Monday, December 29, 2008

Kids Say The Darndest Things

On the way home from church on Christmas Eve, Ian was talking about Santa. He has really enjoyed this season. Out of the blue....

"Hey Mommy....Santa is in our hearts, just like Jesus, right?"

I couldn't answer him because I had this big lump in my throat and tears streaming down my cheeks.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!! This has probably been the best and most exhausting Christmas ever. But...I wouldn't change a thing. I'll post more this weekend, but I wanted to share my new favorite picture of my sweet angels. These two amazing little guys light up our world in ways that just cannot be imagined. Truly...blessings from above.

Merry Christmas to all....and to all a good night.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Parades and Christmas Lights











Last night, we took the boys to the Christmas Parade in Downtown Tulsa. We actually were supposed to be working the hot chocolate booth at FBC, but with 2 very active boys...I don't know what we were thinking. We didn't do much work. We made it until the parade started, saw a couple of floats and bands...then we decided to make a mad dash to the car. Afterwards we visited Rhema to see the beautiful Christmas light display. It was a perfect evening. A little chilly, but not too bad. I'm so glad we did it yesterday. Today, it was 75 degrees early in the day...then the bottom fell out. It's 22 degrees right now and it's sleeting. Tomorrow morning should be interesting.




Monday, December 8, 2008

More Shameless Cuteness







The boys are really in to Yo Gabba Gabba these days. I laugh at them when we watch the show more than the show itself. For adults...the show is one of those that you love to hate. Drives me crazy, but my kids love it. One of the segments is called "Funny Face Time"...so both boys are constantly trying to show us their "funny faces". That's what Drew is trying to do with his little hands on his face. Cute! There is also a segment on the show called "Dancy Dance Time"....again....both boys love it. Drew shakes his little booty and Ian dances around like a monkey (at least I think that's what it is).
The picture of looking ever so innocent by the Christmas tree was right before he pulled 5 ornaments off and made a mad dash with them in the dump truck. Ian said "Mommy, let's put them up WAY high so Drew can't get them. That's a good idea, right?" Such a smart boy. So, now the bottom third of my tree looks a bit bare and the top is VERY crowded. But, I'm loving this season with my boys. So much fun. Charlie may disagree since he's home with them all day...but it's sure fun looking at Christmas through their eyes.



Wednesday, December 3, 2008

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Oh my...she's got the camera out again...

Drew, well...being Drew....

Cutie pie Drew


Ever so careful Ian (for a change)



Sweet, goofy Ian

Brothers...gotta love the tooth brush
Look at all of these shiny balls...YAY!
Ian helping decorate the tree
Mommy and her boys...it just doesn't get much better!








Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving...a day later

After my Black Friday post, I decided I need to post a little about our Thanksgiving. It was our first as a complete "Party of Four". What a great day. I always tend to stress a wee bit...just trying to get everything done....and of course, it has to be perfect. Or so my mind tells me. It's never perfect, but I always think it can be.

The day started like a normal day in our house...kids running around, playing and screaming. Love it! Ian tried to help me put the turkey in the oven, but there were too many sharp objects and hot ovens to allow much help. But, he thought he was helping.

We ate a little later than normal due to nap schedules. Finally it was time to eat. Drew loved his meal. Of course, we haven't found much that Drew doesn't like to eat. Ian loved the corn casserole and bread. He had a few bites of turkey. My picky eater.

Ian proudly proclaimed "you're a good cooker mommy." What better praise is there?

Our talented little Ian taught us a new song a few months back and we sang it today before our Thanksgiving meal.
"Let's be Thankful,
Let's be Thankful,
Let's be Glad,
Let's be Glad,
For the many blessings,
For the many blessings,
That we have,
That we have."

That sums it up perfectly I think. We are so blessed and so thankful. We have the 2 most amazing, handsome and loving boys in the world. God blessed us with this wonderful family, with one another and with Jesus and we are so very thankful. The innocence of a 3 year old can bring strong men to their knees. We love our boys, we love one another and we love our God.

