the Kapiloff family

the day we've been waiting for

2011-11-29T16:54:00.001-05:00

On Monday evening we were contacted by our program director to see if we were interested in a 6 month old little boy. My heart started racing and I ran downstairs to tell my husband who was playing with our kids in the basement. Grinning from ear to ear, he said, "I think this is our boy." He gathered the kids up and we explained that they were going to have a brother. My five year old, Talia, started jumping up and down and grinning from ear to ear. Both kids were excited!
"Well, did you say yes?"Chris asked. Not yet! I ran back upstairs and wrote back, "yes, yes, yes, yes!" And a few minutes later the picture came. We gathered around the computer. I think I stopped breathing for a second....because this is the moment that you dream about and dream about since the day that you open up your heart to the idea of adoption. *exhale* "Oh, he's so beautiful," we both said at the same time. I printed out the picture and immediately Talia asked if she could have it. She carried it around with her for the rest of the evening and even propped it up next to her stuffed animals at bedtime. She is so excited...I caught her laying there staring at it with a big smile on her face. *so precious*

So that's our news! I know there are a lot more steps to complete and a lot more time to wait. But I'm just taking time to be joyful and thankful to the Lord. I'm so appreciative of the community of adoptive families that I've come to know online. Everyone celebrates one another with every completed step. And so to all my friends still waiting...I'm praying that your referral day is around the corner.

I can't show the photo here on my blog, but besides being adorable, he looks very healthy...even has a bit of baby chunker thighs goin' on. He's got a soft halo of baby fuzz for hair. And now we join the ranks of those waiting through the court process, and then the I600 and lots of stuff in between that I should read up on. Hopefully it will be shorter rather than longer in the given 6-12 month timeline from this point. But I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the latter.

no referral yet

2011-11-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

I wish that I had an adoption update for you...the only update is that we are still holding strong at #1 on the waiting list. It's been a little harder the past couple weeks. I realized recently that it has been two years since the tug on our hearts to start this adoption journey. The funny thing is that we held off on starting the process right away because at that time our youngest was not yet one year old and we were afraid that he and our new one would be too close in age! Now I'm starting to feel like they will be too far apart! (not really...I think it will be a good spread. Maybe God's timing has something to do with preserving my sanity. hah!) Seriously though, a verse that has become very dear to me in this process is Proverbs 19:21 which says,

Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.

So we are waiting for the day that the Lord has planned with great anticipation. :)

I was just down at my parents for a brief visit with the kids and at the church they attend, tomorrow is Orphan Sunday (the day when as a church they are bringing awareness to the way in which we, as a body of believers, can be involved in the care of vulnerable children around the world and here at home). This video is a promo video being used...I really like the words they have chosen to explain the impetus for reaching out to love others (in this case the children): God defended us, adopted us, rescued us, sought us, found us, loved us. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And when we love others we make God's heart visible. And that's what it's about...whether you are adopting or not. Just love.

Orphan Sunday 2011 from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

halloween

2011-11-03T14:34:00.002-04:00

This year we went trick-or-treating for the first time. Our kids were excited, but a little nervous! They are both a bit afraid of the dark and it didn't help that there were spooky sightings all around. We approached one house that had this scary skeletal looking guy on the door and our kids let out a collective "whoa" when we walked up. But it was still more fun than scary and the kiddos had a blast.

Ben had a costume parade at his preschool earlier that day. He was sooooo cute.

Ben's first field trip

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ben is in preschool a few mornings a week now and he loves it! His class went on a field trip this past Monday to a local farm where they got to pick out pumpkins and go in a corn maze and get a tractor hay ride.

These goats were lined up waiting for the kids to feed them. hahaha!

blog reboot

2011-10-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

Ta-Da!

Well helloooo. Decided it was about time for an update. (It's only been, what, 6 months?) The biggest update is that we are #1 on our agency's waiting list for a referral. Some of you who were checking my adoption blog already know this. I've decided to go back to being a one blog blogger. I have a hard enough time keeping one updated let alone two. My other blog charges a small fee for the password feature that is needing to be renewed. And I don't really want to...so I've decided to join the public ranks again. I've updated the adoption timeline to catch some of you up.

So hopefully any day now I will have good news for you on the adoption front. It has been a loooong road. I can't believe that we made the decision to adopt 2 years ago. But, like I have said before, we are trusting that God is directing our steps and that this has always been the plan.

Jeremiah 10:23 - O Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps.

Easter pictures

2011-04-26T15:57:00.000-04:00

This is the best family photo of the bunch. My poor man can't seem to keep his eyes open for pictures and at that point the kids were done. It was such a beautiful day at my parent's house in PA!

an incredible perspective

2011-04-03T15:57:00.000-04:00

I follow the blog of an organization called Falling Whistles and found this image in an October entry. This image really surprised me. I had no idea how big Africa really is!!

love this!

2011-03-09T14:06:00.002-05:00

Love this new video by Third Day. Take time to watch the whole thing if you have a chance!

playing in the snow....again

2011-02-26T16:30:00.000-05:00

This face cracks me up! He was NOT happy with me for dressing him in so many layers.

He was a lot happier once we got outside.

What an incredible winter it's been!

APPROVAL!!!

2011-02-25T15:49:00.000-05:00

Oh friends and family, it is with such great joy that we tell you that we have finally received our I-171h. This is the major piece of paperwork needed to move forward with our adoption. Not yet having it was the reason we couldn't proceed in Rwanda. And just recently it got held up because of my seemingly non-existent fingerprints.

Now ~~I can stop stalking the mailman~~ we put this form along with our other certified, notarized pieces of paper that we've been holding in our hands for a long time and send it to our agency. This is what will officially put us on a waiting list for our precious African little.

hello long neglected blog

2011-01-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Oh my my...it's been awhile. Would you like some updates on our clan?

Peter and Stephanie:

I'll start here since I left you hanging last post. I appreciate all of your prayers for my brother and sister in law in Haiti. Back in mid-November, already having recovered from suspected cholera, Peter was unable to leave the house because of the rioting occuring right outside in the streets. At that point the issue was the cholera outbreak that many Haitians blamed on the UN peacekeepers. Things in Haiti are still unstable, but the issue now is over the corruption in the presidential election. It is safe enough for Peter and Stephanie to be out and about. In fact, Peter flew to Florida for a few days of respite over the holidays to see his parents. Stephanie, of course, could not join him since they are still waiting for her passport/visa to be issued. Once they receive it they will be moving to the US permanently.

Our adoption:

We just had our fingerprints taken at the local H-land Security office this past Monday. What could have been a quick in an out, turned into a whole ordeal for me. They couldn't get the scanner to take acceptable fingerprints so they had to ink me. They asked what my occupation was...why are my fingers so dry?! Well, you see, I am a washer of dishes, wiper of butts and boogers, molder of play-dough, laundress extraordinaire. (Were those areas of study covered in my bachelor of arts? hmm...) It also didn't help things when the nice lady taking my prints kept mixing up her right and left. Seriously! At one point I actually held up my hands and made the classic "Ls" to remind her which of my hands was the left one. (I don't mean to be unkind...I think she had had too much coffee that morning...she seemed a little jittery...with a side of intense.) So at this point we wait for another month (approx.) until we receive our I-171h which we put with our dossier and send it off....and then get put on a refferal list. (just a reminder...I started a separate adoption blog if you are interested. you just need to email me for the password.)

Ben:
My big Ben turned 2 in mid-December. I'm still navigating the whole birthday around the holidays thing. I need to come up with some fun traditions to make his birthday feel special and seperate from Christmas. One of my friends celebrates her daughter's post-Christmas birthday by turning the Christmas tree into a birthday tree. I think I'm going to try that, but since Ben's birthday is before Christmas it will have to be a temporary addition of balloons and streamers.

