this one is for Darcy.... who says I do not blog nearly enough,

I eat the Poo Poo!!!

So when Savvy is mad at me for making her take a nap, she has a new way of throwing a tantrum. She will go poops, stick her hand in it, and... well... yes... partake... URGHHHHHH! It is horrible! She then yells, "Mama, I eat the poo poo! I eat the poo poo! It's yucky! Mama, it is yucky, yucky, ewww yuck!!!"

true story...
She has done it twice here at home and once at Mitzi's house, so i have proof. Seriously, sooooo disgusting.

I did not take a picture.... WAY TOO NASTY GROSS! These are two pictures from this last week. I adore my sweet girl! This one is eating krispie kremes in the car.... much better and even healthier than poo. Sticky to the doughnuts Savvy!

OBX... continued

More on our fun OBX adventure.
(by the way: OBX = Outer Banks, the fun beach coast of northern North Carolina)


Auntie Sue introduced us to a YUMMY restaurant that was sooo great! The Jolly Roger.

First off, if you come between 4:30 and 5:30, you get the early bird special, buy one get one free. IN ADDITION... Saturday nights KIDS EAT FREE!!! Are you kidding me! Our whole family ate a huge, fantastic dinner for $30 including everything!

The entire staff is dressed as pirates, and the restaurant is decorated as if you are on a pirate ship. We ate in the captain's quarter's room. So Cool!!! Uncle Peter, Auntie Sue and Grandma Joan met us for dinner. We really had a great time.

The drinks all come decorated with pirate bling. Savvy was not so sure about it. I made her a little nervous and she refused to drink anything.

They have a playground in the back that our kids really had fun on.
I love this picture because it shows my darling kids at their individual levels of play, but all playing together.



Did I mention that it was SO SO SO COLD the entire time we were there!!!
How cute is my little paddington bear baby?

OBX day one

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!
We had our first family getaway to the Outer Banks last weekend! Auntie Sue Ward came to visit us and then we drove her to her mom's house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We had a fantastic time! It was FREEEEEZZZING cold at the beach, but really beautiful. We got a Days Inn Hotel right on the beach and our room's balcony overlooked the ocean.

We toured the Wright Brother's National Park... Very cool!
This is an awesome play experience for the kids to climb on. They really do a nice job here.
Next we went to the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Up next... Bill and the boys true purpose of our trip... Ocean fishing!

I was sooooo thankful that they didn't catch anything because Bill would absolutely have scaled, de-boned and roasted it right there on the beach. NASTY!! They did have fun though. We are really ready for our Dittbrenner cousins to come and go fishing with us when the weather gets a little warmer. Uncle Wayne is a master fisherman!

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice

I've been there. Totally been there. Actually been there twice. It is terrible, but it also is kind of great. Holding that baby for the first moment, falling in love, loosing her, then finally getting to hold her again. Loved the Grey's ending. Loved it. Been there, and it is the best feeling ever!

Feb. 2009
This is Savannah, or who we thought was Savannah. I got to see the sonogram, hear the heartbeat, stay awake all night for labor, I even got to cut the umbilical chord! She was an amazing experience that was horrible to live through.


But somehow the last day, I knew what was going to happen. I denied it... but my heart knew.
In Private Practice, during the horrible part of holding that perfect baby, and then knowing that you would never hold her again, she says, "How am I supposed to believe that? How am I supposed to believe in anything ever again?" Hated this. Been there... Worst feeling ever.
I don't watch Private Practice much, so it was kind of a surprise to see what was going on. I love it when they get it right. Capture it so well.

Ok, so I actually meant this post as a happy/thankful/look at how amazing this is kind of a post. So here goes:

I don't ever miss an episode of Grey's Anatomy and I love that they took the story and made it so real, and true to life. Anybody watch these shows? Your thoughts?

Well, when they started with Zolla as a storyline, I loved it. I had just gotten my own delicious little sweetheart, and they looked so much alike! And with her special needs, it felt so close to our Cole and his story.

I don't know if having a baby is ever easy. Maybe biologically it is easy emotionally? I don't know. But adoption, in my experience, is the craziest roller coaster ride in life. But you know how after you get off the roller coaster, and you realize it was the greatest thrill you could imagine? Well, in my life, I have gotten three roller coaster rides that were somehow unspeakably life changing. I am not making sense... so here is what I mean. This is why it is worth the heartache part.
October 2009
This is the moment I first met my princess Savannah and somehow I knew it in my heart... She was mine forever!




The moment the judge officially decreed that Savannah Kea Ohana was ours forever.
Addison, Meredith... It is worth it! I promise!!
I would have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance.

Thanks ABC... you got it right on these two.