Black Friday

I love the Friday after Thanksgiving. I was up and out of the house at 3:30am this morning. Unfortunately it was raining and I'm a bit of a wimp. So, I stopped at Quik Trip for some coffee and then headed to Toys R Us. There were only about 2 dozen people in line, so I decided to stay put in the car for a little while. I finally got in line about 4:15am (for a 5:00am opening). It was great. I went in, found everything I needed and was on the road again by 5:25am.

Next stop....Target. I pulled into the parking lot at 5:45am. The line was LONG. So I made the long trek to the end of the line. Fortunately soon after there were lots of people behind me so I didn't feel so bad. Found exactly what I was looking for and headed out around 6:20am.

Next stop....Walmart. By far the craziest of the stops. Found what I needed though, so I was a happy girl. I was on the road by 7:20am.

Next stop....breakfast.

Next stop....work :( I made it to work around 7:40am.

I'm taking a short lunch break now and then hoping to be finished early. Then, I'll have to decide if I "need" to stop somewhere else on my way home!!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dancing With The Stars...Conner Style








The boys were in rare form tonight. I don't know what was funnier....the dancing or the jumping jacks. Either way...it was enough for a fun evening.
Considering the day was pretty rough for Drew, the evening turned out pretty well. Drew went to the doctor today for the second part of his flu shot and to have some wax removed from his ears. Good news....the wax seems to have disappeared, so no traumatic ear cleaning. Bad news...he was wheezing. So he's now on breathing treatments 4 times a day for 2 days and then 3 times a day through the weekend. He HATES them. But, after the third one tonight he settled down a little. Poor little guy. On top of the wheezing....he has an ear infection. So, 10 more days of antibiotics. It's the season, I suppose.
Couple of quick prayer requests....1) Our Vietnam travel buddies, the Perkins. Layne Nhi is having her dental surgery tomorrow (Tuesday). Please pray for this sweet little girl. She's such a trouper. 2) The Perrymans....hopefully some good news will come in the next few days and they'll be on their way to Vietnam to meet their sweet Nehemiah. 3) The Borskis (our India Travel buddies)...they are waiting for their son's passport to be issued so they can go to India to pick him up. They were caught, along with us, in the 6 week delay in issuing passports the last time. Praying that it's done very quickly and that they'll be in India very soon. 4) The Stouders....Bennett's family....they leave on Friday to travel to Vietnam. They've waited a YEAR for this date. Praying that their journey and transition are smooth.

Also...update on Daddy school....all are still ALIVE (which is a good thing). Charlie is managing well. I'm hoping he'll post SOON.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Update on Daddy School

We're almost to day 3 and everyone is still alive. Charlie looks a bit worn...but not too bad. Drew's had a rough week. He's not feeling great and now his "routine" is messed up. Not much "schooling" is actually taking place...but they're making it through the day.

Today was haircut day for Drew. He looks so cute. He looks like such a little boy. I wanted to take a picture tonight, but the time got away from me and it was bed time. Ian is trying really hard to be a good big brother. Some days...hours...minutes are better than others.

Children really do pick up on things that you say. Ian's latest phrases "you're wasting my time"...."do you hear me?"....."listen to me"..."you're not listening to me"....I'm waiting for the day that something really inappropriate comes out of his sweet little mouth. I've tried REALLY hard to clean up my mouth and watch what I'm saying around the boys.

I'm trying to convince Charlie to post on the blog about one of his days with the boys at Daddy School. Maybe he will soon.

I'm REALLY looking forward to Christmas. I think we're going to put the Christmas tree up this weekend. I won't put the decorations on it until Thanksgiving evening...but between the cats, Ian and Drew...everyone needs to get used to the tree in the living room. Honestly, I've wanted to put it up since Halloween and Charlie has ignored me.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Daddy School To Begin

Tomorrow we begin a new adventure....Daddy School. Charlie was the victim of downsizing earlier this year. Fortunately he received a decent severance package. Since Ian is still having some potty issues, we have pulled him out of pre-school until we get this under control. Now that Daddy is home and Ian is home....it only made sense for us to take Drew out of daycare for a while to save some money. So tomorrow...my dear husband will have both boys at home. We're hoping and praying this will only be through the beginning of the year.

