Fall Fun 2014

I have to be honest in saying that Troy and I would love to have spent the first part of this fall season purchasing plane tickets to Ethiopia to meet our newest additions to our family; however, this was not God’s plan for us.  SO..we are determined to focus on the beautiful blessings we already have in our home, and making the most of this beautiful time of year.  So far this fall, we have attended Disney’s ‘Frozen on Ice’, traveled north for a wedding, carved pumpkins, bought our Halloween costumes, gotten spoiled with treats from aunts and grandparents, attended a local fall festival, and celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.   I have also spent time making all things pumpkin in the kitchen which Troy and Saylor are fine with….Silas, not so much.  Maybe he will come around eventually;)  Enjoy the pictures below and Happy Fall Y’all!

 

Silas is Six!

I struggle to even type out the words that Silas turned six today.  SIX!!!  I remember celebrating his 1st birthday like it was yesterday.  Oh how we love this precious boy of ours, and we love celebrating his life! This year we gave him the option of having a birthday party or a family fun day where he plans out(within reason) the entire day.  He chose family fun day, and honestly, we were happy about that because it’s much less work on our part!  We did his family fun day yesterday because it worked out better with our schedules.  Below, I have listed a run down complete with pictures of how the day went!

So…we started off the day at his favorite donut shop here in town.  Let me just say this boy can EAT when the meal involves food he truly loves.  He had a chocolate donut with sprinkles, 2 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 a piece of toast, and some chocolate milk. 

 

Next up, we visited the animals at the park near our home. Silas got to see the possum, a few snakes, turtles, owl, and salamander.  We didn’t snap any pics there, but then he wanted to head home to put on his new Olaf costume.  He also encouraged Saylor to put on her Elsa costume. So, you would infer that they were going to act out parts of the movie ‘Frozen’ as they were dressed up, right?  Nope, our son thought this would be a great time to play ‘puppy’ :)!  The way this generally works is that I (or Troy) am the puppy owner and he and Saylor are the puppies.  They have to be fed, sang to sleep, given treats, etc…  In the picture below, the puppy was getting a kiss :)  Daddy also thought maybe we could let Silas open presents throughout the day to give him time to play with each one so he opened his first present from Aunt Connie and her family.  It was toy planes from one of his favorite movies ‘Planes, Fire & Rescue’

After all that play, we headed to another current favorite restaurant of Silas’ for lunch.  Lucky for us, they do free hot dog kids meals and this is what he wanted!  After his huge breakfast, he really wasn’t all that hungry.  So, he ate a hot dog minus the bun, a few fried pickles, fruit, and part of an ice cream cup. 

 

After lunch, we let him open one of his presents from his Aunt Amy and her family.  He was thrilled to get walkie talkies, night vision goggles, and a spy watch. This kept him entertained while Saylor napped before the next item up on his agenda!

 

 

The next thing he wanted to do was see the movie, Dolphin Tale 2 AND eat popcorn for supper.(do you see a trend in that a lot of what he wanted to do involves food?? ).  He enjoyed the movie, and asked me if we could go visit the real Winter and Hope(the characters the movie was based around…and it was based on a true story) sometime. 

 

The original plan was to come home and eat cake after the movie, but Silas was too full.  So, he opened one more present before heading to bed. It was another toy plane and fire truck from the Planes movie. He also got a Planes themed blanket and sleeping bag. The sleeping bag was the perfect place for this boy to sleep after his fun day.

Let me just say that as he gets older, Silas is learning to milk his birthday for all it’s worth, and when he woke up today, I think he thought he would get to dictate everything just like on his fun day.  We obliged some of his requests,  but we reminded him that his fun day was yesterday, and he doesn’t get every single thing he wants just because it’s his birthday! 

He started off the day with his favorite breakfast at home, chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter.  He then opened up another gift which was some new tennis shoes which he wore to church.

 

After lunch, he was finally ready to have some of his delicious birthday cake that he had planned himself.  He picked out peanut butter ice cream with Reese’s cups in it, and he had Halloween Oreos for the crust. He also chose Reese Pieces to go on top.  Can I just say, he gets his love for chocolate and peanut butter honest from his daddy!

