Here you go... a quick photo catch up

Ezra enjoying some of his grandpa's birthday cake (Valentine's Day)

Olivia after gobbling up her slice of Grandpa's cake.

Yummy stuff!

Olivia after her puffs are taken out and her hair is combed through.

Splash time!  Oh!  That brother is such a pain!

"Somebody call a vet cause these puppies are sick!" says Ezra about his massive muscles

Reason #1 you shouldn't crawl under the table... you'll get stuck!

Oh my word, are those clippers for me?!

It's finally my turn?!  Hooray!  (Not!)

Ezra's natural mohawk - daddy insisted we leave it there since it's so cute... 

Awwwww.  Shucks.  Mommy shaved my mohawk off!

Ezra looking fabulous without hair on St. Patty's day (and our one year anniversary of becoming a family!)

One proud mama with her cuties

What?  Are you looking at me?

St. Patrick's Day... a day to remember

Just a quick post to revel in the fact that one year ago TODAY, Yodit & Tewodros became our children... legally.  Finally.  What an excruciating morning it was waiting for news to see if we'd passed court.  Joe was so calm and kept telling me that we did and I needed to relax.  But, I couldn't.  Not until I had word from our agency and saw those beautiful words.  There's no way that a year ago today I would have been able to guess where we'd be now and all the amazing highs and lows that would be thrown our way.  But, on the roller coaster of life, I couldn't be happier that we are a family and that the oceans and continents that separated Livi and Ezi from us couldn't keep us apart!

Pictures to come... gotta put the kiddies down for their morning nap first and then upload them off my camera!

The crazy whirlwind continues... and the blog is seriously neglected!

Ok, so I realize it's been about 4 weeks since my last post.  And I REALIZE that I left that post with a promise of pictures in the next few days.  Well, that CLEARLY didn't happen.  So sorry.  Our lives have been so crazy I just don't know where to start.

Joe traveled back to O.C. to get the remaining stuff we had there (mostly furniture) loaded onto a moving truck, which my brother then very graciously drove back to Colorado for us.  Joe had to fly home as we were closing on a commercial property at the end of that week that needed a number of things done before closing.  Yikes.

Well, the closing went off without too many hitches and we are now the proud owners of a historical piece of downtown Loveland.  Joe purchased the shop he worked at so many years ago.  He worked there for a while after returning from Basic & AIT.  Wow... it seems like light years ago.  The owner had let the shop really go downhill.  It'd always looked a bit like a junkyard, and he never had kept it a smooth flowing auto repair shop, but when Joe drove by to say "Hi" after getting back to Colorado in December, it was shocking.  The guy had completely let the place go and just wanted to be done with it.  He didn't know how to run a business and just didn't want to try anymore.  So... the bright guy Joe is, he negotiated an incredible deal with him.  Fast forward a couple of months, and we now own "Alliance Auto Care" off 4th and Garfield!

The building DEFINITELY needed an overhaul.  The downtown area of Loveland has been getting a facelift, and this was definitely the eye sore of it all.  We picked new paint colors (which we're still waiting for the exterior to get painted due to the cooler temps since closing a week and a half ago), scrubbed the place top to bottom, removed inches upon inches of grease and gunk that was caked on the floor of the shop, outfitted the office that had previously been used as a dumpster ;-), ordered banners to announce the new store, and are now working on our marketing and advertising.  It's incredible how much different the place is already... and how much more has yet to be done!  Joe now works Monday through Saturday which SUCKS, but it's necessary for the time being.  I think I complain about this more than anyone... but the kids are a close second.  They LOVE their daddy and hate having him gone so much.  I LOVE their daddy too... but at least I "get" why he's gone.  

Enough of THAT nonsense.  I know everyone is really just wanting news on the kids.  So, here it is.  Ezra and Olivia are so stinkin' fast and strong-willed these days I feel like the things I say al day long are: "No.  Don't touch that.  NO!  NO TOUCH!!!  DANGEROUS.  Don't climb on that, please.  GET DOWN!  Ewww!!! Don't suck on that.  Keep that out of your mouth.  Ahhh!  Get down!  You'll get hurt!  Ah, ah, ah!  I see you!  Stop banging the windows!  NO!  Good job, good decisions... WAIT!  STOP THAT!  Don't hit your (brother/sister)!"

