Cookie Time!

We spent the last couple of days baking Christmas cookies and we are stuffed! I'm not quite sure if we were able to bake as quickly as we ate them, but thankfully we did have enough to share with our neighbors and hopefully will have plenty when family arrives later this week! Sophie was an awesome helper while Noah was an awesome eater. He didn't care too much to help out, but he certainly did his part in consuming cookies!

 Sophie putting her finishing touches on her snowman.

 Nancy, the perfectionist, creating a piece of art with each cookie.

And Noah, aka Cookie Monster!

Noah's Christmas Program!

We attended Noah's first Christmas program and he was so adorable (so were the rest of the kids ;-))! They sang several songs and we had a quick party afterward in the pre-school classroom! Such a fun day and was so proud of our little Noah! Great job, buddy!

 Entering the church!

 Noah and his buddy not quite sure if they are going to participate.

 Warmed up and singing nice and loud! Noah may look like he's doing his own thing, but he's actually doing what he's supposed to be doing!

 The whole class performing!

Noah and his handsome self walking back to class and ready to get his party on! Great job, Noah! We are so proud of you!

Christmas Picture

Merry Christmas everyone! Of the 50 shots I took, I think maybe 2 of them turned out decent. Thankfully, Nancy and Donna are troopers and incredibly photogenic!

Our Beloved Granny

Tim's beautiful maternal grandmother, Garnett Giangicomo, passed away early this morning in Ohio. Tim was blessed to be able to fly home a few weeks ago and spend time with her before she became too weak. He is thankful for that time and for the many years he has had to enjoy with her. One of my fondest memories of Granny was during our wedding. We were so excited she was able to fly out and I loved seeing the true joy in her eyes. Every time I look back at pictures from that event, the one with her sitting on top of the convertible as she waved to onlookers like she was just crowned Miss America will forever bring a smile to my face. Granny, you will be missed.

Right before her death, Lori found a poem that she dedicated to her three daughters. The love she had for her family and the love she had for her girls is evident. We love you, Granny.

Girls

I see you in the sun and stars

I hear you in the wind and rain

I feel your arms around me

To comfort all my pain

I know you're always with me

You're in my heart and soul

You gave me precious memories

And I'll never let them go

As time goes by without you

AS days turn into years

they hold a million memories

And a thousand silent tears

May the winds of love blow softly

And whisper so you'll hear

How much I love and miss you

And wish that I was there

Trimming the Tree!!

We were excited to pick up our tree this past week and the kids loved decorating it! It was probably the first year the kids really took over and I let them go at it! They had a ton of fun and I enjoyed every second watching them decorate our beautiful tree!

 Noah putting on all his race car ornaments!

 Sophie always knows when a camera is on her!

 An action shot of Noah bailing as he knocks a few ornaments down!

 Nancy realizing she needs to either grow a few inches or get a bigger ladder to put the angel on top of the tree.

 Yay! All done and it looks and smells wonderful!

Questions

Let me start this out by disappointing the grandparents and confessing that I do not have any new pictures to put up for this post. Yes, once again, I will just be ranting with reckless abandon about absolutely nothing. BUT.....I do promise to whip the camera out later this week and take pictures. I have even set a goal to get a Christmas card out this year. Can't you see the effort? (Don't answer that)

Lately, my life has been full of unanswered questions. I don't really feel the need to seek answers, but thought I'd at least share some questionable moments in the past couple of weeks.

1. Why did my Noah flush my keys down the toilet? I was ready to commit myself after searching for the stupid things for an hour and a half. Good thing nothing of importance was on them....only the keys to my car, house, office, parents' house, and sister's house were on there. No biggie....who needs to drive back home? Not us....especially since the parts dept. at Reno Honda doesn't work over Thanksgiving. 
2. Why does my 1st grader have more homework than my 11th grader? Does this make sense? I'm just sayin'.
3. Is there an illness for people who can't send birthday cards/gifts on time? I think I have it.
4. Why is writing becoming so dreadful? I used to love it and now I'm tapped out.
 

