attend Seth and my wedding (1.5 years before her birth)~she still doesn't quite understand the 'before you were born' concept.
I think she knows every song and dance routine in every movie she owns.
She is obsessed with all Lady GaGa music, but the lyrics she comes up with crack me up!
Her favorite thing to tell us is that whatever it is we are talking about would be humiliating and that our friends would laugh at us (it's usually when Seth is joking about trying to wear her clothes, but she's said this to my mother about various things).
She has an obsession with how each person fits into her family (mom, dad, cousin, etc).
She can spell her first and last name.
She still refuses to wear pants.
The list goes on and on...

Sienna had a great birthday and she got a lot of cool gifts! The rain stayed away for her party so the kids took advantage of that and played outside on Sienna's 'playground.'

Babies

2010-05-01T20:25:00.005-05:00

Ahren has an odd obsession with one of Sienna's baby dolls. I can't tell if he's just in love with it or if he thinks it's alive, but refuses to move. It all started with him wanting to stick his fingers in the poor baby's eyes and mouth and progressed into full-blown make-out sessions.

I feel bad for the kids in his class at school because he has taken his new found ability to poke, prod and kiss to school and won't leave his friends alone!

Here are a few pics of him with his baby:

Bejeweled

2010-05-01T20:16:00.004-05:00

Sienna discovered a headband and a few bracelets when we were attempting to organize her room the other day. She decided it was imperative to wear each and every thing that she found (as well as her patent leather shoes) The result was quite impressive!

Stairs

2010-04-18T11:17:00.007-05:00

Ahren has learned to climb the stairs (which means we need more than just the gate at the top of the stairs now). Here he is at the top (and almost back at the bottom)...

Little Monkey

2010-04-17T16:42:00.005-05:00

Ahren has developed a knack for finding a way to get into everything that he could ever want to explore...the Blu-ray player, the cable box, the air vents, the wipes box, cabinets (some he can get into even though they are supposed to be child-proof), etc. I don't know how he does it, but he does!

I felt this little outfit worked well with his personality:

Easter

2010-04-16T18:11:00.005-05:00

Sienna and Ahren had a blast on Easter and enjoyed all the baskets/gifts as well as all the new foods (for Ahren).

Sienna's tubes

2010-04-16T17:57:00.003-05:00

Sienna was having the same horrible ear infections that she used to have (and that Ahren was also having) so her doctor suggested she get tubes. She wasn't really looking forward to her surgery (can you blame her) and the day of didn't really go well. She was irritated she had to wear a gown and then the Tylenol with codeine gave her hives...

After the surgery she was MAD and didn't want anyone other than daddy. She kept asking, "what's happening to me?" After she came out of her fog a little more she kept saying, "oh boy, oh boy, oh boy." We had to hurry home after she was feeling better so I could take Ahren to his nine-month appointment and that was a bad plan as she puked in a bag about a mile from our house!!

She was feeling fine after a nap and then lunch and was happy to get a chance to play with her brother!

Sienna's pictures

2010-04-16T17:29:00.005-05:00

Sienna has really gotten into taking pictures with my phone so I thought I would share some of her pictures over the past several months.

Me:

The rain on the window:

My hair:

Our tree:

Sunglasses:

Sienna's haircut

2010-04-04T07:52:00.008-05:00

Sienna didn't want to be left out of the haircut pictures, but she also wasn't the happiest that she had to stop watching a movie to get her hair done.

Modeling while she watched Ahren:

Her turn:

All done:

After she was done we came home and had a little modeling session:

*my new favorite picture

Vogue

2010-04-04T07:45:00.004-05:00

Sienna can be quite the model when she wants to. She told me she wanted to pose for some pictures before her haircut. Check out our session.

Ahren's first haircut

2010-04-04T07:31:00.008-05:00

We took Ahren to get his first haircut on Friday. His hair was just getting out of control around the ears (the bangs were getting pretty bad, too). I was going to put it off until his first birthday, but I really didn't want people thinking my poor little man was a girl!