You get the point.  They are all over the place and definitely into EVERYTHING.  What was previously a very safe play zone where we had gates/covers/padding/protection/dangerous items removed is no longer safe.  They now climb the back of the dining room chairs (resulting in the chairs tipping on top of them), MOVE the gates that aren't secured to the walls, slam toys into the windows, push/shove each other, climb all over the couches, and SCREAM with pure delight or absolute frustration.  I swear they are communicating and working together too.  They tend to go opposite directions and get into things simultaneously so I can only get to one at a time.  You'd think with all the running around the room I'd be fit for a marathon by now!  Taking them to the store alone has become treacherous.  If one's in the shopping cart, they're desperately trying to get out.  If I let one be down on the ground with their backpack leash attached, that one screams and stomps their feet when they can't go the direction they want.  They are VERY independent and LOVE to explore.  Babies were nothing... toddlers though??!!  Holy smokes!

We do have one really huge saving grace coming into play though.  Language and communication.  They don't have great speech (attempt most things, but it often all sounds the same), but they are getting really good at signing.  It's a mixed blessing, I guess, because now they are SOOOOOOO cute when they ask for something.  Livi constantly says: "Tee?  Tee?"  while enthusiastically signing "Eat."  Of course, this is about 5 minutes after we get done with a meal that they wouldn't really eat.  Ugh. 

So far, the signs they know are: eat, more, all done, diaper, mama (kind of), and milk.  

Ezra is really good at attempting to repeat words you say, such as "please."  He'll say "peeeeeeaaassss" while stretching his neck forward and tipping his head back.  This is similar to how he makes his neigh sound to "NEEEEEeeeee!" while stretching his head forward and tipping it back.  Very cute.  They've both got the cheesy expressions down pat and it's just a riot.  Ezra will get so goofy out of nowhere.  He'll just be doing something and then turn on the wackiness.  What a total goofball!  Livi, on the other hand, is an absolute love!  If either of them is getting in trouble, she usually runs over and snuggles into my chest and wraps her arms around me to hug.  She does that when they're not getting in trouble too, so I get lots of love during the days!  She loves on ALL their toys by resting her head on the toy and batting her eyes.  She gives kisses, and has even started puckering her lips up in a very exaggerated way to do so.  It's sort of like a fish kiss.  I haven't been fortunate enough to get it on camera yet, but I'll keep trying.

So, in summary I have two totally exhausting and incredibly active, intelligent and beautiful kiddos.  Do I have my hands full?  Heck yes!  Between the kids and the three businesses Joe and I have going on (the other two are stories for another day...), I'm beat and not getting the amount of sleep my body tends to prefer.  But, we are so fortunate and I love my family so much... so I try not to complain too much!  I know all the hard work will pay off soon enough.  AND, I know Ezi & Livi won't be toddlers forever, and I try to enjoy it while it lasts!

Where in the world have we been?!

Oh my goodness, what a disgrace!  I can't believe I haven't written since the day after Olivia and Ezra's birthday!  Yikes!  Time flies these days.  Ezra and Olivia keep us hopping, and we've had so much going on in addition to the fun we have with them.

Joe was able to move out to Colorado permanently the day before the kids birthday.  It was such a huge relief to finally have him out here after three months of seeing him every couple of weeks.  The kids have loved having daddy around all the time again, and Ezra quickly got back into being a daddy's boy.  It's funny how things work out... Livi has been a total mama's girl since as far back as I can remember, and Ezra has been a daddy's boy.  

Day to day, you never can guess what the twin tornadoes will do next.  They learn so quickly, it's such an amazing thing to watch.  For a while, they're verbal skills seem to plateau and even drop backward.  This happened around the time they started walking.  I have always heard that once babies start walking their language accelerates, so this was intriguing.  However, I think they were so focused on mastering walking, followed by running and climbing.  They are now much chattier again, though they still don't use too many words.  Ezra is still famous for his ridiculously high pitched scream.  It's the most impressive scream I have ever heard.  Amazing that all the windows haven't shattered yet!  He screams with excitement, pleasure, frustration, anger, you name it.  Any sort of emotion can trigger the scream... so beware!  ;-)  Olivia has learned to copy him, but thankfully she isn't quite as persistent.  

They now climb up on the ottoman and use it like a stage to dance and scream at each other.  It's hilarious.  They have both become such avid dancers that they stop whatever they are doing to start boogying when music comes on.  Ezra tends to bob up and down and Olivia sways side to side.  Their favorite songs for US to sing are: "Bringing home a baby bumblebee," "Little cabin in the woods," "Itsy, bitsy spider."  All with the hands motions, of course.  When they want us to sing one, they put their hands they way you do for the start of that song and start singing it.  Their singing is still just jabbering in a way that sounds a little like the song itself, but it's adorable.  