Really Really Thankful

I am so very thankful...
For this delicious sweetheart:
(I know... how amazingly gorgeous is my daughter!!!)
For a husband who loves our family outings and fun as much as I do:
(How funny is Savvy in the above picture... We said, "Savvy, Smile for a picture" and she grabbed my face and cheesed it for the camera. I love this baby girl!
For three amazing children who love each other and want to be together every day:

That through the miracle of science, this little guy is doing amazing!
And MORE than that, through the miracle of our Father in Heaven, he is ours, and he is insured and very well taken care of. I am also thankful that somehow we are always able to find joy in his journey.
For parents that are amazing examples to each of us:


These two pictures are from our final night before they left for 18 months to serve as missionaries in the Congo, Africa. Check out their super great blog telling about their adventures.

I am thankful for my little sister Amy and my dear friends who celebrated my 40th birthday with me. I am so blessed with amazing friends:
And especially this year, I am so thankful for family. For cousins and sisters and brothers.


I love my life as mommy and wife.
Thank you Father in Heaven for blessing me so very much!

Thankful for Cousins!

While the kids were off track last week, we all went bowling. Aunt Mit is a supermom and she is always planning fun activities. I think my kids are going to LOVE living by her.



We went to a FANCY bowling alley that is all automated and the bumpers go up or down depending on the player. So much fun! We definitely want to take grammy and papa there when they come to visit next month.
Brighton
Houston
Connor JamesSavannah Grace
Cole

Princess ZettaMy camera was being weird and none of my Tara Mei pictures turned out, but she was adorable, and she got the second highest score of the day! She is one great bowler!

And though they didn't bowl, these two darlings are worth mentioning. They are such sweet little buddies, always chilling in their car seats together.
Cora and Hadley...

A fair is a fair is a smorgasboard, morgasboard!

Name that movie!!!

The first thing to mention is that we were not some of the deadly cases who got E Coli from the fair food, which really is amazing since we practically ate throughout the entire fair!!! Apparently there have been 25plus cases reported, and a few deaths from the fair food.

However, we LOVED munching on everything from classic favorites like corn dogs, snow cones and cotton candy to new adventures "gater on a stick" (Bill's dream come true....) and fudge made from the Amish people (Charise's absolute heaven!!!)





Anyone who knows us well would know that we LOVE a fair. We never missed the fair in Orange county, and we were so excited to go the week before we moved away. Imagine our surprise to find out that the NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR was the second month we moved here. We have county fairs in California. Here in the South there are state fairs. Kind of the same thing, but with a VERY SOUTHERN TWIST.

There was almost no shopping. I know!!! Carrie Collins and I have spent SO MANY HOURS shopping the fair together. Carrie, I really don't know that you would have loved this fair. Where were all the demo products booths? All the rows and rows of fabulous things you can only seem to buy at the fair? (Steve's miracle sponge, our fantastic pots and pans, plumaria trees, mat and frame cutting systems, car organizers, tortilla warmers, hand carved wooden name frames, hawaiian matching family outfits, scrapbook tools you can't find anywhere else.) What does it say about Bill and I that we lovingly remember buying each of these items and think fondly of the fair every time we use any of them.

There was however TONS of Dairy/Cow/Farming demonstrations and booths and exhibits. Like TONS of them!

It was very new and different to have the fair in the fall. Instead of our normal patriotic USA outfits we wear every year to the fair, we got to dress in Halloween colors. Instead of sweating in the heat, we were very crisp and chilly. It was such a fun adventure!

They did not have any community groups performing. No stages at all. No hypnotist, no Chineese acrobats, no grunge bands. It was all just very different. Not bad different, just different.

They had SO MANY free sample of foods. For example, hushpuppies, soda taste tests, candy samples, sausages, dips, hushpuppies, salsa's, cheeses, jerky, and so much more. You could sample throughout the fair! (Did I mention free hushpuppies everywhere you went? Yum-EE!)

We always bring the wagon, tricked out with everything we will need for the day. I think for us, the fair is like what most people feel when they go to Disneyland. We prep for it. We save for it. We make it a HUGE event in our lives.


Our family tradition is that at the end of the day, before we go home, each of the kids get to choose one ride to go on. This is our incentive for them to be on their best behavior all day. It seriously works so well! Any time we sense a meltdown coming on, we redirect them by pointing to some of the rides (You can see them from every spot on the fairgrounds.) and talk about which ride they will choose at the end of the day.

This time both boys wanted to ride the log flume. It was crazy cold, but they both thought it looked wonderful! Brighton was kind of undecided throughout the day, but Cole said the water boat roller coaster when we caw it from the car before we even parked, and nothing could change his mind. All day as we would go past new rides we would ask him if he wanted this instead of the log flume, but nope... he insisted that the water boat roller coaster was the ride of his dreams. In the end I think his persistence made Bright realize it must be the best if Cole was so determined to ride it.



Here is Cole telling daddy how it felt!

We love the fair. Simply. Love. the. Fair.