Outnumbered

Manno

2012-01-26T21:03:00.000-06:00

Introducing our new brother: Manno.

December, 2010:

January, 2011:

May, 2011:

July, 2011:

September, 2011:

December, 2011:

I will write more about the process and our timeline. For now, I'm just busy staring at his picture and trying to figure out how to get through the grocery store with three boys. :)

A new brother!

2012-01-16T12:01:00.001-06:00

It just dawned on me that I have announced this on facebook and never posted about it over here. We are going to be a family of 4! There is a little boy in Haiti who is waiting for a family and there is a family at our house who is waiting for another brother. We are a perfect match!
We have a long wait--probably a year or so--so I am not telling the boys yet. I cannot post his picture or information until his referral is official but once it is, I will be spilling my guts and posting his adorable picture everywhere!

In the meantime, I am trying hard to raise money. I will be doing several fundraisers. This adoption is an enormous leap of faith. I feel very strongly that God has orchestrated this entire process, so far, and will continue to do so. I also know that He will provide the money but I don't expect it to come pouring in without some serious work on my part.

I have designed this Forever Family subway art. I will personalize it with the color, country, name and date of your choice. I will then email you a 16x20 jpg to print however you would like, as many times as you would like. It would be very cute framed in your child's room, printed on canvas, uploaded to your favorite photo site to be printed on notecards, mousepads, mugs, puzzles, etc. It would also be a wonderful present for grandparents. The cost is $15.00. You can email me with your order and details at ruthannefocht at gmail dot com or leave a comment here with your email address. I accept paypal or Chase transfers. You can also send a check and I will email you the jpg once the check has cleared.

I can't wait to give you all more details!

Until then, here is the subway art:

If you have a girl, and you don't like this color, tell me one that you do like. I don't have girls. We like brown, blue and black. ;)

Lego Party!

2012-01-14T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today was Andrew's 5th birthday party and these guys showed up to help him celebrate.

The place settings.

One of the green dots I was painting disappeared from the table this morning. I'm pretty sure Daniel had something (all) to do with it so he got this bag.

The lego heads were filled with lego candy.

Each boy got a 3in1 car to build. They each built the style they liked.

Then they raced them down this ramp.

After the races were over, we had lunch: pizza, carrots with dip, crackers and lemonade.
Daniel loves lemonade the way most people love ice cream.

They each got a lego city book in their treat bag.

Time for cupcakes!

We all sang Happy Birthday to him. Daniel's favorite part was singing, 'cha cha cha' after each line.

Noah. We love this kid.

Daniel ate his cupcake with his whole face. Can you see the sprinkle on his eyelid?

A Kung Fu Panda card with hidden pictures.

I see a lot of Lego building in my future. The problem is that Andrew is going to want to play with them too.

Presto dots!

He loooves Skittles!

Daniel was crying because he didn't have any presents to open and then went over and sat on the sofa. Andrew very kindly offered for him to help open this big present so he wouldn't be sad. It was very sweet.

He loves it!

We all had a great time. And now, Mommy needs a nap.

Five!

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

Guess who turns 5 today!!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!!

We love you!

Got milk?

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-06:00

Bake 'n' Steak

2012-01-02T18:39:00.004-06:00

The boys made a restaurant in their bedroom today and then invited me to come in and see it. They called it the Bake 'n' Steak. (I have no idea why)
They were very proud of their decorations and all the hard work they had done preparing it for business.

The table is set and ready for customers:

Lovey and Clifford are part of the decorations:

Church Mouse was overseeing the front of the house:

Woody--laying down on the job. or maybe he has food poisoning.

I'm hoping this is the back of the house.

Afraid no more

2011-12-29T22:13:00.000-06:00

To think that Daniel used to be afraid of dogs. (he purposely posed like this)

Early birthday celebration

2011-12-28T21:57:00.000-06:00

We had an early birthday celebration with Gramma and Grandad today. Andrew wanted to ride the carousel at the mall and go out for Mexican food. We also snuck in a trip to the movies to see 'Chipwrecked'.

I love that Daniel is now old enough to go to the movies. It's such a fun thing to do as a family.

