Tuesday Tidbits

Last week was a LONG week.  After church on Sunday Kinley started running a fever.  Not long after, she started coughing and her nose started running.  Every day when I would get out of bed I thought for sure that was the day that her fever would be gone.  Nope.  Seven days of fever.  Sunday to Saturday.  Baby girl was pretty much her usual sweet, active self until Wednesday.  By Wednesday she and her body were done.  And I was done.  Super fun week.

Friday Blake and I were downstairs in the kitchen talking about what we were going to do for dinner.  The kids were upstairs playing.  We had pretty much nailed down that fact that neither of us wanted to cook when we heard tiny feet coming down the stairs.  It was Griffin.  In his shirt.  Nothing but his shirt.  Little dude had taken off his diaper and was strutting his stuff. 

Later that night I was up late talking to a friend from California (Rachel, the time difference is killing me!) when I checked Kinley's monitor and saw that she wasn't in bed.  I quickly got off the phone and ran upstairs.  I was so sure Kinley had been kidnapped because she does not get out of her bed.  Not even in the morning.  She waits for us to come get her.  When I got upstairs I found her curled up at the end of her bed, all the way up against the foot board.  It didn't look comfortable but she was sleeping hard.  Whatever floats your boat, sweets.

The next morning Kinley slept until 9:15 am.

New record for her.

Sunday Blake and I took Kinley to Disney Live:  Three Classic Fairy Tales.  It was basically a shortened version of Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle's story.  So fun and Kinley loved it.  But I think the most exciting part of the day is that Griffin stayed with Uncle Chancey and Aunt Morgan and didn't cry once.  Chancey said he didn't even act like he missed us.  And he let Morgan rock him to sleep for his nap.  Awesome!

Week of iPhone Pics

Look what Blake found in a bag we took to Seoul. :)

Kinley loves Pororo.

My monkeys.

Kinley has NEVER slept in our bed.  She did this week.

For two hours Wednesday night.  Sick baby girl.

Sick, sick baby girl.

Kinley is starting soccer in March!

My attempts at craftiness make my head hurt.

But it was worth it. :)

Nice hat, buddy!

Tuesday Tidbits

I stole this Tuesday Tidbits idea from one of my favorite blogs.  I'm going to try to have a Tuesday Tidbits every Tuesday but I'm not promising anything.  The whole reason I'm doing this is because I need to be better at documenting the little funny things my kids say and the small details of our lives.  It is all about the little things, right?  Here goes....

Since we've moved to our new house, Kinley likes to inform us when she sees our house as we're driving down the road that leads to our neighborhood.  Now Griffin has started doing the same thing, but he starts saying "house, house" before he can actually see it.  He has started mimicking Kinley a lot and it's so cute.

On the way home from church on Sunday, Kinley told us her boobie hurt.  I asked her to repeat what she said and sure enough, I didn't misunderstand the first time.  I told her I completely understand and that I was sorry.  What more is there to say, really?

Speaking of church, Griffin stayed in his class the entire service for the first time ever!  And Blake and I were able to both sit through and listen to the message!  I did go check on him about 20 minutes in and his teacher snuck to the door and told me he was doing fine as long as nobody got in his space.  LOL!  I rejoined Blake and finished the service and when I went to pick him up afterwards he was happy and playing with two "choo-choos."  It took nine months for us to get to this place.  Amen to that!

Kinley finally watched Monsters Inc. and enjoyed it.  Monsters Inc. has always been one of my favorite animated movies, and I was so disappointed when Kinley was terrified of it the first time we watched it a couple of years ago.  She actually asked for it the day after we watched it and I happily obliged.

As I said before, Griffin has really started to repeat things his sister says.  Especially some of her more dramatic quotes like "OH NO" as he puts his hands to his face.  It's pretty funny but honestly, I have one drama queen.  I don't need another.

Sometimes I think Griffin would get more rice in his mouth with chopsticks rather than a spoon.

My life came full circle a few days ago when I cuddled with Kinley after her nap and sang her every last word of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (classic rock plays on Kinley's radio during her nap).  My daddy used to rock me and sing Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf.  I absolutely grew up in the wrong decade.  By the way, she giggled and loved every moment of it.  And so did I.

Griffin has finally started saying my name, momma.  Little stinker makes me work for every little thing he gives me.

Oh, How I Love.....

My Keurig!

Sometime before Christmas, Blake and I were doing our big shopping day by ourselves and we decided to get a Starbucks coffee at Barnes & Noble while browsing some books for the kids.  And long story short, I was hooked.  I've had Starbucks before but there was something about that yummy cup.

