Ok so I am not all there with the vlogging yet and as you well know I am not exactly very good at it BUT some friends of mine have been begging asking for me to do a Monday Mingle for awhile now. Anyway this weeks Monday Mingle over at EightymphMom is for couples and well since you all almost NEVER hear from Aaron here you go (I read the questions and we answered, and God love him Aaron was dead set honest):

I recorded this in the smallest size, sorry and I was a little afraid to redo it for fear of the even more honest answers! I hope that you enjoy and visit EightymphMom and her mclinky for more fun!

So it was just what two or three weeks ago that I wrote about how my kids had so few words…can they read because the words have exploded in the last few weeks. Maybe I am the only one who can understand – but Aaron can as well! They say so many things now I know that I will not get them all out here….things like mama, dada, ot oh, ball, baseball, pretty, poopy, sissy, dog, cat, papa and so many more I am forgetting. Every day there is a new word almost always thanks to Mickey Mouse or the Imagination Movers! Oh yeah and they have yet to find the volume control….most of their talking is done VERY loudly and to each other but at least I know where they are at any given time!

Also, the imagination…they are both showing that they could be very creative little toddlers — which means if they work together I am in BIG BIG trouble! And Little Princess can sew let me tell you! She may be 2 but if that girl even thinks she hears the sewing machine and I hear her little feet running to the dining room where the machine is kept pulling her chair up to sit net to me while I sew! I wish I didn’t take most of the pictures in the house because this is a memory I would love to have living outside of my head instead of just in it!

We have also let them watch their first and second full length Disney movies. Aaron had never seen Toy Story and so we thought it would make a great family movie night film and they were RIGHT there – pizza, chips, popcorn and Toy Story! They absolutely loved it! It really was as if their toys had come to life and they even stayed up late for the whole thing! (Aaron and I watched Toy Story 2 after they went to bed!) Then the next night they would not let the Mater shorts on Disney go so we decided to try Cars…seriously that went over better than Toy Story. I have never seen them sit still for so long well if you don’t count getting up every few minutes to touch the screen when Lightning McQueen came on. Seriously BOTH of them could not love Lightning McQueen more… speaking of which Little Princess has her very first piece of material for her fabric stash.

Ok so this is a funny story…I took Little Princess with me to the fabric store to pick out the fabric for another of my creations and she refused to ride in the cart. I was looking at fabric and next thing I know she is not pushing the cart and she is screaming with delight, she found Mickey fabric. I got her away only to realize she had turned around into fabric with all of the characters from Cars on it. Seriously it is BAD (pictures of the crazy fabric at the end) but she would NOT let it go. So I was on a serious budget and so I had to call her dad and say “YOUR daughter and her cars” he got and and said sure get her a yard (it was on sale). Little Princess sat on the cutting table as they cut the yard of fabric and I was trying to figure out what I would do with it, when another customer said to me “I think she has her first piece of material for her stash” and I chuckled, handed Little Princess the newly cut fabric and she was happy as lark the rest of the time in the store! I still don’t know what to do with this fabric any ideas are welcome…otherwise at the age of 2 the girl has her first piece of material for her stash!

It was not a week later when all of us (yes the whole family) were in my FAVORITE fabric store in town…owned by the 3 cutest older women in town, anyway Little Man has a current obsession with “baball” better known as baseball – this obsession started during the world series that he watched with his daddy and now I am stuck trying to find games that are on tv (have I mentioned that I H-A-T-E baseball). So I am stuck trying to get him to like “ftball” better known as football until I get to watch my beloved college basketball on tv….I am trying. This boy and his sports….his daddy should be over the moon Anyway he saw “baball” fabric and his daddy said she has hers, he should get his so he has “baball” fabric! I will have a MUCH easier time using his “baball” fabric….trust me

I think that about covers things lately here….

(Designed and made these…from piles of fabric….look for more to come)

(appliquéd these…)

You can find more at Cutest Baby on the Block!

So I know what I am getting for Christmas, I have known for months. I had to do a lot to put it all into play but I am VERY VERY VERY excited about this! Aaron is upgrading my camera, yep he is upgrading my camera to a Nikon d90! My excitement has been through the roof for months and recently I concluded the deal to be able to keep my d60 until I have the d90 in hand! (My best friend from high school is beyond excited as she will be getting my d60 as a gift from her hubby….she knows about this so I can put it out here!)

