No Ordinary Family

No, I am not speaking French. We went on the great Wii hunt today. It was not very long Target had like 6 of them in stock and it was the first place we stopped. The money that I got for my birthday has been burning a hole in my pocket. I originally intended to use it to get a new fish tank but after really considering it we are not quite ready to set up a new tank. We still plan on getting one eventually but it might be a while. So instead I got a Wii. I blame my parents for this new addiction if they had not let us borrow theirs I would have never been exposed to the addiction known as Wii. It is fun and a lot more active than the Xbox. I hope to get the Wii fit also and then I can exercise, it’s more likely I will do that than go to a gym. Hey we might as well have some fun before Little Miss comes home, I hear kids take time? But we did just find the picture feature that will be fun with the thousands of pictures a day we are probably going to take of her.

****Spoiler alert***** I totally guessed it!! I just got done watching the Lost Season Finale and I totally guessed who is in the coffin. Jim is trying to claim that I looked it up or some other insane Lost fanatic thing but I am not that dedicated as seen by my ability to watch the end of the show the day after it airs. All I can say is I knew it !! Can’t wait for next season!! FYI good morning America’s alternate endings sucked, I mean really after we know if it not Benjamin nothing else is realistic. I recorded the GMA endings but was very disappointed. Have a good weekend!

I have not posted in a while so here are just a couple reasons why Jim and I need a big family with children! And preferably sooner rather than later. #1 Jim cooked this gigantic bowl of Yakisoba. It was better than take out and that is just the left overs. I don’t think he knows that only 2 of us eat people food. #2 I tend to buy movies for no particular reason especially kid flicks, they are just fun and I can watch them over and over again. I got these two today when I was at Costco for some Aleve. I don't know why it is showing up sideways I give up and I'm posting it this way. voice all complaints to Blogger, ugh.

One year ago we were at a wedding. It was the marriage of my sister Emily and her husband Ryan. There were a few bumps in the day, like the judge not showing up to marry them and spending too much time in the un-air-conditioned limo and the cake ending up on the DJ table. I was glad I was not there for the great cake move; I would have some gray hairs after that for sure. It was, overall, a good wedding. I had too much fun! It could have stemmed from the fact that the stress of the day was over, they were married, and also the fact the alcohol was never far from my cup. Here are a few pictures of the day for those who were not there or those who were but either missed something or would like to relive the experience. Keep in mind it was Jim's goal to dance with everyone, he got most people. Credits go to Emily for providing the pictures. Our camera was not working very well so Jim used hers since she was busy. We have since bought the same camera, Jim liked it so much. Congratulati...

13 months have passed since our China Log in Date (LID). We have made it a year and a month. One thing that I keeping think is that we are at the end of a very long line but that is not entirely true. There are now people behind us in line some of those people just started the wait. I remember seeing April 06 LID’s and think wow they are so much closer that we ar. But since they have not even started receiving referrals I don’t think that anymore. But I do wonder what our LID must look like to a new comer. Do they think wow they are so much closer or do they think that once April 07 is done things will be easier, faster? I wonder what will really happen to Chinese adoption so many things have changed since we started this journey all I know for sure is we will wait as long as it takes. But don’t expect me to wait patiently; I have never been good at that.

Gypsy’s new collar. You may recall I ordered Gypsy a new collar a while back. It came in this week and looks great I think I might get Toby one and a matching leash also. This is the best picture I could get where the collar was visible. I got my Asia Duo burp cloths I bought from Red Thread Stitches . Robin is doing a fund raiser to get some money together fast so they can go get Mia Hope. She is selling some pre-maid items each day first come first serve. I wish her luck and I was glad to be able to help. Plus I got these nice cloths out of the deal. I think they will work great in the diaper bag for clean up or a small changing pad. We decided work outside today because it was so nice. Plenty to do inside but it was too nice outside to stay indoors. We went to the Nursery and got all sorts of plants to fill my hanging baskets and pots. When we got home Jim decided to make a potting bench in the back yard. We have wanted to do something like that and it was the perfect day for it. It...