The one man wrecking crew and a demanding 3 year old.....Charlie has his work cut out for him. He's going to do fine. But, please just say a prayer for him. I have to admit...I probably have the best husband in the world. Charlie and I have been married for a long time. Early in our marriage, my mom was still alive and quite ill. Charlie helped me take care of my mom...we all lived together the last 2 years she was alive. We had only been married about 4 years when that happened. Many men would have said "see ya"...but not my man. He loved me through the good and the bad. He is amazing. Now...he's taking care of our family. He's a great husband and an even better Daddy. I love watching him with the boys. There's just something about a Daddy and his kids that melts your heart.

Charlie....I love you and I'm so proud of the man you are. I'm praying that Daddy School is FABULOUS.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

16 Months Old

Drew turned 16 months old yesterday (Monday). Which also means that we've been home 3 months. Wow. Seems like we've been home forever. It amazes me how quickly things settle down...not completely, but we're getting there. Drew is doing amazingly well. He comes out of his little shell more and more each day. He's saying more words now....ball, car, mama, dadee, up (sounds like umpa). He'll sign "more" and "all done". He loves music and dances when he hears it. Not sure if I've posted this before or not...but....He loves the song "Funkytown". There's a commercial that has that song in the background. When he hears it....he stops what ever he's doing, stares at the TV and dances. Cute as can be. He loves his mommy, daddy and big brother. He gives great kisses....you know, those big, open mouth wet ones. Blows kisses and waves bye-bye. He still cries if Mommy leaves him...not so much with Daddy though. That's because Charlie is the one that usually drops him off. He's still eating whatever we put in front of him....except for beef. He doesn't like beef at all. He'll tolerate chicken. Seems to like pork though. We have switched him to Soy milk. He seems to be having some tummy issues with whole milk. We'll see...not sure I see a whole lot of difference (except for the price). It took us so long to bring this little stinker home...but now it seems like he's been with us forever.

Other good news.....my good blogging friend Julie got word on Monday morning that their pre-approval has been issued. That means BENNETT IS COMING HOME!!!!! We are thrilled for them. They have waited over 11 months to bring him home. Way, way too long. Bennett and Drew were in the orphanage together. They should get word in the next day or so about their GNR. I imagine they will be in Vietnam for Thanksgiving. What a great holiday they're going to have. Congrats Julie, Chris and sweet Bennett.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

1 + 1 = FIVE

Odd, right? Nope...truth. One child is ONE child.....add one to it....and you have FIVE. Crazy, I know...but it's real. I never thought having 2 children would be THAT much different. I'll admit it....I was wrong. Maybe it's just having 2 boys. They are WILD. Charlie calls Drew the "one man wrecking crew". The house can be perfectly (well not perfectly) clean and in 5 minutes it looks like a disaster zone. The laundry these two boys produce is amazing. Who changes their clothes....oh wait...that would be me. One needs to be comforted, one needs to be scolded, one needs to be played with, one needs to go to the potty....it goes on an on. I'm not complaining...just posting so all of my friends who are expecting their second child (Donna...Mary....) will not be able to say that no one warned them. Consider yourselves warned. Having two children will make you work like you've never worked before....BUT....you'll laugh like you've never laughed and love like you've never loved. Frustrating and FABULOUS all rolled up into one.

Say a special prayer for Ian this week. He's having some potty issues and they're causing BIG problems for him. Hoping and praying we'll have a breakthrough this week.

Drew's had some sort of bug all weekend. Low grade fever and lots of dirty diapers. It hasn't slowed him down much though. Where did I find him when I went back in the living room after my trip to the bathroom yesterday morning? Standing in the kitchen with the pets water dish on his head. Taking a shower I suppose.

