mini and brothers

Saturday Visitors

2012-01-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

While my Scoot is busy at camp in Wisconsin, we had some really special visitors from Iowa. Cousin Lulu came with Nanny and Papa to keep us company for the day.

Do you think these 2 were excited to see each other?

Naturally, we headed straight for Dunkin' Donuts!

Sammer can't get enough of my dad.

The Naughties played nonstop! This was a special game Lulu made up.

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My kids would never have thought of something so dangerous...

I had to document this.... MY MOM cleaned my house!!!!!!!!!!! Usually she spends her entire time playing with the kids and I always give her a hard time about never helping me.... NOT THIS TIME!! Thanks MOM!

Hands of God

2012-01-28T05:35:00.000-08:00

I read a blog of a doctor that lives and works in the town where Sam is from (in Ethiopia). Actually, he's from a small village outside of Soddo, but very close. THIS just breaks my heart. I can't help but think of our sweet Sammer when I look at the faces of the kids sleeping on the street. I want to do more to help this world.

Boring Blog

2012-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

We've had a very uneventful week. Sorry.

Isn't this face sweet?

Besties!

2012-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

No one makes Sammer laugh harder than Mac.

Wouldn't you laugh too at those chunky leggers?

If you're wondering where his pants are... just check under that highchair. (what?!)

Peek-a-boo!!!

Love!

Lunch!

2012-01-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

We all love Scoot coming home for lunch!

It's the happiest 20 minutes of the day.

More Snow

2012-01-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

It seriously takes about 20 minutes to get everyone bundled and ready for the snow. (I miss flip flops)

The snow was fluffy and perfect.

Scoot told me my hat wasn't very attractive, he was right.

Notice the hair rubberbands keeping Sam's boots on...

Some of our nice neighbors were at the hill.

Have I mentioned that I really like our neighborhood?

The boys all practiced "snowboarding:"

Sis is amazing.

Wipeout!

Really great winter morning.

The Gloves

2012-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our family has a favorite show right now. It's Storage Wars on A&E. It's pretty addicting.

I found these gloves at WalMart and Juner loves them! Now he's just like his favorite guy.

Barry!

Poor Sam just wants to go outside!!

Phone Pictures

2012-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

This was really fun. I'm sure I looked really cool hobbling into church with my 4 kids. Alone.

This is not a girl puzzle. - Junie

Poor Sammer looks a little scared.

I love that face.

I'm pretty sure Sammer is a Midwest boy. He was sound asleep and it was 7 degrees.

Each night Sam goes to sleep with his doggie from Grandpa Tom.

How sweet is that face?

Happy Birthday, MLK

2012-01-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

Juner woke up asking when it was time to make our birthday cake.

I realized that we didn't have any cake mix so before 8am Scoot and the 3 boys were at Ultra Foods. (My Scoot is a total catch.)

They took turns stirring.

Poor Sammer wanted in on the action, but he was too little.

So he just banged on the wall.

While the cake baked we bundled up and made a quick snowman. Hey, sorry about your foot Sam.

Big Scoot came home for lunch, just in time to see The Gentlemen frost their cakes.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Martin Luther King Jr

Criddle Girl's Weekend

2012-01-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

The sign Juner made for the visitors.

Welcome Nanny and Kers and Karoline. (duh, like you couldn't read that)

For Christmas my mom got my sisters and I tickets to In the Heights. We had the perfect weekend eating out, shopping, laughing and making fun of my mom. (you know we love you, Mom)

The most special part was seeing LD Kidd IN THE SHOW. He was my little sister's prom date and a really great guy from our hometown. After the show we got to see him and tell him how much we loved the show.

Thank you for the fun weekend, love you guys.

The Road Not Taken

2012-01-14T05:19:00.001-08:00

SLEDDING!

2012-01-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

We greeted the teenagers in the driveway as the walked home from the bus. We walked to the neighborhood sledding spot and we weren't the first ones there. HAPPINESS!

Poor Sam spent most of his time in the stroller getting snowed on.

It didn't stop snowing.

/FINALLY, it was Sam-tastic's turn.

My sweet babies.

It's Here.

2012-01-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

The snow started about 8:50 this morning and hasn't stopped yet.

Sam was so jealous of Junie going to school.

Wait for me!!!!

Kisses.

Such sweet brothers.

Junie is learning about Markin Luker King at school this week. He and I had a great conversation about all people being equal regardless of skin color. He thought for a second then very sincerely announced, "I will go all the way to Ethiopia and yell as loud as I can BLACK PEOPLE AND WHITE PEOPLE ARE THE SAME!!" He also wants to make a cake on Monday to celebrate MLK's birthday. I'm so thankful for his heart.

Scott came home so I could go to the denist. (FUN)

Shoveling....

He's gone.

The whole gang is planning on sledding RIGHT after school. Don't worry, I'll take pictures;)

New Year's EVE (from Scott's camera)

2012-01-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

I found Scoot's camera today and found these.... sooo fun. Adam made up some kind of Lego game and the kids were all addicted.

They all just humored me by looking at the camera.

The kids couldn't get enough of each other.

Perfect.

48 Hours of Summer

2012-01-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

I know this picture isn't clear but can you feel the joy?

Scott and his buddies at the park.

Football!

Doesn't this picture look like summer?

Macker's got game.

Swooosh!!

Jump rope.

Limbo.

Today our friends invited us to the Brookfield zoo. She had free passes for us. How could we say no? The animals were amazing.

Macker, Shay, June and Jack.

Dolphins.

Picnic. So thankful for the fun day!

Sam loves the slide.

We're bracing for 4 inches of snow tomorrow....

Park in January

2012-01-10T13:45:00.001-08:00

Please Pray

2012-01-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

I'd like to ask you to pray for a "friend" of mine. I really like her and I've actually never met her in real life. Isn't that crazy? Today Leanne is having her baby. Would you join me?

Playing

2012-01-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

The weather his been unreal and we are loving every minute of it. Scotty and his buddy, Wyatt played inside for a while.