Blake and I both found ourselves craving our cup of coffee (hot chocolate for Blake, caramel macchiato for me) every morning and Blake was making early morning Starbucks runs.  Everyone knows Starbucks is expensive and it just wasn't making sense to spend $8 three to four times a week.

So, I did a little research, talked to some friends, hem hawed around, and finally purchased possibly my greatest purchase ever.

Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System

I love it!  I love it so much I can't wait to go to bed at night so I can wake up and have my cup of coffee.  Kinda ridiculous, I know, but I LOVE IT!

Korean Lunar New Year

Today is Lunar New Year and I really didn't have much planned.  I knew Blake was going to have a long work day (home at 8:30 pm) so I was really just hoping to survive the day.  Thanks to some helpful adoptive mommas on Facebook, I located some cute dragon mask coloring pages, so not all was lost.

Griffin woke from his nap before Kinley so I took advantage of our one on one time to play dress up. :) It's Lunar New Year!  I had to!

What a handsome guy!

The hanbok was a gift from Griffin's foster mom.  I've seen other kiddos with a hat that goes with their hanbok but Griffin's hanbok didn't come with one.  I wish it had.

After the kids ate dinner we headed upstairs and started coloring the dragon masks.  Actually, I colored the dragon masks while Griffin ate crayons and Kinley told me what color to put where.  That girl is bossy.

 

It was a long day but the kids were great and we survived.  Winning!

iPhone Pics From This Week

Counting pennies.

Oh, my new addiction...more on that later.

Griffin runs to the window when he hears the school bus.

He asked me to!  I promise!

I was happy to celebrate Blake's birthday with cupcakes.

I don't know if you can tell but his hair is in a pony tail.

He didn't ask this time....

The kids love this little house!

I'm A Wannabe

I really really really want to take beautiful photos.  Like, really bad.  I want to look at the photos of our lives in 30 years and see gorgeous pictures.  But it's SOOOOOO hard to take quality photos.  Really.  SO hard.  But I'm working on it and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. 

I have a picture I want to share.  It's quite possibly the best picture I've ever taken.  It's probably not even that great but I love it.  Of course, it's of Kinley so that's the main reason I love it.

The black and white is my favorite.

But the color one is nice too.

I like this picture because her face is in focus and she fills the frame just like I wanted.  And by the grace of God, she doesn't look like she's drunk because her eyes are half closed.  AND she has a natural smile.

Anybody have any photography tips?  Any online, FREE photography classes?  Does anyone know where I can get a super fabulous lens for like $20?  :)

(I really want a new lens!)

Thanks for letting me share.

iPhone Pics Update

Ganging up on daddy.

My sweet boy.

Griffin LOVES books!

Reading Bible stories with my guy.

Started doing 30 Day Shred again last week.  It was ugly.

Griffin's first snow in the U.S.!

Fun at the Science Museum.

Making memories in the country.

Kinley was actually pretty scared of the tractor.

My First Blog Award!

Here are the three rules:

1. thank the person(s) who gave this award to you.
2. list 7 things that people may not know about you.
3. pass it on to 15 other bloggers. (I passed it on to 12)

Thank you to Dana for this fun award!  Dana is waiting (very patiently if you ask me) to bring her cutie, Oliver, home from South Korea.  And here's a fun fact:  Oliver's foster mom is Griffin's foster mom!  How cool is that?!

Ok, now the tough part....seven things you may not know about me.

1. I'm a certified scuba diver.  Actually, I don't know if I'm still certified because I became certified 12 years ago and I don't know if those things expire.

2. My ear lobes are attached.  People make fun of me all the time (shocking since I'm not in HIGH SCHOOL anymore!) so I don't want to talk about it.

3. I love photography and I'm learning more and more all the time.  My goal is to take beautiful pictures of our every day life.  I also really, really want a new lens.  :)

4. When I was a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist.  Yes, I've always lived in land locked Oklahoma.  We can blame Sea World for this one.

5. I always always always need a blanket if I'm on the couch.  Whether I'm lying down or just sitting, I much prefer to have a blanket on me.  It's a security thing.  And I'm cold natured.

6. I don't like to swim in the ocean.  Now, this may make #1 confusing and maybe even #4, but I really hate when things touch me and I can't see what it is.  Like seaweed or tiny, harmless fish or sharks.  All of those are equally creepy.

7. I was Little Miss Firecracker 1986.  Nuff said.

Alrighty!  There ya go!  Now I get to nominate some bloggy friends.