He recieved tons of trucks for his birthday and Christmas as he adores transportation of all kinds. If you asked him what kinds he likes he would tell you, "Fy truck, digs, dumps, tows, happy truck." (translation: fire trucks, diggers, dump trucks, tow trucks, and car carriers...he calls those happy trucks because he received one on his "happy birthday" and didn't know what it was called.)

Ben is the epitome of cute right now. I love this stage when they are still cuddly and say all kinds of silly mushed up words....except when the mushed up words sound like a bad word. Oh my goodness. Ben sometimes gets his tools out and pretends to "fix the truck." But he smushes that phrase into one word...THE word. And he'll say it in places like the grocery store...loudly. Cue the embarrassment.

Talia:

She's such an independent girl now at 4 and 1/2. She loves arts and crafts and drama and fashion. She picks out all of her own outfits and they are crazy and wacky but somehow still cool. She's much cooler than I was. :) She's picked up her dance skills from the school of Backyardigans. They have some sweet moves! She LOVED Christmas this year and was especially excited to decorate the tree. When we ran out of ornaments she said, "But I'm not done decorating yet!" She disappeared and came back with a handful of headbands, necklaces, and bookmarks and proceeded to adorn our tree.

She also started nordic skiing in the Bill Koch program at Prospect Mt. in Vermont. It's about 35 minutes from us and we go every Tues. and Thursday. We've decided that it will be our family winter activity. It's COLD up there...but really really fun. I've never been before this year so I'm learning along side Talia which I think she's enjoying. Talia's quote from this past Tuesday, "Mom, you've got to keep your skis straight!" Ok, thanks Talia. Got it. It was really icy on Tuesday which made skiing a bit difficult. At one point Talia fell and every time I leaned over to help her I started sliding in the opposite direction. We were a fit of giggles by the time I got her up. (Just to give you an accurate picture, it's not always mother-daughter bliss. Picture us walking to the car carrying a boatload of equipment in windy 12 degree darkness with me barking orders and distant whining going on in the background. Ok, now you've got the complete image.)

Well, I'm sure there's more, but I'll save it for next post. BTW, in case some were wondering, we decided not to send holiday pictures/cards this year because..well...frankly, we had to pare down our holiday budget due to some adoption expenses. No hard feelings I hope. Happy New Year to you all.

violence in Haiti

2010-11-17T22:50:00.001-05:00

Hi bloggy friends,
I wanted to give you some news and ask you to pray for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. There have been several days of rioting in the city in protest of the cholera epidemic that many in Haiti blame on the UN peacekeepers. This is happening right at their doorstep and so they stay locked up in their house 24/7. Please pray for their protection and for this violent unrest to end. Thanks friends. Here is a CNN video about what is going on (turn off the music first so you can hear):

Moving forward with our adoption plans

2010-11-09T23:05:00.001-05:00

Hi all. I know it's been a little quiet on the adoption front. After the ~~roadblock~~ sovereignly closed door to our plans for Rwandan adoption Chris and I have taken time to think and pray about our family (present and future) and what we should do. The short version of the story is that we have taken a multitude of baby steps toward a different country. With every step we waited for a closed door or a gut feeling of uncertainty. But neither has come. Instead we have an excitement in us that has been building. And we leaped in faith....

Here's the thing...on this blog I am only going to say that it is in Africa. In the interest of not jeopardizing the adoption, I have started a private adoption blog that will be separate from this family blog. You'll need a password to access it. If you are interested, you can email me: lkapiloff@gmail.com

I named our adoption blog "Written In Your Book."

My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.    Psalm 139:15, 16

I've read this beautiful Psalm many times before, but when I read it as a prospective adoptive mother it suddenly hold so much meaning for me. For me, it means not only that God will see the time that I will miss in this child's life, but also that He sees his or her whole life from conception to the last day. He sees it all because He is the author and knows every detail. We don't know our child yet, but God does and this child's days as a Kapiloff are already written in God's book.

the ladybug and the doctor

2010-11-07T19:28:00.000-05:00

This year Halloween was especially fun because Talia has declared "dress-up" to be her favorite activity. You may remember that this was not always the case:

This year added to the ladybug wings and tutu was a shiner, a swollen nose and a super glued bandage strip (what do you call it?) that she got earlier in the week. We covered that one up with a much more stylish princess bandaid.

How did this happen?...during rest time of all times. She was in our bed and leaned over to see something on the night stand. She slipped and hit her cheek on the corner of the nightstand and her nose on the bed frame. It was a spectacular fall. How she covered so much territory in one short distance, I'll never know. But off to the doctor we went....no, not Dr. Ben. He's still in training. :)

My New Sister-In-law!

2010-10-17T23:29:00.000-04:00

Chris' brother Peter got married last weekend in Haiti! Chris and his parents traveled to be there. I stayed behind with the kiddos, but was excitedly awaiting all the details. We are excited to meet Auntie Stephanie. Peter and Stephanie will be moving here sometime this winter/early spring. Steph, we are sorry in advance for our New England winters. :) Congratulations to you both. Can't wait to see you.

Peddler's Village

2010-09-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry to disappoint, but no update other than some more cute pictures of my kids! These were taken at Peddler's Village near my parents in PA last month. Ben LOVES transportation of all kinds. He was sooo fun to watch on the little rides. Talia enjoyed hamming it up for the camera...my little actress.

you have sand where??

2010-09-16T14:35:00.000-04:00

Nothing says "childhood" like a sandbox. Many blissful hours are spent there in our backyard. Later in the day, Ben will start squirming and whining and I'll wonder what is up...thinking I should check his diaper. *gasp* Ben, how did you get so much sand in there?!

Where two or three have gathered...

2010-09-08T00:30:00.000-04:00

One of the most amazing blessings I've experienced during our adoption journey so far is the connections I've made with literally dozens of other families who share the same broken heart for the orphan. The crazy part is that I have never met most of them. It has been through emails and blogs that I have followed their stories and asked their advice...and with whom I now join in prayer. Linny, an adoptive mom several times over and a fantastic blogger has initiated a Crazy Love Prayer Challenge. When many gather to pray for something that is close to the heart of God, there is much strength in those prayers. God's love for the fatherless of this world is deep and wide. Today, a whole bunch of people will be praying not only for the vast number of orphans in this world, but for specific situations like this family's where there have been many obstacles.
For those praying for us, we need God's direction. As I mentioned in our last post, when we found out that Rwanda's adoption program was suspended before we could get our dossier there our vision of what we thought our adoption road would look like became blurry. Should we wait it out? Should we look elsewhere? God, it is so hard to wait patiently. But our best-laid plans are not as good as Your perfectly timed plans. Please also pray for the other families who are in the same position, trying to decide what to do. And especially pray for the children waiting for all the red-tape to clear.

For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. Matthew 18:20

Will you join us in prayer?

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

(Thanks for that last set of verses Christy.) :)

a bend in the road

2010-08-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

Last week we learned that Rwanda has decided to become a Hague-compliant country. The Hague Adoption Convention is intended to further protect children from being adopted for the purposes of exploitation. So it is a good thing...good news in the long term. But while Rwanda reorganizes this process, they've decided to temporarily close their adoption program to new dossiers.

Our hearts sank. Over the last several months we having been working on getting physicals, collecting paperwork, meeting with our wonderful social worker for home study interviews... Right now she is writing up our home study report which we then have to send in with some other important info to get our approval from the US to adopt internationally. Once we get that form, we add it to all the other documents and get them notarized and authenticated at several different locations. (It would make your head spin trying to keep it all straight.)