Olivia has become a master of body parts, practically overnight.  Ezra is doing well too, but much less interested in anything relating to detail (like pointing out body parts).  Olivia can identify her eyes, ears, hair, nose, teeth, belly button and toes.  She LOVES to walk around poking people in the nose and saying "Nee."  She ALSO enjoys lifting up shirts to point to belly buttons... whether hers or someone else's.  She's gotten big into giving a cheesy grin to people, which is absolutely goofy and precious.  She also LOVES to "give love" to her stuffed animals, MAMA, and daddy.  She has started giving kisses, too.  One of the worst, but cutest, things she just started doing is after she does something naughty (like smacking mommy on the head), she comes over and gently hugs your head (or other "injured" body part) and gently pats you.  Ezra has started to copy her, so I've had the extreme pleasure of having two cuties fighting for time to give love and hugs.  It's so cool!

Ezra is such a B-O-Y!  He really and truly is a stereotypical boy.  He still doesn't use his finger to point (which Livi has been doing for ages), as whatever HE cares enough about to point at is big enough to gesture with his entire hand!  He does this cute arm extension with a downward sort of flick of the wrist to "point."  He stomps, runs, throws, crushes and clobbers things.  If I ever doubted how much NATURE has to do with who we are, those doubts are 100% resolved.  These two have shown me that despite identical parenting, age range, etc... they are DEFINITELY two very different people!  It's really fun to watch all the changes and differences surface.  Ezra has been really enjoying swings when we go to parks and will laugh with his perfect, deep, giggly, belly laugh.  That boy could melt the heart of the meanest, nastiest person alive with his laugh.  

Every night before bed we have a tickle time.   Ezra and Olivia LOVE to be tickled and will even sign for "more!"  They run around the room and when they're ready they tackle me so they can get tickled.  By the time we carry them upstairs to go to bed they are both breathless and smily as can be.  I don't know how they can stand getting tickled so much, but they seem to love it and we LOVE hearing all the laughter around here!  What good is life without laughter???

So, that's a quick recap of how Ezra and Olivia are these days.  Now, on to a recap of events over the last month and a half!

Christmas was a blast.  E&O didn't know what to make of all the presents and hardly napped on Christmas day... to much excitement in the air, I guess.  They played with new toys all day long and enjoyed their first Christmas dinner.  They loved playing with everyone that visited... and had a long list of adult playmates all day long.  Family is the main reason we chose to move back to Colorado... and the holidays are a perfect example of how that can really make life special.  Sharing everyone's joy in seeing Ezra and Olivia enjoying their first Christmas with us was really a treat.  Olivia and Ezra give us so much more than I think we will ever be able to give them.  We are so fortunate to have the honor and pleasure of being their mommy and daddy.

In mid-January, Joe and I drove to Palm Springs for a 5-day business conference followed by a quick trip to our condo in O.C. to check on things.  E&O spent the duration at home with their grandma and grandpa and did just great.  I, on the other hand, had a bit of a hard time missing them like CRAZY, but it was nice to allow myself to trust them to have fun and do well in the excellent care of my parents and enjoy some adult time getting my brain cranking again.  The weather in Palm Springs was incredible and we had a lovely trip.  My only complaint was getting sick the evening the conference ended (good timing though!) and running a really high fever for the next 4 days or so.  That made for a very unpleasant road trip home and MORE time away from Ezi & Livi once we were back!  Ugh!

The week we returned from Palm Springs I went under the knife.  Let's just say it was LONG overdue, but much dreaded.  I have had serious issues with my tonsils since I was very little, but was completely terrified about surgery and wouldn't agree to having them taken out when I was younger (and the surgery would have been SOOO much easier on me then, I'm told).  Last year (2008) in late January I was dealing with ANOTHER bout of strep throat when I developed a peritonsillar abscess.  Let's just say it was one of those pains you hope to never relive.  This occurred just before we received our referral for Olivia and Ezra, so the renewed need to get my tonsils dealt with was put on hold with baby preparations.  After I began having issues with them AGAIN in December 2008 I decided this was as good a time as any to go to an ENT and have them looked at.  

The ENT I saw took one look at my tonsils and heard my history before telling me they needed to come out.  Apparently since they didn't shrink and atrophy after puberty, they will always be a problem for me, and were creating tonsilliths.  Yuck.  Those suckers had lived past their prime and were just begging to get yanked out.  The surgeon told me it would be much harder for me as an adult than it is for children, but that I'd do great.  Huh.  Let's just say I did not come close to mentally preparing myself for what I felt post-surgery.  That was BRUTAL.  When I was in recovery, they kept asking my pain level and giving me more pain killers through my IV to try and lower it.  However, that kept causing me to stop breathing, which isn't exactly a good thing, I guess.  So... they stopped giving me drugs through the IV and tried the oral painkillers that I'd be sent home with.  I spent a good bit of the day in recovery and then was sent home to wallow in my pain.  I was starving, but sipping broth didn't begin to weaken my hunger and was ridiculously painful.  

