Magsam's Holler

Winter Happenings

2010-01-04T12:54:00.003-06:00

Snowy Tricycle 1/4/10

These eyes get me every time ;)

First haircut/trim 1/2/10--I think Jacobi is wondering if his daddy knows what he's doing :P

First haircut/trim 1/2/10

I know I'm behind and probably never will get completely caught up...but here's a bit of "news" anyway. :P

We enjoyed traveling to visit family over the holidays. Ryan took the boys & I to meet my sister Tasha on the morning of Christmas Eve and we spent the next two days with my family in MO. I don't have pictures because, well, I was a *bit* busy with both boys and no husband for a couple of days. :P Ryan had to work. He drove up to join us late Friday night and we left for Iowa the next morning early. Unfortunately, Jacobi had a virus and was sick a lot of the time which meant he wasn't his usual happy self. :(

We spent Saturday afternoon-Tuesday morning with Ryan's sister Cheri & her family in Iowa. Their parents were also there for a couple days, so it was good to spend time with everyone. 4 boys in the house made for a busy few days but they had lots of fun together!

Now it's a brand new year--hard to believe it's 2010! Our foster son has been out of preschool for 2 weeks over the holidays and today is a snow day with all the local schools closed. We're all ready for preschool to start again and get back into a routine. It will be a new routine since Ryan's work schedule has changed as of this week. He will now work Monday-Thursday and have every Fri-Sun off!!! I'm excited about the more "normal" schedule, but know it will be an adjustment for me, too since it will mean getting both boys out on Mondays and Tuesdays to make Preston's appointments instead of leaving Jacobi home with Ryan. It will also limit my availability for tutoring on weekdays. It will definitely work, though, especially when Ryan's home on Saturdays. :)

Well, I can't believe I've gotten this much typed with minimal interruption so I'd best stop while I'm ahead. Happy New Year to all! :)

Thanksgiving Week

2009-12-02T09:09:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving week was a busy one, but it was wonderful! My sisters, brother (in-law), and nephews came and we had a great, crazy, noisy, rambunctious, food-filled time. :) Here are just a few pictures...

Jacobi loved playing in the leaves as much as the older boys--they were throwing leaves and he wanted in on the action too, of course. :)

This was the planned bath after our foster son's birthday party--lots of red icing to be cleaned off. :P

This was Jacobi's second bath--totally his own idea of course. Water left in tub + 1.5 seconds + busy boy=boy dressed in pajamas in bathwater getting 2nd bath of the night. (and one annoyed mama who couldn't help but laugh anyway)

Xander, P (foster son), & Kingston loving the leaf pile

P's birthday cake--a firetruck! It's not perfect, but I am still quite impressed that my usually un-artistic self managed to pull it off...and it tasted yummy, too! I'll also admit that it was quite fun, especially when the birthday boy can't stop talking about it and was totally thrilled with it...except he kept asking it if could move since it had wheels...hmmmm, now isn't that asking a bit much?! ;P

and a few more pictures...

2009-11-04T14:42:00.003-06:00

Loving these beautiful fall days!

wanting to be independent with eating...we're working on it!

Spaghetti makes me happy!!!

hmmm...maybe this birthday thing is okay after all ;)

Oh my...I'm a bit of a mess!

1st Birthday

2009-11-04T14:06:00.003-06:00

One-handing his bday banana muffin
Not sure about this blowing out the candles thing, but that light sure is neat.

Playing with Papa

That's It! I'm off to Grandma's...

With Mimi & Papa on Sunday

Wow--how did I get so far behind on the blog again? Don't know why I even try to keep it up really...I'm thinking about just letting it go. If you can think of a reason why I shouldn't, please leave it in the comments so I can consider it. :) If you're on Facebook, you see most of the same pictures as here anyway...but maybe we have several readers who aren't on FB and then I can see that I might need to keep it going. :)

Anyway...Jacobi turned 1 a week ago! We can't believe that our little 7#8oz bundle of joy is now hovering somewhere near 25# and almost 3 ft. tall and has been the center of our attention for a whole year already! He's still a bundle of joy, of course--and also energy! He loves to eat, thinks it's incredibly fun to play in the toilet water, loves anything with wheels and can now make a car noise, loves to be outside, and has the cutest laugh I've ever heard. :) Of course there's more, but I don't want to take all day writing this...I only have a limited amount of time while he's happy in his high chair. :P His latest antic was to lose the tracker ball to the computer mouse here in the office...it has simply disappeared. We searched everywhere and it hasn't shown up yet, but maybe it will yet. We got a wireless mouse instead so he can lose the whole thing. :P No, now we can put it up on the shelf above the computer where he can't reach it when we're not using it. He can still reach the keyboard which makes doing anything on the computer when he's awake almost impossible unless he's contained somewhere else. I'm not complaining, though, because I know these days will be past all too soon and I'll be wishing he wanted to be right next to me as I go about my day before I know it.

He's enjoying playing with our 4yo foster son and they get along great most of the time. They've both loved the new toys a birthday brings and have managed to share them quite nicely so far. Of course there have been moments...but that's expected. I'd be shocked if they got along 100% of the time.

Jacobi is starting to fuss to get out of his high chair so I'd better call it quits. A year later, we're still the luckiest people on the planet to have such an amazing boy for our son & will never forget the day or the way that he came into our lives! I've been working on "Jacobi's Story," the story of how he joined our family, since he was about a month old...I NEED to get that finished and printed so I can start reading it to him! It's nothing fancy; I just kind of forget about it from time to time.

Stopping now...hopefully will add some pictures before I publish this. We have 1 more Birthday party left with the Spinar side of my family this next weekend, so I'll have more birthday pictures then. For now, here are a few from when my parents were here. :)

Visit with Jacobi's Birth Family

2009-10-11T22:13:00.003-05:00

A week ago, we went to visit Jacobi's birthmom & brother. We had a great few hours with them and enjoyed seeing them again. It was fun to watch the boys play together. We took a cake and birthday party fixin's to have a small "party" to celebrate all of our birthday's while we were together. The boys loved the balloons and of course we all enjoyed cake, so I guess it was a hit. :) Here are a few pictures from the visit...realized later that Ryan was the only one behind the camera and we didn't get any pictures of all of us together, but with 2 busy boys and a limited amount of time it was just hard to stage pictures at all.

New to Us

2009-09-13T19:03:00.005-05:00

This post is about a couple of things that are new in our lives lately. :) I'll have to download pictures from the camera someday soon and post some new ones of Jacobi...but for now all you get is me blabbing. ;P

I started a new venture recently to promote literacy and a love of reading. I became an independent consultant for Usborne Books & More! I'm very excited about the possibilities, but mostly about filling our bookshelves (it may take a new one, since our existing ones are full already) with awesome and exciting books for our children! If you've never seen these books and are the least bit curious, feel free to check out my website. :) I could go on forever about the great features of these books and all that Usborne has to offer, but I'll leave it at that. If you have questions or want to know more, you know where to find me. :)

The second thing that is new is that we are now a licensed foster home! Our final walk-through was on Friday and we are ready to go...well, our home is, anyway! We are excited but I have to admit that I'm a little nervous, too! There are so many uncertainties and unknowns--but we're thankful that God does veil the future because we might not be able to handle it if we knew all the details in advance! We know it will be a memorable journey, to say the least--and hopefully we can touch lives in a positive way, whatever direction it takes. :) We didn't get an emergency placement call over the weekend and I must say that I'm grateful for that. We'll see what (or should I say who) this week brings, if anything! :)

I guess that's the most of our new news here. Jacobi is growing and mastering the pre-walking skills, although he hasn't taken any steps on his own yet. I'm not going to push him, either. That will come soon enough! He has also discovered that there's this awesome water in the toilet, just great for getting both hands in and splashing (yuck!) and that the toilet paper does this really cool un-spooling thing when you spin it. :P Also, he can fall into the tub and finds that fun, but he wants help to get back out. Needless to say, the bathroom door just stays shut most of the time now...this mama isn't very sensitive to the exploration needs of her boy where the bathroom is concerned. :P The tupperware cabinet, though, is open for business. ;) He's also getting pretty good about backing off of the bed, couch, futon, etc. when he wants down--I'm pretty impressed with that new-found skill; hopefully it will save a few bumps. One other thing I should mention is that he has become quite the impressive imitator of sounds, too. He prefers burps, coughs, laughs, and other obnoxious sounds but also imitates pretty much any short phrase or word that we say. It's not the word that's imitated, exactly, but more the tone, syllables, and general sound. It's pretty cute and we love imagining that he tells us he loves us, etc. :P Guess there was more newness in our house than even I realized when I began!

Have a great week

Just Hangin' Around

2009-08-16T22:48:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd post a few new pictures for our faithful blog followers (if there are any left). :P Jacobi is moving faster than ever and is loving being able to stand up and hang on to anything and everything. He's also recently been enjoying climbing (the futon in the office is a favorite due to it being low enough to actually get up on)...and taking lots of tumbles, of course.

Loving this inverted tunnel--borrowed some climbing toys from a friend and they are getting great use here these days!

Stuck under a kitchen chair--this makes me laugh just remembering; he doesn't sit still ever--but this had him stuck in one place and crying for help, which he got right after I snapped the picture. :P

New favorite toy...need help searching for something?

One of my Craigslist purchases--1/3 the price of a new one and in just as good shape; I was thrilled!

Discovering any little place to hang on to--the furnace/ac closet ledge in the hallway here...

Family Pictures

2009-07-29T14:21:00.004-05:00

Okay, so this crazy thing wouldn't let me type text above the pictures so I'm adding a new post to explain the one below. :P I have been wanting a "formal" family picture--something more than a snapshot taken at random. Our friend Jordan wanted a picture of our family and we had some time on a Sunday afternoon...so we both got what we wanted! :) (Thanks, Jordan!) Here are a few of my favorites with captions to explain why. Feel free to weigh in and "vote" if there's one you like more than the others--we're wanting to print one for our wall and to send to family, etc. We need to mess around with black/white and sepia tones as they look good, too, but this will give you the general idea. :P

Family Pictures

2009-07-29T14:05:00.003-05:00

The back of our house in the background makes this not my favorite picture for a "formal" one, but I do like it otherwise.

We were having fun. :)

LOVE Jacobi's expression and "thumbs up" in this picture!!! Nevermind that his thumb was really just on the way to his mouth. :P

This one is our favorite--I think it's the one we'll have printed.

Happy 4th of July...a week late! ;)

2009-07-11T09:33:00.003-05:00

Wearing the star hat Zaden made and checking out his new environment at Papa & Mimi's house! :)

We planned this photo shoot with all 4 of the boys and didn't get one picture of all of them smiling and looking at the camera, but I think Ryan got several good ones anyway. Here are a couple of my favorites. What did I expect with boys who are 3, 2, 1 and and 8 mo with LOTS of energy?! ;P They are also LOTS of fun!

Jacobi wasn't quite awake here--but I love pictures of the cousins all together. :)

Chewing on a mango seed--and LOVING it! He was so mad every time it slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor-and he loves mangos! Speaking of mangos--if anyone has a Sam's Club near you, see if they have the Ataulfo mangos--they are seriously Delicious! They puree and freeze really well, too! :)

Our Little Ham

2009-06-03T16:14:00.002-05:00

Jacobi has always been an expressive little guy and it's fun to capture his personality in pictures. Here are a few I took on an exceptionally goofy morning late last week. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have! :)

Jacobi's First Trip North

2009-05-30T15:52:00.003-05:00

First, a picture of my super cool husband--shhhhh, don't tell him or he may just decide to delete it. :P

We went to WI last weekend for the first time since Jacobi was born. He did WONDERFUL on the 10 1/2 hour trip Friday night (we drove through the night) and again during the day on Tuesday...although that was almost 13 hours with a few breaks and more traffic! We saw a lot of people in a short amount of time and had a very good trip. Jacobi got to play with his cousins Elliot & Liam as well as several 2nd cousins or something, maybe once removed--however that works. :P Here are a few pictures for fun.