Except, that we cannot send our dossier now. The deadline for submission is tomorrow. Impossible for us at this stage. There are many families who were so close to being ready to send in their dossier. Many of them are in DC today hoping to get all of the authentications they need to submit it by tomorrow. Please pray that God opens all the doors for them today.

So, we have heavy hearts. We are disappointed. But we know that our God is a Great and Sovereign God. He is trustworthy.

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." Psalms 68:5-6

He already knows our child and knows when we will meet him or her. My adoption buddy, Marissa showed me this verse:

"In quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

We know that God led us to this point and we trust that He will continue to reveal His plans. So we wait on Him. We have no idea how long Rwanda will be closed to new dossiers. We will wait until they reopen unless we feel God leading us to adopt from a different country. One blessing that has come out of our journey so far is being part of the community of families who share our heart for adoption. We rejoice with the families whose information is already over in Rwanda. We will celebrate with you when you meet your little ones. And we grieve with the other families who have also had the door (temporarily) closed right in front of us. Together

we lift up our eyes to the hills knowing our help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121

Talia's Birthday Pictures

2010-08-06T21:46:00.001-04:00

Playing photo catch-up...my girl turned FOUR at the end of June. It was quite a special day. Here she is trying out her scooter for the first time with Pappas. And later that day we had her "Pony Party" at Oma's barn. Oma decorated Cady for the occasion with ribbons and a feather boa! Everyone got to have a buggy ride around the meadow.

It started to drizzle just as we were finishing the rides, so we all went into the barn for cupcakes. I think Ghinger the horse was hoping for a litttle nibble. Do you see her in the background?

Once the rain had cleared a bit we played some games in the dressage ring. Talia had a blast. Playing with her favorite friends + all four grandparents all in the same place at once = Talia's perfect day.

enjoying summer

2010-08-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

While absent in the blogosphere, the Kapiloffs have been enjoying the fabulous New England summer. Chris and Talia have camped out once so far in the tent and are planning a father daughter campout for the end of August. Ben thinks the tent is awesome and and while he looks forward to the day when he gets to camp out, he seems satisfied at the present with "helping" Daddy set the tent up and making funny faces.

On the adoption front, we are trying to get our home study finished up so that we can send the first batch of documents along with a form called the I-600A to USCIS. I've felt a little disheartened lately because there has been no news from families who have had their files over in Rwanda for some time. The waiting time seems to be growing and we don't even have our stuff over there yet. So when friends ask how things are going, I tell them that we are actually farther away than when we started. But I do trust that God's timing is perfect and that makes me feel at ease.

9 years ago today...

2010-06-02T23:46:00.001-04:00

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Still here!

2010-06-01T22:27:00.001-04:00

Hey there. Yes we are still alive. I just needed to step back from the computer for awhile and be present, you know? We had a lovely vacation in Hilton Head, SC with my family. It was very refreshing. This week is Talia's last week of preschool before summer break, so I'm trying to think of some fun activities to do together with her during Ben's naps. On the adoption front...we are gathering paperwork, getting physicals, getting our home study done, etc. Hopefully we'll be done the paperwork phase by August or September? And then the wait will probably be a year from that point. I know. Soo long. It's ok...by that point Ben will be out of the phase where he is emptying out one kitchen cabinet as fast as I can put back the previous mess. He keeps me running.

I know...always the two fingers.

love this song

2010-04-27T13:43:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share this music video posted by my blog friend, Kat. I love this father's passion to bring his adopted son home. I love it first of all because we have a Heavenly Father who was passionate about adopting us and calls us His children and His heirs. He loves us like crazy. I also love this song because I've started on this journey to bring home a precious child. At this point, the journey feels like it will be a thousand miles and every step feels like a cement weight of paperwork and waiting...

...somehow throwing paint on a piano and singing about it seems like it would be a good stress reliever!

the paper chase

2010-04-26T09:53:00.001-04:00

Friends have been asking where we are at in the process of our adoption...buried in paperwork! The first leg of this marathon involves collecting all kinds of documents to put into our dossier. These documents have to be notarized, authenticated, and stamped at various locations around the country. Once our dossier is complete and reviewed by the Rwanda Embassy in DC, it will travel over to Kigali, Rwanda where it will wait and wait until reviewed for approval.

Those of you who know me know that I am not a list person. You know, Type B, go with the flow. I think this shall serve me well during the waiting phase of this process. So, if you can picture me with my eyes wide reading over the list of tasks to complete for the paper chase, feel free to have a little laugh.

We will be scheduling our home study in the near future which is exciting. (Anyone want to come over and help me clean? Haha!)

The Old Man and the Sea

2010-04-07T22:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a few more pictures from our last trip to Florida to see Chris' parents. This was the one beach weather day, so we took advantage and went to Cocoa Beach. While Chris and Talia were off looking for seashells, Ben was very content to stand on the blanket and do some people watching with his mama. :)

The Wash-Basket Pirates

2010-04-07T21:48:00.000-04:00

Talia loves to pretend. And Ben just loves Talia and wants to do whatever she does. So one afternoon the two of them became the "Wash-basket Pirates."

Ahoy Mateys! Is that land I see?

Why Rwanda?

2010-03-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

There is not one main reason why we chose Rwanda. We wanted to choose a country where there was a great need of families to adopt. According to UNICEF:

An estimated 1 million orphans and “other vulnerable children” live in Rwanda. These children include:

101,000 children heading up an estimated 42, 0000 households
7,000 street children
3,500 children living in orphanages
1,000 children living in conflict with the law
60,000 children living with disabilities
120,000 working children
300 infants living with their mothers in prison
children affected by armed conflict (2,500 still in Congo)
children who are sexually abused (unknown figures)
children affected/infected by HIV/AIDS (unknown figures)

And according to the US Dept. of State Intercountry Adoption web page guess how many kids were adopted by US citizens in 2009...16. We also read that Rwanda only recently opened its “doors” to international adoption in the last few years, which we found exciting.

Rwanda’s history is heartbreaking and yet we have heard of amazing acts of reconciliation and rebuilding taking place and we are excited to establish a connection with this amazing country. In 2008, Nicholas D. Kristof of The New York Times wrote:
"Fourteen years later, Rwandans are still struggling to reconcile the past. The struggle, however, is proving easier against a backdrop of national stability, economic growth, and a rising national profile. Foreign investment is at a high, there are swank hotels, and tourists are coming by the thousands.
Post-genocide history is mired in enduring civil conflict and instability. Rwandans know firsthand that exports such as peace and stability are far superior to tales of disaster, massacres, and corruption. Rather than provide the object lesson of what can go wrong, Rwanda now embodies quite a different ideal. The nation was one of the first to send peacekeepers to Darfur and today has one of the largest contingents on the ground. Nothing points more clearly to Rwanda’s recovery and resolve."

I came across an organization called Living Bricks. Listen to this amazing campaign: "Living Bricks is an initiative to restore hearts and homes in Rwanda following the destruction of the 1994 genocide. Living Bricks equips repentant genocide perpetrators with the tools to build much-needed housing for their victims' families, establishing new villages where former killers and survivors live together again as neighbors through practical reconciliation...To date, over 10,000 ex-prisoners have asked for the supplies to build these houses of hope...The goal of Living Bricks is to join in Rwanda's national movement of reconciliation, helping former enemies who are forgiving one another to physically and emotionally rebuild after genocide." Absolutely amazing. If you go click on the link you can donate "a brick" or two!