I'm now ALMOST two weeks post-op and still hurting.  I can eat most things again, but am still taking 4 Aleeve every 8 or so hours.  I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics I was given in surgery (and sent home with to take 4x per day).  That was a real drag.  I itched like crazy and my tongue got so swollen I couldn't really talk.  My tongue is still damaged (from the reaction, apparently) and hurts a TON when I have anything very cold.  No ice cream or ice tea for me. :-(

Oh, and eating ice cream wasn't really a part of recovery!  It was too hard to "chew" and the cold was too much for my tongue!  Oh, and the ear aches I got were so strong that I couldn't have cool water for a few days (I drank WARM water... ick!), so anything from the freezer was OUT!  Isn't that a bummer?!  That was the part of recovery I looked forward to the most!  Anyway, enough whining.  I'll be back to feeling good again in another couple of days and undoubtedly much healthier.  During my first post-op visit with the surgeon last Wednesday I learned that my tonsils were filled with.... drum roll please.... FUNGUS!  Ewwwwwww!!!!!  Those suckers definitely needed to come out, as each illness and resulting round of antibiotics just allowed the fungus to rage further out of control.  Let's just say that's NASTY.  It's ok, I know.  I was growing fungus in my throat and I think that's is downright DISGUSTING!  Yuck.

Sooooo, that about sums it up for now.  I have some really exciting news I'm hoping to post in the next couple of weeks, but not just yet.  Hopefully you will all be just as excited as I am!  ;-)  To those of you still out there and reading this, thanks for sticking around!  I'll be back soon with photos of the kids!

Happy Birthday Olivia & Ezra!

It's official. Our babies are ONE year old! We had an astounding and fantastic birthday, complete with cake, presents, family, friends, and my brother's return from a year long tour of duty in Afghanistan! (Uncle Z wasn't able to be at the party, but he made it stateside on their birthday... what a treat!).

Today, Ezi & Livi had the wonderful fortune of having their 1 year well baby exam. That included FOUR shots each from their new pediatrician... an event to remember! :-) Thankfully, the art of distraction is one I excel at, so shortly after the offense, each of them were tear free and enjoying the new pediatrician and nurses once again. Four shots though, poor babes.

Here's their current stats. Prepare to be amazed!

Ezra
Height: 30.75 inches (80%)
Weight: 22.06 lbs (45%)
Head Circ: 18.11 inches (45%)

Olivia
Height: 29.75 inches (75% - up from 25-30% range!)
Weight: 19.25 lbs (25% - still a lightweight!)
Head Circ: 18.11 inches (75%)

So, as usual their head circumference is the same, Ezra is taller, but not by quite as much as before, but he's GAINING in weight much faster and is now almost 3 pounds heavier! They keep on growing, but still are not the "huge" babies people seem to think they are. :-) Close, but not quite. The new pediatrician seemed really nice, and the kids liked him well enough. Well... Livi exhibited her typical stranger anxiety (pouty lip, running for mommy, near tears), but Ezra was ever the champ. He was a nice guy, and I think we'll like him. The exam room was GREAT... at least twice as big as our previous pediatrician, and plenty of room for the two of them to run around in their diapers, look out the window, and admire the planes hanging from the ceiling. With two toddlers, having some room (and a safe place) for them to run around makes a HUGE difference.

Now, back to yesterday and their birthday party! We were afraid my parents and uncle wouldn't be back from my brothers' welcome home party (scheduled originally for 01:45 am at Fort Reilly... a good 8 hour drive from here - delayed until 5:00 am!), but they got here in time for cake! Hooray! It was a nice, cozy party with their grandmas, papaw (my dad), their great uncle Marty, and friends Tracy & Sean (currently awaiting a twin referral from Adoption Avenues!!). We had a lovely time and other than Livi getting a bit overwhelmed with being the center of attention, the kids had a blast. I gave them REAL cake (GASP) with REAL icing (BIGGER GASP), so I'm sure the sugar high was a whole new experience for them. Ezra is such a boy... dug right into that cake with two hands and began shoveling it into his mouth. Livi, however, was so bothered by having her hands all goopy and sticky. She was much more reserved and delicate, leaving part of her cake for Ezra to inhale as well. Yikes. That boy had some serious cake yesterday!

Thank you to all of our fabulous party goers, it wouldn't have been the same without you! Thank you ALSO to Tia Claudia who made an overnight appearance on a long layover in Denver so we could visit and catch up. We love you Claudia!

Now, on to the good stuff... pictures!

Playing For Change: Song Around the World

This kind of unification amongst people around the world gives me chills... hope you enjoy a little bit of uplifting music for the holidays!

Snow and Eye Gashes, Oh My!

