It went well!!!

Two e-mails confirming the birth mother interview went well. One step closer. Now if PGN would just begin releasing files (with approvals!) I would feel better. Rumor had it they would release the first of the 300 reviewed cases late yesterday or Monday. So, by my calculations, that means we will be released sometime around July....of 2010! Just kidding. Who knows. It could take them a month to catch up, or three days. There is no way to predict what they will do. Plus, if they release so many at once, the US Embassy is going to be inundated with cases to process so there will be a backlog there too. But that is still a GOOD thing!

Update: Guatadopt posted that 50 cases were released yesterday, 10 approved and 40 needing corrected paperwork. Ugh! Not good odds of getting approved. (Even though the previous PGN director already approved our case) sigh.....

Holding my breath!

We found out our birth mother interview for Ahren is today. I can't breathe. This is a critical point in the process. Here, let me explain a bit of the background.

In the old Guatemalan process to adopt a child, the birth mother was interviewed by Family Court and that report was included in the adoption paperwork submitted to PGN. In addition to this important report, the results of the mother/child DNA testing were also part of what PGN required. Sounds good. Make sure the mother is willingly relinquishing the child and understands what she is doing, plus make sure the woman is truly the birth mother and therefore has the right to relinquish the child. During the adoption process, the birth mother was required to sign off at several key points. Each time, she had the right to change her mind and decide to parent the child. On paper, it seemed every effort was made to insure the birth mother's rights were protected.

But, like anything where money (great sums of money) is involved, greed and corruption began to take over. There are many stories of officials being bribed, babies stolen, birth mothers paid to give up babies, and much worse. The Hague Convention is a treaty among nations intended to force the adherance to sertain rules governing adoptions in the attempt to protect the children, the birth mothers and the adoptive parents. Because the United States signed the convention recently, if Guatemala wants to contiue to allow babies to be adopted by Americans, they have to become Hague compliant. This is an almost insurmountable task for a country where there is so much gone wrong, and even the government can't cooperate within itself to make decisions in order to move forward.

In addition, the new President of Guatemala has made some changes to the officials running PGN, the government office that oversees adoptions (plus child welfare and other issues). The new officials, as is often the case, have decided to make sweeping changes to how things were done. They are the ones who decided that all the approved cases be re-called and investigated. The new officials in PGN have decided that they are requiring another interview with the birth mother on each case before they will sign off and release them. This is the interview that is happening for Ahren's case today.

But (isn't there always a but) so far PGN has had 300 or so interviews. They have not released any of those files yet. People are saying they will begin to release them this week, but who knows. Also, early reports claimed that 10% of the reviewed cases were found to have problems and sent for further investigation or cancelled. Of the cases set to be released, some are approved and some have previos (issues with paperwork that needs to be corrected and re-submitted) No one knows yet how many are actually being finished versus needing more paperwork.

So although we are moving forward a tiny bit, they keep adding additional hurdles to the system. We are keeping the faith. I don't know how soon we will know the outcome of today's interview. As soon as I know, I will be posting it. I am sure it will be at least a few days, weeks or months.....

Nannyized

We have the most wonderful woman in our lives, a woman who we have known for years but when Levi was born took on a role that makes her family for us. She is our Nanny. I love Nanny to pieces, and although I think she is the greatest there is a downside to having someone in your home every day. Someone who does your laundry, sees your mail, has free access to your closet, bathroom, drawers, etc. That fundamental lack of privacy is difficult to adjust to, but there is something even worse.

The phenomenon of the Nannyized items. Nanny hates clutter. She cannot leave something sitting on a counter, the desk, the table, anywhere. She HAS TO pick it up and put it away. Even when I have specifically set it out so that I can remember something or I need it or whatever. If I turn my back it is gone. It has been....dun dun dun....Nannyized. And she never remembers where she put it. Ever.

Let me give you some examples. Last November I was preparing to put up all the outdoor Christmas decorations. I ran to the store and picked up power cords, hooks, timers, etc and I left them in a pile in the sunroom. The next day when I went to begin putting the decoratrions up, I found the timers under the counter with the spare glassware, the hooks in a drawer by the sink, and although I looked high and low I didn't find the power cords anywhere. Three 100 foot bright orange heavy duty power cords. Gone. I gave in and went and purchased more. Then, Monday, while trying to get the back-up carseat out of the coat closet, I discovered the missing cords. In the carseat, behind the coats in the hall closet. But of course......