Another reason for choosing Rwanda is that our friend from college, Laurel Greer just completed the adoption of her son from Rwanda last May. She chronicled her journey to Myles on this blog. Talking with her was a great encouragement.

And finally, we were very excited to find out about Mugisha Ministries. They are "a nonprofit organization that exists to help families adhere to the Rwandan government’s request that prospective adoptive parents pursue INDEPENDENT adoptions." This is who will be supporting and helping us as we go through this adoption process independently (assuming our application is accepted...we just sent it in!).

Fishing

2010-03-07T14:53:00.001-05:00

Last week we visited Oma and Opa in Cocoa, FL. I asked Talia what part of the trip was her favorite?
"Fishing with Oma," was her reply.

Girlfriends

2010-03-05T15:05:00.000-05:00

Talia is blessed to have many friends that she absolutely adores. She is always asking to have a play date with so and so. Even though she is only 3, she's been friends with many of them for a long time! This is one of her favorite friends, Annie Miller. I took their picture while playing dress up.

And here they are over 2 years ago! So cute!!

He's walking!

2010-03-05T14:19:00.001-05:00

My boy is officially walking. This picture is of some first wobbly steps from mid-January (hence the post-Christmas naked tree waiting to be chucked in the backyard.). Since then he has gotten steadier and faster. I've had to baby proof the house even more than I remember doing for Talia. She stepped with caution and care. He just plows right through stuff to get to where he wants to go...which is why he bonks his head at least four times a day.

the NEWS that I've been chomping at the bit to share with you...

2010-02-10T20:32:00.001-05:00

In a previous post I alluded to an exciting journey that our family hopes to begin very soon. I’ve wanted to share what has been on our hearts for some time, but decided to wait until we were a little closer to the starting line.

Adoption has been on Chris’ heart for some time. He says it started in college at a morning chapel service. The message was based on James 1:27-

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Something stirred in his heart. After we were married Chris would mention from time to time how much he would like to give a child the gift of a family who had no family…that it was one of the greatest gifts of love you could give. I admired his desire and wanted to feel the same, but mostly felt that this would require several steps too many beyond my comfort zone…too many unknown factors. Feeling rather shameful of this, I prayed that God’s will would trump my feelings at that time. I believe this past September God began actively answering this prayer.

I find that God occasionally gets my attention by showing me a particular Scripture verse over and over again in a matter of a few days. In this case it was 1 Corinthians 13:2-

…if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

One of the places I happened upon that verse was in a book titled Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This book shook me to my core. In a very urgent way, the author calls on believers in Christ to take a good hard look at our lives in light of what God commands. In Revelation 3:15-18 Jesus instructs the church at Laodicea to “give up what they thought was so necessary and valuable, in exchange for what really matters.” (Chan, 92) And according to “my” reoccurring verse, what really matters most is how we love. Galatians 5:13-14 says this:

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

At one point, I put my book down and got on my knees, praying that God would help me to love Him and others more sacrificially. And immediately (and quite out of the blue) I thought of all the times Chris had shared his desire to adopt. I cannot adequately express the peace I felt as I truly considered it for the first time.

Consumed is the best word to describe what has happened since then. I have been consumed by this overwhelming sense of certainty that this is God’s calling for our family. I have felt confirmed by the people God has placed in my life since this decision. I recently reconnected with a friend from college, Laurel Greer, who recently brought her son Myles home from Rwanda last May. Her blog, Miles to Myles, opened the door to a community of families online at various stages of adoption from Rwanda. You can find many of their blogs to the right of this page. Reading their stories has excited, encouraged, and sobered me. I am aware of the incredible challenges that seem inextricably linked with international adoption. And yet…

…if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.

And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Isaiah 58:10-12 (Amplified Version)

In November Chris and I unofficially decided to pursue the adoption of a precious child from Rwanda. Though I wanted to dive right into all the paperwork, we decided to hold off until this Spring to allow for a little more of an age spread between our current youngest (Ben just turned one in December) and our future youngest.

I’ve been so encouraged by other adoptive family blogs that I’d like to use this family blog to update you on our journey. (While of course continuing the general family photo updates.)

Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 1 John 2:28

The latest on Peter

2010-01-15T14:43:00.000-05:00

We have learned that most likely Peter is now at the US embassy. It's been a crazy day. Last night, mobs stormed the seminary where he and the kids were sheltering. Some special forces contractors escorted them to the house of the orphanage director. They were with 48 orphans under the age of 6 that have documented paperwork to come to the US. But the building that housed the paperwork is gone...

The children (for some reason) cannot be brought to the air base until it is certain that they can leave the country. All day Alan has been on the phone with an array of gov't officials and news media. Peter did not want to leave these children, but was told he was more of a liability staying with him because he is a white person...

Please pray for heaven and earth to move to get the paperwork in the right hands so these kids can come to the US. From what I understand, most of them have adoptive parents waiting for them. They were at the end of the adoption process when this earthquake occurred.

Peter in Haiti...prayers please!

2010-01-13T09:56:00.001-05:00

Please keep my brother-in-law, Peter in your prayers. For those of you that don't know, he has been in Haiti since September. He has been staying and helping at two different orphanages...one in Port-au-Prince and another in the northern city of Cap Haitien. He has learned to speak Creole and has also been helping some start up small businesses in Haiti. Yesterday morning he should have had a flight from cap Haitien to PAP, but the flight was canceled due to low cloud cover. That afternoon was the earthquake whose epicenter was quite close to PAP. Peter is fine and said that there is little damage in the north of the island, but has heard that the devastation in PAP is great. He is very very concerned for his friends and the children in PAP. He has learned that though there is some structural damage to the orphanage, the children are all fine. But the city is in chaos. The presidential palace as well as the UN building are in ruins. The phone lines in all of Haiti are down. He left Cap-Haitien early this morning and is attempting to meet up with a UN envoy so that he can help. He thinks he can be useful knowing both English and Creole.
Please keep this situation in your prayers...Peter says that in normal circumstances, many people in Haiti are only just "making it." How they will deal with this, he does not know.

Christmas Morning

2010-01-08T10:34:00.001-05:00

We spent the Christmas holiday with my parents in Bucks County, PA. It was their first Christmas in their new "country cottage" that makes me feel like I am in the movie Sense and Sensibility. We had fun being together and my sister stayed over a few nights too. One of my favorite parts was seeing tons of extended family...I hadn't seen many of them in a long time. Here are few a few pics from Christmas morning.

Happy New Year to all of you. We are anticipating the beginning of an exciting journey for our family this year. But I'm going to leave you hanging and tell you more about that soon. :) Hope you are staying warm...it has been bitterly cold here in New England.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!!

2009-12-18T20:52:00.000-05:00

My precious birthday boy...I love you so much. You are the snuggliest loudest silliest boy ever. I cannot believe you are a year old today.

I LOVE this girl.

2009-11-25T15:09:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the random and slightly mixed up conversations of a three year old. On the way home from preschool today, I played Talia's cd of music from the Christmas Play the kids are practicing at our church. The song we were listening to mentioned the City of David. Talia stopped singing for a minute...
T: Mommy, who's David?
Me: David is in the Bible.
T: Oh.
Me: Do you know any Davids?
T: Yeah...uh, no.
Me: Did you know that Pappas' first name is David?
T: Uh...yeah....Mama do you know what his middle name is?
Me: What?
T: Pappas Excellent.
Me: Wow! David Pappas Excellent. That's quite a name!

She then proceeded with the singing...the next song has a line that goes "Prince of Peace, King of my Heart" which she sings "Princess Pea and King of Hearts."