Jacobi & Grandma Becky

Dressed for Sunday meeting--figure he will probably not wear this shirt again, so might as well get a picture. It's too warm for long sleeves here!

Jacobi & Grandpa Del

Ryan's birthday pie made by his mom. Rhubarb Strawberry--mmmmm!

May Happenings

2009-05-14T22:20:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I updated and I'm not sure where to start. Oh, okay--Jacobi's 6 month check-up would be a good place! He weighed 20 1/2 pounds on Monday and was 30 inches long! He is still in the 75th-90th for weight but getting further off the chart for height every time. The above picture is of him with his friend Alligator who he just thinks is hilarious. When you press its foot, it giggles uncontrollably and Jacobi loves that...plus, it giggles even if you chew on its foot...or tail...or nose... :P

We've had lots of company lately. Ryan's grandparents were here on their way to TX last week; my mom, sister (Tasha) and nephew Kingston were here last weekend; and Ryan's grandparents were here for a couple of days this week on their way back home! It was great to have family here! It was also nice to celebrate Mom's birthday with her when they got here Friday night and Mother's Day on Sunday! I thoroughly enjoyed my first Mother's Day and am so thankful to be Jacobi's Mama!

Who're you callin' "Cute" ?!?!

2009-04-30T21:16:00.006-05:00

Click for full effect.

Fun Times

2009-04-22T10:21:00.005-05:00

Some of these pictures are out of sequence, but you get the idea. :P Jacobi is starting to enjoy his showers with daddy and explore the water more.

He's also becoming quite scary on the changing table--but don't worry, I WAS right there next to him...see my hand?!
I found a new "trick" to use while I'm combing out his hair--a Signing Time video! I needed to watch it anyway (and still need to watch it again when I can really watch) but it definitely kept him more distracted from what I was doing which was trying NOT to pull his hair but get the tangles out. :) He's so happy after a shower--and loving his cozy bath blanket/towel from Aunt Cheri!

I love the angle or whatever (sorry--I don't know photography lingo) of this picture--Ryan took it--and this is one of Jacobi's favorite places to play these days.

Serious Babbling...and a little laughter

2009-04-12T18:07:00.002-05:00

April Already?!

2009-04-05T20:06:00.006-05:00

Hmmm...it's been awhile. :) Jacobi is now 5 months old and continues to grow and change and learn new things (of course). He now blows raspberries and chews on EVERYTHING. No teeth yet, but surely these teething symptoms will yield some results eventually! He loves to be held so he can stand, rolls around quite a bit, and has worn most of the hair off the sides and back of his head. :P He's outgrown his infant carseat so moved up to a convertible seat this weekend--we went to Springfield, MO this weekend and he seemed to like being able to look out the window for a change. :)

Last weekend Ryan's cousin Annie & her husband Len came to visit. We went hiking, played board games, and visited the few days they were here. Thanks for coming to visit, Len & Annie! :) The hike was Jacobi's first hike and he slept most of the time. He rode in a carrier strapped onto me and then Ryan...guess he loved it if he slept! :P This picture was taken after meeting on Sunday while Jacobi was sleeping...and it wasn't worth waking him just for a picture! :)

Ryan is working on remodeling our small 1/2 bath off of the master bedroom...it's been a slow project because he's had lots of other things to take his time, but eventually it will be finished. The main objective was to get it mold-free so he replaced some of the moldy sheetrock, removed the window, did a new texture on the walls, and will paint & put a toilet and sink cabinet back in next!

We're also in the process of switching our bedroom with Jacobi's. We're giving him the bigger room so that he has space to play, etc. Also, we're hoping to get licensed to do foster care (with the goal of adopting again) in the next few months, so this re-arranging will make better use of our space for 2 kids! It will be awhile before much happens with that, but we're trying to think ahead and get ready slowly instead of having to be ready on short notice. We'll see if that plan works. :)

Guess that's about all I know. We've been excited for signs of spring and some beautiful weather! Our redbud tree in the front yard has been gorgeous, the grass is green, birds are chirping, we've had 70 degree weather a few days...and now it's in the 30's tonight. That's spring! I took this picture last Saturday when we had snow--the redbud has been beautiful but I thought the contrast was interesting. :)

4 Months

2009-03-05T21:17:00.002-06:00

Jacobi turned 4 months old last Saturday, Feb. 28th! That was also the day of my cousin Melissa's wedding to Jace Chipperfield. Here are a few pictures from that day. Unfortunately, we didn't have anyone take one of the 3 of us together, so this is all I've got to share. :P

Our little man in his "suit" (is it still a suit without a jacket?) that Aries (his birthmom) sent him for Christmas. He looked so handsome, if I can say so myself!

Zaden playing in the snow--got about 6 inches at my parents' on Saturday morning.

Josh, Sonya, Zaden, & Xander--handsome family!

Tasha & Kingston at the wedding.

Jacobi's first time in a walker at Grandpa & Grammy's. He loved being able to sit up and play, although you can't really see the love here. :P

Jacobi had his 4 month check-up yesterday and here are his latest stats:
Weight: 16#9 (90th %ile)
Length: 27 1/2 " (off the chart--the dr. put it in perspective when he explained that Jacobi is taller than 50% of 8 month olds) :P
Head: 43 1/2 cm.

He's still doing great! Most of the time, he is a very happy baby and continues to smile a lot as well as laugh once in awhile. He's gotten a lot more vocal here at home, but when we're other places he usually is more quiet. Tonight we're dealing with the effects of this morning's shots, but oh well--if we have a happy-go-lucky baby 99% of the time, who's complaining?! NOT ME! :)

Which Chair is "Just Right"?

2009-02-16T16:15:00.003-06:00

Obviously, Jacobi is growing by leaps and bounds. He's 3 1/2 months old now. When Grammy weighed him on the scale at the clinic where she works a week ago, he weighed 15 1/2 pounds! Here are a few pictures of him trying out different chairs at Grandpa & Grammy's a week ago, trying to find one that was "just right." :P Actually, mama and Grammy were just having fun sitting him in different chairs because it was amusing and cute. :) He's loving sitting up these days and although he can't do it by himself yet of course, he's starting to pull his shoulders and head up off the blanket a little when he's laying down playing, etc.

We brought this seat home with us and he loves it for short periods of time.

Daddy took this picture recently--I think it's pretty cute, but I'm majorly biased.
I don't have anything to say that's not related to Jacobi, so I'm going to stop here.

Who's a Very Hungry Caterpillar?

2009-02-06T16:00:00.003-06:00

JACOBI IS our own "Very Hungry Caterpillar!" :) I LOVE this outfit and just bought it for him a few weeks ago, but he's only worn it twice and it's really too short now...guess that's the way it goes with baby clothes. Had to get a picture anyway!

All dressed up for Sunday morning meeting. :) This is the first time he wore a button-down dress shirt. We thought he was too cute!

It's hard to believe, but...

2009-01-28T13:24:00.003-06:00

Our boy is 3 months old today (already)! It's been an amazing and wonderful first 3 months, although I for one am really glad that he's sleeping through the night now. I know, I know...we'revery lucky that he's already doing that and really has been for at least 2 weeks. Most nights he goes 6 or 7 hours at a stretch, which is wonderful! I know we're lucky and I'm trying not to take it for granted, but I'm LOVING it!!!

He's getting to be so much fun, with smiles flowing freely and little giggles that he just can't hold back escaping occasionally...we look forward to more of the laughing out loud! His eyes dance and sing and tell stories of their own, I think--I could just about drown in the pools of melted chocolate that are his beautiful eyes!

It's times like this, when I sit and reflect, that I can still hardly believe that this wonderful and amazing little boy is our son! I'd better stop there before I get too sappy or teary, but motherhood is amazing. It's more wonderful than I ever dreamed it could be, but also more difficult than I ever imagined at times. It is an amazing gift that comes with an awesome responsibility and I know that it's only by God's grace and strength that I can be the mother I need to be.

Cousins!

2009-01-19T19:11:00.004-06:00

Jacobi got to meet his Iowa relatives this past weekend! Aunt Cheri, Uncle Farron, cousins Elliot & Liam came to visit on Saturday and were with us until this morning. It was great! Watching all of the boys do the things that come naturally to each of them at their individual stages was pretty cool. Liam & Jacobi are only 4 months apart and it seems like they could be pretty good buddies! :) We took some family pictures, the boys rode Ryan's motorcycle, we made a couple different kinds of popcorn for Sunday supper (homemade kettle corn & homemade peanut butter popcorn), and basically just enjoyed spending time together!

Jacobi has a milestone to note, too! He rolled over for the first time "for real" (he did it before, but he was mad and I think his anger and kicking were what propelled him over) on Sunday! He and Liam were playing on the floor and he just all of a sudden went from tummy to back. :)

The Starling family on Ryan's motorcycle
(dirt bike is more like it I say, but he insists it's a motorcycle)

Me with Jacobi & Liam--too cute in matching pj's that they just happened to have (really, didn't plan it and Jacobi's are size 18 month so they were a little baggy, but worked well enough for him to wear them all night!)Ryan with all 3 boys: Elliot, Liam, Jacobi

A little bit of collaboration by the Magsam siblings. I think maybe the topic was photography and photo editing. :)

Liam & Jacobi--4 months apart. I didn't get it very good on camera, but Liam thought Jacobi's hair was perfect for grabbing onto. :P Jacobi really didn't seem to mind too much.

Jacobi's January

2009-01-15T16:03:00.005-06:00

Well, I haven't posted for a little bit so thought I'd write a little something here quick while Jacobi finishes his nap in the wrap I'm wearing. He's past the two hour mark now--this is his favorite sleeping spot during the day! He does great in his crib at night, but during the day he likes to be close--and of course I love it as much as he does! Any second now he should wake up starving...but we'll see. Like all babies, his eating habits aren't always predictable although he does usually like it sooner than later. :)

This is one of my favorite recent pictures of Jacobi--so much personality already! He's becoming quite the talker and nothing makes my day quicker than seeing his little face light up in recognition of Ryan or I. :)

Last week we enjoyed a couple of days with a couple of wonderful ladies. Unfortunately, Jacobi wasn't feeling 100% but they did get a little bit of cuddle time in. :)

Jacobi has been busy learning how to fix computers with Daddy. Of course, it's tiring work and he knew Dad had it under control. ;)

Both of my boys taking a little siesta. I love seeing them together! :)

Of course, Jacobi is "growing like bamboo!" I had to use my new found phrase--I love it! It sounds so much cooler than growing like a "weed" and once I heard it, I looked up the growth rate of bamboo to see what that was all about. Some species of bamboo grow as much as 12 inches in a DAY!!! Jacobi's not growing quite that quick, but it's pretty noticeable all the same. :) We went up to school yesterday and my co-workers hadn't seen him since our shower the second week of Dec. They thought he'd really grown and he definitely has!

Our Big Boy!

2009-01-02T16:49:00.002-06:00

Jacobi had his 2 month check-up today and we already knew he was a big boy, but the check-up definitely confirmed that! :) He weighs 13 lb. 1 oz, which is 75-90th %ile and is 25 inches long, which is literally off the charts! The Dr. was very happy with how he's growing and developing. :) She did say that he has cradle cap on his scalp and skin both (face, chest, upper arms). I thought I had pretty much cured the cradle cap on his scalp and had no idea that the little, minimal bumps on his skin could be that. I learned something new today! We'll try hydro-cortisone on his skin but I'm not sure about the recommendation of Selsun Blue shampoo for a baby; I may skip that one!

I'm going to just post this without a picture this time; I think I'm over the "legal limit" of posts for the week anyway. :P

Visitors

2008-12-31T13:03:00.003-06:00

Ryan, Leah, and I--I love how happy she was to be sitting by her buddy Ryan. :)

Great Aunt Darla & Jacobi--a very young great aunt! :)

Great Uncle Kerry & Jacobi--again, a young great uncle--feels funny to even call them that.