While Ahren wasn't the biggest fan on getting his hair cut, he was much better for his first than Sienna was for hers! He sat still until about halfway through and then he just wanted it to be over.

The beginning:

A little irritated:

It got a little better:

The end result:

Playtime

2010-04-03T07:12:00.003-05:00

Sienna has been waiting all winter to be able to play in her backyard playground (which we will hopefully be expanding this summer)! It has been so beautiful this week that she's been out there every night. Her favorite activity (by far) has been her sandbox.

Kitchen

2010-04-03T07:00:00.004-05:00

Sienna's kitchen has become a favorite place for Ahren to play. He likes to pull himself up and play with the sink, sit and open all the door, and he especially likes to bang all of the pots, pans and dishes together!

Pull Ups

2010-04-02T20:58:00.006-05:00

Little Bear has been pulling up a lot lately, too. He's even started cruising!!! He's growing up so quickly that it's hard to believe. We missed watching Sienna learn to crawl, pull up and cruise so this has all been new to us! She was a very easy child that was pretty independent and explorative and now that Ahren is mobile he is becoming more like that.

Check out my big man:

Trying to get to daddy at the computer:

Pulling up at school:

Bowling

2010-04-02T20:49:00.004-05:00

Sienna had her first bowling experience at my nephew's birthday party. She had a blast and I got some attitude pictures from her.

Her first shot:

She wasn't really interested in the ball once it left her grip:

Watching with Cody:

Little Miss Attitude:

Showin em off

2010-04-02T17:58:00.008-05:00

Ahren has the biggest blue eyes and the camera just captures them so well:

Big Crawler

2010-04-02T17:41:00.011-05:00

Ahren has started crawling all over the place. I had forgotten how much they get into at this stage!!! He even found a permanent marker under the couch, opened it and drew all over the carpet (what fun that was to clean up)! He is so much more active and involved now that he is mobile.

Ahren tried really hard to get a bite out of this ball:

Kiwi

2010-02-14T10:09:00.005-06:00

I make all of Ahren's baby food so he's been exposed to a random assortment of fruits and veggies that are typically left out of store-bought baby food. His latest favorite is kiwi! It was so funny to watch him bang on his tray, kick his feet and lean as far forward as possible to get more food as fast as he could!

*I added some yogurt so it would fill him up a little more. He also loved purple cauliflower and raspberries (he's not a fan of avocado, but I sneak it in to a lot of his fruits).

What a Mess!

2010-02-14T10:00:00.005-06:00

Ahren pulled his toy box over and decided that all the toys were meant to be surrounding him. I had to snap a few pictures because he was so proud of his mess!

Chúc mừng năm mới

2010-02-14T09:50:00.004-06:00

Today we celebrate Tết (our small version of it). We have lì xì for the kids and Sienna has her beautiful Áo Dài to show off! We attended a Chinese New Year celebration for adoptive families at a local church on Friday (the closest we could get in Springfield) and Sienna loved playing with the children (even if their outfits were different from hers).

*I had to tell her that the Áo Dài tunic was a dress (it technically is) and that the pants were not pants but loose leggings so that she would wear her outfit proudly (and happily).

Smile!

2010-02-14T09:45:00.003-06:00

Ahren loves to show off his teeth (he does have one top tooth, but you can never see it)!

So angelic:

Fairy Princess

2010-02-14T09:39:00.006-06:00

Sienna's cousin gave her a fairy costume and she has been loving flitting around the house as a fairy princess! She did find the time to pose for a few pictures...

To Cut or Not to Cut...

2010-02-12T13:37:00.006-06:00

Ahren's hair has been driving Seth nuts for months and he is itching to have it cut (or to do it himself). It hangs over his ears and Seth wants it cut (and he would like his bangs trimmed). I took a few picture to showcase how long his hair is getting!

Celeb Moment

2010-02-12T13:34:00.002-06:00

Sienna loves wearing her robe around the house, and when she came upstairs to get into the bath I realized she was having a JLo moment!