We went out to a new restaurant that is owned by a Guatemalan family.

The boys had rice and beans, of course.

After dinner, we went home to open presents. Andrew was so nice and wanted Daniel to help him since he didn't have any presents to open.

Legos!

My parents give the boys a train car for every birthday. Soon, they will also start to give them some track and the transformer. By the time they have completely destroyed my Christmas train, they will each have one of their own.

Mater legos.

And then for the big present!

A lego table made by Grandad!

Last, but not least, was cake. We had birthday shoo-fly pie, instead. When in Pennsylvania....

You didn't think he was going to let Andrew have all the fun, did you?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

First Snow

2011-12-17T08:31:00.002-06:00

We woke up to the first snow of the season!

Santa!

2011-12-04T20:58:00.001-06:00

We had cookies with Santa today. Well, Daniel had a cookie with Santa. Andrew was too excited to eat. It was especially fun because our friends Jen and Tari showed up.

We had to wait a few minutes for Santa to get there. Daniel passed the time by eating.

When's Santa going to show up?

Tari and Andrew took pictures of each other.

And then the moment of truth: would Daniel sit on Santa's lap this year?
Ummm...yeah! He didn't even hesitate. (Santa asked if Daniel had ever missed a meal. ha!)

Santa brought the EXACT toy they had asked for at Target yesterday. He's amazing.

It's like a Smurf 'Say Anything'.

Decorating

2011-11-27T22:13:00.001-06:00

We decorated the house for Christmas yesterday and today. The boys could barely stand still while they waited for boxes to be opened and Christmas decorations to be brought out.

The before shot:

Every year, the boys get a nutcracker in their stocking. They were so excited to see each one as I unwrapped them.

Daniel loved pointing to each one and telling us who they each belonged to.

Today, we put on some Christmas music and decorated the tree. They both loved deciding where the ornaments would go and then changing their minds about five times for each one.

Success!

97% Mayan

2011-11-17T18:10:00.000-06:00

100% cute.

Turkey towels

2011-11-10T14:08:00.000-06:00

This craft has been in my head and in my closet since last Thanksgiving. I finally finished it. Not sure why it took a whole year since it's one of the easiest things I've made all year.

We made two sets and sent one to Gramma and Grandad.

Pledge

2011-10-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

On the way to daycare this morning, Andrew asked if I wanted to hear him say his pledge. I assumed he was talking about the Pledge of Allegiance. He then launched into a personal pledge that he learned at school. I had never heard any of it before. He amazes me.

Thumbprint spiders

2011-10-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

Andrew brought this home from school today.

It's already in a frame.

ps...those are pumpkins at the bottom.

Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-15T22:31:00.000-05:00

Apparently, we did not scare off the Berndt family last week because they asked us to go to the pumpkin farm with them today. I broke out of my pumpkin farm rut and agreed to try a different place this year. It was perfect for the kids. There was a ton of stuff for them to do and they all had a blast.

Playing around with some actions from Rita at The Coffeeshop Blog.

Getting the three of them to look the same way at the same time is nearly impossible.

It's the granddaddy of all inflatable slides.

Spooky neighbors.

The closest they'll ever get to being Spiderman.

Andrew saw this and begged to climb it. It's a dream come true for a child who could climb before he walked.

This was as far as he got. Not bad for a 4 year old.

Then they tackled the inflatable obstacle course. Andrew and Noah went through it about 20 times.

After that, we took a tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were pretty picked over and the ones that were left were not in great shape.

Teamwork:

There was a great playground with fun things to climb on that were all made of wood. Bob and Larry were even there.

He was so happy to finally be able to drive the bus.

The child who ran in terror from dogs when he first came here from Ethiopia, now begs to pet cows.

I tried to think of something witty to write for this picture but I think it speaks for itself.

Apple picking

2011-10-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

From the time I was eleven, I lived in southwestern MI. (I'd show you where on my hand but you probably can't see me from where you are).

One of my best friends lived on an apple farm and our idea of apple picking was grabbing one out of the big wooden bins on our way to the car. 'Those Chicago people' were the ones who paid money to go pick their own apples. Tourists.