Ok, so it took a wee bit longer to get some pictures posted than I thought it would. You know, I'm a BUSY lady these days! Try getting ready for a first birthday/birthday party for your prince AND princess as well as a first Christmas - and your hubby is living and working in a different state so HE isn't around to help, getting the flu, AND trying to work! ;-) Not that I'm whining, because the holidays are the BEST and I'm so excited about watching Ezi & Livi enjoy all the wonderment of their first big holiday season, but... yikes! I'm feeling sooooo behind and the blogging is definitely suffering because of it!

As for Ezra's BIG eye gash incident. I was AMAZED at how little it ended up bruising. It was pretty swollen the day of the accident and the day after, but that's about it. I took some photos of it just after the tears ceased the first day (and the bleeding had stopped), but they aren't too graphic... no worries for the faint hearted! :-)

I'm also posting some pictures of Ezra outside in his snowsuit for the first time (don't have any of Livi yet as she hasn't been out! She was sleeping during our brief evening excursion with Ez). It's been sub-zero here the last two days, so no trips out in the beautiful, fresh snow have happened this time either! It seems that my flu bug and the super cold temperatures are conspiring to keep us indoors! Grrr! You'll notice Ezra's snowsuit is huge... it's an 18 month size since we wanted room to bundle him up and the 12 month (of a different brand... both were bought used) fit PERFECTLY right now... I thought we'd be OK in the 18 month size... WHOOPS! Oh well, at this rate it'll probably fit Livi NEXT year this time! :-)

I'll also post photos of the first snow day we had and I carried snow inside to the kiddos in the lid of one of their Rubbermaid toy boxes. Ezra anxiously dove in with both hands and quickly regretted the situation... that stuff is COLD. After that he was much more reserved and cautious, but learned it's mighty tasty stuff - so long as it's fresh and WHITE. :-D Livi was ever the delicate explorer - gently touching the snow and scooping it up in measuring cups. The differences in the two of them crack me up... we definitely have the ALL boy and ALL girl around here! :-)

Enjoy!

SNOW!

Yesterday morning Ezi and Livi awoke to their first REAL snow!  To see the wonderment from their amazing eyes... beholding the world and its magic for the first time.  Ezra stared, mouth agape, out the window for ages (and this was BEFORE they had breakfast which is the second thing we do EVERY DAY... it comes only second to a diaper change when they first get up!).  Olivia pointed, touching the cold glass of the window and blabbered in her own little language about the miracle that had taken place whilst they slept.  SNOW.

Mama (that's ME), spent the remainder of the day scrambling to find a good snowsuit for Ezi.  I'd lucked into finding a GREAT one two days before when my mom and I took the kids to the store, Once Upon a Child, for the first time in Longmont.  Little did I know it'd get used SO soon!  However, Ezi was left without one, so I spent the day scrambling.  They both also needed jackets, and, oh yeah, SNOW boots!  You know, for my toddlers that RUN around everywhere they go!  So, no playing out in the snow yesterday.  I brought the snow in to them on one of the lids from their big toy tubs.  

The first thing Ezra did after I set the lid down (FULL of snow), was DIVE IN.  Can you imagine his reaction?!  He sat back on his bum, looked at me, slightly panicked for a moment, stared at his hands, and began screaming.  While this was taking place I dove in and was rushing to get the powdery snow off his hands, but not fast enough.  Snow is C-O-L-D!  Poor guy.  It took quite a while for him to get up the guts to touch it again after that.  But once he did... look out!  Snow is TASTY!  We made them snowballs, showed them how to scoop it up with measuring cups, you name it.  Who knew a lid of snow could be so cool?!

This morning I ran over to Centerra (big outdoor shopping mall thing in Loveland) to meet a woman about a snowsuit.  Yep, found her on Craigslist.  Who doesn't love Craigslist?  She drove down from Fort Collins so I wouldn't have to go that far.  I ALSO had a lady meeting me there with a BIG bag of Peek-a-blocks (she was from Greeley), so I was set.  The snowsuit seemed pretty big for Ezra... but he's a growing boy.  I snagged it from her (HOW did I score TWO fabulous condition, down snowsuits for the kids in just the right sizes?!), got the Peek-a-blocks, and began the search for snow boots and winter coats.  Not easy... somehow it seems the right sizes/combination of features was VERY elusive on these items.

I ran into my awesome mother-in-law at Kohls (whom I don't see enough of... hint, hint Dr. G - we want to see you LOTS more often!) while waiting for the correct size jacket to be located for Ezra from the back of the store.  That was fun and made my day.  Lee is always fun to chat with and we've made plans to get together MUCH more often!  HOORAY!  I hopped in the car to head home with EVERYTHING I needed... a snowsuit for Mr. E, boots for E&O, jackets, you name it.  I was SET.  I began sledding - AHEM, I mean driving, home to see my little wild ones.  Let me tell you, there is nothing more incredible than driving up to the house and seeing their little faces peering out the window, waving and blowing kisses (YES, they do that!), squealing, and shouting MAMA (sometimes).  That is the neatest thing ever and makes going away for errands and work on occasion a little easier... knowing I get to come home to that.  

