31/365....Art Class Monday...

30/365....The day was filled with...

...noise...music...

29/365...Skate???

Bunny, Tae and I joined some friends for roller skating tonight. Oh, the anticipation for this activity! I was so excited…roller skating flashbacks were bouncing around in my head. I had this fantasy of Tae, Bunny, and I holding hands, the wind blowing through our hair, skating around the rink laughing and bobbing to the music…with ease. Such a joyful picture….in my mind.

Tae hated it…in fact “hated” is an understatement. She told me roller skating was her NIGHTMARE.

Bunny and I tried everything to help her. I rented a walker for her. I tried holding her up under her arms and skating with her. I tried letting her pull herself along the wall. Each time she fell her disdain for skating grew stronger. I felt awful for her. I think she only made it around the rink twice, called it a night, and demanded her flip flops back.


Yet, it still was a great night. Bunny was cracking me up with her fear of running over one of the hundreds of small children skating, flailing her arms each time one crossed her path. Tae was laughing at herself and how horrible she thought roller skating was. I was in heaven skating with thoughts of future date nights* to the roller rink…hmm, to be a kid again…


*N was home sick in bed :(

28/365...Tea anyone?

This family LOVES a tasty cup of tea! So much so that we have an entire basket full of tea varieties… we all have our favorites and then there are the ones that help with colds and sore throats. The tea craze dies down a little when the weather heats up, but right now the kettle and these boxes are being used daily.

Tea or coffee??? I say both, how about you?


We are having family movie night tonight. N is feeling a little under the weather, Tae is still having some issues and I think we all just need a relaxing night.

27/365...Nifty….

…Fifty…Tae’s class had an Expo on the fifty states, her project was on Tennessee. She was so excited about gathering her facts and creating her board. The kids have been working on this assignment all month. She was a rock star reading her note cards, over and over and over again…Proud Mama over here! She definitely wasn’t feeling 100% but still did a really great job.

26/365...Tire F.A.I.L….

I have always wondered how I would handle having a tire blow out on the freeway…and now I know. It was manageable, yet very frightening for Miss Tae. I wish I had been able to get further away from the rushing morning traffic, but it wasn’t possible. Nathan came and grabbed Tae so she could get to school and then he came back to wait with me. We waited for the tow truck by sitting on the freeway wall.  It was amazing that we sat there for over 45 minutes and nobody, I mean nobody, stopped to see if we needed help. I found this odd, especially since most of that time I was sitting by myself. Eventually a police highway truck stopped to ask what we were doing (???) and then grumpily left us to fend for ourselves. Odd. Well, 3 tires later we are good as new, have a new spare, and are safe for travel.

Starting to wonder if we should have cars at all???

25/365...What's up Doc?

Tae hasn’t been able to kick the last bits of her congestions from the virus she had a few weeks back so naturally she has a little infection going on in her sinuses. She has been doing really well and we haven’t had to take her hardly at all. I just know when ‘the cough’ settles in for a few nights that there is more than a cold going on…so after school we headed in. She wasn’t upset at all…sadly she feels quite comfortable in a doctor’s office, she knows this drill!

24/365...she's growing up folks...

My girl is just looking so mature and grown up these days (even with chocolate on her face). That missing tooth has bumped her right up to “almost” seven year old status…bitter sweet!

I have the stomach flu AGAIN and was miserable last night, sleeping on the bathroom floor or in the shower. I am feeling half alive today, an improvement.

One more of my Little Mama because she is so exquisite! Love her!

23/365...blah..

Today we managed to hang a wall shelf in our kitchen that has been sitting on the counter since xmas break. We are feeling very proud of ourselves. These are my blue mugs hanging from the cute little hooks on the shelf.

I am not feeling very well today :(

22/365...Does this happen to you?

Does your child find great humor in dressing you up as you try to work on the computer? She told me I was ready to go to the rodeo…hmm??? Looks more like rob a bank…or survive a dust storm.

Tooth update:
Being the strong minded girl that she is, she didn’t even check under her pillow this morning! She had decided it was a lost cause. But fairies don’t want little girls to cry, right? So the magic was kept alive, tooth #3 earned her $3 and she smiled a happy toothless grin.

21/365...lost & lost...

Tae has been on a mission to lose a tooth at school. She worked on this tooth all week, practically desperate to have the honor of a tooth falling out at school and receive the coveted “tooth necklace” that would be hers if she could pull it off…or out.

Well, she did it. She lost the tooth, by happily pulling it out. It is Friday, she was running out of time and the tooth was just dangling. She gleefully displayed the necklace she had so desired. She was smiles and sunshine and oh so very proud of herself…

And then, she lost the tooth…she lost the lost tooth…I think she was more upset about the idea of the fairy not coming anymore than she was about the actual tooth being gone. Parting with the tooth was an unavoidable event, having the tooth fairy come in the night is a treasured moment…I would be sad too. I am sure it will all work out just fine...

Here she is prior to losing the lost tooth…

Parts of me....

I have been proud of the ME that has become a part of my life again. I have been realizing the pain that took over my life for so long, the emptiness that seemed insurmountable. I have reclaimed my life, I am me again and it feels amazing!


Yet, I think there are parts of my heart that will always feel a little hollow, and I understand. I am ok with the reminders. Today I felt it. Like an internal scar that reminds you of a painful time in your life…Like a timer in my heart that pinches and aches ever so slightly because of the turmoil that was caused on this day. Like a cloud, the little glimpses of the past sadness crept in my chest and froze me. Today, those hollow spots ached and I recognized them, and I cried, a lot. And then, I felt better...