 

After that, he opened his last presents that were from Troy and I.  He was thrilled to get ‘real’ handcuffs and a metal detector.  So far, our yard has managed to stay pretty intact, but you never know what this boy will be digging up!

Silas spent the rest of the day playing with neighbors, testing out his walkie talkies, and enjoying more cake after supper.  I think all in all he had a great birthday. Just so I have it documented, here are a few current things about Silas:

height: 46” 

favorite food: peanut butter

favorite t.v. shows: Paw Patrol, Wild Kratts

favorite activities: riding his bike, playing with the neighbors, watching t.v., having books read to him

what he tells Troy and I every single night:  ‘ you be careful and I’ll be careful’  ‘I love you to the moon and back more times than you can imagine’

I think that sums it up for now!  Silas, daddy and I love you so much.  We love that we get to be on the sidelines as you grow both inside and out. Multiple people have told us that you are such a sweetheart, and we would have to agree!  We love you to the moon and back more times than you can imagine!   Happy 6th Birthday!

Saylor’s 2 Year Gotcha Day

Yesterday we had the privilege of celebrating two years since we first held the sweet girl below as she forever became a part of our family.

 

Wednesdays are busy for us, but Troy and I still wanted to make a point to celebrate Saylor…..she is certainly worth it!  We went to one of our favorite local restaurants where she got to eat lots of fruit(a favorite food) and some ice cream for dessert:) This girl brings us so much joy, and she can light up a room with her smile.  Some of her current loves include: wearing skirts that ‘twirl’, singing and music, and reading books about ‘Elliott the Moose’.  In honor of her, I picked out a handful of pictures from the last year that depict her personality we love so much.  

Saylor, we can’t imagine our family without you.  We love you more than you know, and thank God every day that we get the privilege to be your mama and daddy! Happy Gotcha Day!

5 Year Gotcha Day Reunion

This past Sunday, June 15, was Silas’ Gotcha Day. It seems like just yesterday that Troy and I were walking through the red Hannah’s Hope gate to meet our sleeping son for the first time.  It’s a day that will forever be etched in my memory, and what a privilege it has been to parent this boy of ours! This year marked a bit of a milestone as it has been five years, and we were able to celebrate a couple days early (June 13) with all but one of the families we traveled with to bring our son home.  One family drove 13 hours to take part, and we were so glad they did! Lucy Lane’s parents were so gracious to host the celebration once again this year, and they have the perfect set up for kid friendly parties.  You can see the fun that was had in the pictures below!

Silas was in his element outdoors with a water slide, zipline, and movie screen for entertainment

 

I remember playing ball with J out in front of our hotel in Ethiopia.  She is so grown up now!

 

This is J’s older sister.  So beautiful.

 

Lucy Lane was gracious enough to give a smile for the camera!

 

Sweet J is one of the winners for traveling the farthest to join our celebration.

 

This is the other winner, B! He is a twin to J in the picture above.

 

Precious W was able to come at the last minute because his older brother’s game got rained out. 

 

 

Here the kids are preparing to have “Happy Gotcha Day” sung to them.

 

All the kids in our traveling group minus one little boy.  This picture is clear evidence of God’s redemption!

 

We added a few more Ethiopian cuties for this pic!

 

Saylor enjoyed the celebration as well.

 

I love this picture of all the kids enjoying their cake, and interacting with one another.

 

Sweet S. was being shy for the camera.

 

The moms from our traveling group.  I love the bond I share with these ladies!

 

I think somebody enjoyed her cake and ice cream!

 

He wasn’t eating any of it, but he wasn’t letting go of his pizza!

 

Who doesn’t enjoy an egg toss?

 

Running races always bring out everyone’s competitive spirit.

 

This outdoor movie theater was a hit as well.

 

Saylor even sat still for a large part of a movie.

 

I will end with this one.  June 15 was not only Silas’ Gotcha Day, but it was also Father’s Day as well.  I just love how God orchestrated that timing.  Troy is such a good daddy to Silas(to both of our children for that matter), and it was so fun for them to be able to celebrate their special days together.  Silas, the past five years have flown by, but we look forward to what God has in store for your life.  We can’t thank God enough for choosing us to be your mama and daddy.  Happy Gotcha Day Buddy!  We love you around the world and back many times over!