Ok, I'm rambling.  The part of the story I really needed to share was what happened AFTER I got back.  I slipped Ez into his new, blue snowsuit and zipped him up.  He thought this was super cool and began running around and screaming with excitement.  I went crawling after him to try his new boots on him... and he thought the chase was on.

*Let me preface this with the fact that Olivia and Ezra LOVE to have someone "get them."  If you crawl, walk after them, cackle, growl, roar, say "I'm gonna get ya," or anything similar, squeals of glee will ensue and they will either collapse to the floor, face in the carpet giggling with defeat... or run away and play hard to get.  

So, as I crawled after Ezi, he decided I was playing since he was so wound up with excitement from wearing his new snowsuit.  He squealed and began laughing his incredible, contagious laugh.  I grabbed at the back of his snowsuit to quickly pull him into me.  However... right as I grabbed ahold of the middle of the back of his snowsuit, he spun around to face his attacker.  The combination of his quick spin and the fact I'd just grabbed him cause him to slam into the window sill at, oh, maybe Mach 3!

Ugh.  My heart sank.  My stomach instantly knotted and I grabbed up my boy just as he fought through the daze and began the silent scream of horror.  I looked... and saw it.  A big, white colored dent right on the edge of his left eye/eyelid.  My stomach flip-flopped.  I don't do messy.  This looked like it might get messy.  My mind INSTANTLY went into overdrive... get the snowsuit off, asked my mom (who'd been there with us playing) to run and grab a cloth and a cold pack, and I thought CALL LEE (Joe's mom... the ER doctor)!  I just knew it was going to be a huge bloody mess and his eyeball was going to pop out at any second or something.  Yeah, drama, I know.  But that first glance at the big, white dent that was the kind of thing you see after something is sliced badly... before the blood reaches the wound and starts pouring out.  

I ripped the snowsuit off and cuddled Ezi close.  Grandma ran in with a cold pack and I snuggled onto the cough with Ez and tried to get him to let me hold it on there.  I knew that this was going to swell badly without some cold.  But, let me suggest you consider what kind of effort it might take to hold something very cold on an insanely strong 11 month old that was just wounded.  Not fun.  I finally soothed him with some of my fabulous singing (Er... maybe it was my squawking).  The crying lessened a bit and he slowly relaxed.  Surprisingly, the gash never bled too much, but I think he's going to end up with his first shiner.  His outer eye is swollen and the bright red gash is quite visible.  

I guess I should be thankful that this is the first drama we've had since they came home... 7 and a half months ago!  No big illnesses, no other boo-boos (aside from very small scratches and bruises that come with learning to walk).  All in all, and the guilt I feel for the role I played in the accident aside, I'm thankful that THIS was drama.  We could have had so much worse by now.  Poor Ezi though... I feel so badly about it!  Thankfully, he doesn't even seem to remember it happened and was ripping around again without hesitation after their afternoon nap.  Tough little guy, let me tell you!

So, that's our day in a nutshell.  Ezra got a quick trip outside to try out his new boots and snowsuit this afternoon (post nap- he was pretty bummed out after getting his boo-boo and a nap seemed to help).  Of course... that means he got to try out his snowsuit in the DARK since the sun sets so early these days!  Pictures to follow tomorrow... I have GOT to get to bed before 1:00 am tonight!  I've not been getting enough sleep to function well lately.

Picture-a-palooza!

Craving updates?

Ok, I admit.  I've been a TERRIBLE blogger.  You may wonder what in the world has happened to me... did I drop off the face of the Earth?!

No.  I'm here.  I'll give you the low down on the last couple of months, since I'm sick of getting harassing emails about where I've been.  ;-)  (Just kidding... I love that I'm loved and missed!)  I'll keep it as short and sweet as I can since no one wants to read in depth about all the crazy happenings of the last couple of months since we moved.

Halloween was a hoot.  The kids were ADORABLE.  Of course.  Ezra was a very handsome peacock and Olivia was a beautiful Flamingo.  (Pictures to follow).  They had a blast toodling around Pearl Street in Boulder with my mom and I.  After getting ooggled and ogled for a couple of hours, my mom took them home to sleep while I headed to the airport to pickup Joe for our weekly/every of week visit from DADDY!  :-)

Joe's been back and forth a number of times, but sadly not every week like we'd prefer.  He's missing the twin tornadoes like crazy and treasures their weekends together (as do I!).  It sounds like he'll be getting relocated out here in the next 3 weeks... Hooray!  The downer is that we may not see him again UNTIL then... as tickets are just too pricey to splurge on right now.  Bah.  Since I'm a total nut for the holidays and the Christmas season is my favorite, I'm a bit of a grouch about having him miss out on preparations and festivities for the kids first birthdays and Christmas!  (It's really their second Christmas... but since they were only a few days old then, it's really like their first, right?). 