Then they realized it was pretty nice out.

So they played football until the bus arrived.

Can you see the ball?

It's almost spring, right?

Update

2012-01-07T07:01:00.001-08:00

The funeral was beautiful. Scott did a great job. On the way back to Chicago we stopped by the Williams and spent the night. Fun.

Uncle Lloyd

2012-01-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

Scott, the kids and I are leaving for the funeral of my dear cousin, known as Uncle Lloyd to those of us that loved him. Scott is honored that my cousin Karla asked him to sing. I thought I would post the link to the song and also share the eulogy that my mom is going to read.

The Criddles Loved Lloyd Foust

I am Lloyd’s Aunt Betty.

Photo summer 2011 with cousin Teddy

No one can think of Lloyd without thinking of his beloved Buckeyes. He grew up in Ohio, graduated from high school and at the age of 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corp. Lloyd served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He loved his mom, Frances, and his 7 sisters. He could never get back to them and his beloved state often enough. He recounted many stories his time with his Ohio relatives and he often brought back homemade apple cider to share with us.

It was 25 years ago when Lloyd came in to our lives. Initially we were all concerned about this 39 year old man and my young 24 year old niece. They met while working for the Thomas Carnival Company. Our concerns were quickly dismissed. What a kind, hardworking and loving man who has been a blessing to our whole family since the very beginning.

His commitment to his immediate and extended family is one that we all should seek to emulate. Every Friday night Lloyd and Karla went to dinner with Letha and Don, Karla’s parents. They had a very close and loving relationship I’m not sure can be said for too many in-laws.

Lloyd was always wonderful to me, Gary, our daughters and their families. They respected and thought very highly of him. I’d say he was their favorite relative but there are some others in the room who might have hurt feelings so I won’t J

And Lloyd really could do anything - remodel, repair, build, decorate, landscape and the list goes on. He redid their entire home from the brick fire pit, the koi pond, the swing set and my favorite the beautiful three season porch. My husband Gary said that when he thinks of Lloyd he thinks of him as always being a giver who would never ask for or expect anything in return. He even came to our house to build at electric fence in our backyard to keep the deer out.

One of our family’s favorite things was the famous, extravagant Christmas lights Lloyd decorated their home and lane with each year. Chad came this year to put them up.

He excelled at a very difficult and intensive job – driving big trucks across the county. For Zephyr trucking he drove three million accident-free miles.

A highlight of his life was Kassie’s adoption. Of course we never got tired of hearing about how beautiful she was and how talented she was. J I’d like to share what Kassie wrote on Facebook on Monday afternoon "Today at 10:15 a.m. I lost the ONLY man who has stuck by side, supported me, never gave up on me, and LOVED me UNCONDITIONALLY. I had the BEST DAD anyone could ever ask for and would give anything to have him back, but I know God does these things for a reason. I was, still am, and always WILL be a DADDYS GIRL

♥ May you no longer be in anymore pain Daddy rest in peace and give Grandma Francis a hug♥"

When the opportunity came to adopt Kassie’s 2 little half brothers, Cameron & Colton, Lloyd and Karla fought a long and extensive battle to bring them home . Another love of Lloyd’s life was his grandson, Kaj. He would say "Whose little boy are you?" and Kaj would answer "Papa’s boy". By all his effort at work and around their beautiful acreage, Lloyd cared for all of them.

Pastor Don Feuerhauk, had a big impact on Lloyd’s life and his attendance and baptism at Fredsville

Lloyd fought until the end to "not die with cancer but to live with cancer".

Lloyd and Karla celebrated their 24^th wedding anniversary just 3 days before he passed away. In Karla’s own words "he went straight from my arms to God’s arms".

We love you Lloyd!

Fun

2012-01-05T05:06:00.000-08:00

Sam can't stand to be away from Scott when he gets home from work. He stood at the door and screamed, so Scoot let him BBQ. Brrrr!

We had some sweet friends over to play and dance. Nice face, Juner...

We Love Tom

2012-01-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

Father and son.

Out to Chicago pizza.

Tom is the handiest man. He can fix everything. Lucky for him, we always have broken things at our house. I had a huge list for him. He did everything plus more... (I told you, we love Tom)

New light in laundry room, it actually works.

Since Sam has been home he and Sissy have been sharing a room but.... Sam is not the best sleeper. (Understatement) So Amelia decided that she would like to sleep in the basement guest room. She likes sleeping down there but it's didn't have a closet or anything. Grandpa Tom to the rescue. He went to Lowe's and bought a closet for Sissy then he came home and put it all together. Now Sissy has all of her things in her new room. I can't tell you how thankful I am!!!

For Christmas Grandpa Tom surprised all the kids with a Build-A-Bear.

They were soooo happy!

We were all sad for him to go so made him promise come again. SOON!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Williams family arrived on Saturday afternoon to spend the holiday weekend together! Sissy and Luker!

We started the weekend with a dance party.

Sweet moves Juner!

Sissy looked out the back door she thought she saw someone.....

YES!! The Kings flew in from Phoenix to surprise the Williams and celebrate New Year's!!

Robyn cried and we all hugged each other!

The buddies!

Let the fun begin!

Pizza dinner!

Crazy faces!

Love!

Crazy!

Sweet smile, Luker....

Happy!

Light saber wars!

Lance killing the bear. (nice face)

My sweetheart!

We all went to church together. Scott helped lead worship and it was special to have our friends there. After church we came home for lunch and more playing.

We finished the evening with a theatrical performance.

And some worship songs.

The Kings flew back to the sunshine and we already miss them. So thankful for the special time together. FYI... we love visitors so if any of you are interested in surprising us, please do.

Family of 5!

2011-12-30T07:06:00.000-08:00

Our dear friends, The Mowen's passed court today in Ethiopia. They are legally a family of 5. Remember, they adopted Jacob when we adopted Sam last spring. Now they have two more wonderful boys in their family. Kaleb is 2.5 and Isaiah is 10. Aren't they beautiful? I think little Kaleb looks like our Sammy. I can't wait for them to get back to IL so we can hug them! Please pray for the next steps as they need to pass Embassy.