Ahhhhhh.....the party continues. I'm going to bed!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Halloween 2008

Ian with Lainey at the Fall Festival at Southpark Christian School
Ian and Blair

Ian thinks he's on a date with Blair :)


Look at that big puppy dog riding all by himself



Ian riding the horses

Sorry about the framing...but love that face

Drew caught on to the trick or treating quickly

Ian and Drew with Deniese Dillon


Halloween 2008 is now in the books. Thank goodness! Wow...2 little wild boys and trick or treat...amazing. This mommy is T-I-R-E-D!
The day started out fine. Drew wore his puppy dog costume to school. Ian wore his spider shirt. All was well. Then the wheels fell off the bus (so to speak). Ian refused to wear his costume tonight. He tried it on last night...loved it. He was going to be Spiderman. He sang the Spiderman theme song, ran around the house shooting "webs" and just generally loved it. Today...not so much. Absolutely would not wear it. Oh well.
We started our afternoon at the Dillon office. Drew learned quickly that the fastest way to fill up his bag was to grab candy with BOTH hands. He had so much fun. Both boys loved running around the Dillon office seeing everyone. Drew especially loved the ducks. We ran into our friends Natasha and Avi Joy as well as Donna and Ryan.
After the Dillon trick or treating, we headed to our church for the Fall Festival. Ian had a blast in the inflatable airplane. I think he went in about 8 or 10 times. They both had fun with the ducks. Ian found his sweet friend Blair and glued himself to her side. Blair was sweet enough to take him outside for the pony rides and other activities while Charlie chased Drew around. I was trying to get pictures of both boys...not an easy task. Drew loved the pony rides too. He rode all by himself. Ian had such a good time in the jupiter jump.
Then we were off to the Fall Festival at South Park Christian School (Ian's pre-school). I was scheduled to work at the Lollipop Tree at 7:30pm, so we had to hurry across town. Ian, Drew and Daddy went outside to check out the activities while I made my way to my booth. Charlie said that when they walked outside, Ian spotted the fire truck immediately and took off for it. He was able to get inside and see all of the fun stuff. Then the boys came back in and found me. Ian "helped" me work at the booth for a little while. The booth beside the one I was working at was the "Duck Pond"....Drew loved it. Ian saw some of his friends from his class as well as his teacher, Mrs. Kelley (he loves her). He also saw his sweet friend Lainey Shasteen. Chris, Al and the kids were all there, but Ian is just drawn to Lainey.
Both boys were tired, tired, tired when we got home. Drew was in bed by 8:45 and Ian was asleep by 9:30. I was surprised.
It might not have been the evening I had imagined...but it was fun watching my boys have such a good time. That's what it's all about!






Thursday, October 30, 2008

15 Month Check Up


Today, we went for Drew's 15 month check up. He's such a little trooper. He loves Dr. Sood and loves his office. Well, so far he's loved everything. Today was a shot day, so he wasn't real happy for a few seconds. Those shots are a booger. I just hated the look on his little face that went from really happy to really mad in 0.2 seconds. He turned red as a beet and screamed until I could pick him up. Then he stuck that little bottom lip out and cried (for my benefit I'm sure) for about 10 seconds.


He's doing great. Growing and right on track developmentally (actually a little ahead in some areas). He weighs 22.4 pounds and is 30 1/4 inches tall. My big little boy. He's in the 20th percentile in weight and 30th in height. My "little" Vietnamese baby is not so little. However, his 12 month jeans were falling off of him. My kids and their little waists and butts.


He'll go back in a month for his flu shot booster and for an ear wax removal. His little ears have a lot of wax in them. I have to put drops in them twice a day to soften it up and then we'll have it taken out in a month. Charlie gets to take him to that appointment. :)


Looking forward to tomorrow. We're actually taking the boys to the Dillon office tomorrow afternoon in their Halloween costumes. AND we're doing our second post placement visit tomorrow. After all of that fun, we're heading to our church for the Fall Festival. Ian has loved it the past 2 years and I can't wait for Drew to experience it. Afterwards, we're going to Ian's school for their Fall Festival. My kids will never go to bed tomorrow night. Yikes.