Anyhoo.  We had a super fun week with Joe last week, celebrating his birthday and Thanksgiving.  We had way more food than we should have for the 6 of us, but that's part of the season, right?  Yummy times, let me tell you.

Joe and I have also been overwhelmingly busy with some entrepreneurial ventures lately, as well.  I find myself struggling to get comfortable with allowing Ezi and Livi more time with their grandma so I can get some work done.  I juggle some of it while I'm with them and they're napping, and some days have actually LEFT the house without my appendages.  Ugh.  Talk about tough.  Turns out that after 8 months together (and only two very brief separations with E&O staying with a family member) it gets kind of hard to be away from them.  Even though the break can be a breath of fresh air, it's HARD.  Those goofy little angels are really the light of my life and my reason for getting up in the morning (hee hee... literally and figuratively).  They are truly wonder babies.  My uncle tells me their magic babies.  Since the day he met them he's said they seem magical, and they really are.  Somehow, most everyone that meets them is enticed by them.  Ezra is said to have an "Old Soul" and has more depth and wisdom in his eyes than most elders of mine.  Olivia... she has such a spark about her I can't even describe a worthy comparison.  Ah, my heart.

So, here I am, taking time away from work and feeling guilty for it already.  Ezi and Livi will be up from their naps any minute and ready to go 90 miles an hour again.  These two have progressed to running (clumsily) already and are such an entertainment.  They laugh at each other, chase each other in delight, then throw themselves on the floor in anticipation of being caught by the chaser.  I cannot imagine having one baby... is it boring?  (No offense intended here!!!  :-D )  I can't imagine them not having each other.  They often grab hands and hold each others hands while eating... so cute.  

On the tooth front, Ezra is about to pop through two more teeth (giving him a total of 6) and Livi is really close to having her top middle two teeth come through.  They want so badly to eat "real" food, but they just can't manage much without any molars.  I cannot WAIT for them to get a few more in!  Oh.... except that Ezra likes to give love bites, and THAT continues to get more painful with each and every tooth!  How does one stop a BABY from biting?!  It's NOT funny and I've got bruises to prove it.  :-S  

If I haven't bored you to tears yet, you're superhuman.  Thanks for hanging in there.  Oh, and if you're still reading my blog after my last post (and/or email for that matter), thanks.  I know it was a topic that could alienate people from my life, which it did and that was hard.  But, sometimes you just have to do what you know is right... even when it means you may lose people you care about.

Breaking the silence

I'm finally breaking my blog silence.  I apologize repeatedly for dropping off the face of the world for a few weeks.  Things have been so busy, and I daresay, FUN, with the kids now that they're toddling all around their world. 

However, today, rather than speaking of how Ezra and Olivia are, rather than rejoicing in our new president-elect (yes, I'm STOKED about Barak Obama!), I have a much bigger purpose.  I am also HORRIFIED at one result of the election, in particular.  Proposition 8.  It cracks my heart in two that Proposition 8 could have passed.  Who on EARTH would take away the rights of another human?  (Stupid question, I know.   There are countless people out there that are narrow-minded, cruel, or just a sheep.)

Please keep in mind as I write this post I want nothing more than to say eloquently, intelligently, and passionately my points.  Ugliness, however, is clouding ME.  I have many loved ones that are gay.  Am I, myself, personally affected by Proposition 8 passing?  Yes.  I am embarrassed... even ashamed to look my friends and family members in the eyes that have lost the right to marry.  I hope I don't overstep my bounds here by saying that someone I love very much, my dear uncle M, is gay.  He has been "my favorite" since I was a child.  My uncle M is proud, kind, honest, and will stand up for injustice.  Now, it's my turn.  Too many years have gone by without me standing by his side at rallies, walks, marches, you name it.  I have a voice and you DARN WELL better believe I'm going to use it.

Since Keith Olbermann has a much more eloquent style than myself, I direct you to PLEASE watch this video.  Take 6 minutes and 30 seconds of your life and watch what he has to say.  PLEASE.

Then, when you're ready to be the pure hearted, strong, loving individual we all strive to be, step out tomorrow and join myself and thousands of others on the steps of courthouses 'round the nation.  Tomorrow is a day that YOU can make a difference.  I'll be there.  My whole family will be out there standing up against this despicable injustice.  I urge you to join us.  Cities all around the nation will be having these demonstrations... find the one in your city and get yourself there.  We can all make the difference and support equality.