I cried watching the entire video!! At 2:02 they meet each other!

Grandpa!

2011-12-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

The kids and I met Grandpa at the airport! It's been over a year since we've gotten to see him!

EXCITED!

He's here!!!!

First time meeting Sammer!

Christmas

2011-12-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning started way before 6:00am. Sissy had been up for about 30 seconds at this point.

Juner's new long board.

Busy Sammer.

Thanking each other for their gift.

More love.

Family.

The weather was really nice so Scott took the big kids to the park.

June needed to try out his new toy.

He's fast!

Sweet move.

Wow!

Tricky!

Oooops! He had a little accident.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Sammer has not been feeling well and the rest of the gang have been coughing like crazy. Have I mentioned that we had Whooping Cough at our house. Neat.

Scott went to church while we stayed home and waited for him.

Pretty sure this is the last year that Junie is not going to mind wearing toosmallgirlChristmasjammers.

This one looks like Sam's smiling, but it's a cry.

Scott brought home candles and we had our own special little service.

Sweetness.

The 3 biggies slept right in front of the fireplace all night.

Iowa Christmas

2011-12-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

Caroling!

Tedrick, LeeRoy and Snaggle

JuneDoggie and EmmaGene

Girl Cousies.

Baking world famous pancakes.

Twinies!

dancing carolers

The singers

Big hug

8 grandkids

Grandma Marge and Grandpa Jack!

2011-12-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

We had the most special day with my grandpa and grandma. My 92 year old grandma made us the nicest (fanciest) lunch, Christmas dishes and homemade bread and all.

My quirky Macker couldn't get enough of Grandpa.

I'm not kidding....

We spent the day talking, laughing and playing GoFish.

I'm so thankful for the time we get to spend with them.

Aren't they cute?

Surprise!

2011-12-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night Scott asked me to go on a date. We had a Groupon that was burning a hole in his pocket. Our babysitter came and we took off. On the way, Scott asked me to run into Caribou Coffee to grab a mug and gift card for a person he works with. I said sure, and didn't think a thing of it. UNTIL......

Our wonderful friends were on their way to NYC for a Christmas party and they made the plan with Scott to surprise me. IT. WAS. AMAZING. I sincerely had NO IDEA. They took Scoot and I to a wonderful, fancy dinner where we talked and laughed our heads off. We also stayed up till 2 in the morning. (I'm getting too old for that!)

Scoot was so happy to be with his buddy.

When we got home the kids went crazy!!!! They love our friends too!

They literally smushed Heather.

Adam even tucked Junie into bed. (top bunk)

Seriously, 12 hours went by way too fast. I'm just so thankful for our time together!! Thank you for coming to surprise me!!! Love you!

Caroling

2011-12-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

DOWNTOWN!

2011-12-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

Picnic lunch in Chicago. Almost 45 degrees, less than a week before Christmas. What a treat!

This is our annual trip to Christkindl Market to see Santa. Here they are looking at Baby Jesus.

It was really fun to walk around because we weren't freezing at all! (so thankful)

Our gang.

Sammer is always happy when he's with Scoot.

The kids loved talking to Mrs. Clause.

Sissy went first and asked for a "real" guitar.

Macker went next. He was super nervous to tell Santa that he's been pretty snotty this year. (haha) I think Santa was in shock. Macker asked for paper, pens, envelopes and a bag to put it all in. STRANGO,

Juner told him he's been a little snotty this year too, then he asked for a long board.

Sammer was nervous.

Our gang.

Happiness.

I love Sam's face.

We looked at the beautiful Macy's windows.

I love these babies.

Cookies

2011-12-19T05:28:00.000-08:00

Sis and I have always loved to make cookies together. Today we had that chance. All. By. Ourselves.
We turned the Christmas music up really loud and enjoyed every second.

Cute apron from Jen!

Sissy has gotten so good at cutting out cookies. She's always careful.

Frosting!!

Busted.... eating the cookies.

When the gentlemen got home we let them join us.
Macker loved it!

So did Juner, for about 5 minutes.

Macker's body is irresistible.

The finished product.

ZooLights!

2011-12-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great night at Lincoln Park Zoo with some of our nice new neighbors. As we walked in the gates, we were given the coolest 3D glasses and the made every light look like little snowmen.

Giant red bear.

Tree climbing.

A picnic lunch on the coldest bench in the whole zoo.

The end.

Snow Morning

2011-12-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

We woke up to the most beautiful snow.

This is Sam's first time to actually sit in the snow. He was in shock, I think.

Nice eyes, Macker.

Time for a snow walk.

I love him!

My little angel.

My other angel.

Juner thought it was a good idea to feed Sam snow. Sam was not a fan.

Sammer tipped his head back the entire ride. I think he liked the snow falling in his face?!

Snowball!!

Day 15 & 16

2011-12-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

Sam

2011-12-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

"Sammer, come get your dolly!"

Got it!

5 steps.

Day 13 and 14

2011-12-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Junie decided that he would bring our neighbor's garbage cans up from the street for him.

We went around the table and told our favorite memories.

Amelia liked THIS best.
Scotty liked this:

Macker liked this best.
I liked this and this.
Scott liked this one best.... yeah, right....

Miriam

2011-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Before we had even gotten to meet Sam, a family from Wheaton was in Ethiopia picking up their daughter from the same orphanage. They sent us this picture of their daughter and our Sam together.

This picture was taken in Ethiopia- March 2010

These are same little sweethearts today!

It was really hard to get these two to look in the same direction.

I can't tell you how special it was to see them together again.

Soccer

2011-12-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

The little bit of snow that we had is pretty much gone and the weather was nice enough to play outside.

Soccer!

My Junedog!

My favorite picture of the year.

So thankful for nice days in December.