And now, I'm one of them. I'm one of those Chicago people who drives an hour and pays money to pick my own apples. And guess what? It was fun. Of course, there was more to it than just picking apples. There was a train and animals and cider and a hayride and a straw maze and donuts! And by the time we actually got to part where we picked apples, we were so tired and sweaty that it was not the funnest (yep. I said funnest) part of our day.

We left early and rode with our friends Scott, Barb and Noah. The boys are becoming great friends and they love hanging out together.

The pig's houses were made to look like the Three Little Pigs.

The three of them stayed in the maze for at least 20 minutes. We had to drag them out of there.

Daniel L.O.V.E.S. Noah.

If these three ever get their hands on a car, we're all in big trouble.

Bad time for my camera to accidentally switch to manual focus.

Fourth Family Day

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

Can you believe that this adorable little 8-month-old chunkster...

is now this handsome 4.5 year old?

Andrew's Family Day is today but we celebrated on Sunday. The only thing he wanted was to see the dolphin show at the zoo. I love how much he loves animals. It's so fun to watch his excitement.

Daniel was enjoying himself but didn't want anyone to know it. He is a 3 year old boy with the attitude of a 13 year old girl.

The dolphin show did not disappoint.

After the show, we grabbed a quick lunch and then went to see some more animals.

The seals were hanging out with their trainers and we got to see them catching fish and giving high fives.

The boys touched a bear's coat.

And this guy made some really funny faces for us.

Last night, we went out for rice and beans and some fried ice cream.

Before bed, Andrew told me, "I have another heart in my body, mama, and it's you."

Me too, buddy. Me too.

Beautiful eyes

2011-09-22T20:44:00.002-05:00

Andrew has been at home sick for two days. He still felt good enough to pose for Mommy, though.

ECE

2011-08-25T21:52:00.001-05:00

Daniel will be attending preschool this year to get some help with his speech (and possibly his nasty little habit of falling down a lot). Today was the meet and greet with his teacher and classroom assistants. He was nervous about going until he saw the classroom. The teacher has a flashlight! And it's just sitting out for anyone to use! I bet she doesn't even nag him about leaving it on and wearing down the batteries like someone at home does. He loved playing in the classroom and is sort of excited about riding the big-boy bus tomorrow. He would be a whole lot happier if 'my drew' could go with him, though.

Flowers for his teacher:

Pirate's Cove

2011-08-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today is our last official day of summer vacation and I surprised the boys with a trip to Pirate's Cove. We've never been there before but we will definitely be going back. It was the first time that Daniel has been able to do everything on his own and be one of the 'big boys'. It made it more fun for both of them.

It's just hair

2011-08-09T15:55:00.011-05:00

There are a lot of terrible things going on in the world today and a bad haircut should not be my main focus right now but it is. Daniel had his first 'real' haircut today and it was much more traumatic for me than it was for him. I was crystal clear in my desire for him to keep his long, beautiful curls. I only wanted it to be evened out so that we were no longer getting this look (although he can rock a tank top):

I even reminded her several times of my desire for his hair to stay long. Apparently, she had her own ideas.

I should have taken him right then and made a run for it.

Oh. Look at those gorgeous curls...

Why is this picture blurry? Because my hands were shaking. That's why.

1st Game!

2011-08-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

The boys played their first official team game today. I've been trying to prepare them for the difference between practice and a game. Every time I mentioned soccer this week, Daniel would yell, "I KICK!"

I was amazed at how well they did. Daniel is still a little young to be a contributing part of the team but he rocks at practices! It took a little while for Andrew to figure out what he was expected to do but once he understood it, he was all in!

Put me in coach!

Tough guys.

When Daniel found out that not everyone gets a soccer ball like they do at practice, he was MAD.

All that time spent running up and down our hallway is starting pay off.

Good stop!

Run to second! Run to second! oh. sorry. wrong sport.

This was so funny. Andrew kept putting his hands together like he has seen Batman (circa 1960's) do before he fights. He came over to the sidelines and told me in a very proud voice that he was putting his arms and moving the other kids out of the way.