Jenna, Kelsey, & Leah with Jacobi

We had visitors this week! Ryan's uncle, aunt, and cousins came for a few days--Kerry & Darla Magsam and their family. They got here Saturday evening and left Tuesday morning so it was quick, but great to spend some time with them! Of course Jacobi didn't get a bit of attention while they were here (haha). In reality I had lots of help, both with Jacobi and in the kitchen.

Christmas Day

2008-12-31T12:13:00.004-06:00

Jacobi and I made a quick trip to MO to spend a couple of days with my family. We left on Wed. and came back Fri. On Thursday, Christmas day, we were together with my dad's side of the family at Grandpa & Grandma's. It was fun to have most everyone there, although we missed a few people including Ryan who had to work. We celebrated Zaden's birthday that afternoon since everyone was together and he was excited about his 3rd birthday party. He had said that he wanted "Baby Jacobi" at his birthday party, so I was glad we could be there. :) Sonya had planned some games for the kids (and bribed our youngest cousins into playing I think) and made a cool race car cake. Today is Zaden's actual birthday--Dec. 31st! I can't believe he's already 3 years old.

All 4 of the cousins--Zaden (3), Jacobi (2 mo), Kingston (1 1/2), Xander (1) Had trouble getting everyone to smile and sit still at the same time, but the pictures we did get have character anyway! :)

My cousins with Jacobi--Latisha, Kalene, Colleen, Gabriela, Carmen

Monday Morning Cheer

2008-12-22T08:54:00.002-06:00

I hope he always enjoys Monday mornings like this!

Jacobi's First Trip to MO!

2008-12-18T23:10:00.003-06:00

We got to my mom & dad's in MO about 7:30 Saturday evening and left around 5:00 Tuesday evening. We hadn't been there since July, which I can hardly believe, but I guess we've been extra busy the last few months. We had a wonderful visit and thoroughly enjoyed our time there! Jacobi did wonderful, both on the trip to and from as well as while we were there. On Sunday afternoon, they had a little open house for us so that friends could come meet Jacobi and see us; it was very nice! Then that evening we celebrated Xander's 1st birthday with our extended family. Monday Jacobi and I spent time with Aunt Sonya, Zaden, Xander, and her daycare kiddos while Ryan volunteered to do some work on mom & dad's house. He enjoyed it and they were glad to have it done, so that was a win-win for everyone! Mom is off work on Tuesdays, so we spent time with her and also Tasha, Chava, and Kingston when Tash got off work in the afternoon. The last couple of days we've been getting caught up back at home...on sleep, laundry, putting new gifts away, etc. Jacobi has been extra smily and "talkative" lately, which is a lot of fun!

Now for what you really came here to see...the pictures! :)

Xander, the birthday boy enjoying his cake.
Jacobi with his Great Grandpa & Grandma Spinar

Aunt Sonya with Jacobi

Grammy & Jacobi

Grandpa with 2 of his boys (Kingston & Jacobi)

Additional Pictures

2008-12-18T22:53:00.006-06:00

I'm going to add a few more pictures from our trip to MO--hopefully doing it in this order won't be confusing since both blog entries will basically show up at the same time. :)

Grammy & Jacobi chatting after his bath

Bath time in Grammy's kitchen sink.

Grammy's gingerbread house builders--there was more eating going on of both candy and icing than building by the boys, but Zaden at least was happy with the "gingerman house" when they were finished...despite the fact that the gingerman ended up headless due to him deciding to see how he tasted. :P Grammy decided that it was fun, but next year maybe they will be more into it. Jacobi should enjoy "helping" by next year, too!

Aunt Tash & Jacobi--she is the best baby wrapper I've seen since we left the hospital, hands down! Here's a picture of what he looked like all wrapped up tight; reminds me of a caterpillar in a cacoon!

You Know You're an Adoptive Parent...

2008-12-10T12:59:00.004-06:00

A friend sent the following to me in an email and I thought it was too good not to share. Of course, some of these are regarding international adoption and didn't apply to our domestic adoption--but it's definitely an accurate picture of some of the things adoptive families face. I also want to say that IT'S ALL TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! :) This is only posted to provide insight, not evoke sympathy!!!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE AN ADOPTIVE PARENT WHEN:

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.

5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.

7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)

8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.

9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.

10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!

13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

-Author unknown

Faces of Jacobi

2008-12-06T13:19:00.006-06:00

Okay, this post is simply to show some of the funny, cute, expressions and faces Jacobi can make. We could sit and watch him all day when he really gets going. You've seen the smiles--here are some worried/scared expressions, some outright unhappy ones, a wink, and some that you can interpret yourself. Just thought his fans might want to see some of the different faces he can make. :)

Busy Boy

2008-12-04T11:16:00.007-06:00

I know this blog entry is long overdue--and most of you have been coming here to see if there are any new pictures, right?! Jacobi has been a busy boy the last couple of weeks. I will try to post some of the highlights.

Grandpa Del & Grandma Becky came for a visit and to meet Jacobi over Thanksgiving. He got lots of cuddle time in!

We got a new carseat/stroller set from the special education dept. and adminstrators at the school where I used to work. Here he is cheering about it. :) They also gave us a shower on Tuesday, but I don't have any pictures of that yet. Let's just say there was lots of "loot." :P

Jacobi enjoyed some tummy time.

And we can't forget playing legos with Daddy for the first time--now that about wore them both out! :P Grandma Becky brought the legos Daddy used to play with as a boy, so he had to check and see what all was there.

The last couple of days he's been going on "adventures" with mommy--at least it's been adventurous for me! Getting out and about just isn't as carefree as it used to be. The scheduling of feedings is the hardest part--of course he's usually ready to eat when it's least convenient, but he's worth it so oh well! :)

I should also add that he's been busy GROWING! As of last Friday, he weighed about 11 pounds if putting him on the scale with me is accurate enough. This week he's going longer between feedings and sleeping lots. I think that means lots of brain growth is happening now. :)

They say it's only gas...

2008-11-17T18:02:00.009-06:00

"A smile is a language that even a baby understands." -unkown

Mr. Chubby Cheeks

2008-11-14T14:41:00.000-06:00

Here is Mr. Chubby Cheeks after we got home from his 2 week check-up on Wednesday afternoon. I say "Mr. Chubby Cheeks" very lovingly, of course. I think it's so cute that he's filling out and has some little neck rolls, etc. now. The first picture is purely to show off his cool new lizard blanket--he may not love it yet, but I have a feeling he will--and I already do! Jacobi weighed 8lb. 5 oz., which is 13 oz. above his birth weight! The Dr. was very happy. He said, "he's perfect, but I don't have to tell you that, do I?" I told him that we already knew he was perfect, but it's still nice to hear so keep telling me!

He's doing great--still thinks he needs to eat every 3 to 31/2 hours, even at night--which means I get 2 or 2 1/2 hours of sleep at a time, but I shouldn't complain because I usually get a nap in with him at some point during the day and that helps a lot! I should probably be doing that now since he's sleeping...but anyway! He's drinking 4 oz. at each feeding, or sometimes a little less, I guess that's all the "stats" I have right now. Just wanted to post a quick update! Of course, now I have nothing else to talk about besides Jacobi so that's probably about it as far as blog topics for awhile. :)

Forever Family

2008-11-10T18:53:00.007-06:00

Us with Lara, our wonderful social worker who has been there for us in every sense throughout the process.

Us with Judge Duncan.

Picture of our family taken after meeting yesterday.

We are now a "forever family"! This morning at 8:00 a.m. (ugh) we went to the courthouse and finalized Jacobi's adoption. It was just us, our social worker, attorney, and the judge in the judge's private chambers. Very small, comfortable, quick, and effective! The attorney asked each of us some basic questions about us and some about our adoption journey, then if we wanted to adopt Jacobi, the judge signed the papers, we took some pictures, went downstairs and filed with the court clerk, and left! We were back in the car by 8:40 and that was after visiting for a little bit...so it really was quick! We celebrated with breakfast at Java on the Square, where Ryan used to work, which is right near the courthouse then Ryan headed to work since he's got a class every day this week.

Jacobi is doing great! He is still eating great and seems to have his days and nights figured out. His awake times are during the day (usually) and he sleeps 3-4 hours at a time at night between feedings. Ryan and I are still trying to adjust to the broken-up sleep of new parenthood, but other than that we're doing great also! When I think back, it's really been a very busy last 2 weeks. I enjoyed a nap on the couch with Jacobi laying on my chest this afternoon--he loves to be cuddled and I love doing it, so we were both happy and slept great with the rain coming down outside. It's true when they say you should "sleep when the baby sleeps." Things have been so busy with visitors, etc. that I haven't done that near as often as I should have. Some evenings I'm ready to just crash...so I'm going to get better at the nap thing during the day. :)

It's wierd to think that the adoption procer--we've lived and breathed it the last few months and now the formal part is finished. Of course, we continue to stay in touch with Aries, Jacobi's birthmom, but that doesn't seem like part of the process anymore. She's a friend and one who has made and amazing and unselfish sacrifice that allowed us to build our family and live our dream. We now know with clarity why things have happened the way they have the past few years for us; we were meant to meet Aries and have Jacobi as our son! Amazing and Wonderful! :)

6 Days Old

2008-11-03T20:56:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures daddy took this morning of Jacobi at 6 days old.

He's already growing so much and we know it won't be long befrore there's meat on those long, skinny limbs. :) He's thriving on the donated breastmilk and although we don't know how long it will last, we figure any amount is better than none!

Notice the cute, cuddly cloth diaper (Kissaluv brand)--we started that last night and love them--no leaks since we began! Pampers and Huggies can't even compare and won't be getting much of our $!!!!! Also, the very alert look on his face and the way he's holding his head up--he's been doing that for a few days and loves to look around when you hold him on your chest. He also smiles--we have yet to catch it on camera, though. When mommy kissed his chin today, he smiled..two different times! I know they say it's gas, but we're not buying it. :) Do we sound like proud new parents or what?!

Pictures!

2008-11-02T23:29:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pictures; I know you've all been waiting and sorry to keep you waiting so long. Our time is filled with feeding, changing, loving, and cuddling Jacobi now--and time on the internet just isn't as important any more. :) It's amazing!!!! Jacobi's first Sunday meeting, pot luck lunch, and gospel meeting went so well--he slept most of the time and ate when he needed to; no fussing at all! Ryan promises to take some new pictures tomorrow when he has sunlight to work with. :)

These have been taken since Friday, just to give you a reference point. The pictures are nice, but he's so much cuter in real life, trust me! :) And yes, those cheeks are every bit as kissable as they look! Sometimes he wrinkles up his forhead when I kiss him like "awww, come on mom, you're embarassing me"...but it doesn't stop me now and probably never will!

Home Sweet Home!

2008-10-31T21:45:00.002-05:00

First, thanks for all of your very wonderful comments and emails.
We got home last night with our precious baby boy! We can hardly believe it's real, but it is--and it's wonderful! He is doing fantastic, saw the pediatrician today and he couldn't have been happier with how healthy he is. He weighed 7# 8oz at birth and 7# 4oz. today. He is 21 inches long--with very big hands and feet and loooong fingers and toes! He's going to be a big boy. :) My parents are here right now, which is so wonderful and helpful. Ryan went back to work today but after tomorrow he'll be off again for his 3 days off, which will be great. We are both very much attached and in love with Jacobi! He is a very sweet baby and is just so extremely cute, but of course I'm slightly biased.