Building A Christmas Memory

2011-12-11T05:24:00.000-08:00

This is our 4th year in a row going to the Building a Christmas Memory at church. The kids were really looking forward to it and Scoot and I were too. (yeah, we're all wearing red. Scott was not happy about this)

Where was everyone looking?

My Sammer ate about 50 red grapes. His favorite.

PERFECT!

Scoot ended up using his hands... Juner couldn't believe it....

Next it was on to the program.

Sissy was amazing....

Next up, a FREE horse drawn carriage ride in downtown Wheaton.

Too bad it was the coldest day we've had since last winter.

Today we prayed for our friends, the Mowens. They leave for Ethiopia next week for an unknown amount of time. They are adopting 2 more boys (brothers) ages 2 and 10. CAN YOU IMAGINE!? We prayed for their safety, for the adoption to go quickly and the kids all prayed that the boys would love their new family. Please join us in praying for this special family.

Day 8 and 9

2011-12-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

Breakfast!

First snow of the season!

Shoveling buddies.

Macker

2011-12-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Macker wanted to wear his "fancy" tie for his first ever school performace. He was all dressed and ready for school when his tie just broke. Can you imagine....

I thought of all of my crafty friends like her,...etc... and I grabbed my glue gun and MADE a bow tie for him. (Are you proud of me?) I totally acknowledge that it looks a little like a clown but he was happy and that's all that matter, right?

Seriously, that stinkin' face....

So much better with eyes open. (wink, wink)

When I told Mac to quit picking his nose he turned around and kept picking. Neat.

I could not love him more...

The star.

If you only watch one video this is the one to watch.

Glory Kids

2011-12-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

Sissy has been practicing for this concert every Sunday at 11:15 since September.

Sissy told me that she's happy she's little because she gets to be in the front row;)

She couldn't stop smiling. (even while she was singing)

Her favorite part of the whole night.

It was such a sweet dance.

The twirl.

Our gang.

Our friends!

The sweethearts by our tree.

3-4-5-6

2011-12-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

We've been a little behind in our Advent Calendar, but tonight we knocked out 4!

Amelia said it was seriously one of her favorite family nights ever!

They dressed fancy (after dinner), and they put on a complete Christmas carol concert.

Then we loaded in the car and drove around looking at Christmas lights.

When we would find a really beautiful display we'd cheer, scream and whistle really loudly until the people looked out the window. The kids laughed thier heads off. (so did we)

I googled 'Christmas light display' in our area and THIS came up. It seriously lived up to it's name but the kids like it.

The whole time we were dreaming of our favorite light display in Scottdale. Click here to see it.

The kids ran all over the house looking for change. They each loaded up a little ziplock baggie.

On the way, Macker announced that he didn't want to give his money to the Army. It was actually a good teaching opportunity.

Seriously, such a fun night.

Advent

2011-12-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

My Friend Kel made this special advent calendar for our family. I love it.

Each day we open one of the little numbered jars and do the activity. How great is this?

How do you like our nativity?

Decorating

2011-12-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Poor, Scoot. He'd been home about 5 minutes (and awake for almost 2 days) when I informed him it was Christmas decorating time. He was so happy....

The kids were so happy!!

Sissy's job.

Ta-daaaa!

We ended the night with some sweet singing... (notice the new drums from Kenya!)

I love our 13 year old fake Christmas tree.

He's Home!

2011-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

bottle

2011-12-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

Macker likes to give Sam his bottle.

It usually lasts about 5-10 minutes.

It's all happy until Sam is done.

Unfortunately, Mac usually isn't done.

Hey, let me up.

Seriously, get that chunky leg off of me...

This is ridiculous.

Quit taking pictures and HELLLLLP MEEEEE!

PS- Where are Sam's clothes?

Thankful

2011-12-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today my (really nice) neighbor/friend called and said she was dropping of some Christmas stuff that she didn't need.

AHHHHH! Hello BRAND NEW EVERYTHING! I love it all! I can hardly wait to start decorating!

I love the way my Juner treats Sam. He's so loving and gentle.

Less than 24 hours and my Scooter will be home. Thankful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Should I Be Worried?

2011-11-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

Weekend

2011-11-30T04:32:00.000-08:00

We had the BEST weekend in Iowa. All the cousins had fun together!
(I think my mom looks like a cupie doll in this picture.)

Teddy pulling Lulu's hair is my favorite part of this picture...

Twins.

Sweet.

A double wedding.

Sammer could NOT stop loving Ted.

Bride and groom.

Bye, Bye!

Walker

2011-11-29T13:02:00.001-08:00

Aunt Karoline

2011-11-25T11:52:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:48:00.001-08:00

More pictures from Bever Park.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:45:00.001-08:00

We're thankful to be celebrating at Nanny and Papa's house!

New Helmet!

2011-11-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

We got Sammy's helmet blinged out today. Our friend Chris Parker allowed us to use his fancy picture of downtown Chicago and it turned out really neat.

Really strange that he has a pacifier in his mouth. He has NEVER used one before.

The kids like it too!

Scoot and the kids on the night before he leaves for Kenya!

November 21st!

2011-11-22T05:15:00.000-08:00

Up early to party at Dunkin' Donuts.

Happy birthday to you....

Oh, yeah!!!

New Lego book!

On to Sam's new helmet appointment.

Macker looks good in a helmet.

Sissy too!

Juner looks good too!

Twins!

Play area!! Scotty's choice!

Great day.

Old Video

2011-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

How can this crazy legged, chuncky blond boy be my sweet Juner?

Birthday Guy

2011-11-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

This was Juner's face pretty much all day. PURE EXCITEMENT!

Nanny, Papa and Juner's favorite boy cousin Hank came to help us celebrate. My mom and I helped Sammer learn to walk...

Not quite ready yet...

That was tiring....

After bagels and cream cheese, McDonald's lunch and play area, dollar movie Spy Kids 2, Starbucks hot chocolate and Goodwill to pick a dollar toy... It was time to PAR-TAY!!!

Sis and I decorated!

Scott and I with our favorite child. (I'm kidding...)

Let the fun begin!!!

Light Saber WAR!!!