Anyway I will not be receiving my d90 until the New Year (I have to wait for hubby’s year end bonus – it is this way every year for my Christmas gift, he will tell me about it before and then purchase it for me when the bonus comes in) but I have been trying to make my Christmas list for the rest of those who want one. Let’s just say that much of it has to do with photography, like $$$ so I can go to the Nikon photography school in April in Chicago or May in St. Louis, Photoshop elements, a number of lenses, and so much more! I like to put a lot on my list so I am surprised when I get the gifts! I will also be saving my own pennies to purchase these things as well (well after Christmas – I like to purchase cool Christmas gifts for friends and family so starting with Christmas $$$)

So I have been reading a lot about photography…and I saw this really cool idea and I think I am going to steal it! Starting Thanksgiving day until the New Year I am going to try to take pictures of what happens everyday leading up to Christmas. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday ever and this could be a great way to document all the changes during the season! I have a few pictures already in my head – like the lights in the park down the street! But this will also force me to get out of auto mode more often and to check out light and compose some really good pictures! I am hoping I learn a lot during this time! So keep watching and I will post a picture or two of the preparations every day….I am excited to keep learning and try to get me prepared for a great Christmas gift!

(because a few days ago the only pictures were of her — here are some I LOVE of him)

Over the last few weeks I have made some major decisions, decisions that had you told me a year ago I would be making now I would have laughed you out of the room. Let’s just say that I am giving up one thing to try another and so that I can continue to stay home with my kids. I never thought I could be this educated as a a stay at home mom but I am and there is nothing I can do about it now. Currently Aaron and I are discussing when I will tell the kids how educated I am as I don’t want either of them to go down the road I have if it is not what they really want – but at least the journey to get to where I am at now was interesting and never dull!

That said – I am a little lonely now. I didn’t realize I could be surrounded by 2 year olds ALL day and be so alone. So Aaron and I have been talking about things I could do to get more involved in some mom groups, because well I am not fun to live with when I get so little adult interaction and I would hate to wear out the ONE friendship I have from around here.

So recently my local Mothers of Multiple club started to look for new officers and other things. Aaron tried to encourage me to be a part of this BUT I could not bring myself to do it…why you ask, I am raising multiples. Yeah that is true, but see I don’t feel like I belong – I have no pregnancy story, I have no idea what it is like in the NICU (though the twins spent 4 months there), I have no idea how to breast feed twins or even try to, I don’t even know what the first year with them was like, the part I consider the hard part with twins is a complete mystery for me…I was not their mother then, these amazing Korean women all had that pleasure. Those three women belong, not me. They all had that experience and could be a new mom coordinator but not me even though I would love to meet those women who are about to get the joy of multiples in their life.

Once I came to terms with it, being infertile has not been a big issue, matter of fact I could care less anymore. I love that I get the wonderful miracle of twins and none of the stretch marks, morning sickness, etc… I love that my friends can get pregnant and have children and that I too can increase the size of my family so many different ways. I love that my children have the luxury of TWO cultures that will love them, two languages that they get to learn, two completely different types of food, two countries that they can go to, diversity as far as the eye can see and so much more that absolute fascinated me as a child (and I dreamed about having) and best of all they really do have more than one set of parents to love them no matter how little the other sets get to see them…I mean what child could not use more love in their lives! These things make them amazing little people and some day amazing big people but those are the same things I don’t get to talk about at any of these mom clubs I belong to.

See when I go to these groups everyone talks about how their pregnancy was, what it was like during that first year and so much more (especially when I am lumped with other mothers of two year olds) that when I am asked I have to say “well here is what we were told” which is great BUT leads to more questions than I want to answer – like what do you know about their parents, how much did the adoption cost, etc… Yes I have pat answers but sometimes you just want to talk about the other aspects – like the seizures they thought Little Princess had just days before we were to travel and I could not be there to hold her and how scary that was or how about the roller coater that we were on before the twins came along, or how many times we had to be fingerprinted even though our fingerprints never changed. There is no one to talk to about how to deal with the stupid questions and stares you get when your children are obviously Asian and you are obviously NOT (usually from some of them) – I know so few stay at home moms around here who are also adoptive moms (plenty of adoptive moms just not ones who stay home), matter of fact I know ONE and she lives 45 minutes one way away and it takes months to schedule visits because our kids have such different schedules.

Not that pregnancy or adoption should define me as a mom and I hope as my kids get older – the experiences I have define me as a mom not the adoption.   I hope you will bear with me as I figure out where I am headed and how to get there and work through some of my feelings as an adoptive parent trying to fit in (and figure out how to help my kids as well because if I am having this problem as the parent — I can only imagine the feelings they will have as they grow up….)

(she wanted to wear my glasses….)

