Here we go again!

 It's hard to believe that Leo is 18 months old now. I know it's cliche... but it really does seem like yesterday that we brought Leo home from the hospital. He was so tiny. And now he's a walking, talking, busy little toddler-- full of fun and mischief.

We're ready to add another little one to our family, so we started the adoption paperwork a few months ago, and have now been "approved."  Now we just have to wait for a birthmother to pick us...

If you know someone who is considering adoption for her baby we hope that you will pass our information along. 

Adoption really is about love. It is a blessing for both families, and we have witnessed firsthand the many miracles that occur along the way.  We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our little family. 

Our profile on LDS Family Services website: https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25727318/ourMessage.jsf


I came across this story on adoption today, and had to share it:
http://www.designmom.com/2010/05/adoption-story-from-anonymous/

Free Summer Fun

One of the reasons we love the DC area is that there is always something to do: free concerts, activities for kids, and other fun stuff. Last weekend we went to a free Summer Concert at the lake that is just blocks from our house.  The weather was perfect that night (the humidity was actually very low) and it was a beautiful setting, overlooking the lake. The sun was setting, and the fire flies were buzzing around. It was lovely.  The band was from South Africa and they played "township" music which was fantastic. I loved it.

On Saturday we went to see "Ryan Buckle and friends" which was a free show for kids at an outdoor amphitheatre. Ryan played great songs on the guitar about animals and science... then Zelda did cool science experiments between each song. All the kids loved it.  Even Leo was getting into the music.  (Ryan's songs are cute and fun, without being annoying to adult ears. We bought his CD, and are excited about his new one that will be all about Space!)

Hooray for free summer fun!

Ding-Dong, it's a new door!

The makeover of our front door and porch area is almost complete...

As you can see from the photo below I started by painting the door black, then replaced the porch light with something more modern.  This week I installed some glass panels with a DIY kit I bought online.  Was it scary to cut 3 huge holes in our front door?  Absolutely!  But it turned out great, and I LOVE the way it looks.

This style is authentic to the period of the house (1960s) and the best part is that it lets in a lot of light. I also removed the glass storm door (having to go through two doors with a squirming toddler and a diaper bag was not easy!).  The house looks so much better without it. I'm loving our "new" door!

Cute faces

Summer in the Pool

Our neighborhood has a pool, and we debated on whether or not we should pay the membership fee this year. (It's about 400 bucks)  Several friends talked me into it, and today was our first day at the pool. It was awesome!

It was over 100 degrees today, and humid to boot. So when a friend texted to see if Leo and I wanted to join her at the pool we jumped at the chance! 

They have a kiddie pool that is fenced off from the larger pool, so Leo and the other toddlers were contained. And the pool is only about a foot deep so they can splash and play to their hearts' content. Part of the pool is shaded too, so we could sit at the edge and be in the shade. Nice!  At one point Leo found the hose that was refilling the pool, and he thought that was the best toy of all.

It looks like we are going to be at the pool a LOT this summer. At least we'll get our money's worth...

Going back to Cali

Leo and I flew to California for two weeks to spend time with our family, and attend my cousin's wedding. We spent a couple days at the beach in Santa Monica, where Leo waded into the water and spent hours playing in the sand. He loves the beach.

Then we drove up to my parents' house where we got to spend lots of time with the extended family. It was great! My sister and her son Bridger also flew in for the weekend, so Leo and Bridger got to play together again.

Leo had a great time in the garage with Grandpa. He followed him around for hours, and just loved checking out all that interesting stuff. Grandpa even gave him a hammer and a board with some nails he could hammer. He was in little boy heaven.

Leo's language skills really took off during our time there. He started saying "Pa" (for Grandpa), and about  20 other words for the first time: outside, down, eat, stuff, bath, chip, sock, drink, etc.  
It was amazing.

Jessie's wedding was really nice. They had tents set up next to the lake, so the setting was beautiful. The weather even cooperated, and the rain held off until the following day. (whew!)

I spent a couple of days doing the flowers, which was really fun. (I really do enjoy it- especially now that I am not doing flowers every day)  It was a fun day, and I enjoyed spending time with all my cousins who had come to town for the wedding.