Bringing it back in.

Andrew had to do this several times. It was amazing how he knew exactly when Daniel fell. He would immediately stop what he was doing in the game, help him up and give him a hug. He could stink at every sport he tries but if he is kind to his brother I will be the proudest parent on the sidelines.

Brotherly team work:

These crack me up--synchronized soccer.

Good game!

We celebrated the first game with a slurpee and a trip to the park.

Is it wrong that I take my kids to specific parks in the afternoon because I know the light will be good there?

He is one tired little boy.

Culture Camp 2011

2011-07-31T21:59:00.003-05:00

This weekend, we attended Ethiopian Culture Camp in Lake Geneva, WI. I was excited to see our single mommy friends and possibly meet some new people. The boys were excited to play outside all day.

Helping his brother climb--

Andrew tried to relive his childhood (the one where he hated baby swings and screamed at the sight of them) and found out that they're still not his favorite thing.

Apparently, seeing his brother's arm break in half after jumping from high places did not have the same effect on him that it had on me.

Daniel had hair envy when he saw her curls:

This little beauty is Andrew's cousin. Ok, they're 5th cousins but that still counts, right? They were so cute together. They never called each other by name--they just kept calling each other, 'cousin'.

Abel is not easily amused.

I can't take enough pictures of this handsome boy.

This was the best I could do from the one, small shady spot I found. I'll get better pictures of them on another day--when it isn't so hot.

The boys were in heaven because I let them carry bottles of water around with them and didn't even care if they poured it on their heads.

He's spiderman (this week).

This woman gave a demonstration on how to make injera and almost convinced me that I could actually make it myself.

She's a pro!

We went back to the hotel and did a little swimming since there was a nap boycott going on in our room.


You're probably wondering what he's thinking here. I'm sure it was something like, "WOW! I can't believe my mom brought me swimming even though I refuse to sleep or follow most of the directions she gave me today. She's the BEST mom in the whole wide world!"

Our group of friends:

Cute cousins:

Ador-ABEL

Someday, Andrew will hate me for telling this story but he's going to hate me at some point anyway so I may as well entertain you til then.

A few weeks ago, we went to a party with other families who have adopted from Ethiopia. M'aza taught the kids some Ethiopian dances. Andrew loved the dancing but more importantly, he loved the dance teacher. When he saw her at camp, he yelled and ran right up to her. On Saturday night, M'aza was dancing with some of the kids and Andrew found a flower that he wanted to give her. He wanted me to go up with him but that sort of help could come back to bite us in his teen years so I encouraged him to go give her the flower on his own. He finally got up the courage to approach her but on his way over, he kept stopping to giggle uncontrollably. It was the cutest thing.

She loved the flower and quickly put it in her hair (which I later had to explain to him was a good thing)

And then, the big pay-off:

Soccer!

2011-07-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first night of soccer practice for the boys. They have been so excited to wear their new shin guards and suit up in their long socks and soccer shorts. They acted as if they had been to soccer practice a hundred times before. They listened to the coaches and tried to follow all of their directions. Daniel watched Andrew intently the whole time and tried to do everything exactly the same way that Andrew did it. It was so fun to watch them experience something new together for the first time.

First, they did some warm-up stretches:

They were given some directions and then they ran up and down the field practicing their 'stay inside the white lines' and 'stop when I yell stop' skills.

This one is fuzzy but I love the look of excitement on his face.

Daniel's favorite part was clapping for himself.


If that was a basketball, this would be a great move.

Next, they practiced weaving through the cones:

or in Daniel's case, running-over-as-many-cones-as-you-can-while-never-touching-the-ball-with-your-feet:

Noah and Andrew:

They both got a few pointers from the coaches,

and then they all played a quick scrimmage. (sort of)

They did a little bit of this

and then ran some sprints (forward, backwards, and sideways).


I love soccer!

Everyone huddled up and yelled, "Go Cougars!"

Fountains with friends

2011-07-20T22:20:00.004-05:00

Today was jam-packed with FUN (and photos, apparently). Our friends, the Santilli's, are in town and we've been driving into the city every day to hang out with them.

We got downtown in time for lunch so we went to the Rock n Roll McDonald's near their hotel.

Logan loved the Rock N Roll McDonald's.

Cutie-pie Devon:

After lunch, we drove to Millenium Park to play in the fountains. The kids had a blast!

What's he looking at?

This!

He's not hurt. He's getting undivided attention from the big kids.

Daniel spent a lot of time 'diving' into the water.

And then laying in the water.

Waterlogged.

These two are becoming such good friends. I love watching their relationship grow.

While the kids dried off a little bit, we walked over to the Bean.

Tired beyond words.

When we left Millenium Park, we grabbed some Portillo's and headed to Buckingham Fountain for a picnic dinner. A huge fog had just rolled in and we could barely even see the top of the fountain for a while.

A full day

2011-07-13T22:28:00.031-05:00

We left our house at 8:30am today and returned at 8:30pm. That's a great day!

Andrew had two cavities filled today with NO novacaine. He never even flinched. He's my hero. It seemed wrong to snap pictures of him so you'll have to take my word for it. I can never let him see me in the dentist chair. Not that I actually go to the dentist but if I did, I wouldn't let him see what a mess I am.

Next we went to the park. No pictures of that either. How many pictures can I really take of my kids at the park?

Then lunch and then on to the zoo. Apparently, I'm not the entertainment genius I thought I was because about a thousand other people had already thought of going to the zoo today and it was crazy crowded. Don't people have to work?

I'm in love with the giraffes. I tried not to take many pictures of them but I couldn't help myself. They're beautiful.

They shaved the camels! Poor things look ridiculous.

Nothing cools you off on a hot day like a dumbbell full of icee.

After the zoo, we stopped by Jill and Peter's for some barbeque, bouncy house and bubbles.

He does not even sit still long enough to eat ice cream.

He might be related to the giraffe.

One in each hand. She's my kind of girl.

She is so sweet to the boys. She played with Daniel for a long time; patiently making bubbles for him to pop.

Featured!

2011-07-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year, I joined an online photography group. My reason for joining was to learn as much as I possibly can and to push myself a little each week to try something new. I have SO much to learn but unlike math, this learning is fun. Today, I went over the MCP blog to see the 10 featured photos from this week's theme and there was my photo! I am so excited! The theme this week was 'Nature's Finest'. I chose to take a picture of some Queen Anne's Lace because they remind me of growing up next to a huge field where we used to play (before I knew about things like mice and snakes).

Here's my photo:

Fireworks!

2011-07-03T23:09:00.001-05:00

I love fireworks!! I'm so glad that my boys love them too.

The Daniels family came over and we had some holiday treats. Then we headed down to the park to watch the show.

The kids chased fireflies for a while and oohed and aahed every time they set off a practice shot. They were all so excited they were practically vibrating by the time the show started. And once it did, they all sat perfectly still watching and enjoying them.

Happy 4th!!

Magic Shot

2011-07-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

I have a policy of no guns in this house.

Correction: I used to have that policy until my boys turned every single thing into a gun. It's in their DNA. The Y chromosome contains some nasty stuff: hairy legs and armpits, truck noises, scratching, burping, wrestling, and guns.

A friend of mine told me the other day that he got some great advice and used it with his son. He bought him a gun. Not a real gun. A water pistol. His son 'shot' everything in the house for about 3 days (relax. there was no water in the gun at the time) and then the obsession slowed down. So I decided to try it. And while I was shopping for a small, plastic water pistol, I came across an item that would not only satisfy their need to shoot and make me 'Mommy of the Year', but would also give me something really fun to do with them (since I'm all out of trio block tower ideas): The Magic Shot. and here's the best part. It was $4.00! ok...$3.98 but then you add the 9.75% sales tax that we pay around here and round down to get $4.00.

I've been saving it for a 'rainy day'--which we've had a ton of, by the way--and today seemed like the day. I brought it out for Andrew to play with after Daniel had gone down for a nap. I figured he could play uninterrupted for a few hours before being forced to share. And guess what? He LOVES it. He played with it for an hour straight and only looked up a few times to say, "Mama. I love you."