(and just cause I like it)

So it is that time of year again…I am taking pictures over the next couple of weeks for Christmas and family who received pictures last year. The plan is to make a book like I did last year and let them choose again only this year there will be all kinds of smiles to choose from as well as a few others! (For my mom: yes their outfits match, yes I asked for it that way and yes I realize that when I was younger I SWORE I would never do that to my kids….) For everyone who wants to know their outfits are made by Rare Editions and were not easy to find, but thankfully my mother-in-law was on board with helping me do just that so we were able to have them for pictures AND Thanksgiving! So Help round one (and thanks in advance):

Tell me which of the following pictures are your favorites (I have mine but I am not telling!):

Little Princess:

Little Man:

Together:

Are you adopting? Want to adopt one day? Been through an adoption and survived that crazy wait — you know the one from the start of the adoption to the moment that adoption is final in your mind and the child is in your arms (even if a court has not said so yet). Well then join me Monday October 26th to talk about that wait — I want to hear from people in all stages of the wait and from those who have been there done that!

I know you are out there — I went through that wait with so many of you and am still suffering through the wait with others! SO please come, you don’t have to get on camera, I will do all the talking and/or reading (I read some of the things going on in the chat room). Come and be a lurker and don’t log in (it is ok I promise!) to learn tips or find out what got me through!

So if I have convinced you to come and try it out — to watch at least! Come here at 9 p.m. EST Monday October 26, 2009 and then click on this button:

You will then see my absolutely beautiful face (hehe) and get to listen to me and anyone else who is on webcam! Please come and support me!

For this month I have teamed up with that amazing group of women I talk to most of the day everyday to join in a Breast Cancer Awareness month campaign. Each day one of us writes a “How do you PINK?” post. You can find our schedule below. You can help by stopping by everyone’s blog and joining on our MckLinky with your “How do you PINK?” post.

Mondays: Momma’Tudes
Tuesdays: Jen Hinton.com
Wednesdays: Scraps of My Geek Life
Thursdays: Faith, Hope, and Love
Fridays: Cheryl Budge.com & Childhood Clothing
Saturdays: Bantering Blonde
Sundays: A Busy Mommy

So this week I am writing about a very special woman, Ann L., my best friend from college’s mom and I have a picture or two of Ann but I cannot find them and this was before digital so they are actual pictures.

When I was in college I had joined a sorority and during my sophomore year rush I met the most amazing freshman ever! She became the little sis of another friend of mine and somehow it took a little under a year for the two of us to become the best of friends. I went to college in this tiny little town and Sarah’s parents lived in the closest big town, only 15 minutes away! By junior year I was going to Sarah’s parent’s house almost every Sunday for dinner — I had become so much a member of the family that I had my own things I had to do to get the dinners ready! I really felt like a member of her family even going as far as meeting her brother and sister’s dates!

When I graduated from college, I had spent my last semester of college studying in Washington DC and so I had no where to stay for senior week until Sarah’s family offered to let me stay there. I did but during that stay there was a tornado sighting near the town they lived in and so Sarah, her parents and I headed to the basement where her mom kept everyone calm and called to check on her siblings at work. Ann was amazing and so much fun to hang out with!

Sarah graduated the next year from college and took a job that required her to live further from home, by the time she took a job that left her in one place she had settled in Ohio. I believe it was around that time that her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I cried with Sarah and tried to visit with Ann as much as possible. Ann had her good days and her bad but it really seemed as if she was winning the battle, matter of fact I am pretty sure they said she was in remission at least once. Then there was the news that the cancer had spread to her bones but they assured her family that it could be controlled.

Ann still did so many things, she lived her life. Then one day Sarah called and things were going down hill. She was taking family medical leave from work and going home to help care for her mom. Less than a week later we were all surrounding her family – and by all I mean everyone who knew Sarah and her family – Ann had touched everyone in such great ways and sometimes it was just how she raised her children. One month after her mom’s passing, Sarah’s sister got married without her mom but Ann had helped plan the wedding until the day she passed. On October 10th, 2009 Sarah got married without her mom as well…this weekend we will travel to Ohio for Sarah’s wedding reception (she had a destination wedding) where I am sure I too will miss Ann again.

Ann would tell you to get checked she always did and to always do your self exams and fight to the end. But the advice Ann would give to any of you is live your life everyday don’t let anything get you back, you never know when it may be your last day.So today I wear pink for Ann and my Aunt and my Grandma and all of those who had to suffer from this terrible disease.

Tomorrow’s How do you PINK? posts will be at two blogs Cheryl Budge.com& Childhood Clothing.

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here to see instructions and get the code…

(Ok so I am LATE but better late than never!)

Little Man….maybe the next Tiger Woods:

And I think Little Princess’ shirt says it all, especially lately:

Just in case you cannot read it:

Her favorite place to play (yes she is under the car/train/craft table):

And the best $7 I ever spent (she loves this toy in so many ways – to carry around the animals in the case, to play with them on the mat, to pretend play with the animals, etc…)

And finally….I thought she was too young to be this into American Girl — seriously this is her favorite “book” right now….it is torn though because she and her brother battle over it: