Thankful. . .

Ok, so I've been away from the blog WAY too long and I've neglected my blog longer than I ever intended to. The reason. Sickness. Germs. And more sickness. We're going on four (4) weeks of this. No joke. And I've got to tell you, I'm sick of being sick. Collectively, we've had ear infections, sinus infections, more ear infections, borderline upper respiratory infections, etc. Enough!!! Don't even get me started on the sleepless nights. Anyway, that is the reason for the neglect on the blog. Let's move on and post something positive on this Thanksgiving night.

We host Thanksgiving at our home every year and on occasion we are blessed to have my mother-in-law Bonnie visiting from the east coast. This was one of those years! She arrived last Friday so we've been enjoying her company all week. This was her first time meeting Wesley, so it was a very special visit. In addition to my family and my mother-in-law, we had our dear friends Jose and Shannon over who we consider family. Jose and Shannon graciously provided yummy appetizers including champagne while my mom made some awesome soup, and my lovely hubs did the rest of the cooking.

Here he is in all his glory. The bird looks burnt but it's not, it's the dry rub - mmmm!

Here is my mom enjoying a pina colada from a fresh coconut courtesy of Jose. OMG!

My brother J and his son Brooks

Wesley and his cousin Brooks hanging out. Two of the cutest boys in the world!!!

Mom, Dad, Nanie (a.k.a. Brian's mom) and Brian pose for the camera.

Me and Nanie

Jose and Wesley having fun

Me and "The Chef" Brian

These two look like they're going to get into some trouble!

Hey, how did this guy get to be at the head of the Thanksgiving table?

Me and my little peanut

It's times like this that we reflect on the past year and think about what we are thankful for. Well, this year I didn't have to even think about it. He's here. He's FINALLY here. After seven (7) years of trying to become a family of three (3) versus a family of two (2) we've finally made it! I'm reminded of the day that we told my parents that we weren't going to "try" for a biological child any longer. It was extremely difficult. Possibly the most difficult thing I've ever had to say to my parents. And my dad said to me, "Sometimes God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." God does have a plan for us.

So, on this Thanksgiving night here is my top 10 (not in order) list of things I am thankful for:

1. Wesley - I know that this child was meant to be with our family. In the short amount of time he's been with us, he's touched so many people and he's filled my heart with so much joy. I couldn't see my life without him. I love you Peanut. :)
2. Brian - I couldn't imagine going on this journey with anyone else. You are my traveling companion, my love, my life. You are an amazing father and I love you.
3. My parents - I feel so blessed to have two wonderful people that I look up to and enjoy spending time with. You are inspirational, crazy at times and awesome grandparents to Wesley.
4. Family - my mother-in-law, my brother, my aunts and uncles, I love you all and appreciate the love and support you have given me, Brian and now Wesley.
4. Friends - I wouldn't pick any other people to surround me with the love, support, laughs and friendship that you have. You are like family to me. :)
5. Lesley @ Across the World Adoption Agency - I'm so thankful for her listening to me vent about our China adoption one evening in May, 2009; the conversation turned to her referring us to our agency and the Korea program. If it weren't for her, I don't know if things would have turned out the way they did and I credit her with putting us on the path to find our son.
6. Adoptive mom friends - it's been said before by myself and many others but unless you have been through the adoption process (or are in it) you can't really understand it all. It is a roller coaster ride. There are good times. There are difficult times. There are times that words can't even describe. Having other moms that have "been there, done that" has been incredible and invaluable.
7. Reality TV - although we watch less TV now that our little peanut is home, we still make time for reality TV. I love it. The Real Housewives (Atlanta, Orange County, New York), Project Runway, Millionaire Matchmaker, American Idol and so many more. The trashy ones are the best. They take me to another place and help me to forget about my work day, stresses, etc. The trashier the better.
8. Naps - although they are few and far between these days (only weekends and only if we don't have plans) I am thankful for naps to catch up on lost sleep which seems to be the case these days. Just when you think you're having a good month sleep-wise with Wesley, things take a turn.
9. Spanx - If you've ever worn these you know why I'm thankful. Enough said.
10. Music - I've written about my affinity for music before so this shouldn't be a surprise. I'm happy to report that Wesley loves music. We have it on in the house all the time. He bounces to it and is starting to clap as well. He falls asleep to Beatles Bedtime (Beatles songs in lullaby format). A world without music is a sad, sad world in my book.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween

All three of us have been sick this week with a nasty cold that's been going around (thank you daycare) and mine unfortunately turned into a sinus infection. So, hence the late Halloween post. Without furter adieu. . .

We kicked off our Halloween with carving our pumpkin the day before and putting some finishing touches on our decor outside. The weather has been wild here with rain one day then mid 70 degree weather the next. Needless to say a lot of the Halloween decorations weren't doing so hot in our neighborhood after the last rain. In past year's, Brian and I would buy two pumpkins and we would both carve but this year we decided to just get one big one and Brian handled the dirty work.

Wesley got the biggest kick out of watching his Daddy carve the pumpkin, but what was an even bigger hit was when we let him stick his hands in the "pumpkin guts" afterward.






We invited my parents over on Sunday for dinner and to participate in Wesley's first Halloween. The yummy chili that we had cooking in the crock pot all day filled the house with an amazing aroma. The Giant's game was on that night as well (World Series) so my dad was basically going to be glued to the television once the game started. After we all ate dinner (no chili for Wesley) it was time to hold our breathe and put on the Halloween costume. We really weren't sure what the reaction from Wesley was going to be. . .

Our little monkey with his Daddy.

Ummm, did you happen to see the banana sticking out the right side of the costume?

We couldn't get a good picture of him standing in the costume or sitting for that matter. Poor kid looks miserable. . .

OK - I'm ready for some SERIOUS Trick-or-Treating!


Wesley, my mom and I headed out for a little bit of Trick-or-Treating and left Dad and Brian home to answer the door and watch the Giant's game. The first stop was to visit a house around the corner where my friend Jenn (and her family) live. After we visited them for a bit, we hit a few houses on our street where we knew the neighbors. By the time we got to the third house, Wesley got the hang of reaching into the candy bucket and pulling out candy. Unfortunately, he then threw the candy to the ground - but hey baby steps, right? He was really "into" it and being out when it was dark with some house being decorated scarily didn't bother him one bit. The kid has no fear. We headed home after awhile because I was carrying him most of the way (all 30 pounds of him), it was getting late and we were fighting the beginning stages of our colds.

Too bad he couldn't eat any of the candy he scored. Until next year. . .