I'm sorry there are no new pics in this post, dad and Ryan are already sleeping and I can't get to the camera card reader at the moment. Maybe tomorrow. :) I really haven't slept much since the night before he was born, but oh well--I got 3 hour nap today, which made me feel a lot better. I'm finally coming down off of the euphoria and adrenaline...amazing how far that can take a person. :)

Remember: more pics will come later! :)

Jacobi Magsam

2008-10-29T14:35:00.003-05:00

Today we met our son, Jacobi Shawn Ryan Magsam!

He was born on October 28th at 10:20pm. We got the call from Aries at around 11:20pm. I was completely surprised that he came so early, that he was a boy instead of a girl, and by Dalene flipping the light on and yelling/crying me out of a dead sleep. I'll keep that memory for a long time.

We already had the perfect name picked out, the only problem it was a girl name. We left home at 12:30am this morning and talked most of the 5 hour trip about boy names. We arrived at the hospital with Jacobi Ryan as our favorite. Aries had already picked out Shawn Ryan, as Shawn was the delivering doctor that had also been extremely supportive during her pregnancy. Since all the names have meaning that will be a part of the baby's heritage, at the risk of him one day hating his extremely long name, we combined them to form Jacobi Shawn Ryan!

We are having a wonderful time here at the hospital with Aries and Jacobi. We know we won't be able to have as much contact with Aries after we go home with Jacobi, so are trying to spend as much time with her as we can. It will be difficult to leave her tomorrow with Jacobi knowing It will probably be awhile before we see her again. Words cannot describe how wonderful it has been to know her above simply being the mother of our son, but also as a friend. We've already begun talking about a barbecue sometime about a year from now so she can meet some of our family!

Coincidentally we ran into some of the Friends here at the hospital who just had a son two days ago! It was special to meet them, we've only seen them once or twice before at convention. They are in the room next door to us!

And at last, the pictures...

Wonderful Visit

2008-10-22T18:24:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful visit with Aries this week. We went down on Sunday afternoon/evening and checked into our hotel and spent some time together that evening, just Ryan & I. We spent Monday and part of Tuesday with Aries and Saxton (her 16 month old son). He is a handsome little guy and very sociable/friendly. He took to us very quickly and we enjoyed playing with him and chasing him around so Aries could rest a little bit. Since we're missing all of our nephews, it was fun to play with an active toddler again. I really can't even describe our trip, our visits, or our relationship with this amazing lady in a way that anyone else could understand--but it is truly awesome. The baby seems to be doing great as well, but of course at this point she's hardly "real" to us. We also know that "she" could very well be a "he" if the u/s they did a few months ago was hiding things. :) We've probably got about 3 weeks left until we find out the particulars for sure...it kind of feels surreal and not quite believable and while we're excited, we're really much less anxious than with the previous situations. We'll just ride it out and see what lays in store. :)

In the meantime, I'm working this week (well today, tomorrow, and Friday anyway) and it feels good to be back with my students from last year in a resource math class. I feel right at home except for with far less responsibility/business than ever before. Ryan's still enjoying his job although it's been extra busy these past couple of weeks. I don't know what else to say so this is it for now...adios and good day!

Fall

2008-10-15T13:26:00.004-05:00

We really don't have much in the way of fall color here yet, so I had to settle for a picture from the internet, but the weather has been wonderful! I love the cool breezes that fall brings. :) Can't wait for our own fall color--right now there are just a few trees here and there that are brilliant, but it hasn't really hit in full force yet.

I really don't have much to say but felt like I needed a new post. Aries and the baby are doing good. She has another appointment tomorrow, so maybe I'll have some updated news then. We're hoping to go back for a visit this coming Monday/Tuesday and we're all 3 excited about cementing our connection and relationship before the baby comes. I talk to her on the phone almost every day so that helps to keep us connected as well. :) She's 36 weeks now, so it's all getting closer. Funny enough, I feel better about this match than either of the others, but I haven't done a single thing to get ready for baby since we've been talking to her--I guess I figure it will all come together sooner or later and I'm not too worried about it. It feels great!

Ryan did some work in the garage yesterday, which made it much more navigable. I think he's hoping we can actually fit the car in there this winter--but then I'm not sure where the motorcycle will go. Hmmmm...maybe he just wants the motorcycle to have plenty of room. :P This is his "early" month on Wed. & Sat. so he'll be home at 2:30 today, which is awesome. Maybe we can get some more done around here. I'm a little more inclined to be productive if he's here and working too. :)

I sub the next 2 days, which will be good. Next week I'll sub Wed-Fri, so that should keep me busy enough. It's kind of wierd to be back at work a little bit--but it's so different from before that I don't feel like I'm completely "at home" there anymore. Guess that's how it works. :)

Hope you're all having a great week--I mostly post new entries so I can read your comments. So, comment away! :) lol

Awesome Weekend!

2008-10-07T11:41:00.003-05:00

We had an awesome weekend! Our visit with Aries went fabulously and we didn't want to leave her--nor did she want us to leave. It is awesome to see that she is just as excited about the adoption as we are. We spent about 8 hours with her between Sunday evening and Monday--all wonderful. Mostly, we sat in her living room and just visited, getting to know each other. We went out to eat and on Monday took some sandwiches to a park where we sat enjoying the beautiful weather and just being together. She is a wonderful person who is so easy to be around and we can't wait to go back again, even though we're not sure exactly when that will happen. Sometime in the middle of the next 5 1/2 weeks, hopefully. :) I don't know what to say about her--but she truly is great. We were all very comfortable with each other. The only negative thing I can think of is that she lives too far away--I'd love to be able to spend more time with her, but the distance (330 mi) will make that difficult. I can't wait to talk to her again--hopefully later today!

In other news, we got a call from my dad this morning asking if he could come stay this afternoon/evening/and night. Of course! He's doing some trucking (hauling pigs) these days and has to be in Springdale to load tomorrow morning. Update: he got a call and had to turn around to take another load--so this didn't work. :( I still got to talk to him on the phone for a long time, which was great! We'll look forward to it working for him to stop in another time. :)

I guess that's all for now--knew some of you would be waiting for an update--and I don't feel like it's much of one. For me, our meeting Aries was a continuation of my phone conversations with her. It was even better meeting her in person, but not really different from talking to her on the phone. :) I love that through our face-to-face visits, though, Ryan can be involved and get to know her as well--and vice versa. :)

Recent Ramblings

2008-10-04T13:43:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note so that there's something new and recent on the blog. :) Things are going great here. I subbed both Wednesday and Friday this week and survived to tell about it! It went well, got me out of the house, and I earned a little bit of $ while I was at it. I'm only going to sub on Wed-Fri (so that I'm home on Ryan's days off) and only in the building where I taught the past 3 years. That gives me a little more authority to start off with. :)

I've continued to talk to Aries, our new birthmother, this week and it has gone better than I can even begin to explain. I don't know where to begin so I guess I won't say much, but we already have a great connection and I really feel like she could be "the one." Time will tell-but I can honestly say that we both feel better about this match than either of the 2 previous ones.

We are actually leaving this afternoon when Ryan gets off work to go meet her! She lives 6 hours south of us. We'll stay with my aunt & uncle in Conway tonight, be with them until tomorrow afternoon, then meet Aries for supper tomorrow night! We're super excited to meet her and she seems equally excited for us to come, so we're all on the same page! We'll stay down there tomorrow night and hopefully spend some time with her again on Monday before we head home. I should have lots to tell you when we get back!

It's such a cool feeling to know that we're going to meet the woman who is carrying a baby who may become our daughter! I already feel like Aries and her son (16 months old) could very easily become part of our extended family, so that makes it even more exciting. :) Maybe when I get back I'll feel free to say that with more confidence and less hesitation...it seems logical that we should be hesitant, but honestly I can say that I don't feel hesitant at all--just like I "should" feel hesitant. (If any of that just made any sense to anyone) :P

Craft Project

2008-09-26T17:50:00.000-05:00

Now, I do not consider myself a crafty person at all...in fact, I'm just not very creative usually. However, I have been wanting a couple of french style picture boards for the baby's room...so I made a couple! I did find some suggestions on the internet, so it's not all my own idea. These were made using painters canvas (on sale at Hobby Lobby this week), quilt batting, cheap fabric, ribbon, and 5/8" nails. I ran out of staples, but that worked well for a little bit as well. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out! :) I do think I need to find some brown upholstery tacks or something to help hold the ribbon tighter where they cross.

P.S. If we have a baby girl...yes, her room is going to be blue & brown. I bought the bedding set in those colors to use for either a boy or girl--and these picture boards match wonderfully, even if you can't tell that the blue in the ribbon is a little brighter than a baby blue. :) I may add a few hot pink "accents" for a girl, but that's about it--I'm not much of a pink girl myself.

Rollercoaster

2008-09-25T23:08:00.002-05:00

Well, here we go...again! :) Our social workers called today; we still don't know any more about the situation with Mia as she is currently not responding to anyone's attempts to communicate. But that's not what the sw's called about anyway. They wanted to tell me (us) about another possible match with a birthmom due Nov. 11 with a baby girl! They had already sent her our profile earlier this week and she called them today to say that she loved it and we are the family she has hoped for! So--I couldn't exactly pass up an opportunity to learn more and gave the okay for the birthmom to call me, which she did...about 10 minutes after I got off the phone with the sw's!

We talked for an hour and she truly seems to be the birthmother of our dreams. The only "negative" is that she lives so far away--6 hours south of us, almost as far south in AR as you can get without going into Louisiana. ( I know, not so far really compared to other adoption situations, but about as far as you can go and still be in the same state). We were both very comfortable talking to each other for the first time and she just kept saying that she is "so excited" and can't wait to meet us. Definitely encouraging!

Of course, we still don't know what will happen with Mia's situation and the baby boy we've carried in our hearts these past weeks--but it sounds like we may need to move on and seriously consider this other situation. I don't think it will be a problem for either of us--our minds are already spinning furiously and we've been trying to imagine the possible scenarios already.

Thanks for taking our rollercoaster ride with us--if you hang around long enough, you just never know what kind of thrill you might get. ;)

P.S. I think you can probably understand why I'm not in bed snoozing like my hubby right now--my mind is in overdrive (plus I don't have to get up for work in the morning). :P

Riding the Waves

2008-09-24T15:03:00.005-05:00

I know you all are waiting for an update...unfortunately, I don't have much to offer in the way of happy, cheery, baby news. I don't know how else to say it or exactly what to say--but we're definitely riding the waves here. I won't go into all of the details, but the adoption is very iffy right now and may or may not go through. I guess that's nothing new--but it's just more obvious at this point. The last we heard on Sunday, Mia had decided not to go through with it, but there are so many factors involved. Thank goodness we have a terrific relationship with her and her changing her mind has nothing to do with us--which could still work in our favor. I didn't go to LR today for the check-up so we haven't heard anything new in that regard. I had hoped for a call from the social worker updating us today, but so far that hasn't happened. I know that she'll call when she has something to tell us, though.

We're remaining hopeful (but realistic as well) and will just have to wait it out and see what happens. The good news is that with the due date 2 weeks away, we surely don't have long to wait to get closure of some kind. We thank you all for your continued prayers, support, love, hope, etc. but we kindly decline any offers of pity because it just isn't very useful. :)

p.s. if any of you have any experience with surfing the waves, we sure could use some pointers. :P (a little attempt at light-hearted humor there--can't let it get too heavy or you just get drug under!)