Now maybe we can put the ladders back on the firetrucks where they belong instead of using them to shoot each other.

Bring on the water!

2011-06-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

Now that Daniel's pesky cast is off, we can start having some summer fun in the water! We went to the sprinkler park today and as I was taking pictures of the boys I couldn't help but think about how much they have changed since last summer.

A year ago I had two chubby little toddlers:

Now, I have two tall boys who are growing way too fast.

Daniel last year during one of his first trips to a sprinkler park:

Daniel now. A seasoned pro in the water.

Some kids bring buckets to the sprinkler park.

Mine bring starbucks cups.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Imagine that cup is a football. :)

This was one of Andrew's favorite activities yesterday:

He wanted to get his cup to shoot up like a rocket in the water. He spent a while problem-solving it.

Success!

Switcharoo

2011-06-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

It is rare that I can get both boys to look at the camera at the same time, let alone smile. Actually, it is rare that I can get Daniel to look at the camera and smile. So, I've been working on my head switching technique.

This picture

plus this picture

equals this picture!

Bees

2011-06-27T21:50:00.001-05:00

I love bees. I love my camera. I love taking pictures of bees with my camera.

Ethiopian Dance Party!

2011-06-25T23:07:00.001-05:00

We went to a great party tonight with families who have children from Ethiopia. It makes me seem much less crazy when I can say that I've met people in real life rather than having so many on-line friends. After dinner, we (and by 'we', I mean everyone except several of the less rhythmic adults) got a lesson in Ethiopian dancing. I wanted to dance. I'm a fantastic dancer. But someone had to take pictures.

Daniel wanted nothing to do with the dancing. Andrew, on the other hand, was fantastic. All that time spent shrugging his shoulders at me really paid off tonight. He was very serious about learning exactly how to do it.

Even when he had stopped dancing and went back to playing, he couldn't stop dancing. The rhythm is gonna get ya.

And this is how my little Habesha spent his time while everyone else danced.

Happy Fatherbirthday, Dad-Dad!

2011-06-19T22:16:00.002-05:00

Today is not only Father's Day but it is also my dad's birthday. The boys and I had a great time planning a special baseball themed celebration for him. Andrew was giddy when I showed him all the things we were going to have at the party.

We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs (the boys each ate two hotdogs. piggies) and had potato salad, soft pretzels and cracker jacks.

After dinner, we ate blueberry baseball muffins and vanilla ice cream served in Phillies batting helmets.

The Birthday Boy

Then came the gifts. We love gifts! We gave Grandad a soda six-pack of fun treats that he likes: cashews, pistachios and, of course, coffee.

My dad loves puns so I made labels that contained puns using the snack words.

We are "Nuts" about you

We've "bean" missing you

We love you "cashew" are funny

We also gave him a coffee mug with this picture on it:

It was a great party. I think we really hit it out of the park.

(that one was for you, Dad.)

Puppy Party!

2011-06-18T21:18:00.004-05:00

Today was Daniel's 3rd birthday. We threw a puppy party for him and he loved it!

Gramma and Grandad were here for the week so they got to participate (read: put out all the food and clean it all up) too. Grandad painted the boys' faces and turned them into adorable little puppies.

One naughty little puppy refused to look at the camera

They even panted like puppies:

Three of his friends came over for the party. We held it in the morning so everyone could go home and nap afterward (because no one likes a grumpy puppy).

First, they each got to choose a basket, pillow and stuffed dog.

Sam was a little nervous about the face painting but he did strike a few poses for us.

Genevieve and Quentin are cute enough to almost make me consider the whole baby thing again. Almost.

Then they colored some cute paper dogs using dog bone crayons.

After that, they decorated their placemats with dog stickers.

Lunch was dog bone sandwiches and some toddler 'sides': teddy grahams, chips, jicama, pretzels.

Instead of cake we had ice cream and dog bone cookies served in plastic dog bowls. Daniel and Andrew both licked their bowls clean. Really.

We had a great time and Daniel now thinks that he's a big dog. :)