My parents had a big anniversary in April. I spent a long time searching for just the right card for them. I wanted it to say exactly what I felt, without being sickeningly sweet and plastic. I brought it home, left it on the counter so I would remember to mail it in time and Poof, it was gone. I searched all over. I found Christmas cards, Thank You cards, a Graduation card, even a missing Birthday card, but no anniversary card. In a panic (and a bit of a black mood) I took all 4 of the cards I found, crossed out birthday or graduation, etc, wrote in Happy Anniversary, stuffed money in them and sent them off. My folks got a big kick out of it! Especially after I told them the story. I figure the anniversary card will eventually show up and I will send it to them for Christmas or something.

It's kind of like living with a squirrel in the house. An OCD squirrel who works overtime to stock everything away. She has also been known to organize my pantry, clean out my fridge and re-arrange my cabinets. I swear cooking dinner can be the biggest exercise in frustration sometimes. I KNOW I have something but I can't find it. I frequently feel like I am losing my mind.

But she is the BEST caretaker of small kids. She loves them so much, she plays on the floor with them, she reads to them, holds them, rocks them, and teaches them. All of the Nannyizing is worth it. She is a gift to our kids!

Random stuff

I snapped this picture in a store at the mall in California. The boys were cheesin for the camera and looked so cool trying on sunglasses. Then the girl behind the counter YELLED at me that there was no photography allowed in the store. Uh, what? This is a well known chain, and everything in the store is advertised all over the place. What did they think I was trying to do, steal their hat display idea? Here is 6 pounds of pure action. She totally thinks she is a big dog and routinely jumps in the pond and gets filthy. Luckily I can just throw her in the kitchen sink and clean her up. She has the most wonderful personality and she and Levi are best buds.

I had to take some shots of Katie to send to California for her manager to start shopping her to agents. I took head shots, full length shots and swim suit shots (you don't get to see those, ya perverts! Hah!) Here are some of the head shots.

I don't think I will be landing any photographer positions anytime soon, but luckily she is very photogenic.

Adoption Updates: PBJ - PGN is suposedly dropping the complaint against our attorney. If/when that happens we head back into PGN right away. We will know more this week hopefully. Ahren - the birth mother interview PGN is now requesting was scheduled for last week but had to be re-scheduled because the birth mom was not available. No word yet on when. If it goes well we will be signed off. But....they have not been releasing any of the cases that are already signed off by the new Director.

This weekend, I was putzing around doing some chores when Levi called out to me. 'Mom, are you in jail?' I replied, 'No, I'm in the kitchen.' He answered back, 'Oh.' (Me: huh?)

Too hot? Let's go fishing!

Chris promised Levi he would take him fishing. He picked up worms and stink bait, got the rods and reels all set, filled a small cooler and water bottles, and off to the big lake in our subdivision we went. It was hot. Beastly hot. We lasted 90 minutes before my brain began to melt and leak out my ears. Levi's face turned beet red from the heat, but he never complained. he was having too much fun.

It is important to wear your lucky socks when fishing. Who cares if you look like a nerd...
Levi caught 2 fish all by himself. Both were sun fish he caught with a worm. He was over-the-moon excited. He didn't even mind that we had to release them. 
The stuff that memories are made of. A little boy, a big lake, and a Snoopy fishing pole. 

More pix

More cousins photos. I just can't believe how awesome my nieces and nephews are. My sister home-schools all of them, although Alexa, the oldest, is attending a charter school for the first time this year. (A very prestigious and difficult to qualify for charter school) I am totally awed by what my sister has accomplished. Four kids who are smart, sweet, grounded, follow the values and ideals that the bible teaches us, and who are genuinely good people. This is the greatest legacy a person can leave. Children who grow up to be great people. That makes my sister truly great, in my book. 

Two little boys, exhausted by a long day, falling asleep at the restaurant, and both sought out their big sisters to hold them. Does it get any sweeter than this? 
Dana, my sister, I love you so much, but more than that, I would love to be like you. You have dedicated yourself to raising wonderful kids. The piano lessons, dance lessons, swimming, cheer-leading, etc, not to mention the humor you share with them, the love of God, the empathy for all living things. You are a role model for me. I feel guilty for working and short-changing my kids now! (Then again, if I stayed home my kids wouldn't get wonderful lessons as much as they might get locked in the dog run...Hah!) And the gorganzola pasta. OMG was that good! I tried to make it but it just wasn't the same. Even Levi told me it wasn't as good. LOL! You have to come teach me!!!! Pleeeeze?