Baby Check-in

2008-09-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

I was in LR again yesterday for the weekly check-up. Everything's looking pretty good. Mia's b/p is still a concern at 142/90 but it probably always will be. She got a lecture from the dr. about taking her b/p medication regularly, etc. and how it can affect her and baby. I know it's important, but it's really not in my control so I just have to not worry much about it. Baby's heartbeat was good--always so much fun to hear it!! The dr. estimates that he's at least 6 lb. now, in which case that means he's been doing some pretty quick growing. Now I don't know whether to re-pack my coming home diaper bag yet again or leave the preemie outfits in there...maybe I'll add a nb size sleeper just in case. :P I enjoy packing & repacking the bag, so it's not like it's a chore or anything at this point. :) Mia has been having some contractions, but I know those can go on for weeks before the baby is born. I'm going to adjust my thinking from "any day now" to "3 weeks at the most." Maybe then I'll be surprised instead of feeling like I'm just waiting every day. I know, I know--everyone has to wait for their baby to be born, no matter how he/she joins the family. I'm recognizing lately just how many similarities there are between biological parents and adoptive parents, even during pregnancy. :)

I think I'll do some more work in baby's room today--put sheets on the twin bed, etc. We're waiting on a piece to come for the changing table/dresser that was broken when we opened the box so that Ryan can finish that and he did put the crib together this week. It's so much fun to imagine a baby in there! :P *Maybe* I'll also continue my trim project & work on the baseboard trim for the baby's room. Then the trim in that room will be finished except for some touch-ups!

Thanks for following along with our journey--I know that people wait for updates, so figure I need to be good about posting them but sometimes I feel like I'm talking about it too much. :P I guess if I were the pregnant one, I'd be talking about it even more because perfect strangers would be asking, etc. :P

Productive Saturday

2008-09-14T18:58:00.005-05:00

The picture is of red velvet cake. If you've never had it, I'm truly sorry--you're definitely missing out! Here's a link if you'd like to know more about red velvet. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_velvet_cake

Saturday was a great day! I got lots of things done and felt so productive and satisfied at the end of the day. I made a trip to Sam's club to get cheese & meat then came home and boiled 7 lb. of chicken breasts to freeze & use later. I cut up the huge roll of hamburger into 2-people sized portions to freeze individually. Then I made two pans of lasagna and 3 pans of chicken enchiladas to pull out and bake at a later date! I also chopped up green peppers & onions to freeze and use later. :) My freezers really haven't ever been this full (that I can recall) and the best part is that it should make meals a lot easier & quicker once the baby comes and we're both too tired to do much cooking. Is this what they call "nesting"?

We topped off the day with friends and Red Velvet Cake, much to my delight and surprise! :) Thanks, Jordan, for another awesome cake--better watch out, I'm starting to count on it!

(the above picture is not of Jordan's cake--hers was much prettier--but notice the "was" and I didn't get a picture of it!)

This week's update

2008-09-11T17:45:00.002-05:00

I went to Little Rock for Mia's weekly check-up on Wednesday. Everything seemed to be going good--b/p was down a little, dilated to 1 cm, measuring on target and that's about all the statistics I have. :P Next appointment: next Wednesday. We spent the afternoon together, getting some of her school supplies at the campus bookstore and eating a long (and delicious!) lunch at the Olive Garden. It was great to see her again and spend some quality time together. :)

Now you know everything we do as far as the baby news--she still feels a lot of changes and thinks he may be coming sooner than later, but we'll have to wait and see. He's definitely moving a lot--I watched him kick around when we were eating lunch yesterday. :)

Convention Visitors

2008-09-08T22:25:00.002-05:00

We had some visitors last week for Rogers convention. It was great to have them here and we had a wonderful convention! Each night when we got home, we got to play with the boys and read bedtime stories and every morning it took a little longer than it should to get ready because there was *a little* playing involved. :)

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of everyone dressed and ready for the day--but pj pictures (of the boys) are cute, too!

Zaden sure knows how to make Xander laugh quicker than anyone and even when it seems like being a bit rough, Xander still laughs so he must like wrestling as much as his big brother. :) I got a big laugh out of Zaden one morning when he told Sonya "mom, wrestle with me" and when she declined he said, "mom, please punch me!" LOL

Whew--what a day!

2008-09-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you about our day yesterday. :) We went to Little Rock for one of Mia's appointments with the high-risk dr. Her b/p was sky high and the dr. was very concerned. The u/s showed that the baby has gained some and weighs 4 lb. 5 oz. now, but that's still pretty small for where he should be at 35 weeks. He is now head-down (yay!) and the gains are a positive even if he's still small. Oh, and he has hair; we could see it on the u/s--too cute! Anyway, with her b/p and swelling, etc. the dr. was very worried about complications for her that could result. He consulted with her regular obgyn and they decided she needed to be admitted to the hospital for 24 hours of tests. So--that's where we spent our late afternoon/evening--at the hospital. At one point, the nurse was talking about the possibilities--none of which sounded good--if her b/p stayed high, etc. The dr. mentioned that we probably weren't leaving there without a baby so we had no idea what was going to happen. It was a crazy first couple of hours until they got the first bloodwork results back and they were normal and her b/p dropped drastically and stayed in the safe range. They dismissed her at 9:00 last night, we drove her home, then drove us home (getting here around 12:30 am). We were exhausted, but happy that it all turned out well. As Ryan pointed out, it was a great way to "tour" the hospital and now we'll know more what to expect when it's "for real." Overall, it was a positive day. It gave us the chance to bond further with Mia, find out more about Baby Boy, and get to know the hospital and staff a little bit. Glad the day ended well and BB can grow for a few more weeks, hopefully!

Now I need to get myself in gear and get busy! Today is the day that my mom, sister Sonya, and 2 of our nephews come to stay for convention! I need to get some very tempting dirt and junk off the carpets & floors so that Xander doesn't use it as a buffet. :P Then I've got several other things on my list for the day--before we head to convention this evening! Very exciting--and I'm thrilled that it's looking like we're going to be able to get all 4 days. Yesterday at one point we weren't sure.

My Project

2008-08-28T12:08:00.003-05:00

This is just to show you all what I've been keeping busy with lately. I'm getting very tired of this project--but know that I'll be glad I did it once it's done and my house is put back together. :) Top picture shows one round of painting in the garage yesterday--this is about 1/3 of all the trim I've painted so far and I have more than this left yet I think. I'm also doing all of the interior doors--and you can see below what the front door/closet door look like in the living room now. You should be very impressed, if you're wondering what you should think when you see it. :P

And the final picture shows the baby's room--yikes!!! But please notice the little bit of the door that you can see and the window trim is now white--that's part of the project! And the fact that the door is back on its hinges is another step in the right direction--late last week and earlier this week we had no doors to any of the rooms or closets in our house. Not a big deal when it's just the two of us, but definitely something that needed to be taken care of before my family arrives next week for Rogers Convention! I'm sure they'll be thankful. :P

On another note, I ended up not going to Mia's doctor appointment yesterday. Everything is fine, however, and she said the dr. was happy with her blood pressure and all--lots of fluid/swelling on her ankles, but that was the only "complaint." So far, so good with the baby updates. Should he decide to come at any moment, I really am mostly ready--despite what his room looks like right now! :)

Adoption Update!

2008-08-18T22:29:00.002-05:00

We have some updated news--and I'm attempting to bring you, my loyal readers, the brief version. :) Our match with the birthmom due in December fell through a couple weeks ago and we were told about another possible match in the same phone conversation with our social workers. Although it was disappointing, the last two weeks have been exciting with the new possibility. I talked to the birthmom on the phone a few times and we hit it off really well.

She's in Little Rock and invited us to her dr. appt. that was today so we went down on Saturday evening and stayed with my aunt & uncle who live near there. Last night we met her (Mia) and took her to supper where we spent a couple hours talking and getting to know each other. The three of us get along great and enjoyed spending time together! This morning we picked her up and took her to the dr. appointment with a high-risk dr. (blood pressure issues) where we got to see the ultrasound! That was an awesome experience although we would have had no clue what we were looking at if the dr. hadn't narrated--and we can't really make heads or tails of the pictures we brought home. :P

We know that it's a BOY, due October 8th, but will probably be delivered early due to mom's high blood pressure etc. But time will tell. He's about 3 lb. 9 oz. today--hopefully he grows enough before the next u/s or else that will be reason enough to speed up his delivery date for sure. We'll continue to talk to Mia and I plan to go down next Wednesday for her regular check-up then we'll both go down the following Tuesday for her follow-up appt. and u/s with the high-risk dr. again.

The social worker will call us in the next day or so to come sign the official match paperwork and we'll plan on having a baby sometime in the next 2-6 weeks as much as we can unless something changes the plan. :) So for us, the adoption process just continues to move along. Whether or not this will lead to our "forever family" is something that only time can tell--but it definitely feels like we're headed in the right direction!

Have a great week, everyone!

A Different Trip to the Same Place

2008-08-11T08:57:00.003-05:00

I've found another awesome description--this time about adoption! It definitely speaks for itself, so there's no need for me to explain...enjoy! It makes me thankful that there are different ways to get to the same place. :)

A Different Trip to the Same Place

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia: You’ve heard that it is a wonderful place.You’ve read many guidebooks and feel certain that you’re ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you’ll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait…and wait…and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like “Relax, you’ll get on a flight soon.” Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, “It’s not fair!”

After a long time, the ticket agent tells you, “I’m sorry, we’re not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat.”“By boat!” you say. “Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane.” So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place for so long and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It is a long trip; many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than by air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are able to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, “Oh, be glad you didn’t fly...My flight was horrible...Traveling by sea is so easy.”You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still you know that God blessed you with a special appreciation for Australia and that the beauty of Australia is not in the way you got there, but in the place itself.
Enjoy your trip!!!

By Diane Armitage

Article Link

2008-08-07T21:07:00.005-05:00

I guess there's nothing like introducing the elephant in the room...after it's already crashed the party. If that doesn't make sense to you after reading this, don't worry about it--it just seemed a fitting introduction to this topic in my mind at least. :P The link below is to a very interesting, informative, and thought-provoking article about infertility and how to support couples dealing with it. It's long, so you might want to wait until you have several minutes to read it--but it's well worth the read. Although infertility truly is one of those things that you can't possibly understand unless you've been through it, this article does an amazing job of explaining how it affects people. It was good even for me to read and helped validate some of my feelings and understand how I can best support others in the future. We have been very fortunate to have the support of our friends and family and I am not pointing fingers or in any way insinuating that anyone in particular needs to read this. I just ran across it and thought it was too good not to share. Another note: please don't feel sorry for us or anyone else who has dealt or is dealing with infertility issues. Pity isn't at all helpful, but your love & support is!

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lrn_ffaf_ie

Iowa Nephews!

2008-07-31T14:45:00.003-05:00

I promised pictures of our northern nephews (lol--I know iowa isn't that far north, but it sounds neat and they're north of us for sure) but I've taken my sweet time getting them uploaded. I think we got some really good ones--especially considering we were really only with them about 6 hours or so. :)

Meeting Liam Anders for the first time--needless to say, we're hooked!

Awwwww--I want one! :) There's not that's much more fun that cuddling up with a sleeping (or sleepy) baby. The awesome thing about this picture is that I had plenty of sleep the night before so I could enjoy it! Come December the cuddling with a baby thing might look a little different from a middle of the night viewpoint. :P

Love this face--a little bit of happy, ornery, and fun all at once. This was probably after Elliot called Ryan "grandpa"--no, it wasn't but we're still laughing about that. He just wanted to get his attention and apparently "grandpa" works for some people. ;) It was pretty cute. I don't think Ryan minded--he was just thrilled that Elliot wanted his attention!

Uncle Ryan & Elliot reading one of his new birthday books. I love how "comfy" and relaxed this picture is.

And one more that I just can't pass up--how cute is this!

News Bulletin!