Cooking

2010-01-24T09:53:00.004-06:00

I have started cooking more lately and Sienna has been the BEST helper. I saw this recipe on TV the other day and it looked amazing. Sienna helped to stem the mushrooms and helped to coat the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. She also helped arrange everything on a baking sheet and stir the pasta and sausage.

She was so proud of herself when everything was done! She was also pretty fond of the food. I will say that it looked (and tasted) great! And there was so much left over that Seth and Sienna at it the next day for lunch.

Ahren Seth

2010-01-24T09:37:00.003-06:00

Ahren has started trying to get into a crawling position! He can get his thighs about an inch off the ground (and will sometimes rock back and forth).

He has also been finding his thumb a little more often.

Sienna loves to play with him and always cracks him up (she finds it quite funny as well).

Ice Skating

2010-01-24T09:08:00.007-06:00

Well, we may be signing Sienna up for ice skating lessons after she watched the US Figure Skating Championships (we enrolled her in swimming after she became obsessed with springboard diving in '08). She loved the dramatic arm movements and jumps. She was also a big fan on the ice dancing routines.

Sienna had some dramatic jumps:

Some great arm movements:

And some sassy end poses:

We had to move the ottoman in front of the TV to prevent Sienna going directly into it as her ice skating moves aren't quite as polished as she thinks they are.

Tiny Dancer

2010-01-18T22:15:00.007-06:00

Sienna just loves to dance! She was captivated by dancing on TV and demanded that I take her picture. She came up with some interesting poses, but she just cracks me up!!

"Dance" poses:

Silly faces:

Big Sitter

2010-01-18T22:00:00.004-06:00

Ahren has been sitting up all the time. He has started to become irritated when he's not sitting up. Sienna still thinks he needs a little help while sitting so she's never too far away - just in case.

2010-01-16T21:06:00.004-06:00

It seems like every time we turn around Ahren has another ear infection. He just got over a double ear infection that he got while on a preventative antibiotic!! Needless to say we have an appointment with an ENT to discuss tubes in February.

Ahren has always been a calm baby (unless he is sick or with Seth) which is why it is so easy to take pictures of him. I'm trying to get as many as I can now since I'm sure it will get harder as he becomes more mobile.

Profile:

So sleepy:

My little man:

Close-up:

He LOVES his feet:

Sienna's favorite hat

2010-01-13T22:22:00.003-06:00

Sienna is not a fan of hats, but she found one I had purchased to take on vacation years ago and has claimed it as her own. She always wants me to take her picture.

Sledding

2010-01-01T00:54:00.003-06:00

Uncle Dan picked Sienna up to take her sledding with Clay (Ahren was sick so we couldn't take her). Sienna decided she didn't like sledding (Uncle Dan is a bit riskier than mom & dad) and was ready for her nap when she got home. Here she is ready to go:

Christmas Day

2010-01-01T00:26:00.007-06:00

We had to wake the kids up to open presents so we could have time to get ready before heading over to my parents' house. Sienna loved helping Ahren open his presents in addition to all of hers. She was SO excited about her Barbie Musketeers presents (they were definitely her favorites).

After opening gifts at home we headed over to my parents' house to open gifts there. By the end Sienna was irritated and just wanted time to play with her presents!

After we had lunch and relaxed for a little while we headed over to Seth's parents' house to open gifts there. Sienna gave up after one gift and made us open the rest!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-01T00:22:00.005-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve with my extended family. Sienna enjoyed all the presents and spending time with all of her cousins!

Little Bear

2010-01-01T00:15:00.002-06:00

Ahren has discovered the monitor in his room. Apparently the red lights for the night-vision attracted his attention until he fell asleep!

Christmas Service at Church

2010-01-01T00:07:00.006-06:00

Ahren and Sienna were part of the Christmas Eve service at church (Ahren was an angel and Sienna was a shepherd). Both children were very cooperative.