Cousins Day

Levi was so excited to meet his cousins that he kept asking every day if it was Cousins Day. He can be a little timid sometimes, but the moment he met them he acted as though he had known them all his life (when in fact this was the first time they had met)

My nephew J is 6 years old and about the most adorable thing ever. He swims like a fish and we had to double up Levi's floaties just to make him able to try and keep up. (Maybe I should have gotten Levi one of those spray-on tans before we went so the sun didn't glint off of him so much)They say everything is bigger in Texas, but that is the biggest turnip* I have ever seen.
*actually a dead palm tree upside down.

The oldest two, Z is 13 and A is 15. Both wonderful, adorable, smart kids, but who didn't pose for as many pics as the smaller kiddos. These two are amazing.
Frick and Frack keeping themselves entertained. These two were inseparable.
He bears a striking resemblance to Howdy Doody here.....

These cousins are so much alike! Why can I never get a normal smile.....


Six of the cousins. Ashley didn't get to stay the extra days so we were missing her!!!! And then there's PBJ and Ahren....but that's another story.

Dude, my Superman totally can kick your Batmans tail.
Best buds.


My niece, T age 8, is on the left. They call her Princess T and she is delightful.

Scary CA gang chillin at the mall.
Three peas in a pod.

Introducing

The next teenage sensation, sweeping the nation, let's give it up for KG Nelson!!!! (That's her new stage name. Cool, huh?) Of course, this is the kid who just told me, 'Don't blow this all out of proportion, Mom'. Darn, I was already planning her red-carpet moments.....And not to be outdone by her sister, we have the lovely, the talented, the moon and stars, Miss Ashley!!! Ashley is wearing a stunning little black number purchased in a panic the day of the big event after it was discovered that the only dress she had brought with her resembled more of a swim suit cover up than evening attire.
And last but not least, modeling the latest from Janie and Jack, is Master Levi. He may be young but he already has the model pose, right down to the pursed lips. (Do you think maybe he spends a little too much time around his sisters???) I love this girl. She has really blossomed in the past year.

Shopping. The best thing evah!!! Of course 4 year old boys need to bring along an action figure to keep them entertained.

This is a perfect photo depicting the shopping experience. Notice how each of their faces tells the story....

Getting beautiful.

My wonderful brood. Each a completely unique individual.
And more getting beautiful. (There was a lot of this going on)

There's Ghetto Barbie! I knew she was around here somewhere. I love the look on Levi's face. Ghetto Barbie is shown here after corrupting her cousins. Good job! Isn't that an incredibly adorable bunch of kids! (I may be a tad bit prejudiced, but seriously, aren't they all adorable???)

Meet Angus and Chloe, their 2 Great Danes. I am so totally in LOVE with these dogs. (Or maybe they are small horses???)

More pix later...

More of the Story

There are a few things that I learned while we met with Eileen. First, she is not an agent, she is a manager and PR specialist. She will get Katie agents for both modeling and acting. She will be responsible for guiding Katie and hooking her up with the right people. She will handle all PR and publicity moving forward. The agents are the ones who then find work for the talent, and agents specialize in different fields. That's why she will need 2 different agents.

Eileen feels that although Katie is perfect for modeling (the look, the body, etc) that we should not focus on that. Modeling is a short-lived career for most and a business that is brutal. She told us that if Katie was her daughter, she would rather move her towards acting and print work, away from runway/high fashion. My sentiments exactly.

She also told Katie she was very beautiful, but that beautiful girls were everywhere. It takes more than beauty to be successful. She told her that actresses and models need to have brains and business smarts. They need drive and focus. They need to know how to work hard and make good decisions. And that you need to have a thick skin because there is a lot of rejection in this industry. You can't let it get to you. These are all things we have been telling her, but to hear it from the expert carried a lot more weight.

Eileen also told her to never stop working on her education. The showbiz part should always come second to her real future. If she made it huge in the business, great, but she will always need a sound career to fall back on.

We discussed building a portfolio, etc, and Eileen's idea is to start with some digital photos that I will take, then send her for some head shots by a pro. Eileen will begin to shop these around, and once she lands a modeling agent, then they will send her for free test shoots and that will build her portfolio. We could hire a photographer to shoot one for us, but it would be very expensive and Eileen feels it isn't necessary. She thinks she can get Katie an agent very quickly and then everything else will follow at no cost to us. She will only need the head shots and casual photos to land the agents.