2008-07-24T14:33:00.003-05:00

This will only be news to some of my readers, but it's exciting all the same. :) We are expecting a baby in December! The day we signed our activation agreement with our agency, we were told about a birthmother and possible match. Last week we heard that she liked our profile and had chosen to be matched with us--yesterday we completed the paperwork and are now officially matched! We anxiously (and excitedly) await the December 19 due date! We can hardly believe how smooth this process has gone for us so far, but we know there could be bumps in the road ahead yet--and we'll face them if they come. For now, we're very excited and feel like we're living a day dream...kind of a wierd, surreal feeling that I can't even describe...but if I use a few more exclamation points maybe you'll get the idea!!!!! ;)

We had a great trip to Iowa & Wisconsin--it was a lot of fun to tell our families the news in person--we never quite knew if it would work out to tell them in person or if it would have to be over the phone, but it worked out perfectly! We were able to tell my parents & siblings about the possibility the last time we were there--then Ryan's family on this trip. Unfortunately, my extended family will have to find out online and by phone, word of mouth, etc. but that's how it goes when we're all spread out I guess. I'll post some pictures of our time with Elliot and Liam later (when they get downloaded from the camera). For now, I'm going to let this be all--thanks for sharing our excitement with us and I'll update whenever we have additional info. Hopefully it will be an uneventful pregnancy and we won't have much to update--but we'll see.

Busy Summer

2008-07-19T13:29:00.003-05:00

I'm sure everyone is having a busy summer--seems like the days are flying by. I keep thinking "only a few more weeks until school will be starting" and then I realize that this year that affects me less than it has in the past! Of course, I am hoping to do homebound tutoring and subbing as much as possible when school starts, so it will affect me--but in a much different way than I've been used to. :)

We are headed to Iowa this afternoon when Ryan gets off work (2:30) and will spend tonight and part of tomorrow with Farron, Cheri, and their boys! We can't wait to see them all and meet Liam! Tomorrow is Elliot's 2nd birthday so it will be great to be able to share it with him. :)
Tomorrow afternoon sometime we'll head further north to Wisconsin and spend a little time with Ryan's parents and family there. We'll have to head back home on Tuesday, so it will be another quick trip. I guess we should be getting used to the flying trips up north by now--seems like we haven't been able to stay very long for a few years--does that mean we're adults and "grown ups" now?! Yikes, that's a scary thought!

Okay--enough from me. I'm just killing time here in the last hour before we leave--that always drags out the most for me. I should probably go take out the trash and run the dishwasher so we don't come home to a smelly house...and make sure my flowers have at least a sip of water--although I'm sure they'll be wilted by the time we get back. HAPPY WEEKEND, everyone!

Missouri Nephews

2008-07-09T22:10:00.001-05:00

I apologize: This post has many issues--underlined text, pictures & captions all jumbled up--but I'm too tired to deal with it, so I'm going to bed. I'll try to fix it later. :)

We left on Sunday afternoon to visit my family and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. Really enjoyed seeing everyone again and spending time with them. Our nephews grow and change so much in between visits. Zaden is in the midst of potty training and has what you might describe as an abundance of energy...but yet he can be very sweet and cuddly too. His vocabulary has exploded and includes some pretty amusing phrases. Kingston is still laid-back most of the time and really doesn't let much of anything bother him--he watches Zaden like a hawk and immitates a lot of his actions. He's saying several words now and when I was playing with him I KNOW he repeated "dinosaur" and then just "saur" as we were playing with one. :) Xander is a people person and loves attention--but don't put him down and walk out of the room! He has a huge smile that lights up the room and you can almost always get him to smile if you talk to him and act goofy (which I guess I'm good at). So--that's a summary of the boys; I could go on and on for hours and tell story after story that amused me but I'll refrain. These pictures are just a few of my favorites...feel free to visit our flickr page for more. :) You've probably already guessed, but the captions are numbered in order of the pictures...

#1.) No, of course we didn't get into anything. Really! That red mouth is just a figment of your imagination! Afterall, Xander is only 7 months old and I wouldn't feed him sugar or anything. ;)

2.) Bedtime stories with Zaden & Xander. After reading this Eric Carle book at least 6 times, Zaden told us a very lengthy story about a little boy who went potty a lot (can you tell what's going on in his life?) and was just "bee-diculous" sometimes. It's so fun to hear kids use big words like ridiculous--makes me smile just writing about it.

3.) Zaden looking into the living room from his favorite spot at grammy & grandpa's--the deck.

4.) Kingston--half smile. Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures of Kingston this time and found out when I downloaded them from the camera that I really didn't get any that captured his huge, contagious smile. Guess I was too busy playing with him and enjoying it to snap the pictures. :P

New Nephew!!!

2008-07-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Farron, Cheri, and big brother Elliot! Liam Anders was born on Monday, July 7th! I stole the picture from Cheri's blog--(thanks Cheri, I hope you don't mind). :) I didn't want to write about him without a picture to show how cute he is! We can't wait to meet him--hopefully in a couple of weeks we can stop for a bit on our way up to Wisconsin--or on the way back. We are now the proud aunt and uncle to 5 nephews--wow, can't hardly believe that's even possible. Are we old enough?!

Activation!

2008-07-02T17:38:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update to say that we are now offically activated with American Adoptions' A New World Awaits program! :) Everything that we were waiting for kind of fell into place on Monday-and we met with our social worker yesterday to sign the activation agreement and pay our fee. So we've definitely made several steps of progress in the last few months, considering that we sent our first application to American Adoptions on April 15th. Of course, it could be months before we are matched with a birthmother or anything else happens. Only time will tell!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Now we're waiting on news of nephew #5! :)

Pride & Joy

2008-06-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

This hydrangea is currently the "pride & joy" of our yard. I bought it as a stick 3 years ago--it kind of grew the last 2 years but this year--it bloomed and it's beautiful (to me)! I think this may be my favorite flowering plant, but then again I kind of like them all. It was my Grandma Gray's favorite, as far as I know, so that makes it extra-special to me. :) I've debated taking out the shrubs in front of our porch and putting hydrangea bushes in...but I'd either have to pay more $ than I like for mature plants or wait 3 years before they even begin to look full...so maybe the shrubs will just have to stay.

Camping Trip

2008-06-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

We just got back from our first camping trip of the season last night (hopefully the first of several, but we'll see)! Weleft Sunday afternoon and headed down to Lake Ouachita--stayed at the Joplin campground between Hot Springs and Mt. Ida, Arkansas. It was a beautiful area: beautiful clear lake, nice scenic ozark style mountains, good weather for the most part. Sunday night we got rained on around 1 am but it didn't last too long--then Monday night was awesome with a little cooler temps and wonderful breeze. Tuesday was hot and sunny, but we packed up and headed into Hot Springs for part of the day. Now we know exactly what we were missing in Hot Springs: nothing. Sorry, if you've been there and loved it I'm sure you found something worth being excited about--but we didn't. Maybe if you stayed in one of the resorts or something it would be enjoyable, I don't know. We toured Hot Springs State Park's refurbished bath house--it's been restored to original 1915 condition. That was a little bit interesting. We walked around the downtown shops area, but didn't find any that really intrigued us...except Vicki's Coffee Corner where Ryan enjoyed an iced caramel latte. Before getting back on the road, we ate at the Cracker Barrel, which always seems to be a good bet for good country cookin'. :)

These pictures are a few from our trip. If you'd like to see more, visit our Flickr page. Go to the "Our Trips" collection, then the "Lake Ouachita June 08" folder. :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdmagsam/

Have a Wonderful week, everyone! :)

Around the Yard

2008-06-14T16:04:00.004-05:00

Some pictures from around our yard today...I'm loving it! Geraniums and Marigolds are summer classics in my mind. :)

I love the contrast of the blue and gold around the mailbox...

Does anyone know what this third plant is? It's beautiful, green, and gets bigger every year but I have no idea what it is and I don't remember planting it...

This is a case of "Where's the Elephant Ear?" I forgot that I had moved the elephant ear until I noticed it hidden between my HUGE hostas. The Elephant fit well between them last year, but I think it needs a new home now! Or maybe not--I want to thin the hostas out this fall and make a hosta bed on the east side of the house in the shade where nothing grows.

Babble

2008-06-10T20:43:00.004-05:00

I guess it's time to post something new. SCHOOL IS OUT!!! That's the best news I have. I'm enjoying my summer vacation. So far I haven't accomplished anything huge, but I have been doing lots of cleaning and de-cluttering around the house. For those of you who know how much I hate to clean, that may be surprising but it feels great to get rid of things I haven't used or that are just taking up too much room. Freecycle.com and Craigslist have become our friends, as well as the local thrift store's drop-off bay. :)

No news on the adoption process--it's a process and we're just waiting right now for the homestudy report and profile to be completed. In the meantime, I'm having fun picking out furniture (or trying to--IKEA disappointed me today with their outrageous shipping costs so I am back to researching other options). Used furniture stores might be on the agenda for tomorrow, I think it might be fun to refinish an older dresser for a changing table/storage piece. I've also started thinking about what I want to do with our guest room to convert it to a nursery-and I think I've come up with some good ideas so far, with some help of course. :) I'm thinking brown and teal (or maybe lime green instead of the blue) for our "theme" but I'll probably wait until I have time to check out fabric before I decide for sure. My friend Jennifer is going to sew some things, just to clear that up. I haven't got even the slightest hint of craftiness in me. I figure we might as well use this waiting time for something good and what better time to think about exactly what we want as far as baby gear than before we're stressed out with the details of the adoption process?!

By the way, the book Baby Bargains is awesome--I needed a starting point for which brands are okay, what is useful and what is just a waste of $, etc. and it's been very helpful in narrowing down some choices. Thanks for the recommendation, Natalie!

Saturday will be a milestone day for us--our 5 year Anniversary! It's wierd to think that it's been that long; our wedding day seems like yesterday in some ways, but then again a lot has happened in 5 years also. We're hoping to head down south to Lake Ouachita on Sunday after meeting for a couple nights of camping. It's near Hot Springs, which we've never been to either, but we'll probably stay away from civilization as much as possible. :)

Ummmm...I think I'm out of things to say...

Quick Update

2008-05-31T15:55:00.003-05:00

Although this picture looks nothing like me, it is a great depiction of the expression/feelings that I've been facing the past couple weeks--and will face on Monday; the kids' last day of the year!

I'm going to attempt a brief post; this is difficult for me, as most of you know well. :)

Beautiful day here; getting a little humid, but otherwise wonderful

Sitting on the Bentonville square accessing the wireless internet since ours is currently down

Ryan works until 6:30, then we're meeting friends for supper

2nd home visit with Social worker went great--home study will be complete in a week or so

Sent our family profile this week--that's the last component that will need to be complete before we're "activated"

2 days of work left!

Looking forward to summer projects around the house/yard

Union mtg/potluck/gospel mtg. tomorrow, so lots to look forward to!

Signing off, need to make a trip to Sam's Club and the grocery store

This sounds ridiculous; think I'll go back to my lengthy, wordy, paragraph form next time!

Happy Memorial Day!

2008-05-25T23:37:00.002-05:00

Happy Memorial Day! Hope most of you are able to enjoy a day off work...I am! Ryan always has Sundays, Mondays & Tuesdays off, so not unusual for him. We're planning to go to Nathan & Jordan's for an afternoon/evening of games, food, fun--and hopefully some sun!

I finally was able to get some flowers planted on Saturday. Made my annual trip to Lowe's to buy plants/flowers--and was pleasantly surprised with my bargain finds! They've usually got a clearance rack with 1/2 dead flowers that just need to be put in the ground--and I hit the jackpot with some wave petunias, vincas, and geraniums. I also bought several perennials (don't know the names--something long and complicated--maybe one was delphinium?). I'm hoping to plant more bulbs this fall so I don't have to buy many annuals next year--but we'll see! Anyway, it was fun and I enjoyed working outside and getting my hands dirty.

I guess there's not much else to report--the adoption journey continues but nothing too notable at the moment. We have our second visit with our social worker on Tuesday evening--last visit for the home study. We're about ready to send our profile pictures and narrative off to the digital graphic people who take what we've given them and make it appealing--can't wait to see "us" advertised in brochure- like form (that's what a profile is)--it will be wierd! Once that is completed and the home study report is written (hopefully in about 2 weeks), we can be activated! That is when things could really speed up--or not; the attorney told us last week that sometimes things go along for awhile with not much happening, but then it all happens at once and you have a baby before you know it. So--we'll see! I could use a few months to do several little jobs around the house and get prepared for motherhood, but if we don't get a few months I'm completely okay with that too!