Getting ready to go:

With Grandma Ellen:

With Papa Bill:

Showing off her costume:

Looking angelic:

During the program:

New Camera

2009-12-31T23:57:00.007-06:00

Grannie & Papa brought over an early Christmas present for us - a new camera! I was experimenting with pictures and was able to get some good ones of the kids:

Baby boy - he's just so smiley:

This picture cracks me up:

Depressed boy:

Sienna was showing off her Barbie Musketeer masquerade ball mask/tiara:

Santa

2009-12-31T23:36:00.008-06:00

We took the kids to see Santa and while Ahren didn't mind having some strange person hold him the situation still confused him a little! We had to have a discussion with Sienna about requesting gifts from Santa instead of telling him what she was getting...maybe next year we'll do better!

Winter Singing at school

2009-12-31T23:28:00.002-06:00

Sienna did very well at her school's winter song recital. She knew every song and made sure people knew she was singing-which was good since she had quite a little crowd there to watch her!

Christmas Photos

2009-12-06T22:33:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas photo shoot. We are truly blessed!

Showing off

2009-12-06T22:29:00.003-06:00

If I want to take Sienna's picture she is very recalcitrant, but if I want to take Ahren's picture she NEEDS hers taken as well (not that this is too surprising).

As you can see she pulled her pig-tails out so her hair has some issues, but she is SO proud of her wand skills:

She moved so fast I didn't get her whole face, but this picture cracks me up!

*I had to cut her nails this evening since she had scratches all over her poor face.

Skills

2009-12-06T22:20:00.003-06:00

Ahren has been growing so much lately and he's been trying out some new skills. He can move (albeit slowly) while on his stomach. I think he just wiggles so much he is bound to move a couple inches every 15 minutes or so! Ahren has also been trying hard to sit up on his own. He almost does sit-ups while sitting on our laps! We've been working on him sitting up where he is near enough to something to hold onto when he can no longer support himself. He's getting there!

Attempting to crawl:

He gets his right leg up (which would be more helpful if he was on his knees):

Too cute:

Needing some support:

Almost:

Tough guy

2009-12-06T22:13:00.003-06:00

My mom brushes Ahren's hair into a faux-hawk every time he stays at her house and the other day we decided he needed one. I think he pulls it off well.

Sick

2009-12-06T22:10:00.001-06:00

Ahren ended up with an ear infection, too. That's his second ear infection in less than two months! I think we are on our way to tubes.

Sick

2009-12-06T22:04:00.002-06:00

Both kids have been sick lately. After our family day dinner I felt Sienna and she felt very warm. She ended up with a fever and off she went to prompt care. Our poor little girl had an ear infection. She was very mad that we put her in pants (even though it was a VERY comfy track suit)! Seth and I thought she looked adorable!

You can tell our lovie just didn't feel good!

Musketeer

2009-12-06T21:59:00.002-06:00

Sienna has becoming obsessed with Barbie and the Three Musketeers. She loves to watch the movie and will act out all the scenes. She found a kabob skewer in her kitchen set and it is now her sword.

She wanted me to take a picture of her with her 'sword.'

Sienna,

2009-11-30T08:02:00.003-06:00

Three years ago today your father and I were nervously waiting for our cab to arrive while trying to decide what we needed to pack in a diaper bag for you. The entire ride from Hanoi to Bac Giang I worried that I would not recognize you and that I would be a horrible mother for not knowing who my daughter was. As we waited for ceremonial tea with the orphanage director (whose wife was terminally ill and in her final days) I could not help but wonder how our first meeting would be.
As we walked into the orphanage and I saw your beautiful face I knew all of my fears about not recognizing you were baseless. You were (and are) the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen!! I was amazed that you didn't cry or make a fuss; you were just curious about these new people entering your life and giving you toys and kisses.
We spent so much time at the orphanage because of the director's wife that the police department was actually closed when we arrived for your Giving and Receiving Ceremony so we didn't have an actual ceremony. You stayed in the cab with the driver while we went in to their office, had tea, and signed all of the forms. It all happened so fast!
You were enthralled by the lights of the other cars and the houses that we passed on the way back to Hanoi and you just stared out the window the entire time. We fed you when we got to the hotel and we made a MESS! You were amazed by all of the new sights and sounds of our hotel room (especially the TV). As we settled in for our first night together you didn't want to give in and sleep. You were confused and you cried. You kept bouncing your little body (it took us several days to realize that is how you put yourself to sleep in the bouncers at the orphanage), but you finally fell asleep on daddy's chest and that is how you spent almost every night in Vietnam.
You are not my little baby any more, but a big girl able to do so much for yourself. The love you have for others surpasses all expectations and that helps you be the best big sister to your little bear. You amaze me every day and my love for you continues to grow! Happy Family Day!!!