After lunch we were reading one of her Dora books that teaches Spanish words.
Me: What does Dora wear for bedtime?
T: Pajamas!
Me: In Spanish you say las pijamas (Lahs-pi-ham-as)
T: Oh....lost be-hinus!
Both of us burst into giggles...so loud in fact that Ben started crying.

Baby steps (no not Benjamin's)

2009-11-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

Hey friends! If you're wondering what the heck's been going on with my blog lately (charity videos, messages about global poverty) it's been in response to what God has been teaching me lately. He's been lifting my eyes to focus less on me and my piddly little needs and more on the great needs of the people of this world. My response to Christ's love and mercy should be to love Him like crazy and ALSO to love others; especially those who need it most. God's Word talks about the poor and vulnerable so often...more than I ever realized. I must have skimmed those sections before. (insert sheepish grin here)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2

...faith without works is dead. James 2:20

There are some lyrics to a song I recently discovered that go, "Now that I have seen, I am responsible." I'm trying to be friends. And in my little baby steps, I discover things that really touch me. And I like to pass them along. So here's the latest little video gem I saw on a friend's blog.

Gave my first Christmas gift of the season...

2009-11-13T12:32:00.001-05:00

my sweet laughing babes

2009-11-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

So I believe I have discovered the secret to getting my kids to laugh for the camera. :) Here is Ben just last week:

Laughing Baby Ben from Lori Kapiloff on Vimeo.

And here is Talia TWO YEARS ago!!

From Fall 2007

Tinkerbell and the Chicken

2009-11-04T21:49:00.000-05:00

Even though it was a messy rainy and night, my beautiful Tinkerbell and my handsome Chicken had a fun evening. We went over to our church which hosts a "Hallelujiah Night" for the neighborhood. I was thankful to be indoors. Talia loved her special costume that Mama made for her (such shameless advertising, I know...but I stayed up really late finishing it and just had to tell you) . Ben wasn't as thrilled with his girthy chicken outfit that made me and everyone who came into contact with him burst into giggles.

Go See This Movie If You Can

2009-11-03T07:57:00.001-05:00

This movie will show in theaters tonight ONLY! If you are fortunate enough to live in a city where it is playing, please go see it!

143 million

2009-11-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

Drawn From Water, Adopt from Drawn From Water on Vimeo.

Fall Fun

2009-10-19T11:36:00.005-04:00

Last weekend the kids and I traveled down to Bucks County, PA to hang out with my mom and dad, or "Deez" and "Pappas" as they are famously called by Talia. We bundled up and explored in their yard, went to Peddler's Village to see the scarecrows and ride the carousel, and just enjoyed relaxing together.

I also had the privilege of hearing my dad play with the Bucks County Symphony orchestra. They played one of my favorite's: Smetana' Moldau (Ma Vlast). It was wonderful. I'm proud of you Dad!!

The kids are doing great. Talia loves preschool. They just went on a field trip today to the elementary school for the Books Alive! program. She's making lots of fun new friends and bringing home art projects and shows me her letters in sign language. It's a good thing the teacher tells us about her day when we pick her up though because here is how the conversation goes in the car on the way home:
Me: "So Talia, how was school today?"
Talia: "Good."
silence........
Me: "Can you tell me more? What did you do?"
Talia: (while sucking her fingers) "Um, I don't know."
Now granted, the kid is exhausted from her morning of play, but I thought these one word answers happened when they get older. Sigh.

Ben is my sweet little man. He is 10 months old today! He is full of funny faces and crawls a mile a minute. He's getting much better at actually getting the cheerios into his mouth instead of all over the kitchen floor.

Such a great big sister...

2009-10-10T10:12:00.004-04:00

crazy love...

2009-10-02T11:10:00.002-04:00

Just read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan as recommended by my sister (thanks Michelle!!). Some powerful words that have given me a lot to think about...God is speaking and I'm trying to listen. So far He's given me this:

"If I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2

and this:

Pictures from Ocean City, NJ September 2009

2009-10-02T11:02:00.004-04:00

my sweeties

2009-08-19T21:58:00.000-04:00

the soundtrack of Ben

2009-08-16T12:15:00.000-04:00

Here's my sweet Benjamin boy making some of his favorite noises.

Ben's funny noises from Lori Kapiloff on Vimeo.

silly Talia

2009-08-15T23:16:00.001-04:00

The other morning I decided to dig out the old velcro curlers in an attempt to do something with my hair. Talia thought they were really cool and decided that she need to use some too. She put them in by squishing them onto her head. I had to laugh. And then she wanted her picture taken. So you can thank her for these including the close up of mom in curlers and no make up!!

Life joyously lived...

2009-08-14T23:38:00.002-04:00

I found this in the blogosphere and couldn't stop smiling. Isn't it so fun? I had to share.

Talia turned three!!

2009-07-29T21:54:00.002-04:00

We had Talia's birthday party at the end of June. She decided on a bug theme and it was a gorgeous day for a backyard party. Here she is practically bursting with anticipation just before the party started. She was in charge of the basket of favors. (Bug antennae)

Even Deezie (Grandma) and Ben got in on the action.
Here we are playing a fun game...Chris stocked the sandbox with fake bugs and all the kids got buckets and shovels to dig for bugs.

Here are some post-cake faces.

It was a great day and Talia is still talking about it a month later.

THE Bonfire

2009-07-21T21:20:00.006-04:00

These are some awesome shots of our 6th Annual summer kick-off bonfire at the Gills at the beginning of June. It started in 2004 with 3 families with 5 kids. (This was pre-kids for us. Our family started coming in 2007) Now, there are 4 families with 12 kids between us. Certain traditions have developed - the tractor ride to Old Mill Road to collect sticks for roasting marshmallows, the scavenger hunt to find the Smore supplies, the dance around the fire singing "Campfire will burn tonight..." and Pete Daniels lighting the fire with a flaming roll of toilet paper. It has become such a fun tradition that it is now known as "THE Bonfire". Talia loved looking for her marshmallow roasting stick. Can you spot her on the tractor? And Ben is on the right with his two buddies Nathan Gill (3 months older than Ben) and Lauren Miller (6 weeks younger.)

Ooo, they're so cute I could squeeze 'em

2009-05-30T20:54:00.002-04:00

I took this picture while Talia was watching her "show" as she calls Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As you can see she was not thrilled with my disruptive photo op. She, at the tender age of almost 3 has mastered the look..."Uh. Mom!" And Ben...he's my mama's boy. He can't get enough of me. As soon as I look his way this is what he does. Soooo cute! I just want to kiss that double chin. (By the way, I need to quit taking pictures in my basement. You are all going to think I'm a horrible decorator. This is the TV/hangout room that has couches chosen purely for comfort and not aesthetics. Aren't those pillows horrid?)

a beautiful spring day

2009-05-21T15:56:00.002-04:00

Hi friends...I know it's been a long time. My friend Laura inspired me to get blogging today on the phone. (Thanks for the chat Laur!) These days things are at once wonderful and impossible. I have an almost 3 year old and a now 5 month old who fill my days with the cutest words and smiles. But I am weary to my core with lack of sleep. This was Benjamin's night last night...bed at 8pm. woke at 11pm, 1:40am, 3am, 4:30am, in bed with me from 5:30am-7am. Yup. He's NOT a good sleeper. It's a little worse right now because he's got a bit of a cold so he keeps waking himself up. But his regular nightly schedule isn't a heck of a lot better. And my Talia has hit some sort of power struggle stage. She seems to like to see how far she can push until I feel my last drop of patience dry up. (In her defense, there aren't many drops of patience there to begin with when I'm in such a fog of sleep deprivation.) But when the weather is nice outside like today, it does wonders for all of us.