1. Rachel

2. Tracey

3. Leah

4. Christie

5. Dizzy

6. Brittany

7. Becca

8. Cindy

9. Sarah

10. Melissa

11. Amber

12. Kelly 

Oh, How I Love.....

My crock pot! I'm a happy girl when my crock pot has something in it. It means a no fuss dinner and easy clean up for Blake. :) And I love smelling the yumminess all afternoon and love it even more when Blake walks in and says, "Mmmmm. Something smells good!"

My favorite crock pot recipe right now are these delicious Taco Chicken Bowls. Oh my goodness! This recipe is heavenly, and if you love Mexican food you will totally agree.

{I know the word 'heavenly' is usually used when describing desserts, but I love Mexican food how most people love sweets. It's my thang.}

And to make this even better....this is the easiest recipe ever. Here it is.

1.5 lbs chicken breast (I used less but that's just a personal preference)

1 (16oz) jar of salsa

1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained

1/2 lb (8oz) frozen corn

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 cups dry rice

8 oz shredded cheese

fresh cilantro

Dump everything except the rice, cheese and cilantro in your crock pot and stir. Add 1/4 cup of water and make sure chicken is covered. Cook for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Near the end of cooking time, cook the rice. When chicken mixture is done, shred chicken with a couple forks. The chicken should be super tender so this will be easy.

In a bowl, layer rice then chicken mixture then cheese and fresh cilantro. You could also add sour cream or anything else you want on top. I mix mine up and chow down!

Enjoy!

Tickle Spot

iPhone Pics From This Week

Best buds!

I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm nuts!

He's so sweet when he sleeps.  :)

PLEEEEEASE!!!

No.

Super Girl

I'm so proud of my super girl.  More than ever before!  After resisting and resisting and resisting potty training, Kinley finally decided being a big girl isn't so bad and she hasn't had an accident in 2 1/2 days.

I know we're not done with the hard work, but I know it has clicked with her.  She totally gets it and is enjoying her new 'skill'.  And getting candy every time she goes isn't too bad either.

She even did #2 today!  Yay, Kinley!!!

The big test will be with pull-ups at school on Thursday.  I think she'll do great, but we shall see.

New Year - Old Resolution

Even though everyone knows that resolutions are historically really hard to keep, I still love them.  I think I love them so much because they typically come at the beginning of the year, and being the OCD weirdo that I am, I like to start at the beginning. 

This year my big resolution is to get healthy, fit, and lose 15 lbs.  I know, I know.  This is everyone's resolution, but I'm pretty sure all of us could probably benefit from losing a little weight.  You know what I'm saying?! :) Anyway, last year at this time I set out to lose some weight and I did.  Five lbs before we went to Korea and five lbs in Korea.  When I came home from Korea I felt great!  I was down 10 lbs and probably only had 3-5 more that I wanted to lose. 

And then reality set in and Griffin made me very much aware of what my new schedule was.  The kid didn't sleep the first  three months home, day or night.  Before he came home I always worked out while Kinley took her two hour (or longer) nap.  Being up all night with Griffin made me exhausted during the day, and even if I had the energy to work out I couldn't because Griffin took two 20 minute naps per day.  And most of all, with a newly adopted child at home I just couldn't justify taking time for myself. 

So, what did I do to get through the difficult transition that comes with adding a new child to the mix?  I ate, of course!  I wasn't cooking much, so Blake would pick something up on his way home from work.  Made life easy and FAT!  I've gained 11 lbs since Griffin came home almost 8 months ago.  Blah.

So, my plan is to get back on the treadmill and starting doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred again.  Cut the junk food and start eating more fruits and veggies and chicken.  Drink LOTS of water.  And let myself have one Whatever-I-Want-Meal per week.  There's gotta be balance, right?

I'm going to be journaling my weight loss and lifestyle change happenings here on my blog.  Accountability is huge for me so I think this blog will be a good way to keep myself in check.

I have some other resolutions for the new year like being more patient with my kids and husband, trying new things with my kids, and saving saving saving so we can entertain the idea of a third kiddo.  All of my resolutions are things I should work on all the time, not just when a new year rolls around.  I know this and I'm working on it.

Look what I bought yesterday! New running shoes!  Yay!

And on sale!

They are the ASICS Gel - Nerve 33 women's running shoes and I really like them so far.

I've decided that for every three pounds I lose, I get to reward myself with some new workout gear.  I usually workout in Blake's old mesh shorts and an old softball t-shirt, so new workout gear is major motivation for me!

What are your resolutions for 2012???