Work in Progress

Who knew there wasn't an instant mix for families where you can just stir and everything will naturally blend? Well, it's been an insightful and wonderful journey we've been on the last few months as we have added two teenage girls to our family. But I would be lying if I said it was all bliss and moments of us holding hands around the dinner table. It's a transition. It's hard to expect two girls, who have really never known what it feels like to be part of a family, to immediately feel comfortable and allow us in. In the little time they have been with us, I know there is a lot of hurt, pain, sadness, and emptiness they regularly cope with. I know they struggle to feel normal on most days and I know they crave structure and stability. We are all trying to give that to them, but also balancing the individual space and time they need to go through this process.

The social worker came to visit and follow-up a couple of weeks ago....I was so incredibly touched to learn how happy they are so far to be with us. And I have tried to explain how blessed we feel as well to have them in our lives. There have been tears, there has been frustration, re-direction, long talks....but we accept and know this is part of our journey of becoming a family.

Donna is 19 and has goals of being on her own. We are trying to help her figure out finances, look for a possible studio apartment near us, and get her on track with her education. She is attending a local community college and hopes to earn her cosmetology license.

Nancy is only 16 and we have outlined her goals as well. Naturally, she would love to get her driver's license (and let's face it....I would LOVE for her to get it too!). So, we have signed her up for the necessary classes to complete this. She is doing so incredibly well in her junior year, but she also has quite a few credits to make up. Thankfully, I am right there to help her get back on track. She is extremely bright and every time I see her interact with my children, I can easily envision her being an amazing elementary school teacher. She is patient, gifted, and has a keen sense of what is right and wrong. I have encouraged her to try one of our classes called "Careers in Teaching" for her senior year where she can intern at one of our schools in the district. She seems interested.....let's hope.

I have yet to regret the decision we made to take them in. It has taught Tim and I several life lessons as well and it is a nice reminder of how important it is to express love, maturity, and consistency at all times. Even though we kind of "fell" into this situation, we wouldn't trade it for the world. And as hard as we knew it would be, the fulfillment that comes along with it is overwhelming. So, our little family of 6 is slowly beginning to feel like a family of 6.

That kind of day

Let's just say I have a beer in my hand (thanks for leaving some Sam Adams for me, Mike), pizza in the oven, a rented a movie for the kids on TV, and am basking in what I hope is just a little bit of silence at the end of the day. Yes, it's been that kind of day. The kind where your husband has a late meeting and you have two kids jumping off the wall at home. Or the kind where you look at the clock and it says 11:30 am instead of 7:00 pm. The kind of day that requires a beer in my hand, pizza in the oven, and a movie to zone the kids out. But then I realize I have a four-day weekend ahead of me......and a smile comes over me. Yeah.....not one ounce of guilt over this one. I think I'll have another.

Grammy and Goppie Visit!

Grammy and Goppie were in town for an entire week and I managed to get zero pictures with them and the kids. I am awful, simply awful. As a matter of fact, I had to steal a picture of Goppie and Noah off of my mother-in-law's Facebook page. I have no filters and no shame. Anyway, we loved having them out and the kids had a fabulous time with them!

 I take everything back; I DID get at least one picture of Grammy with Sophie! Woo hoo!

Goppie and Noah, courtesy of Lori's Facebook page

Halloween 2010

We had a great Halloween this year! The kids were favorite superheroes from back in the day looking absolutely adorable as Superman and Wonder Woman! Tim's parents were in town, so they were excited to take the kids trick-or-treating while Tim and I gave out candy and listened to the Giants game. We looked like an old couple hanging out on the driveway in our lawnchairs while listening to the game on the radio. Seriously, how old are we? Here are a few pics from Halloween and a local pumpkin patch we visited:

 Here are the cutest superheroes EVER!

 Sophie striking a pose....Noah is too cool to strike a pose.

 Figuring out the corn maze while visiting the local pumpkin patch!

 Noah the Navigator

Having fun on the big Pillow Jump!