Finally...a Ben video

2009-05-21T15:09:00.003-04:00

This is Ben's latest "trick." He's discovered how to get everything shakin' and movin'. Sorry about the picture quality...I don't know why it uploaded kinda fuzzy.

thing one and thing two

2009-03-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

Talia has been taking her role as big sister pretty seriously. She likes to wipe his mouth when he spits up, squish him with hugs (literally), and stand guard at play groups when other kids want to see him. She loves helping me at the kitchen sink with her little apron on. And she has a large family of baby dolls that she cares for. However, there are definitely moments that she wishes baby Ben weren't stealing the attention.

Here's Ben in some handsome big boy clothes. :) He's finally starting to sleep better at night. Notice I didn't say through the night. No, no. We are just glad to not be waking every 2 hours! The pictures of me have been spare on this blog lately because 90% of the time I look like I've been run over by a truck. Haha. Frumpy mom in loungewear? Yes I am. I'm cool with that for now. This too shall pass.

random photo update

2009-02-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

Never Not Knitting...

2009-01-21T18:08:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends...thought I'd do a little show and tell today. I knitted some warm wooly pants for my little one as well as the blanket he's laying on. Knitting is the way I relieve some stress and now I have mastered the art of knitting while breastfeeding which I practically do round the clock. So thank goodness I have something to keep my hands busy...my boy likes to eat. He had his one month appointment today...9 1/2 pounds! Good grief. No wonder he;s been eating so much. 3 1/2 weeks ago he was only 5 lbs 14 oz. He's also grown 3 inches since birth. I love him to pieces.

Welcome to the family Benjamin

2009-01-19T14:23:00.001-05:00

We love you sweet baby boy!

Catching up

2008-11-13T15:06:00.007-05:00

I'm a little behind with showing off pictures, so I'll do some catching up. First some end of summer pictures of Talia enjoying corn on the cob at Oma and Opa's house. We discovered that corn is a favorite of her's and she has a style all her own when she eats it. She takes random bites all over the corn, but does eventually finish every bit of it.

Secondly, here are two costumes sported by Talia this Halloween. She wore the sunflower to a little church costume party, And then had fun with the Tigger costume at home. She is VERY into Winnie the Pooh right now, so she was quite proud of this costume.

Lastly (and this is kinda fun), I am a featured blogger on the website What to Expect When You are Expecting (based on the book). So if you're interested in hearing me go on about pregnancy woes and toddler drama, here's the link:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/profile/mrspotatohead

update and vacation pics

2008-11-04T22:14:00.004-05:00

Oy, has it been that long? I've been equal parts busy and lazy (I'll blame it on being pregnant). The countdown is on. I've got just about 7 weeks to go til Baby Ben is due to to arrive. And that means you all have 7 weeks til Christmas! Are you getting ready? I am because I know I'll get anxious if I leave stuff go til the end. I am already more than halfway done my Christmas shopping.

I never showed off my vacation pictures from Hilton Head Island. Chris, Talia, and I drove down at the beginning of October and met my parents and Mike and Michelle down there. We had such a nice time and Talia loved the beach! Here's preggo me, Auntie, Talia in her beach "get-up" and Talia in her "boose." (the caboose thing that attaches to Daddy's bike.)

our farm

2008-09-13T17:00:00.003-04:00

This summer we've had the pleasure of being members of Caretaker Farm, our local CSA (community-supported agriculture). We go once a week to pick up fresh veggies, pick flowers, visit the pigs, cows, and chickens, and buy fresh bread and eggs. It's a wonderful place for kids. Talia loves throwing stones in the stream and peeking in the bean teepees. Chris has become an expert raspberry picker and I like popping a sun warmed cherry tomato in my mouth while picking a quart to take home.

belly pic

2008-08-29T13:57:00.002-04:00

We just got home from our 2nd level 2 ultrasound at Baystate Medical and the doctor gave us a 100% normal report...no follow up needed. Praise God! Baby Ben is right on schedule and looks to be in complete health. He was showing off a little on camera...we got to see some very clear images of his spine and heart and brain, all 10 fingers and toes, etc. As of yesterday I am 23 weeks along. Here is a belly shot for you.

It's a boy!

2008-08-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

Here's the best picture from our ultrasound last Friday. Can you see the profile? He was moving all over the place...I think he kept trying to move out of the way of the wand. To make a long story short, we are thankful to God that our baby boy appears to be healthy. We had a little scare because the doctor thought he saw something abnormal in the bowel area on the first ultrasound. So we traveled to Baystate Medical in Springfield, MA last Friday for a level 2 ultrasound. The perninatologist that took a look at the images said that he wasn't concerned by anything that he saw. We are going for a follow-up ultrasound on Aug. 29 just to make sure there are no observable changes. We had a lot of family and friends praying for us. What a blessing! We have decided to name our little boy Benjamin. Little Ben. We are so excited about his arrival...he will be the perfect Christmas present. This past Thursday was my halfway marker!

the singing girl wonder

2008-08-07T09:47:00.005-04:00

And now for your viewing pleasure, the amazing Talia Lynne will attempt to sing the ABC's while stuffing her mouth with bananas. drum roll please.....

summer, summer, summertime

2008-08-06T22:10:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago, we had the priviledge of spending the day in Ventnor City, NJ. We were already down for a short visit with Poppy, Grammy, and Aunt Michelle (or as Talia calls them: Pappas, Deez, and Ontee Challs.) Okay, now see if you can follow....my sister's boyfriend's parents have a place down there. Michelle and Mike love spending weekends there and invited us and my parents to come celebrate their birthdays. It was a gorgeous day, and Mike's family made us feel right at home. The best part of all was that Talia for the FIRST time liked the beach. In prior episodes she hated the sand sticking to her, hated the water, and the sun was too hot and bright. This time around she loved digging in the sand, didn't mind standing at the water's edge, and those cool sunglasses solve the brightness issue. She even took a little snooze on Poppy's lap. Poppy was in seventh heaven.

Earlier in the week it was great to hang out with Auntie...

...and get messy during lunch because, hey, we can always rinse off in Deez's pool.

some pics from the party

2008-07-11T13:12:00.002-04:00

I made the cake and the frosting from scratch. It was delicious if I do say so myself. I dyed my fingers purple accidentally while attempting to mix the food coloring for the lettering. My good friend Doris has a birthday 2 days after Talia so we shared the celebration. Here is Talia hanging out with Doris' youngest 2 kids, Jalyn and Elias.

And here is Poppy playing with Talia in her new kitchen.

2 years ago today...

2008-06-26T22:24:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday my sweet girl who's two!

my sweet sunglasses girl

2008-06-18T16:00:00.003-04:00

Hey there everyone. Sorry for the absence. It's been a rough month due to 1st trimester woes such as nausea round the clock, food aversions to the point of needing to leave the house if my dear husband cooked something like sausage (oh the smell...), and fatigue like I have been running marathons. But I am really beginning to feel better. I think I am officially in my second trimester now. And I'm so happy not to be at my largest over the summer like last time. Talia and I have been enjoying lots of outdoor fun. She got some new sunglasses from her friend Declan that she thinks look pretty cool. In fact, she is a little braver when she wears them. We passed some construction guys as we were walking down the sidewalk and she waved and said, "Hi boys!" Hmmm......

a family day

2008-05-24T00:10:00.003-04:00

Here's a few random pics from a leisurely Saturday family day. We visited the petting farm, the stream behind Chris' grandparents' house and the playground. Oh, and Oma and Opa's porch. Grammy was the one snapping the pictures. An "A+" day by Talia's terms.

talia has something to tell you

2008-05-10T11:57:00.003-04:00

Exciting stuff! I'm only about 7 weeks along and I'm due Christmas day! Now if I could just stop the nausea....