I'll post Halloween pictures sometime this weekend.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

School Pictures


Ian's school picture for this year. I know I'm a little biased, but he's just so handsome. He looks so grown up in this picture...and a little sleepy. Where did my baby go? What is it with boys and hair? His hair looked perfect when he left the house that morning. What happened I'll never know. Oh well...it's him though...crazy hair and all. Love my sweet and rotten Ian.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Jack Smirky

Ian "helping" Daddy carve the pumpkin

My cute boys

Ian with his pumpkin

The finished product....Jack Smirky

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My Ian

For those of you that know me, you know how much I love my Ian. He can be a handful sometimes, but all in all, he's a pretty good boy. Some times he acts so big and so grown up. Other times....he acts like a baby younger than Drew. I guess that's to be expected.

He had a rough evening. He was on the "thinking chair" many times this evening. He just doesn't get the fact that he's bigger than Drew. He thinks he can sit on him and it's fine. Nope...not fine in my house. So, he goes to the thinking chair. Then he decides to hit or throw something....right back to the thinking chair.

It was nearing bedtime this evening. Drew was already in his pajamas and ready for his bottle. Drew is used to me giving him his bottle and rocking him for a little while. Then we say "it's time to go nite-nite"...he'll shake his head no...but we take him to his crib anyway. Give him a kiss and say good night. That's it. He's down. But....he's used to that little routine. Tonight, Ian was insisting on sitting on my lap where Drew usually sits for his bottle. I tried to explain to him that as soon as Drew was in his crib he could sit on my lap all by himself. Nothing worked so Charlie came over and picked him up and took him to the couch with him.

Ian, of course, was crying, crying, crying. Then he started coughing. Coughing....crying....guess what was next? Yep....throwing up. Poor little guy. He threw up on Charlie. Threw up on Charlie's shoes. Charlie got a towel for me and he threw up in it too. While we were waiting for Charlie to bring me another towel, poor little Ian said "Mommy, I'm sick. Why am I sick Mommy?....Mommy, I'm sick....I need to go to the hospital". I desperately tried not to laugh. I could hear Charlie chuckling in the hallway. I tried to reassure Ian that he was fine and he did not need to go to the hospital. After a bath he was fine.

My sweet Ian....never a dull moment.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

No Pictures Today

We're all sick in the Conner home. Drew's still recovering from his ear infection, Ian now has a bad cough and runny nose, I'm coughing up stuff and Charlie is aching all over. Not a fun day. Hopefully we'll all get some rest tonight and tomorrow will be better.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Beautiful Fall Day

As close as it gets to both of them looking at the camera
Daddy & Ian being silly with their pumpkins on their heads
Boy on the move....all the time!


To enjoy our beautiful fall weather, Charlie, Brad and I took the boys to Pumpkin Town today in South Tulsa. It was actually a lot warmer than I expected it to be, but it was a beautiful day. The boys had fun playing and running around. Drew kept looking at the pumpkins and saying "ball". Charlie and Ian picked out the perfect pumpkin and they're going to carve it up tomorrow evening. That ought to be entertaining (I'll be there with my camera). We tried to get a picture of the family, but Ian was not cooperating. He took about a 20 minute nap on the way to Pumpkin Town and that was it. So, Mr. Cranky Pants made an appearance.

We're going to go to Bixby to the Pumpkin Patch on the 23rd. Ian's class is going on a field trip, so I'm going to tag along. That should be fun. We probably should have gone there today, but we thought we'd try the one a little closer to home.

All in all....a good day.