Scott asked 2 of the nicest guys (that volunteer at youth group at church) to help be the "game guys" for the party. They are Wheaton College dudes and such great guys. The kids loved them!!

He got beaten!!

Floor scooter tag was next. This is Cousin Hank!

AWESOME!

Don't run over your fingers....

PIZZA TIME!

These are the nicest boys!

Sissy was the only girl and she was awesome!

Juner and his good buddy Josh!

FUN!!

Time for a Minute to Win It game..... (thanks FRIEND, I copied you!)

FASTER!!!

What a mess!!

This was the most competitive group!!

COVER THE REF!!!

Poor guy!

Back to the gym for some hockey!

The kids loved it!

All the boys had red sweaty faces!!

These are 2 of Scotty's "old" friends! Sis loved having them there!

We are so thankful for Scotty and his life. It is pure joy being his parent and we are crazy about him.

Scotty hugged Scott and said, "This is the best night of my entire life...."

Nanny and Papa saved the day. My dad entertained Sammer for 2 hours straight. Thanks for being here with us! Love you!

Birthday Party Tomorrow

2011-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

My Juner turns 6 on Monday.

The party is tomorrow.

We are so excited!

My Juner

2011-11-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

I wonder if he'll be rapping it tonight at Awana?

I'm so proud of him.

Sunny Day

2011-11-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Before 8:30 this morning Scotty's buddy came over for a play date. I love that Scotty has afternoon kindergarten, it gives him so much time to have fun in the morning.

Today is unseasonably warm and awesome.

Perfect time for a front yard picnic.

Nice face, Strange-o.

Brothers.

Can you see the new tooth coming in?

Looks a little crooked to me... shooot!

After Juner left for school the little dudes and I went for a great walk on the Prairie Path.

I'm so thankful that the weather was nice today, you never know, it could snow next week;)

Thank You

2011-11-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sis and Juner were working on something top secret...

I knew it was something for me but they wouldn't let me look.

Surprise!!

Okay, Sissy actually wrote it and Junie just copied, I'm still proud of the effort. They are sweethearts.

*Who would have thought, taking them to a random 'kids eat free' dinner would make them so happy.

Fall

2011-11-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

We had a great time and now they're gone:(

Bath

2011-11-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

These cousins were ready to take a bath.

SIT DOWN!!

Hi, Mom!!

Happy, Teddy!!!

Macker to Lulu.... "Make sure you don't show me your pe*is."

Lulu to Macker... "Hey, (really surprised) you have a peepee!"

Who's That?

2011-11-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hey, who's that?

Sam is such a nice cousin, he shares everything.

Visitors

2011-11-10T06:12:00.000-08:00

Cousin Lulu and Cousin Teddy came to town with Aunt Karoline. We are having a great time together.

Sam can't get enough of Teddy, Teddy on the other hand, is not sure about all the love....

They're going to be bff's someday...

Early

2011-11-09T04:49:00.000-08:00

Sam has not quite acclimated to Day Light Savings.... Do you notice how dark it is outside?

Seems like the perfect time to play with cars. (the siblings aren't up bugging him)

It's his new obsession.

I just wish it wasn't 5:45am.

1st Tooth!

2011-11-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

Warning: this is a little graphic.

How can my baby Scotty be old enough for this...

Sam

2011-11-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

I can't remember if I ever showed these pictures on the blog. (I could go back and look but I'm lazy) I got these pictures from our friends in Ethiopia when they were there picking up their son. Sam had so many skin/scalp issues that the doctor at his transition home shaved his head. It was quite a shock to see him like this.

Ethiopia April 2011

That poor little sweetheart.

Ethiopia April 2011

Fast forward to November and look at this cute head of hair. We had a fun lunch this past Friday with Jacob and his family. They were in town getting fingerprints for their next adoption. These buddies are so cute together. Read more about Jacob and his family HERE. (they have more big news!)We love seeing them!

I'm thinking they're going to be college roommates.

Okay, back to Sammer's hair. It's awesome. Puffy, soft awesomeness.

But.... because he needs a new helmet, the hair had to go. Boo-hooo!!!

We (Robyn, Amelia and I) took Sam to a fancy barber shop. He was not sure about the whole thing...

People couldn't take their eyes off of us.

This was pretty much how he looked for 10 minutes.

Then, it was over.

Can you see how they shaved his little hairline in the front? Sooo cute and funny.

When we got home Luker was shooting hoops and he was making my bald Sammy crack up.

I'm not going to lie, I miss his curls but... he's still really cute.

This is all laughing.

Such buddies.

Regarding his head, we are really thankful that our insurance company approved a second helmet.($4000.00) You can see for yourself, his head is improving but it still has a little way to go.

Can you see the difference in his forehead?

This one is my favorite. I think it shows how much straighter his little face is now.

So this morning we went and got his picture taken again. He was NOT happy.

After several tries, we got a good picture. 2 weeks from today he will start wearing helmet #2!

This past weekend was Orphan Sunday. Please consider helping in some way.

Visitors!

2011-11-06T04:58:00.000-08:00

The Williams came for a weekend of fun. Macker and Luker have serious love for each other.

These sweethearts sure do love each other!

We went for a long bike ride. Robyn said it was her first time on a bike since she was 13...

We made it to the French Market for donuts! (the rest of the gang met us there)

Happiness!

More biking.

These guys cheered us on.

Lance relieved Robyn.

Hot studs!

The real deal.

Perfect weather and perfect day!

Cold Thursday

2011-11-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Juner had a play date with a really nice dude from his class.

I think he likes him.

At the very end of the play date Samatron woke up and Macker got home from school. They were bugging the big boys.

Macker had school pictures today and he wanted to be "fancy" just like Juner. I hope his face was sweeter than this...

June

Sis!

Halloween

2011-11-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Front row seats at the parade!

The kids school had a fun parade where all the kids showed off their cute outfits.

Sis was the only ref I saw.

I was scheduled to be the official photographer for Scotty's class party...

But I snuck over to see Sissy too.

It was special to see them in their classrooms.

Juner and his 2 buddies.

This is more like it.

Trick-or-Treating literally starts when kids get home from school.

Lucky me! Look at my cute Scooter.

He's such a good sport. I think he'd do anything to make the kids laugh. They wanted him to wear the Batman so.... he did.

Our nice next door neighbors took our picture, too bad about Macker.

They literally didn't stop all night!

With our sweet neighbor Audrey.

The 'hood started hoppin'! It was so fun for the kids to run round with so many friends.

This is Scoot with Amelia's teacher/our neighbor. She was a Purple People Eater, FYI.

I guess I didn't take many pictures the rest of the night. Trust me, it was a really special night. We all ended up at a different neighbor's house for a fun party. Thankful!

Flying Superman!

2011-10-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Scotty wanted to make sure I got a picture of him "flying".

Got it!

Off to school!

Goodbye!

My other sweet flyer!

Saturday

2011-10-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Sissy had her soccer play-off game and Nanny and Papa couldn't miss the fun!! They arrived at our backdoor at 8:00am. (They left their house at 4:30am) CRAZY! They brought us their old rocking chair and the kids thought it was awesome. Macker has claimed it as his own.

On to the game, Sissy's team, Breakers played the Lady Eagles. Sis calls them the Lady Giants. I understand why... seriously they were huge.

Amelia played with all her heart.

They lost 12 to nothing and Sis was sad. Fortunately, she had the best coach ever!

He was always full of love and encouragement.

Coach and Bulldog!

Sis, Katie and Lindsay with their trophies.

Next up, bike ride with PAPA!!

We road all the way to the French Market. Scott, Mac and my mom met us there.

Sissy's leggers were tired from all the soccer so she road in the car on the way home.

Papa did great!

Little did we know... these 2 were hiding in the bushes...

Here we are, serious bikers....

Ahhhhhhhh!!! She scared me!! (wink, wink)

Macker got Papa!!

Both kids surprised Scotty.

Next up... a little Harvest Festival at a church near our house.

None of us wanted to take a hayride except Juner so... he went alone.

This was the highlight!

Sammer wasn't scared one bit.

I don't know if you can tell from these pictures but Sam was petting the pony. So sweet.

We literally did fun things from sun up to sun down. Nanny didn't stop once. She pitched to Macker until he went to bed.

He can really hit 'em.

Almost...

Overall, the perfect day. Thanks Nanny and Papa for making the trip.

Our Week

2011-10-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Other than medical stuff, we've had a great week. The weather has been wonderful and we've been enjoying it!

Macker is the best helper.

Thumbs up!

Sissy helped too.

Mr. Joyful just watched.

Scotty didn't help one bit, but he wanted to be in on the fun.

The boys have discovered a new game this week. They have spent hours going up and down the driveway.

I'm not kidding.

They can't get enough.

It's the first thing Mac asks in the morning.

Poor Little Brother....

No worries, the second Dad gets home from work he joins the fun.

Hey, Mr. Competative.

We also carved our pumpkins.

Sissy loved it. I forgot to take pictures of the finished porduct, but they're awesome.

Friday Update

2011-10-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Scotty is doing great. He had a small pooping accident in class yesterday! (poor guy!!) Thankfully he was not tooo embarrassed.
We talked to the doctor yesterday late afternoon and he confirmed with what the radiologist told us the day before. He DOES had some "looping and strictures in one area of his small bowel". The doctor was very honest and said that he wants surgery to be a LAST option because as he said, "At 5 years old, we would be heading down a very slippery slope." Surgeries cause adhesions which cause strictures which cause bowel blockages.... etc...
So, we are meeting with them next Wednesday morning to make a plan. Right now we are changing/ adding things to his diet to keep his poop soft. Pears, pear juice, white grape juice.... we are praying that his body will be able to handle this. So far, so good, because although we feel bad he pooped at school (totally writing that in his baby book) it's great that he is pooping. He pooped again this morning and we all cheered!
Thanks for praying for your Scotty.
One other thing I forgot to mention. This doctor is known for his Laparoscopic techniques with bowel adhesions and strictures. We are so thankful to hear that!

Update

2011-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

We met with Dr. Liu and he was awesome! We explained Junie's situation and he thought it was either strictures or intestinal adhesions. He thought the first step would be an Upper GI with a Small Bowel Follow Through. We put on this cute outfit.

The radiologist was really great too. Scotty was a total rock star.

For the first hour things looked totally normal.

But then as the barium made it to the lower part of his small intestines it was really obvious that it didn't look like the rest. The Radiologist said that it was obvious that there was some adhesions or strictures causing his bowel to become distended. He said that he would write the report and I would have to discuss that results with Dr. Liu tomorrow.

I know that some of the possible options could be surgery or dietary restrictions. I will find out more tomorrow. My worst fear has always been that something would happen to Scotty's guts again. But being right here in the middle of this I feel very peaceful. I am so thankful for that. Scotty ate a cheeseburger, chips and a Fizzy Izzy on the way to school this afternoon. Wonder if he'll have a tummy ache later?!?! Ooops!

My Scotty

2011-10-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

Notice the soccer socks.

So, this past Saturday morning Scotty was crying in his bed when we went in to get Mac. He was holding his tummy and he said he couldn't sit up or move. (what?) It was his last day of soccer and he really wanted to play so we got him in the shower and also gave him some breakfast.... still he was hurting. We laid him on the couch and went up stairs to get with the little boys. Scotty came up the stairs and collapsed into our floor, crying and holding his tummy. Big Scott and I decided it was time to take him in. He was pointing at one certain spot and it was just sooo unlike our tough guy.