Showing off her favorite book (her teacher read it to the class):

Our angel on her special day:

Drool

2009-11-10T20:46:00.005-06:00

Ahren is drooling horribly and the doctor mentioned his swollen gums (he is so cranky that they better pop through SOON)!!

Playing with his gym:

The big blue:

Mommy forever:

High Chair

2009-11-10T20:38:00.003-06:00

Baby boy was enjoying his high chair the other day so we gave him a toy after he was done eating and he had a blast sitting up and really examining a toy he didn't also HAVE to hold:

He looks so old here:

Gotta love the drool:

Trick-or-treating at IC

2009-11-04T13:23:00.003-06:00

Last Friday we went to IC to trick-or-treat at Grannie's office and at some of the dorms. At Grannie's office they had a hygenic bobbing for apples game (Sienna really didn't understand it) and we ended up taking home a TON of candy!!

Attempting to 'bob' for apples:

Getting a bottle:

Drool bug:

Squash

2009-11-01T21:33:00.003-06:00

I decided that I wanted to try to make my own baby food for Ahren. We bought a food steamer and a bunch of veggies (including a HUGE squash). I had my own little assembly line going today (well, more stations that I was tending to) with some squash in the steamer while I was cutting more up and them cycling it out and into the food processor. Needless to say I think I made enough baby food from that one squash to feed eight babies for two weeks straight!! Thank goodness Ahren seems to like it!

He was really into it...

Until his attention (and daddy's) was turned elsewhere...

To baseball:

He is daddy's boy!

gDiapers

2009-11-01T21:26:00.003-06:00

I wanted to get gDiapers when Sienna was still in diapers, but they were new and a bit more expensive than they are now. I ordered Ahren a few pairs and a starter pack to see how I liked them and I happily say that I LOVE them!! He is too cute!!

New diapers:

Just posing:

Halloween

2009-11-01T21:19:00.003-06:00

My little angels were perfect on Halloween and they both enjoyed themselves!!

Posing together at Grandma Ellen's:

Trick-or-treating:

He gets so sleepy:

Beauty

2009-11-01T21:06:00.004-06:00

Sienna wanted to show off:

She is my beautiful, loving girl!

Zoolie Ghoulie

2009-11-01T21:00:00.003-06:00

We took the kids trick-or-treating at the zoo last weekend. They were adorable, but it started raining right after we got there and rained until right after we left so we didn't get many pictures.

My little flower:

My little leopard:

My little fuzzy head

2009-11-01T20:57:00.003-06:00

I normally brush his hair down after his bath, but I couldn't help taking a few picture of it all fuzzy:

First Cereal

2009-11-01T20:53:00.004-06:00

We gave Ahren cereal two weeks ago and he is just now getting the hang of it. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but he kept smacking his lips for more!

What on earth are you giving me?!?!:

Pondering life:

I guess I like it:

Homecoming

2009-11-01T20:30:00.005-06:00

This was Ahren's first IC homecoming and Sienna's third. Sienna was a cheerleader again (and even got her picture in the paper). She always has fun and Ahren always seems to fall asleep!

Waiting for the parade:

Dancing:

Showing off her loot:

Mommy & Ahren:

Waiting for more candy:

Sienna dancing at the game:

Ahren sleeping during the game:

Hiding under her coat:

As Lady Blue:

As a Blue Boy:

Big Sister & Little Bear

2009-10-10T18:13:00.006-05:00

Sienna has always referred to Ahren as 'Little Bear.' She loves to play with him, hold him & kiss him. She also enjoys posing with him:

Big Sister being silly:

Little Bear:

He always sucks on his bottom lip:

Betsy's Wedding

2009-10-04T18:48:00.002-05:00

My cousin got married yesterday and the wedding was beautiful (as was the bride). Sienna absolutely LOVES weddings and Ahren did very well at his first.