Uncle Peter

2008-04-27T21:27:00.006-04:00

Hope you have all been enjoying the nice weather as much as we have. Just to give you an idea, here in New England our trees have just now bloomed. We've had a fantastic last two weeks of warm sun. Unfortunately I think it is going to cool back down and rain this week. Oh well. So I haven't taken many pictures recently because my brother-in-law, Peter, borrowed the camera to take some shots of his newest hobby-rock climbing/ice climbing. So in exchange for the camera, I'm going to embarrass him by bragging about his awesome pictures.

Here are some of the places he's climbed:

And here's Peter mid-climb with all his gear on.

We love you Uncle Peter!!

Cocoa, FL

2008-04-13T20:47:00.010-04:00

Hello all. I've got some Florida pics to share with you. Yes, we are totally spoiled and went to FL for a second time this winter to visit Oma on her boat. Talia liked to point to the boats and say "oot" and liked looking at the seagulls, pelicans, and even a few manatees! Here's Daddy and Talia eating Florida oranges on the bridge while Opa figures out his GPS.

And here is Talia in the salon playing with some mardi gras beads and frolicking in the Cocoa Village park.

A sweet picture:

Thanks Alan and Gail for a fun time!!

my easter girl

2008-03-31T12:01:00.002-04:00

We spent Easter weekend in Philadelphia with my family. Talia was very excited to be the center of attention. She got to wear her special new outfit and dye eggs with Auntie. She even let Auntie put pigtails in her hair. She doesn't usually let Mommy do this. Or at least Mommy doesn't think it worth the battle. :) Ok, I'll stop talking about myself in the third person now. If I could just call your attention to the "Hot Crossed Buns" I made that morning for breakfast. Ever since I mastered the art of baking with yeast (i.e. being patient enough to let it rise while not forgetting about it and letting it take over your kitchen counter...i did this with pizza dough once...not pretty) I have been experimenting with all sorts of breads. It takes some time but the end result beats anything you could buy at the grocery store.

i bet i can make you laugh

2008-03-26T20:04:00.002-04:00

Talia's favorite channel on TV (not that we watch it all the time) is Noggin. They have the cutest programs on there and we just discovered a little animated pig named Peppa. Here is her family:

Talia and I can't help but giggle when the piggies snort. Here is a link to watch. It is impossible not to laugh!!

http://www.noggin.com/shows/nogginpresents.php

i am the lean mean knitting machine

2008-03-17T19:04:00.003-04:00

I finally finished knitting a sweet hat that was supposed to be a birthday present for Talia's friend Leah Young (last November, yikes!). We gave it to her today at our playdate with her and her cousin Nicholas. Before going I snapped a few pictures of Talia modeling the hat. It is supposed to look like an upside down flower sitting on the top of the hat.

Isn't it cute? I can't wait to get my fingers on a new project. Although I'd best finish another of the oh, 20 half done projects in my house.

new play room

2008-03-15T12:42:00.005-04:00

We have moved around some things in our house to create a play room for Talia and all of her little friends that come over. My mom was gracious enough to be my personal shopper at Ikea seeing as how there are none within miles of here! I had a great time tinkering with where things would go and building all the ikea stuff. I think Talia is going to be like her mama:

I'm one of those nerds that insists on reading the entire instruction book before putting it together. Here's the final product:

Isn't it fun? I love the way it turned out. And my favorite part is in the evening if I don't feel like picking up her toys, I don't! They used to be strewn about the living room floor and I had no choice. Her is Talia having fun in her new tent.

a beautiful morning

2008-02-27T20:22:00.004-05:00

I pulled the car over to snap this photo one day recently. I never get tired of the beauty that blankets the earth after a snowstorm. This particular morning the sky was a perfect blue and every tree branch was coated in ice. (click on the picture for a better view) Everything glowed in the sunlight. Just beautiful.

If there's a better world
And a brighter day
Even brighter than the one we're in
We'd all be fools to think
That it could be made
By the wills and the hands of foolish men
So Lord to You we give our deepest praise
And to You we sing our loudest songs
And while we live in the world that You have made
We hear it whisper of a world
Of the world that is to come -Rich Mullins

my adonis

2008-02-21T21:52:00.003-05:00

My husband striking a pose in the Louvre. Feel free to insert your own punch line in the comment section. :)

visiting oma & opa

2008-02-16T16:20:00.004-05:00

Last week we visited Oma & Opa (Gail & Alan) on their boat in Cocoa Beach. Not to make any of you Northerners jealous, but it was in the mid 70s the whole time. February is the perfect time to go because it has been just long enough that you can't remember what it feels like to be warm. (At least that's how I feel here in MA) And then you step out of the Orlando airport amongst all the palms and you exhale your first breath of warm humidity in months. Aaaaahh! We had such a great time relaxing, kayaking, taking walks, letting the grandparents take over childcare for while. :)

Here are some nice shots Gail sent me from her camera. (I was so relaxed that I forgot to take pictures.)

Mommy and Talia

(pay no attention to those white legs!)

Talia wearing Oma's crocs

Talia loves her Oma

musee d'orsay

2008-02-13T22:56:00.005-05:00

Oops...is it February already? I have some catching up to do. I promised another Paris entry this time. So today I'll tell you about my favorite museum: Musee D'Orsay. The building used to be a train station and is a wonder to look at.

And there were many famous paintings that I just oogled over. It is something special to see them in person when you've only ever seen them in a text book. Here are a few favorites. This is just a portion of Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette.

I was so excited to see this one for a funny reason. This Degas is used as part of the story in one of Talia's favorite books...Olivia. (The one about the cute little piggy.)

And here is a famous Van Gogh. One of his many Starry Night paintings.

I rented one of those cool educational phone-like things so I could better understand the stories behind the paintings. Each painting has a number and you punch it in and listen. Sooo interesting! It really made my experience better. Here are a couple of shots of us listening. Can you just see the brain cells multiplying??

We all got hungry and decided to eat lunch at the very nice restaurant located within the museum. Doris took a picture of Jalyn and I and our pretty desserts.

random family pics

2008-01-26T11:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the hiatus...we've battled the stomach bug this past week. We can't seem to stay healthy this winter. I think we've caught every single thing that's come around. I'll continue my Paris posting next time. For now here are some fun family photos from the past month.

Opa reading to Talia

Kisses for Great-Poppop Kramer

Looking at Auntie Michelle's neat computer

My beautiful sister

Talia playing at the Plymouth Rec Center pool with Poppy and Auntie Michelle

Musee du Louvre

2008-01-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

We braved the Louvre on a day that started with rain. The size of the building alone can make one tremble. I've read that if you only have a day to see it, you should pick one really famous thing to go see and look around on your way there. So we picked the Mona Lisa. January being a non-peak tourist time, it didn't take us too long. Here is what we found:

La Jocunde (Mona Lisa) is not as big as you might imagine. And she is behind a panel of special glass. AND you have to wait in line just to take a picture...Sheesh. I was happy viewing her from afar. It was still cool to see it in person.

Another famous work that I enjoyed seeing in person was the Venus Di Milo:
I learned that she was found in two pieces with arms missing. There has long been speculation about the intended positioning of her torso in relation to her legs as well as what her arms looked like.

One exhibit that was a surprise to me was Medievel Louvre. The oldest part of the building was originally a palace that had a moat around it. Not so long ago they opened a preserved part of the wall around the old moat to the public. Tres interessant!