Tonight I will finally download a bunch of photos and give you a pictoral update tomorrow. Plus, the second half of our trip we visited family and I have some of the most adorable pix of my nieces and nephews.

O.M.G. Exclamation Point

My head is spinning, my mind utterly warped. Katie is the newest 'talent' being managed by Eileen Koch. We dined at La Scala in Beverly Hills, a restaurant known as a hot spot for celebrities and the movers-and-shakers in the biz. We talked for 2 hours, and at the end she offered Katie a contract, began making plans to get her both a modeling agent and theatrical agent, made plans for head shots and appts with photographers for test shots, and began to design her PR campaign. It was totally surreal. In fact, I went to bed and fell deeply asleep with no problems, only to wake up at 3 am in a full panic.

I will post more and pictures as soon as I can. O.M.G.!!!!!

Off to Hollywood

We leave today for sunny California. Yahoo! katie is so excited about meeting her agent and getting things rolling. She already has plans to drop out of school and have a tutor on the set. (Um, cart before horse....chickens not hatched....) I am letting her dream. This is one time when she can think big and let her imagination run wild. She knows it is a dream and not likely, but it is a lot of fun to imagine. Kind of like thinking about what you would do if you won the lottery.  

She got her teeth polished, a mani/pedi, her hair freshly cut and the hint of a tan. She keeps making noises about losing weight but at 5' 8" and 120 pounds fully dressed she is in great shape. Not as thin as high-fashion runway models, but that is NOT healthy and I refuse to allow her to be pushed into that. I am Mama Bear after all, the best advocate for her there is. Oh, and her Daddy is going with us, my ex husband. You think I am protective, you should see her dad (and step-dad). 

I won't have computer access for a while so no updates until next week. I may be able to post on monday from my sister's house. if not, I promise to update everyone as soon as I can. 

Now it's off to Hollywood for Ghetto Barbie and her entourage. Wish us luck, especially since brittany Spears is still driving around LA and hitting on average one car a week. Yikes!!!

Wednesday....I think???

See this face? This is what PBJ thinks of her case and it's problems! We have learned that our attorney for her case is in trouble because he wrote a statement in our file saying 'the birthmother told him she was willingly giving up the baby'. Well, PGN jumped all over this and said there is no way she could have told him that because she doesn't speak spanish and he doesn't speak her dialect. This is what the entire investigation was about. Did she or did she not willingly relinquish her baby? Is she capable of understanding what she is doing and making an informed decision. The investigation found that she does understand and that this is what she wants. The court released the file and it went back to PGN, where they promptly kicked it out again because of that one document with that statement by the attorney in it. The file has gone back and forth several times, but PGN refuses to accept it.

Now PGN has decided that they want to prosecute the attorney for this 'crime'. He has been ordered to appear at a hearing today on this issue. I know there are many abuses of the system in Guat. I know that there are some really criminal things going on. But honestly, is this one statement really what they should be spending their efforts on? It seems like they are going completely nuts over a tiny thing and ignoring some of the horrific and blatant corruption.

And in the meantime, while they fight over this statement, PBJ is stuck. My precious baby girl is stuck. I need to go kick something.....

Why adoption is in our hearts

People often ask me why we decided to adopt. That is a complex question with a simple answer. The answer is, it was in our hearts. The complex part is that there are so many things that contributed to making it right. The fact that I have many adopted relatives from all over the world. The fact that we are older and this is my second marriage. The fac tthat we are incredibly blessed and felt led by God to share those blessings in a way that made a difference. And then there is the story of Levi.

Chris and I met 7.5 years ago. I was a single mom with 2 little girls, he was an afirmed bachelor. We met in Nov and were married by Feb. I would say he swept me off my feet, but it was more of a mutual riptide. We discussed kids, and decided that fall to see if the Lord would grant us one biological child. If we didn't suceed we would adopt, and if we wanted more we would adopt. We got pregnant immediately (shock!) and for the first 6-7 months the pregnancy was easy and enjoyable.

Then one day I began to feel 'odd'. I can't explain the feeling, it wasn't pain or anything. I just felt off. One night as I lay down in bed, my chest began to hurt and my heart started beating in an un-natural rythmn. I couldn't catch my breath, even lying down. We called the doctor (spoke to an on-call Dr) and they said if it bothered me too much to head to the ER, otherwise come into the office in the morning. I didn't want to disturb the girls so I decided to just try and get some sleep.