Our family:

Seth & me:

Sienna was the hit of the wedding (as she usually is). She is quite the dancer and had a blast with everyone on the dance floor! She would shake her little booty and then pulled a little stunt that will drive mom & dad crazy when she gets older...she dropped to the floor and leaned back so she could kick her legs up spread eagle and then moved along like it was just any regular dance move!! Watch out!

Baby Toys

2009-10-04T18:40:00.003-05:00

Ahren has a toy that lights up and plays music when he kicks the footboard. It will also turn on if you push a few levers on the top or turn the wheel. He never really related the footboard to turning it on and tries to kick the top of it with his feet. It is pretty funny and he sometimes gets the footboard inadvertantly and then looks confused when it turns on because he knows he didn't get the top!

Trying to reach:

The footboard:

Go Cardinals!

2009-10-04T18:34:00.002-05:00

A few weekends ago the whole family took a trip down to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals/Cubs game. We had a party room and Sienna and Ahren got to go to their first major league baseball game!

Our family:

Sienna with her cousins Will & Clay:

Bumbo Baby

2009-09-19T17:06:00.004-05:00

Ahren now has enough head control (most of the time) to sit in his bumbo seat. He thought it was pretty funny while he looked around and chatted with me.

Sienna Grace

2009-09-19T16:59:00.003-05:00

My beautiful girl decided to pose for some pictures (with only a little goading from me). She has a TON of new clothes for the fall and she demanded to wear this dress today. It reminds me of something that I wore when I was little!!

If only she wasn't picking her nose...

Some quick pictures

2009-09-09T22:30:00.004-05:00

Both kids were kind of cooperating on Sunday so I decided to snap a few picures. Sienna only wanted to pose for a few before she found something more interesting...

My two angels:

I LOVE this one:

Smiles:

Just hanging out:

He was more into drooling than playing:

He doesn't quite have the head control for this yet:

Sienna's pics - preview

2009-09-06T10:30:00.004-05:00

We had Sienna's pictures taken earlier this summer and with everything that has been going on we are just now deciding what ones we want, how many, etc. Isn't she precious?!?!

*please ignore the fact that I was 9 months pregnant here and my face was reflecting that!

New clothes

2009-08-26T18:06:00.004-05:00

Ahren is still too small (more weight-wise than length-wise) for a lot of his clothes. He did rock his Jordan stuff. Sienna wanted to show off her new outfit, too!

Jordan booties:

Jordan onesie & hat (he didn't want to pose):

I got him this outfit before he was born in a size 3 months because I didn't think there was any way he would not fit in it by the end of the summer. As you can see, out little guy is long and lean so things fit him length-wise and are HUGE everywhere else!

Sienna's new outfit (and her favorite penguin):

State Fair

2009-08-26T17:45:00.005-05:00

Last Friday Seth and I took off of work early to take Sienna to the fair (my mom came, too). Sienna had a BLAST riding all of the rides (although she could only ride a few without an adult). She also got to see the Butter Cow and the Butter Abraham Lincoln (she was pretty impressed).

We rode the carousel:

The balloons:

A rollercoaster:

The spinning dinosaurs:

She was able to ride the car carousel with her friend Kylie:

A rollercoaster all by herself (she thought that was amazing):

A ferris wheel all by herself:

A little train:

She was also able to ride a pony:

She would pet the goats, but each one only got a quick pat:

She was pretty psyched to be able to ride the Skyride again this year. She kept asking for a "yellow gondola." We made sure she got one (with my mom):

She also got to ride the Spider. She REALLY wanted to ride it, and thought it was AWESOME - for about a minute. At first I thought I was going to be sick (this was while she was enjoying herself), but I eventually felt better (about the time she thought it was scary). She didn't cry and she bravely stuck it out until the ride was over (she kept asking why we weren't stopping and that she wanted to go home and sleep in her bed). We didn't get any pics because it was too fast and Sienna is too short!!