I am tired but home, it was a long drive. No pictures on the way home I drove the Oregon side on the way home not as pretty but a little faster. It was windy and rainy but not a bad drive. I got great gas mileage on this trip the best I have ever gotten in my car. 39.6 mpg!! I have enough gas to make it back and forth to work the rest of the week. When I got home I got a big package! I order this a week ago or so. I can’t wait to use it. I don’t have anything for it to go in or to sleep on it yet but hopefully soon.

Well I am in Portland for a couple days. I am attending food safety training for work, HACCP incase Emily reads this I don’t expect anyone else to get that reference. I was not thrilled about going by myself but at least I got to take the computer. I really don’t like staying in hotels and eating in restaurants by myself, I have done it enough I should be used to it by now but I still like a little company. At least I am staying at a nice hotel and it is not my account. I decided to drive the Washington side of the river since it was such a nice day. The wild flowers are blooming and everything is still green it was beautiful. I stopped at a rest stop and after visiting the little ladies room I went for a walk. Since Jim insisted I take the camera in case I saw a ship, I took some pictures. (Jim, I will try and find your ship tomorrow, Okay) Here are a few of the pictures I took. The weather is beautiful right now about 80 degrees. I just heard on the news that tomorrow it is supposed ...

You may recall about a week ago I mentioned Gypsy lost her collar (picture above it pre -collar disappearance .) Jim begged and sweet talked the vet and the city gals to get her new tags. So it was my job to get her a new collar, the easy part or so I thought. We went out to find her a new one at Petco , they did not have the kind that she had before so I bought her a choke chain with pretty pink nylon woven through it. Now mind you I did not know the right size since I no longer have her collar because it is probably buried in the back yard somewhere. I got home and it was too small so I took it back to Petco and went to Petsmart to see if they had the kind she wore before. I was in luck they did have one and I thought it was the right size. I also got a new one for Toby since his was getting pretty old. We got home and guess what the one I bought for Gypsy was too big. Uggg !! But then I got an idea! (I know there was smoke coming out my ears) Toby’s collar was adjusted as smallest...

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer sweat and save money or to be comfortable and broke. The ultimate question that must be answered, Jim and I have been toying with it for a while (since we have been back in our house) but it is quite a chunk of change to part with. We are making due with our wall AC and the little one in the bedroom but we were spoiled in California when we had central air. It is not as hot for as long here in Washington but it still gets hot. It was almost 90 this afternoon and it is only May. Yikes!! I would rather spend my money on fun things and baby stuff although Little Miss might like it if her room was not 110 degrees in the summer, Oh the dilemma!! By the way I am feeling better still coughing a bit especially at night but I am so glad to be over the worst of it. Or at least I think I am I guess I will see if I can sleep all night in my own bed. The last couple of nights I have ended up in my chair trying to avoid coughing. He...

The cold has got me. I hate being sick. It seems that I have been sick a lot this year. I am not fond of having my picture taken when I am sick. I think it is because of the above early childhood trauma (tonsillectomy at 2 ½ years old). See how I am trying to smile after having my tonsils out. I just want to know who asked me to smile and how cruel was that? But I was a cute kid, huh? I blame this one on the 6 year olds Jim has been teaching for the last couple of weeks. You know how that teacher developed airborne well I want to be the teachers wife that hits the cold before it gets that far. I have an idea for a disinfectant spray system that the children must walk through before entering the classroom. Jim seems to think the parents might not want their child disinfected. I think it would be an advantage to everyone involved. One year ago I had pneumonia and I worked through most of it because I am stupid stubborn dedicated. But this time I decided to stay home to get some rest be...

I finally did it, I posted pictures of the blankets that I have completed on my Little Miss's Blankets and Stuff blog. That is about all I did today considering that Jim kindly gave me a cold he found at school, so much of the day was spent in bed. Hopefully, I might see some interest in them and I will probably eventually post them on etsy but for now the pictures are there. Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day and check out the blankets if you have time.

I need to write a mother’s day post and I don’t know what to write. Happy Mother’s Day to all you lucky mother’s out there, I just wish it was finally my turn. I know it will be soon so that makes it a little better but it is still a difficult day, I am so ready for macaroni necklaces, plaster of Paris hand prints , and homemade cards that don’t make sense. I am not really down about this holiday just kinda makes me feel homesick, does that make sense? I have been ready for parenthood for years and yet I am still not a mommy. I know I am really closer than ever but that somehow does not make me feel much better. Toby, Gypsy, and Sully are not so much into celebrating the day. They want to take me to the park but I still can’t find a collar to fit Gypsy so that is out. I have bought her 2 and the first one was too small and the next one was too big. Jim suggested we take her to the pet store to get a proper fitting collar but how do you do that without a collar? (Catch 22) We did get he...