At the ER they checked him for strep (?!), did a X-ray and determined he was constipated. We gave him 4 suppositories and one dose of Miralax and he only pooped a tiny bit. All day Sunday and Monday he seemed like his old self but... Tuesday he woke up crying again holding his tummy and pointing to that one spot. Ahhhhh!!
We took him to the pediatrician (he was so smart and compassionate) and they checked everything and then called a specialist to get their advice. Long story short, we are going to see a Pediatric GI surgeon today at 10:00am. Not necessarily for surgery today. I would assume they are checking for strictures (scar tissue) forming in his gut.
I would really appreciate your prayers for wisdom for the doctors. My prayer is that they find NOTHING and that his gut looks totally normal. When it comes to my Scotty I usually get really nervous but I feel very peaceful and for that I am thankful to God.

Thanks friends and blog stalkers!

Dedication Take 2

2011-10-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Seriously, Sam likes us. He just can't seem to smile for group shots.

This is more like it.

My sweet Juner.

Okay, so we walked up to the front and I had told the big kids if they stood still and smiled then we'd get a donut after. (great parenting, I know) Notice Macker's fake smile. It lasted all of 10 seconds...

Suddenly Mac turned into a 3 month old that needed to be held as he smashed his face into my neck.(what!?)

At this point Sam was yelling. So loud. Not crying. Just yelling.

When Pastor Vance came to talk to Sam and read our verse he kept yelling. And yelling.

Finally I handed him to Amelia. He loves her so I thought he might be quiet. NOPE. (Nice nose picking, Mac)

At the end Pastor Vance prayed. Sam cried so I didn't really hear what he said. I was just happy it's over.

The end.

Dedication

2011-10-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sammy was dedicated at our church on Sunday. All the kids stood up with us so naturally they all needed to match. The ONLY matchers I had were from 2005. Whatever, at least they matched.

In this picture he looks like an angel but.... as soon as we went on stage he was a crazyman.

I have a friend who took pictures with her good camera so as soon as I get those I will post them. Let me just tell you that Sam was so naughty he was even crawling on the floor. At least he looked cute....

Pre-Halloween Fun!

2011-10-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors (Amelia's teacher) had a really fun party this afternoon. I'm so thankful for the nice people in our neighborhood.

It's Fall

2011-10-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sam totally wants to be with the big boys. All. The. Time. He is content to sit in his ~~throne~~ chair all day and watch them have fun.

Jumping in leaves.

Can you spot the dudes?

Once in a while, they run up and make Sam laugh.

Then it's time for biking and skate boarding.

Could his face get any sweeter?

Mr. Wonderful!

If you're wondering where Sissy is... she has STREP again!

AMAZING!

2011-10-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Remember our friends that visited us last summer from Galesburg, IL?
Brad and Tara were adopting Jacob at the same time we were adopting Sam. We spent a week with them in Addis Abba, Brad and Tara actually spent almost 2 months (!!) in Ethiopia waiting to bring Jacob home.

They would spend everyday at the Transition Home (orphanage) with Jacob, Sam and all the other kids. Brad is a Jr. High counselor and Tara is a reading specialist and coach so they connected really well with the older kids. One 10 year old boy in particular spent all his time with Brad. They read books and played soccer etc. They had such a special bond.... Brad and Tara even requested information about adopting him but were told no.

Fast forward to this past month.

You must read their blog to hear the whole story! Click here.

We love the Mowen family and it's a joy to watch God expand their family!

Guys

2011-10-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Juner is addicted to his guys. He constantly has his pockets full. He sleeps with so many there is hardly room for him. I love June.

Biking

2011-10-16T18:59:00.003-07:00

Me

2011-10-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Amelia picked me as her interesting person. She is the nicest person I know. I wish each of these were true but it's really special that she thinks of me in this way.

I love my Amelia so much.

Lake Geneva / Royal Oaks

2011-10-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday we took off to spend Columbus Day in Lake Geneva,WI.

The weather could not have been better. It was actually hot. People were swimming!

Our kids wanted to swim too but we opted for the hotel pool...

We looked for fish.

Our favorite part of vacation!!

We had whole pool to ourselves.

My Juner!

Crazy Macker!

Flying Sissy!

We walked to McDonald's for a $1.00 sundae and some late night park fun. We met some nice people who told us about a sweet (FREE) Hay Castle. (What?!?!)

Early the next morning we found it!!!

It was pure awesomeness!

While Sam slept in the car the big kids played like crazy.

Scott and I did too.

Scoot took them on the Corn Maze.

Giant pumpkins!

Back to Lake Geneva. Jen MADE these cute shirts!

This is my favorite picture.

Next, we went to ROYAL OAKS APPLE ORCHARD.

I can't tell you how fun picking apples was for our family.

Macker couldn't get enough of the Empire apples

I love these guys.

Our family.

The ride on the wagon was awesome too. They took you far our into the apple orchard to find the best trees.

Love.

Sam can't get enough of Scott's kisses.

The end. So thankful for the great family time.

Nursery

2011-10-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

My Sammy went to the nursery at church. He did great, but I think he really missed us;)

Such a difference from 6 months ago...

Jump

2011-10-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

We took off for 24 hours of fun as a family. It was totally last minute and just what we needed.
Have I mentioned how crazy I am about these people?

WARM WEATHER!

2011-10-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

It has been VERY unseasonably warm for the past week and we are loving every second of it!

80+ degrees in October only means one thing... fill the blue pool!!

Nanny came to town again. (yes, we love it!)

She played tennis with the boys.

They are each crazy about Nanny.

Our special visitor for the day was Nanny Becky. She is one of Nanny's oldest and dearest friends. I love her so much too. My mom and Becky have been friends since before I was born. I let Sissy skip school for our special 'girl day'. Scoot took care of the boys all day while we ran around to TJMaxx, Marshalls, The Rack etc.... it was the perfect day.

The leaves are beautiful right now! The teenagers helped rake. (for about 5 minutes)

Our neighbors stopped over to play.

They made Leaf Soup.

They also made a sweet Leaf Pool.

It's hard to image that soon it could it could be snowing...

Look at that amazing husband of mine. He fixed our driveway and I'm thankful.

TALENT SHOW NIGHT!!