Enough said for now...

School days left with kids: 5
Days of work left: 6

All in Bloom

2008-05-16T17:14:00.003-05:00

Everything is in full bloom here; I'm enjoying watching the flowers and plants even though I haven't had a chance to get out there and dig around or plant any this year. I can't wait to do it--but decided I'd better wait until I really do have the time; if that happens. :) The irises and hostas came from Wisconsin a few years ago and look more awesome than ever before! The rose is one I planted from a tiny little rose "bush" that was really more like a stem a few years ago--and I'm pretty happy with the way it's looking right now as well!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-12T21:25:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of the boys taken over the weekend. We made a quick trip to Missouri; we were almost there 24 hours but we did get to celebrate mother's day with mom, grandma, and my sisters. :)

I took the day off today and our social worker came for the first home visit! It was very exciting and talking to her gave us lots of fantastic information and feedback. In short: She interviewed us each separately (with the other out of the room), talked to us together, toured the house and checked several items off of her checklist, and let us know what to anticipate in the future. She also instilled a lot of hope and excitement throughout the visit. We will be one of very few couples the agency is currently working with who are open to infants of any race; this makes us unique and therefore almost certainly guarantees a quicker match! Of course, that alone is not a good enough reason to be open to a variety of situations--we do understand the seriousness of being honest about what we are open to for the right reasons. She also assured us that everything looks great and we should experience no problems as far as being qualified and getting activated by the agency (at which point we pay part of our fees and they begin advertising for us). In the meantime we still have some supporting documents to collect, background checks awaiting clearance, our adoptive family profile to complete, a toll free number to secure, a meeting with the attorney next Monday, a second visit with the social worker in 2 weeks, and lots of other little things we can be taking care of. The first item on my list: the Honda is to be detailed Thursday, then we will start advertising it for sale. Anyone want a beautiful red 2006 Accord?! We love it--but don't want to have to make the payments with all of the changes coming up in our life.

Oh, I should probably mention that somewhere in that lineup of tasks I will complete the school year--yay! I also start private tutoring with one student tomorrow after school and have at least 2 others interested for the fall and possibly one or two more for the summer. Plus, I found out that I can definitely get enough work as a homebound tutor for the district in the fall (depending on where we're at in the process and what I'm able to do) that I might not miss my paycheck for awhile...so that's pretty cool! It's always nice to have options.

Update

2008-05-01T21:23:00.002-05:00

First of all, thank you all for your very kind comments. I hope that we can live up to them--it seems that we have high expectations to fill. :)
Well, I guess I have a few things to post as updates.
1.) I have resigned from my teaching job effective at the end of the current contract. The last day is scheduled to be June 3rd...if we don't have any unforseen delays. I need to be able to focus on the adoption process and building our family--so I'm pretty excited to be able to leave my job, although there are definitely mixed emotions. I'm planning to do some private tutoring and work as a homebound tutor for the district--they've got a few ideas on how they can use me but I told them I'm not interested in being tied down or signing any contracts. :) It really depends on how the adoption process goes how much work I'll be able to or want to do.

2.) We have our first meeting with our social worker scheduled for Monday, May 12th. That is part of the home study process--and the first of a few times that she'll be here to visit.

3.) We have our "3 hour conference" scheduled with the attorney on Monday, May 19th. This is super exciting because it will determine whether they think they can (and want to) work with us and we will know whether we want to work with them. Although, I'm already convinced...and he did tell me that they don't schedule the 3 hour conference with everyone that calls them--so that was somewhat reassuring.

I guess that may not sound like a lot, but it feels like great strides to me--heading in the right direction!

Oh, and did I mention there are 21 "teaching" days and 1 teacher workday left in the school year?! Although I'll admit that there's not a lot of actual teaching that can be done by this time--my kiddos are already on vacation. :)

AnNoUnCeMeNt!

2008-04-15T18:29:00.004-05:00

This may not be exactly the kind of announcement you're expecting, and we have some hesitation about whether to even make a bold proclamation of our plans at this point--but we are definitely excited and want to share! :) We are planning to build our family through adoption! This is a process and is nothing that will happen overnight or even over a couple of months--it will take that long to complete the home study and all of the requirements that go into it and then get accepted by the agency we're considering. However, it is an exciting process and one that we know that we're not going to be able to keep quiet about!

Although we've been talking, thinking, and researching about adoption for several months and contacted an attorney and agency who practice locally for more information, today we took the first actual step--we faxed our home study application and fee to the agency! By the time we got home from work, we had received 2 emails from the agency: one assigning a local social worker to us and the other sending all of the forms and requirements for "phase II" of the home study process. :)

We are hoping to go through a unique program called "A New World Awaits" (http://www.newworldawaits.com/index.html) that is a joint effort between American Adoptions (http://www.americanadoptions.com/) and a local attorney named Eugene Kelley. I say the program we're HOPING to adopt through because we can't even apply to work with them until the home study is almost complete and all of the necessary documents, background checks, etc. have been returned satisfactorily. Then we hope that they like us, think that we're a couple their birth mothers would find appealing, and agree to work with us.

I spent an hour on the phone with Mr. Kelley one day a few weeks ago and was super impressed; he's definitely a leader in his field and specifically with adoption. He has great references in the legal field & also from adopting couples he's worked with. He's also involved for the right reasons and is realistic as well as positive. He wants what is best for the child, first of all, but also for the birth mother and the adopting couple. We haven't met our social worker officially yet, but have been emailing questions when completing the home study application. Now we're excited to go forward--and we have plenty of work to do!

I'd better stop here--I could go on for pages and pages--but I'll spare you all! Thanks for reading--please keep us in your thoughts and we'll try to keep you somewhat updated throughout the process. :) It's definitely NOT a done deal--there are many, many pieces of the puzzle to put into place--but we are hopeful that we can do that with a lot of help!

My Grandparents

2008-04-08T17:30:00.002-05:00

I want to take a little space on my blog to dedicate to 2 people who have been influential in my life--and are great examples--my grandparents! They recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. We went up for the weekend so that we could join the rest of my family (minus the Forsberg installment--we missed you!) for a celebratory Friday night supper (which was really a feast), cake, punch, etc. It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed being together.

To Grandpa & Grandma: 50 years and counting!

For any who are wondering; these are my dad's parents--my mom's parents are both gone now but they celebrated 53 anniversaries--nearly 54, if I've got it right! Ryan's grandparents have both celebrated more than 50 years of marriage, so we have a pretty special legacy.

All About Ryan

2008-03-30T20:51:00.002-05:00

This post is all about Ryan...the good and the bad--or if you ask him, the good and the better. :P It's all in the point of view.

I like to start with good news--Ryan got 2 job offers from Wal Mart's home office technology center on Thursday and accepted one of them on Friday! It's in the Unix division--and that's all I know how to explain. :P He'll work Wed-Sat each week with his Wed. and Sat. hours alternating between two different shifts and his Thu. and Fri. hours from 6:00-6:30 (if I have it right...but something like that). He put in his two weeks at Java on Friday but we don't have a start date for Wal Mart yet--I'm sure they'll be in contact, though. :) We're pretty excited about that!

Now for the "other" news--I guess the picture says it all. Ryan bought a "motorcycle" last week--which I am not at all thrilled with, but I'm not telling you all anything he doesn't already know. :P I'm consoling myself with the knowledge that he has to take the course, get his license to drive it, and get it licensed before he can start riding it--as well as sign the insurance form and buy a helmet. So--all of that could take a week or two and that's that much longer I can breathe just a little easier. He asks if I want to ride with him--I don't see any place that looks big enough or comfortable enough for me to fit--so that answer has remained "no" for now. Besides, I don't enjoy being tense and nervous going at what feels like warp speed even though the speedometer only says 30 mph with the road that close underneath me--doesn't sound like any kind of fun to me!

He didn't spend any nights in the doghouse (of course it helps that we don't have one...hmmm...now that's got me thinking...). :P

Pics

2008-03-22T17:49:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I accidentally published the last entry before the pictures were uploaded--and I can't edit my posts. If anyone knows how to go back and edit a post, please clue me in!

Anyway--here are a couple of pictures; more on our Flickr page!

Boys, Boys, Boys

2008-03-22T17:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I've had a fabulous (but all too short) spring break! I can't believe it's over...and I'm not really looking forward to going back to work on Monday and enduring the business of the last quarter of the school year. However, I really have no choice so I might as well think positive and get through it with grace. :)

I was in Missouri with my family from late Tuesday afternoon until just after noon on Thursday. I stayed at Josh & Sonya's and thoroughly enjoyed being "Aunt Day" or simply "Day." :) We celebrated Kingston's 1st birthday on Wednesday, walked to the little park pond to feed the ducks, and basically just spent time together. Before I left on Thursday Dad, Tasha, Sonya and the boys, and I went out to lunch and I stopped by mom's work to see her on the way home.

On Friday Ryan had the day off but I made him spend part of it working on our taxes and looking at our finances, which made me crabby. Thankfully, we joined friends for supper and games in the evening which improved my mood...I think. :P

Today has been somewhat uneventful. Ryan worked this morning so I met one of the girls I work with at Java for a few hours of gabbing and working on lesson plans, IEP updates for my kiddos, and other miscelaneous work "stuff." The last few hours have been spent trying to get my computer to cooperate, waiting forever for pictures to upload to flickr, and doing laundry. Doesn't that sound like tons of fun?! My hubby is totally absorbed in his new "server" computer (don't ask me what that is--all I know is that it takes 100% of his attention). :) I'm not really complaining, though, I'm glad he likes technology and is good with it--that comes in super handy at times!

Okay, enough said...check out our Flickr photo page if you're interested in pictures of the boys. :)

Spring Break!

2008-03-14T10:27:00.002-05:00

Well, Spring Break is officially here for me, I guess! I had to take the day off today to go take my master's comprehensive exam (comps) this afternoon. I'm supposed to be studying right now--but I'm remembering what an awful studier I really am! I figure if I don't know it by now, I'm probably not going to retain anything I try to cram into my head in the last few hours anyway. :P I need to be at the U of A at 1:00 and am supposed to be done by 4:00.

Then I'm headed to our friend Nathan & Jordan's to watch their kiddos for the evening...Ryan's going to meet me there and bring supper. We'll spend the night since Jordan won't get home until 1:30 a.m. or so from work and Nathan is out of town. Looking forward to that--the kids are a lot of fun! The only thing I'm a little worried about is bedtime, but it shouldn't be too difficult. :/ (all you parents out there are probably rolling your eyes about now and thinking "yeah, right!" or "you don't have a clue..."--but we'll see!)

Tomorrow Ryan has to be at work at 7:00 a.m. and I'll come home around noon to try to get the house in order and make sure we have food to eat because the workers will be here tomorrow afternoon and stay a couple of nights, I think. That will be wonderful! :)

Next week--I have some phone calls to make, eye dr. appointment to go to, etc. and then I'm heading to MO on Tuesday and plan to come back Thursday. Kingston turns 1 on Wednesday, so I want to be there for that! Who knows what else spring break week will bring--I'm just elated to have the time off work! It's been absolutely nuts here lately and a break is very much welcomed! :)

Well, I really should at least read over my study questions and attempt to brush up on some information that's a little fuzzy...but procrastination seems to be calling my name. :) Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Boys

2008-02-25T21:57:00.003-06:00

Our Missouri nephews are doing great--and they're all 3 cuter than I can even begin to describe. :) I love that they're all completely different and are at totally unique stages in life. Zaden (2) is a little ball of energy--never stops moving--and talks like crazy now. I love being called "Aunt Danene" or "Day Day" (he calls himself zay-zay) and playing with him. He makes me laugh constantly.