Secret Pal you are pretty much busted! The adorable swim suit was the final give away. I will keep your identity to myself until I receive the official reveal but I got you figured out. If you want I will let you in on the clues leading to your discovery. I have been dying to tell you but I was worried you would be upset I figured it out. Everything is so cute it really makes me want Little Miss home so I take her swimming. I am so glad you decided to go the swimming route you are always very creative and come up with the cutest things. Jim would not let me blow up the pool but I did blow up the little pool toys so so cute. He was probably right about never getting it back in the box. A few weeks ago I joined a sock swap organized by LayDfrog . So today when Jim came home with the mail these were in there. They are so cute I can’t wait to see Little Misses little tootsies in those cute socks. Thank you Kim Mintz for the adorable Mary Jane socks.

In case anyone forgets Friday comes after Thursday and thank the Lord!! I am in need of a weekend desperately. I was in a meeting with a potential customer all day and I woke up with a terrible sore throat that nothing seems to sooth. Luckily this particular customer enjoyed talking about his travels and I did not have to talk much. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier and my throat will feel better but at least it is Friday!! I had to buy gas today (really Jim pumped it, thank goodness for husbands that pump gas). I can’t believe it cost $49 dollars to fill my tank. Luckily I can go about 450 miles on a tank. Other than that not much to blog about but Jim was bored with my last post so I thought I better come up with something new. Have a good weekend everyone!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! A little late but it is still the 5th. Hope everyone had a good day.

I am having parenting issues with my oldest son. I really want to kick him out or send him to one of those tough love camps, he is driving me crazy. Last night we gave him a new toy. We had been holding it for a while for a time when we thought he could use a distraction. He has been kept indoors more lately due to the escaping issue, which we may have under control but we have to trust them to test our work so it has not been fully tested yet. So we gave him a lobster, yes, a lobster. Don’t ask me why they make a lobster for a dog toy, but they do and it is cute. So he was carrying the toy around for a while and we kinda stopped paying attention the next thing I know he is begging to get into my lap with a dirty nose. He had apparently taken his lobster out side buried it and then dug it up again and brought it back into the house. Please understand it was rainy all day and our yard was very muddy. Both of us, Jim and myself, had told him not to take it outside, but does he listen? NO...

We got our vacation book today!! Jim and I both love it. It is as good as or better than we thought it was going to be. It came faster than we thought it would, too. We just ordered it last Sunday and it is already here. It is the perfect way to share our wonderful vacation with our friends and family. Also, it was so easy to do. We will definitely do this again it was well worth the money, which really was not that bad. We went through Costco and it was only about $60 for over 300 pictures and we could have put more in but some pages only have one picture. We could have saved ourselves $5 bucks but we sprang for the printed cover and it turned out really good. Here are a couple pics for those of you not lucky enough to see it in person.

10 Years ago today, Jim asked me to marry him. It is hard to believe it has been so long and yet it seems like we have always been married. It is funny how time passes. Thanks for 10 great years, Jim, I can't wait to see what the next 10 bring!!

Tonight after dinner, Jim went out to work on his drop tank and I decided to declare pirate war on the algae that was making it impossible to see fish in Jim’s fish tank, AKA the one that did not leak. A razor blade and a very wet arm was all that was needed to do the job. I got most of it done except for the part around the long spined sea urchin that will have to wait until he decides to move. I don’t know about you but I am not partial to being stung by a long spined sea urchin but if you are partial to that kind of thing feel free to come on over and finish cleaning the glass, I’ll stand by with the hydrogen peroxide. As for the leaky tank, it was taken away by the garbage man on clean up day last week. We set up a temp. tank in the kitchen to rescue the couple corals that survived. We want to eventually get this beautiful set up but it may be awhile to save up the spare cash to do it. Then we have to find a place to put it, we have been actually talking about it for a while. We wa...