Now, go watch the video.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

HE Walks!!!!!

So, with all the commotion around here, I'm a bit delayed in posting this... but EZRA WALKS!  I could hardly believe it when he started taking his first steps forward the day after Olivia!!!  Olivia first walked on Sunday and Ezra began walking the very next day!  WOW!  Talk about them being synced up!

Although Ezra first started walking the day after Olivia, he is definitely working on the new skill more than her.  He seems more confident and determined, and has had a few good successes.  Olivia has barely "walked" since Sunday... she is so fast at cruising along things, dropping to crawl, getting back up to cruise... she just doesn't really grasp yet, I think, that she could just WALK.  She's got such incredible balance, she's just not utilizing it too well yet.  Ezra, on the other hand is ready to get this down and go, go, GO!  :-D  

Still no videos of them... it's been too sporadic and they always seem to be climbing all over me, which makes it a challenge to get ANY pictures or video these days.  Sigh.  Soon... I promise!

Pushing Daisies....

Well, tonight is the BIG debut!  ;-)  Thanks Sam for reminding me to remind everyone!  :-D  Ezra and Olivia should be able to be seen in the scene in front of the courthouse on the episode tonight (fourth episode of the season).  Pushing Daisies is on ABC and is on at 7:00 pm MST, I believe.  Check your local programming for the exact time.  On ABC's website, it states it's on at 8/7 Central... but we're Mountain time, and our guide shows it as being on at 7:00 pm!  Sooooo... if you don't want to miss them, check your local guide!

So, tonight, Pushing Daisies, ABC.  Don't forget.  Tune in and be prepared for some quick glimpses of absolute perfection and amazing acting on the parts of E&O.  

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Racism and politics

I haven't touched politics in my blog before now, since this is a blog to share about my family and our adoption.  However, for the sake of our country and my children, I believe I must speak up.  It saddens, angers, and terrifies me that this type of thing still goes on in this country.  I know racism is alive and well... but the level to which this is allowed and endorsed by the McCain/Palin campaign is just nauseating.  I realize that mudslinging is a central concept of campaigns.  It happens.  However, the mud should at least be dug up from something REAL.  TANGIBLE.  How can ADULTS go around touting such disgusting and off base statements?! Please take a moment to read the letter below and go view the video with segments from McCain/Palin rallies and see what has myself, along with many, many other Americans so upset.  It IS time for a change...

Dear Friend,
John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters saying "kill him!" "terrorist!" "traitor," and more, at rallies, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response. It's outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won't stand for this.

I've signed onto ColorofChange's open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. ColorOfChange.org will publish it this week, and as they've shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Will you join us?

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2087-687345

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking "who is the real Barack Obama?" (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).In response, supporters have yelled "terrorist!" and "traitor!" And the venom goes beyond Obama--one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying "sit down, boy."

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver's seat. They've personally made it a point to use "terrorist" and "Obama" in the same sentence; they have surrogates repeatedly refer to him by his middle-name;and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails which claim Obama is Muslim (a myth designed to tap into anti-Muslim bigotry), anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists. This strategy is powerful because Obama is Black, and it's designed to make Obama's race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

As Americans of all stripes, we've seen how Barack Obama's historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It's inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors and families.

In the final days of this campaign, we can't let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won't let them move our country backward? ColorofChange.org will publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2087-687345

Thanks.

Off my soapbox and back to life... boy do I look forward to having this election behind us and having the thrill of worthy and capable new leadership for our country just around the corner... GO OBAMA!

She WALKS!

Oh my gosh... I can hardly believe I'm posting this.  Olivia WALKED on her own today!  She has been SOOOOO CLOSE for a long time now, but she did it today!  I'm one proud mama!  Her and Ezra both have been able to stand unassisted for a few weeks now (but only if they are distracted and not thinking about what they're doing!  ;-), and able to walk quite well behind their little ride on cars and walker thing.  They do just DANDY with something in front of them to give them confidence.  But today... she WALKED ON HER OWN!  Probably 4-5 steps!  It was the cutest walk EVER!

I know Ezra is just behind her... any day now we'll have 2 TODDLERS!  ;-)  How exciting!!!  I'll try and get my camera unpacked and start snapping some pictures and video later today to upload... stay tuned!

(Sorry to be so behind in updates.  I got sick last week and JUST when I thought I was getting over it, my cold returned FULL FORCE yesterday and I've been exhausted just trying to drag myself about with the minimal necessary tasks around here.  Poor Livi has a fountain of snot that is plaguing her nose, and Ezra has the darn cold too, but thankfully he never gets such a miserable, messy nose.  Poor babes.