Kingston (11 months) is tall, dark, and handsome--literally. Those big brown eyes are like melted chocolate and he's just as sweet. :) He does great playing quietly by himself on the floor, but he also loves to be played with--we played tug of war with his blankie for awhile on Saturday, which made him laugh out loud several times. He loves his mommy and daddy and really lights up when they come into the room--but he didn't cry when he saw me this time, so I think he's starting to like me too. :)

Xander (2.5 months) is just a sweetie. He's such an easy baby--cuddly, content, and satisfied to just be held. He's a little chub--such cute little rolls and kissable cheeks. He's smiling and starting to coo a little, which is lots of fun. When his little face lights up as he's looking at you, your heart just melts (or mine does anyway).

So--obviously, we had a great weekend with my family! I don't know what else to say--the boys were the center of everyone's weekend and we love them dearly. I still hate to leave them and get a lump in my throat every time we do--but I don't usually cry anymore, so that's an improvement. :P It's best to get hugs and leave quickly--lingering is torture for me. We'll be back in mid-March for Kingston's 1st Birthday...not so far away now! :)

Weekend Plans

2008-02-21T20:34:00.004-06:00

Our weekend plans are to spend the weekend with my family in Missouri. We haven't been there since christmas and I am needing a nephew fix! I know all 3 of the boys are growing and changing like crazy and can't wait to catch up with them! Of course, it will be nice to see mom, dad, sisters, and brothers-in-law too. :) We'll head up Friday evening, if all goes well.

In other news and equally exciting is the summer trip we're planning. We applied for our passports and hope to go to Mexico--possibly Puerto Vallarta, which sounds awesome! We're looking at all-inclusive options and I think we're nearly both in agreement--which is sometimes the hardest part of planning a vacation. :P Ryan would be perfectly happy with a cabin on a lake somewhere and normally so would I--but this summer we'll celebrate our 5th anniversary! Since we're usually so predictable and conservative, I'd like to do something a little more "exotic" and unique--neither of us have ever been out of the country, so Mexico seems like a start--besides, it's in our price range whereas a lot of other places aren't. :P

That's it for now--getting some more rain now; hailed earlier for a couple minutes--so not sure what tomorrow will bring for school--we shall see. :)

Day off

2008-02-21T06:21:00.002-06:00

They just called school off here--it's freezing rain (which started around 6:00--when Ryan left for work at 5:30 everything was cold but clear). So, of course for the safety of children they don't want busses on icy roads--especially up in the hills of Bella Vista, which is in our district. But I'm definitely not going to argue--in fact, I'm going back to bed. :) Maybe I'll post something interesting (if I can think of anything) later today when I'm actually awake! For now--g'night at 6:24 a.m.

Roses are red...

2008-02-15T20:29:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day weekend! (it's past the actual day now) I must say that although I told some of my students who were "down" about V-day yesterday morning that "it's just a commercial holiday for the stores, flower shops, restaurants, etc. to make a

lot of money..."--I must say that it turned out a little romantic. Ryan & I usually don't make any fuss about it; sometimes a card or chocolates but nothing major. Well, I got the surprise of our marriage yesterday when I turned around from talking to a student across the room and saw a guy sitting a vase with 3 red roses on my desk! I thought at first that it was one of the office helpers delivering flowers to me that someone had sent--then realized that guy was none other than my handsome husband! Of course the kids were sitting there looking at me waiting for a reaction and I blushed...then went over and hugged him-all the while exclaiming that in almost 5 years of marriage and 3 years of dating before that, he has not bought me one single fresh cut flower until now. I always tell him that I'd rather have plants or something that will last longer, but deep down I knew that there would be something special about getting roses or any fresh bouquet...and I was right! :)

After I got off work we went out to eat at a little Thai place nearby...it was nice! It's been very busy last 2 weeks, so just spending time together was great. I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off--but maybe the 3 day weekend that just began will help me get it firmly planted on my neck again. :P I could go on and on about work...but I'll spare you the details. Nothing else is too exciting either so I'll stop. I hope you're all having a great day/night/evening/morning/whatever it is wherever you are whenever you're reading this!

SNOW DAY!

2008-01-31T10:54:00.000-06:00

An unexpected day off work--ahhhh! On a sunny day in June when we're at school to make up for today, it won't be so cool--but right now the break is wonderful! When I got the call at 6:00 this morning, there was absolutely no precipitation to be seen out our windows--roads dry, etc. (I know--that doesn't happen up north--but here it does and I'm grateful!) By time I actually got up for good a few hours later (we'll just leave it at "mid-morning") it was snowing and there was a good coat on the ground already. Still snowing...but light and hard to see...I wish it was the huge, heavy flakes falling--they're so pretty to watch!

At Ryan's request I took the camera out and shot a few pictures, although I'm not sure they'll meet his photography seal of approval--he's a much better photographer than I am--x10. He wanted me to go work for him so he could leave to take pics--hmmm...

Keep going...even when it seems uphill!

2008-01-30T17:35:00.000-06:00

It seems most everyone could use a little encouragement on any given day...here's some for you!I hope you're all doing great; wanted to leave something new on the blog even though I don't have much to share. They're calling for snow early tomorrow morning--the kids were nuts at work today and will be even worse if we have school tomorrow, whether or not they see a flake of snow--it makes them cRaZy!

I Feel Boring

2008-01-19T12:25:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I'm even updating today because I really don't have anything exciting to say--hence the title of this post, I feel boring. I apologize in advance. :P

Monday I had staff development at work (no kids--in training all day)...and it should have felt like a short week with the kids, but I guess the barometric pressure or something is off and they were CrAzY! So--due to that, I've got extra paperwork that they basically created for me with their crazy actions and bad choices to catch up on. But--it really wasn't a horrid week; work was just a little hectic!

We had a "date night" last night--which I know is probably funny since we spend more time together than most other couples our age get to. But it's great to have time that we set aside just for us--not for doing anything around the house or grocery shopping or spending "together" time with other people, or anything else--just time to talk, laugh, and enjoy being together! We went out to eat at a cute little family-owned Thai place close by and stopped in at Java on the Square (Ryan's work) on our way home.

Ryan's at work--all day until around 11:00 tonight. I am attempting to get laundry, some minor house straightening, etc. done and will hopefully get around to some of that paperwork for work--that will help with next week! I also need to make a trip to the gym at some point today (which has been going great--I feel wonderful and it really helps my emotional/mental state as well as making me physically feel better).

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Playing Catch-up

2008-01-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

I guess life has gotten so busy since school started again that now I need to play catch-up with the blog. So, some things that are going on here:

*Ryan has a new "toy"--a Pentax K10D digital SLR camera--awesome! Technically, it's our toy but it will take me about 10 times longer to figure out than him--he's been researching and playing with it all week. In fact, as I write this he's getting home from being out with some friends duck hunting. He left here before 4:00 this morning--yikes! Only, since he hasn't had his hunters safety course transferred from WI, the only thing he shot is the camera--but it doesn't sound like anyone did any shooting of guns anyway. I guess they had a good time, though...and so did I--sleeping in!

*I'm on day 7 of a 9 day Isagenix body cleansing & fat burning program. I feel fantastic; it has been great so far! After this I plan to do the 30 day program and see what happens. Feeling this great is awesome--losing weight and inches will be a huge bonus to that!

*I joined a gym called Fit 4 Her--a women only place with weights, treadmills, eliptical machines, bikes, classes, massage chairs, tanning, and more. I've only been 3 times so far but have actually enjoyed my workouts--and hopefully I'll get in shape!

*In March I'll take the master's comprehensive exam that I will pass and finally receive my master's degree in special education! Of course, before all of that I really need to do research and prepare using the 6 study questions provided. So--there's the agenda for my "free time" the next couple of months.

*Ryan is now the manager at Java on the Square (moved up from assistant when the previous manager left to work for Wal Mart). All of the "problems" the employees have are very annoying (maybe moreso to me than Ryan) but the job has given him lots of good experience.

Happy Birthday to Zaden!

2007-12-31T13:40:00.001-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to Zaden today--wow, I can't believe it! I just talked to him on the phone and he sang part of "happy birthday" with me, told me about his new train from grammy & grandpa, then said "bye" and handed the phone back to Sonya. He's pretty funny to talk to on the phone because I can only catch about half of what he's saying due to the fact that he talks real soft and quiet on the phone (but definitely not in person!).

I can't believe we have a total of 4 nephews age 2 & under...wow!

The Great Dog Debate

2007-12-30T19:08:00.001-06:00

Okay--the latest debate around our house is regarding whether or not to get a dog. I say yes (and have for awhile)...Ryan says no. I'm trying real hard to be the good, obedient wife--but I think he would enjoy a dog, too. Maybe you can help us decide!

I'm thinking an outdoor dog--fairly self sufficient but I realize it would require food, water, a warm place to sleep (doghouse, etc.), and play/walks regularly. We have a nice sized fenced-in backyard which I think would be perfect. Maybe I would take more walks if we had a dog? I'd definitely like the play part--and would spend more time in the backyard if we had a dog.

Ryan counters with "and what do we do with it when we travel?" (me: put out plenty of food, water, and ask a neighbor to check on it every other day). "what about the dog poo in the yard? (me: train it to poo in one specific spot?) "what about when you get tired of it?" (me: worst case scenario--get rid of it, but we had dogs growing up, I know I like them, and I don't think that will happen)

So my questions are this: Do you have a dog? Do you want a dog? Do you want to get rid of your dog (as in--have one but wish you didn't?) Feel free to post comments or suggestions!!!

P.S. I'm not being sneaky: Ryan knows I posted this and has just agreed that what I've said is an accurate recollection of our debate. :)

Just in case you were wondering...

2007-12-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

I'd like to say that the title to our blog, "Magsam's Holler," can be attributed to Ryan. I couldn't think of anything better--so that's it for now. To help you understand why we settled on this, Ryan suggested that the title should be something Arkansas-ish. Since "holler" is a noun used for the geographical feature otherwise known as a "hollow" as well as the verb to shout out, it seemed doubly fitting. Those of you who know us are probably rolling your eyes, and that's okay--roll on!

Modern Language Association (MLA):
"holler." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 26 Dec. 2007. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holler>.

Latest & Greatest (or not)

2007-12-26T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, we have officially changed blogs...but obviously, since you're here, you know that already! The Yahoo 360 blog we were using only let us post one picture with each entry--which was getting annoying. Since we had already moved our photos to Flickr and are supposed to be able to post photos from our flickr account to here easily, it makes sense. :)

We have been busy the past month it seems. Made a quick trip to MN (stopping to meet our newest nephew, Xander, in MO on the way) Dec.14 for Ryan's Grandpa Homer Mote's funeral. Came back home the 16th.

On the 21st (Fri) we left for MO again. After Britt & Eva Booth's wedding on Saturday morning, we headed out with mom & dad for Omaha, NE where my uncle Terrill (mom's oldest brother) is in the VA hospital. He is making progress (after 7 weeks in the hospital and counting) but has a lot yet to make. Mom & dad were encouraged to see the progress since the last time they'd visited him! We also got to see his daughter Andrea and her little girl Chloe. I hadn't seen any of them for almost 4 years. We made it back to Sedalia Sunday night.

Monday we took it easy--Tasha & Kingston joined us for the day at mom & dad's then we went to Josh & Sonya's for supper. Josh's parents are visiting from CO and his mom had made a yummy spaghetti supper for us all. We enjoyed playing with Zaden and cuddling Xander.

On Tuesday all of the Spinar family assembled at Grandpa & Grandma's house. There are 32 of us (if I counted right) now--and we were all there for dinner! It was great to be with everyone for a little while. We came home Tuesday evening in time for Ryan to work at 5:00 this morning.

I've got a crazy cold so I've been taking it easy today...and thank goodness I'm on vacation, so taking it easy is completely acceptable! I love breaks--they are much needed, help me to restore & recoup, and it's just so much fun to have time to do what I want to do--or not do what I don't want to do. :) I think I may be spoiled...