The next morning I was at the office when it opened. My doctor was at a different site that day, but the PA took me in and hooked me up to an EKG. Then the whispering began. You know something is up when they begin to come in and out of the room, adjusting things over and over again and whispering, all the time giving you that stressed-but-it's-going-to-be-OK smile. I NEEDED to know what was going on, so I snuck to the door and cracked it open and listened as the PA talked on the phone to my doctor. She was using words like 'Tacky', PVCs and arrythmia. So, if I didn't have a medical background I would think it had something to do with the way I was dressed, some plastic piping and a dance step. But, what I heard was 'racing heart beat', 'abnormal hearbeats' and 'abnormal heart rythmn'.

They brought in another EKG machine, one that would transmit the reading to a cardiologist. Again they hooked me up and I waited to see. The end result was that although they thought they probably should admit me, the baby was doing great and the cardiologist thought he should see me in person right away. Over the next few days I had echo-cardiograms, x-rays, blood tests, multiple sonograms and a 24-hour EKG (called a Holter monitor). The baby continued to do well and my heart issue wasn't life-threatening so I just took it easy as they collected as much data as they could.

Chris went with me to get the results at the cardiologist's office. That is where we learned that the Holter monitor showed I had 15,000 PVC's in a 24 hour period. That amounts to every 3rd beat of my heart malfunctioning. My heart was still pumping enough blood with the other beats to function well-enough, but they would watch me closely and as soon as the baby was delivered do more invasive testing to figure out why my heart was doing this.

So began the last trimenster of my pregnancy. Over the next few weeks I had weekly appointments with my OB, weekly non-stress tests, weekly ultrasounds on the baby, and was supposed to be taking it easy. OK, can someone tell me how to take it easy with 2 kids, a full-time job, no ability to take extra time off since it would come out of my maternity leave and I still had too far left to go, and a boss who really didn't care WHY I needed to slow down? Anyone???

Chris took me to an appointment about 6 weeks from my due date and the ultrasound showed that I had almost no amniotic fluid around the baby. I went straight into the hospital. Honestly, the 4 days I spent there were fantastic. I slept, I ate, I read and I watched TV. I was not responsible for anyone or anything. After 4 days my fluid levels had risen so they allowed me to go home on strict bed rest. My boss was NOT happy, and to that I say 'Too frickin bad'. I continued on weekly monitoring, etc.

I made it 3 more weeks. One morning Chris drove me to my appointment and when they hooked me up to the fetal monitor it was clear the baby was in trouble. His heart rate soared to over 200 and then dropped below 90. The doctor said 'Let's go' and we were escorted right over to the operating area. I made a couple of phone calls, they got me prepped, and it was time for the show.

I begged them to let me watch the c-section, but they were not budging. They did agree to allow me to not have my arms tied down if I promised not to get out of control. I begged Chris to stand up and watch everything and give me a blow by blow of what was happening. They injected the spinal block, laid me back, placed the drapes and then things happened very quickly. Chris was telling me what was happening but it is so fuzzy in my mind. I remember that they struggled to get the baby out. They couldn't reach his head and as they pulled and pushed my body rocked back and forth on the table. They widened the incision. Then suddenly Chris yells 'Here comes the salad tongs'. Only later did I realize that they had resorted to using forceps to finally get his head out as his stats were dropping. I got one brief glimpse of Levi over the curtain and then they whisked him off to the corner. I finally heard a small weak cry and they said they were taking him away. I told Chris to stay with him, please. Do not leave our baby! They bustled out with the isolet and then the room got horribly quiet.

Levi ended up in the NICU with breathing problems and I didn't get to see him for about 8 hours. The whole time Chris ran back and forth bringing me news and pictures, but trying to spend as much time with Levi as possible. Poor guy, he was really torn and I could tell it hurt him every time he left my side.

Two days later Levi was breathing well on his own and had recovered from his traumatic birth. He has thrived ever since. As for me, I still have the heart condition although it is much less noticeable now that I am not pregnant and putting the added stress on my heart. I had them tie my tubes during the c-section, knowing that another pregnancy was not in the cards for me.

Long before we made the decision of when/where/how to adopt, Ahren and PBJ were in our hearts. We have been led to them thru an incredible story. We have been tested in more ways than anyone can imagine, and yet they have not left our hearts. In fact, our convictions have gotten stronger with each hurdle we have passed. There are days I regret some of the decisions we have made, wondering what it would have been like if we had been one of the fortunate ones with easy adoptions. But then again, if anything in our story was different, then it wouldn't be Ahren and PBJ.