Here's a beautiful picture of a winter sunset on the river Seine-side of the Louvre.

Ahhh, Paris!

2008-01-15T13:19:00.000-05:00

Bonjour messieurs et mesdames! Yes, I have returned from the enduringly romantic Paris. What a beautiful place, even en hiver. I was there from January 8-12 with Chris and our friends, the Devadoss family. Satyan Devadoss is a photographer extraordinaire so I let him take the pictures which I have not copied to my computer yet. So I will show you those when I get them. For now, with the help of Flickr, I have found some pictures that will help me recreate this trip for you. (By the way, these photos were all labeled for public use...do I still need to tell you the names of the photographers? Oh la la.)

Ok, so we rented a furnished apartment for the week on rue de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter near Saint Michel. Here's what the street looks like well into la nuit...

Apparently, this street has a lot of jazz clubs, restaurants, and bars that stay open way into the wee hours so it was a little loud. In fact, the establishment right across the street from us is appropriately named "Ze Bar." Our apartment was very nice though and with a fan running near the bed the noise was nominal. Here's what our street looks like in the morning:

And I'm not talking 6 am...people in Paris like to sleep late, so this could easily be 8 or 9 am. (I could get used to that!) Walking one block north of our apartment, this is what you would see:Beautiful. Notre Dame Cathedral is so majestic. I love the flying buttresses. I also like to say flying buttresses. Anyway...we frequented the metro as our primary mode of transportation. Let me just say that I am glad that I am young and able bodied. The metro stations are like obstacle courses. Stairs upon stairs, walkways to more stairs, people in a rush...I don't think I saw one obese French person while there...no wonder! There is no way you could take the metro often and keep weight on. That is the trick! The metro signs were pretty cool:

Uh, oh...I have way more to show and tell, but someone just woke up early from her nap. More to come... a bientot!

we love ravioli, yes we do

2008-01-04T11:43:00.000-05:00

we love ravioli, how 'bout you?

new year's resolution...

2008-01-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

I found this inspiring link on one of my favorite blogs. It is called the story of stuff. Yes apologies for the political subtleties included, but one must admit the tug this information has on the conscience. (For those of you who know my dad, his favorite part was the poke at Corporate America.) It takes about 20 minutes to listen to, but is very worth it. My resolution for 2008...use less and be more aware of the consumer culture in which I live.
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

christmas morning

2007-12-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

hope you had a merry merry!

my two sweeties taking a nap

2007-12-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

christmas picture outtakes

2007-12-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

special friends

2007-12-11T14:46:00.000-05:00

Talia always looks forward to playing with her sweet friend named Nicholas.

couldn't resist a bathtime video

2007-12-09T23:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, I apologize in advance to my daughter who in 15 years may not like the public usage of this video. But I can't resist sharing it with you.

cheeks & stinkle

2007-12-06T16:12:00.000-05:00

We were very excited to have a visit from Laura and Anna this week. Anna is such a sweet baby and has the cutest (largest) dimpled cheeks ever. It was fun to do our mommy routines together. The day goes by much faster when you can have whole conversations rather than "uh oh" and "do you have a stinky?" Speaking of which, I think my dear daughter was trying to scare Anna away by creating noxious diaper fumes as often as possible. Hence, the new nickname (stolen from the Heebner household) "Stinkle."

O Tannenbaum

2007-12-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

Family milestone yesterday...we cut down our own Christmas tree! For the past 6 Christmas seasons of my married life we have had a fake tree because we were never around for Christmas. Well, last year the cats pretty much rendered my tree useless...or at least moved it to the Charlie Brown tree category. And I've always had a real tree growing up. So at last, my house smells of real pine and not the mysteriously strong Yankee candle pine scent. Talia got to wear her new snowsuit and frog boots for the occasion.

We went to Ioka Valley Farm. They have a covered hay wagon attached to a big tractor that drives you up the mountain where you pick out your tree, all the while playing the ever present Christmas music. Here is Talia's face when she first saw the tractor:

Here is Dad hard at work cutting down our tree and carrying it to the wagon while Mommy and Talia watch.

After finding the perfect tree, we climb back on the wagon into the comfy hay, cold and happy. (well, Talia is happy, but she is keeping a watchful eye on our tree that is bouncing around at the back of the wagon.)

dedicated

2007-11-18T13:11:00.001-05:00

Yikes, sorry it's been so long. We had Talia dedicated at our church last Sunday while my parents were up. Pastor Doug asked both sets of grandparents to come up on the stage as well. I think Talia was in her glory. Her four favorite people = Oma, Opa, Grammie, and Poppy.

For the special day I dressed Talia in what will probably be her Christmas dress. Don't let the dress fool you. She looks like she's about to bring it on in this picture.

talia's girlfriends

2007-11-07T12:20:00.000-05:00

So I seem to finally be on the mend. Being sick for a whole week really stinks. But being a sick mom for a whole week is even worse. Poor Talia. There were moments when I think she was a little mad at me for being such a drag. Thank goodness for dads and grandparents. So here are some pictures I hadn't gotten to post before I got sick. This one is of a fun morning spent with Quinn Daniels. She is 6 months older than Talia and I think Talia has hair-envy. Aren't they so cute in their jeans?

And here is Annie Miller who is 3 months older then Talia. I took them on a fun walk in the Millers' double stroller. For some reason while Marybeth was strapping everyone in, Talia was having a teary moment. And Annie was probably thinking, "Oh great. I have to spend the next half hour with her?" But Talia soon calmed down and they were having a "conversation." Talia just babbled away while Annie kept saying "Ta-ya" for Talia. So cute!

Lori and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend

2007-11-04T16:26:00.000-05:00

1. I've had the flu since Thursday.
2. It was my birthday weekend and I had the flu.
3. I was supposed to have a yummy birthday dinner at Alan and Gail's, but I was throwing up instead.
4. I was supposed to go on a breakfast/brunch date with my husband, but I couldn't get out of bed.
5. Chills, and fevers, and coughing, oh my!

here are the two bright spots of my weekend:
1. my husband made me many mugs of tea
2. my daughter attempted to read Green Eggs and Ham to me about a thousand times. She drags her finger along the words as if she is actually reading them and babbles "boo-la-la-choo-choo..."

halloween

2007-11-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

What is it about little ones in goofy costumes that makes us laugh ourselves silly? When I first put Talia in her chicken costume, she had this look on her face like, "Mom, you can't seriously bring me out of the house like this."

Her main consolation was seeing her buddies dressed up in equally ridiculous and hilarious outfits.

it's knitting weather

2007-10-28T22:42:00.000-04:00

The more seasonably cool weather has returned and I've caught the knitting bug. It comes and goes, but I've got it bad right now and long (victorious) Red Sox games provide the perfect breeding ground. You see...I am at best a post-season fan of pretty much all sports (sorry, honey) and even at that I need something else to do or I get b-o-r-e-d. So, while knitting, I look up occasionally when the crowd goes wild and that is plenty for me. I made a tote bag of sorts for my mom's birthday present, a baby hat for a shower gift, and now I'm finishing up a hat for Leah Young who just had her 1st birthday!

And of course I have to throw in a picture of Talia wearing her cute hat today while we played with "ball-ball" outside. (I unfortunately cannot take credit for this cute hat...Old Navy.)

buddies

2007-10-26T18:57:00.000-04:00

I am so thankful for friends. And what an added blessing when my friends have kids that are Talia's age. It's a built in bonus. Yesterday Talia got to play with two different friends...in one day! Yeah! We got to see Annie Miller in the morning and Nicholas Clairmont in the afternoon. A great day by Talia's standards.