2011-10-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is one of the favorite nights in OBX!! We all keep our 'talent' a secret so that we can surprise each other. We got to go first! Macker introduced the "Little Murrays"

Sis and Juner were awesome!

They ate a donut.

They did silly dance moves.

Crazy faces.

Scotty needed a drink of water...

Teeth brushing.

Our family!

Next up was the King-trotters!

They had amazing moves!

Go, Alex!

Crazy Adam!

Amazing!

The King family!

Next up, the Wallace gang! (a tear jerker)

They sang and danced. Josh sang and played the guitar.

Kater-Lou has hot moves just like her mom.

"Everybody look to the left, everybody look to the right... we're in the Outer Banks tonight"

Josh rewrote the words and we all cried as we listened to them.

So keep the price tag, And take the cash back,
Just give me Luke & Owen and little Mac,
Cause I love my friends, Katie,
Robyn, Sean, Madison, Jordan & Jen.
Scott, Scooter, Scotty,
Heather's a hottie,
Amelia cause she's never, never, never
naughty.
Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance
Go Colin, Go Alex, Go Adam, Go Lance
So don't worry worry worry
Samuel Murray Murray Murray
Little Sammy, welcome to the family...

The cool family.

The sweetest part was the end of the song. "Little Sammy, welcome to the family...."

Next up, the amazing Walsh Magicians.

Yes, Jen made the outfits.

They wowed the crowd.

Madison was good at tricks too!

The final trick was amazing... Sean made a card hide behind a picture on the wall.

Ta-Daaa!! The Walsh's.

Next up, the Williams brothers!!

They danced their buns off.

Brother love!

The Williams family.

The gang!

I love them!

We ended the night with a dance party!

I love these people!

School Picture Day

2011-10-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today is school picture day and Scotty wanted to look "fancy", have I mentioned how much I love him?!

***I can't decide what's more stupid, that my kids all call this a hampster or that I sit around and take pictures of it. (I'm not calling my kids stupid, Mom)

Everyday it sits in that same spot.

It turns it's had both ways.

Then it sees me, freaks out and dives into the bushes.

***Yes, I need to get a life.

Tuesday

2011-10-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Scotty has the nicest little buddies.

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings when Sam is sleeping and Macker is at school, Scott has full run of the whole house.

Today was 2 hours of nonstop fun for he and his friend Matthew. I had Sam's PT evaluation while they were outside. Sam passed. The PT said he is just a tiny bit behind but overall he's doing great. I'm so thankful to hear those words.

He used all his ticket at Chuck E Cheese to buy these.

Do you think his teacher is going to like them....?

Weekend!

2011-10-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

We had great soccer games! Sissy (aka Bulldog, that's what her coach calls her) was awesome. The team didn't win but they tried really hard.

Nanny and Papa came from Iowa to spend the day with us. WooHoo!!

The morning was really cold so we were all bundled up at the game.

Way to go, Bulldog!

Peak-a-boo!

Sissy and her number one fans!

Sammy found a cookie.

Busted!

Junie's team was awesome! He scored 2 goals.

We are proud of him too.

He loves the kids on his team.

Action shot.

Scott and I were most proud of him at this moment. His buddy, Chase, was goalie and he got hit in the face. Scotty was the first one over there comforting him.

I heard him say, "You're okay, buddy"

Chase was okay, he actually went on to score 3 goals.

1, 2, 3....goooo

Jammurz!

Sunday was a beautiful day!

We got home from church first and these two couldn't wait for Dad to get home.

After a family nap we went on a long bike ride to the popcorn shop. (this is the drive thru ATM)

Candy time!

Follow Dad!

Then to the park.

More biking...

The gang.

Almost home.

Sun setting.

Enjoying the front yard.

If you look closely, my Scooter was showing off his skate boarding moves.

It was a great weekend.

Day 5

2011-10-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

This day was Jen's 35th birthday and we started the morning with Krispy Kremes on the beach!

Happiness!

Wish I had sunglasses.

Early morning surfing.

Scotty.

Baseball time!

The tongue.

The ball.

Slugger.

Sweetness.

Back to the pool for more fun.

We went out for the afternoon to celebrate the birthday. It was fun to have lunch and shop together, just like old times.

When we got back we were invited to the most wonderful Shell Shop.

Somehow these little suckers ended up making almost $10.00.

That night the kids had their theatrical performance in the basement while we girls set up Jen's surprise party/Bunco game.

Sweet boys!

Colin!

Adam and Mr. Spicy.

This night the kids became part of the performance.

SURPRISE!!

\\ \

We've always given Jen a hard time about always being fancy NEVER wearing sleeves.... Tonight the men surprised Jen with a very special rendition of "All the Single Ladies".

Yes, we all laughed our heads off.

Group picture.

Then it was time for 'Pin the Hat on Jen'.

The birthday girl!

I think she cheated.

We prayed and thanked God for Jen and what her friendship means to each of us.

Cake.

We must really know each other well, these 2 gave Jen the same card. One was purchased in Iowa and one in AZ. How funny is that?

Day 4

2011-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Another perfect day at the beach, we all walked together!

Surfer!

The little walk to the beach!

Colin and Juner, buddies for life.

My football stud!

HOOOORAY!

We found a bunch boogie boards at the rental house!! The kids loved it!

No sharks!

Kel and Sammer!

The did this forever!

Sissy the surfer!

Mr. Coolguy!

Practicing.

Mdog!

Miles, Kater and Sis.

Sean and Madison!

Oooops!

Our babies.

Little bros!

Oh, Sam!

Standing Sam!

Heather and Jen!

All the gang!

Our whole gang went to check out the Currituck Lighthouse.

It was beautiful.

We took some family pictures.

Sam and I stayed on the group while the rest of the gang climbed to the top.

Inside.

At the top.

The view!

The Williams family.

The Kings!

I love this picture so much because Jen NEVER takes a bad picture. She is perfect, like a supermodel always... well, almost always.

This night was game night and I don't have any pictures but trust my we laughed and had fun.
*Most of the really fancy, artistic pictures are taken by Josh with his sweet camera.