I felt like me once again.

3 years is ago, on this day, I felt like my world was ending…today, I feel like it is just beginning….

20/365...Don’t be jealous…

...I know a flat tire at 7am is the best surprise EVER…but sorry…this one was just for us!

Family tire change at 7 am is the new kod@k moment ya’ll.

My car FINALLY got the upper hand on this family when it displayed its full. size. spare! I have a special connection with my car…the rest of the family feels differently...

Tighten those bolts Tae…we don’t want that rusty full size spare falling off!

19/365...Practice makes perfect…

…Or at least musically enjoyable.

18/365...It’s Tuesday…

I get showered with toddler time and awesome phrases like…Hey, Camper!  I am a hungry muncher! And, Here rabbit rabbit…as they talk to their bunny crackers. I am entertained with self discovered games involving headbands as blindfolds and a younger brother gleefully running by; just out of reach…I love Tuesdays!

17/365...Fishing...

16/365...So intense….

...but we're hooked!

15/365...toasty toes...

14/365....an art-full life....

13/365...If ever there was a doubt in my mind….

….how Tae feels about becoming a big sister….today it vanished.

Sniff sniff…

A must see...

I watched this (Emmy Winning) movie last week. It was touching, inspiring, heartbreaking, educational, and so much more that I can’t find words for… The story follows 5 Ethiopian women and their journeys to create a new life after childbirth complications. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning a little about Ethiopia or anyone just interested in watching a beautiful story. It is only about 50 minutes long. You can find the website to learn more here. I was able to find it on Netflick$ instant viewing. My first thought after watchng the movie was "I want to visit this beautiful place"...I have recently learned that there is now a restaurant associated with this amazing hospital and have added it to our “must do” list when we travel.

12/365....

Odd picture, I know. But, today was just one of those days…

Let me start by saying thank goodness Brit@x has removable covers on their car seats…THANK YOU BRIT@X!

This morning, sickly Mama and sickly Tae set off to do a quick paper chase to the doctor’s office.

Tae’s sickliness reaches a whole new level while Mama is driving on the FREEWAY. Mama has nothing to offer the poor girl except an empty water bottle… as in spring water, disposable bottle…

:(

You can imagine the rest….

This picture is Tae teaching her dolls to do the airplane (water safety) in the bathtub…for about an hour today…. while I cleaned up the mess you were imagining above….in my car.

Have a good laugh…Tae is fine now…car is clean….we’ll be staying home tomorrow…again.

11/365 Tuesday + one….

My plus one is usually at school when I have the littles…but was home sick today…and yesterday…and probably tomorrow too….I am sure D and H aren’t far behind us :( It's just been one of those holiday seasons.

Our multi pack of tissue boxes is gone and I had to restock today…insane amount of tissue use going on over here…not normal.

I got our home study renewal notarized this afternoon…truckin’ along over here! Pretty proud to have the paperwork turned around in less than a week…especially with this tissue problem we are having!

Tae was lying on the floor in her typical “I don’t feel well” fashion and D & H joined her…not a lot of camera cooperation, but cute just the same!

10/365...SOOOO ready for this....

...let the fun begin!!!!

9/365...Like sponges…

…learning everything we can…

8/365...love for the sickly Mama...

7/365...summary of my day...

6/365...ready...

...home study renewal tonight....so excited!

5/365...The girl...

First meal…

Over the holidays we ventured out for an adult date night with family to enjoy an Ethiopian meal. It was fantastic, such a fun experience shared with great company. We all enjoyed almost every dish and I made sure to mark down the ones we liked the most. We wondered as we ate which items Miss Tae would eat, and honestly she might just like it all. She often surprises us with her food selections, such as Eel being one of her favorite foods. We have so much to learn about the food and etiquette associated with a proper Ethiopian meal, but we are looking forward the experience!

4/365...kitchen wall...of LOVE...

Post written here.

Puzzle Update…4th month’s progress…

The generosity of the holiday season has been more than plentiful for us…I am still feeling the bubbles of gratitude and disbelief bounce around in my chest…the warmth. I am so very happy to announce that we have 19 pieces sponsored this month…19!!! This brings our grand total to 91 pieces. 9 pieces shy of reaching 100 pieces sponsored and being 1/5 of the way through the puzzle!!! If that isn’t enough to keep the Fairchild Adoption cheerleaders going…we also received a very generous Christmas donation from some very dear friends, tearing up over here just typing that out. Based on the combined efforts of the puzzle project, savings, my sewing, and the love of dear friends, we will be sending in our next agency payment, renewing our homestudy, AND beginning our dossier!!!! Amazing!!!

I sit here and write these little updates once a month and each month I try to capture the words that express how this project touches our family…each month I fall short. I want you all to know that each name is not only placed on a puzzle piece but each name is also written on our kitchen wall. Each night we eat dinner, you are all there, showing your love and support. Each morning when I make my coffee and worry about how we will accomplish this dream, you are all there…reminding me that you believe that we can. Each time someone comes into our home curious about the names on the wall, we happily explain…those are Milo’s sponsors! I just want you all to know that it means the world to us. Every puzzle piece, every word of encouragement, every “shout out” fills us with the most unbelievable feeling of strength and love. Thank you!!!

Special thanks with lots of love...

♥ Chris ♥ Joe & Gloria ♥ The Obregon Family ♥ Yannick ♥ Marisha ♥ Jeannie ♥ Chris ♥ Linda ♥ Chris ♥ Michelle ♥ Adam ♥ Aleksander ♥ Dominik ♥ Mike ♥ Maryann ♥