PBJ update

We got our monthly update of photos and medical info for PBJ. She is now 23 pounds and 31.9 inches tall. Still an itty bitty peanut for an 18-month old, but growing. It didn't have any info on her development, but the last I heard she was still not walking but was receiving physical therapy and gaining strength. Her case is still stuck and not in PGN at the moment. Maybe soon...

I keep going back and forth on whether to visit. I make up my mind to visit and then it looks like we might be bringing one home soon and I put it off. Then that gets delayed and I want to visit again. Every holiday that passes I say the same thing. This will be the last (fill in the blank) Day I have to spend without all my children together. If I only had a dollar for every time I have said those words!

Roundup

Last week we had the pleasure of watching our friends 2 1/2 yr old for a couple of nights. Mina shares Nanny with us and comes to our house every weekday, ever since she was itty-bitty. She is like a sister to Levi and helps fill my need for PBJ and Ahren. She is way too smart, talks like a college grad and is so totally adorable as to make you cringe! Here is how we kept 2 munchkins entertained in the evenings. (Hey, this is as good as a bath, right???)

Playing with Mister Chreees, the human jungle gym.

I have been sick this week (Thanks Elle, I think I am channeling you!) I got to sleep in this morning and here is what I found Levi had as breakfast. He helped himself.....

Of good grief. I thought we had the puppy potty trained! Not a new poo-poo on the carpet!

Turns out it was just part of Levi's breakfast!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

Day of Prayer

Please take a moment and visit JuJu and her amazing post. She is one terrific and special person and what she is doing is appreciated more than I can ever express.

http://www.thejujucrew.blogspot.com/

Up, Down or Sideways????

Our adoption journey reads like a bad Lifetime movie. I have seen after-school-specials with fewer mess ups. If I wasn't living it I would never believe it. It couldn't possibly be true. It is just too unbelievable. And yet the saga continues....

The governing body in Guat for adoptions, PGN, has decided that they will interview the birth moms for all the approved cases that they re-tracted last week and if they feel the birth mom willingly relinquished the child they will approve and release the file. That means US! Yah baby! This might actually work! I e-mailed the attorney and he is working on getting an appointment for this. Luckily our son's birth mother is still living nearby and cooperating even after all this time. I absolutely REFUSE to get my hopes up but maybe, just maybe we will finally get a break. 

On the other side, PBJ's case has hit a major snag. The investigation in Juvenile Court is done, and the file was submitted to PGN and they kicked it out and sent it back to the court. The court sent it back to PGN. PGN sent it back to the court. Etc etc etc. Stalemate. They are arguing over one document. PGN says the atty did something wrong but the investigation cleared up all the birth mother questions. So it comes down to if PGN will approve the case with the info from the investigation and then deal with the atty separately or if they will literally throw the baby out with the bath water. 

Anyone want to guess what might happen next? Rabid wolves eat our file? Bats take over the PGN building? The government decide that they will all take a 6 month vacation? Nothing would surprise me at this point. 

But, we have a back-up plan. We have worked on it for quite a while. I think it is a good one.

Our back-up plan is to pay for Ahren to go to law school in Guat and then have him finish both of their adoptions. ;-)

The rear end of a dancing banana and other oddities

On the Guatemalan Adoption message board, it is traditional to put a bunch of cartoon 'dancing bananas' on your post when you announce you got OUT. Well, this my friends, is the rear end of a dancing banana that was at a cheer competition. And that is what I think of last week's news. It deserves the rear end of the dancing banana. Ptttthhhhhht!Levi got to take his own suitcase to Disney and I used some old fabric paints to decorate it for him. He was so proud and excited to pull it through the airport by himself!

Our landscaping endeavors continue. We are on the 10-year plan. Just this one bed took 3 trips to the nursery/store one day and all of the next day to get planted and mulched. Not to mention how much it all cost. I need to get a pic of what it looks like now, several weeks later. It really looks good.

The 'pile o' plants, lovingly hauled in my mini-van, the super duper all-purpose vehicle that rocks. Here I demonstrate the handy dandy hole digger I have rigged up. (Hee!)And the proof that I get right into the middle of the dirty work.
Levi loves the sandbox. He loves to play in it, roll in it, bury himself in it...you get the idea. The level of the sand has been going down steadily lately. Gee, I wonder why???