BTW....my condolences to all of the Sooner fans out there. BUT.....GO POKES!!!! We're really Marshall University fans, but living in Oklahoma you have to have a team to cheer for. We just can't bring ourselves to root for OU....so we are fans of the Orange and Black....who are now undefeated. I LOVE football...college, high school, pro....any kind of football. My favorite sport in my favorite time of year. Nothing better than a Friday or Saturday night football game when you have to have a blanket to keep you warm....or a special someone :)

More from the Conner gang tomorrow......

Friday, October 10, 2008

15 Months Old AND We've Been Home 2 Months

Today, little man Drew is 15 months old....and it's been 2 months since we landed in Tulsa with our newest addition. He's just a stinker beyond belief. I'm amazed at how far he's come in just 2 short months.

It's been so different with Drew. He's been a more difficult child in a lot of ways. He was and is so much more independent than Ian. I found it was much harder to gain his trust. Maybe it's the additional 2 months he spent in the orphanage (Ian came home at 11 months old)...and maybe it's just his personality. Haven't quite figured that one out yet. There's no doubt that he's attaching, but being the worrier that I am, I still fret over possible attachment issues. He still prefers mommy at this point but if I'm not around (or if he doesn't see me)....daddy is just fine too. I think he has me pegged. He knows that his little cry / whine can get to me and he uses that to his advantage. Oh well, I keep telling myself they're only little once.

Anyway....a little over a year ago we saw his face for the first time and 10 weeks ago, our lives were forever changed by this adorable little guy. We love you little man Drew!!!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Stupid Teeth Plus Stupid Weather Equals.....

An ear infection. Yay!

Drew has his first (that we know of) ear infection. He's been cranky because of his teeth. He's been drooling because of his teeth. His nose has been running because of....oh heck...who knows what. Today he was tugging at his little right ear, fussing, not napping and not eating. So I thought I'd better check in with the doctor since the weekend is almost upon us. They, of course, needed to see him. So off we go. He acts completely fine at the doctors office. Running, laughing, babbling, giggling.....just being full of his normal cuteness. When they checked his little right ear...all clear. Hmmm? Checked the left ear....yep....infected. I had to giggle because he has not touched his little left ear one time. Now he on antibiotics for 10 days, yippee. He's coughing quite a bit, but Ms. Jodi (our nurse practitioner) said his lungs were clear. I think it's just the crazy, stupid Oklahoma weather. Oh well...this too shall pass.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Puzzles and shapes...one of Ian's favorite things. Look how sweet they are. Just warms my heart :)
Building a "huge big" house (look at the concentration and those eye lashes)

OK, so it's nearly 3am in the morning. Why in the world am I posting on the blog. Well, I have a raging sinus headache. Got up to take some medicine and thought I'd download the pictures I took earlier this evening. Then, of course, I had to post a couple. Now I'm going back to bed.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Crazy Weather

It's official....I'm not going to be Mother of the Year. How in the world do you know how to dress your kids during the season change? It's finally Fall here in Tulsa....my favorite time of year. But, I'm clueless what the little ones should wear. It's chilly in the morning and by late afternoon it's pretty hot. So, do I dress them in pants or shorts? Today, Drew is in pants and Ian is in shorts. Not only is Ian in shorts...I didn't send a jacket with him. Nor did I send a jacket with Drew. Geesh. It's not way cold here by any stretch, but it's chilly and overcast.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

One Year Ago.....

At approximately 11:25am my phone rang in my office. It was Charlie. He said "how's your day going?"....It was the end of an exhausting week so I replied with "um, OK."....He said "it's going to get better"....Still not getting it I responded with "yeah, OK."....He promptly replied "yes, IT IS going to be a whole lot better....want to have lunch with me at Dillon?"......I finally got it.....yep, he was talking about our referral. It took FOREVER for Charlie to drive across town and pick me up and then took even longer to drive 5 miles to the Dillon office. All in all, it was probably only 20 minutes total....but it seemed like hours.




We walked into the Dillon office trembling (or at least I was). We were about to hear the information about a little baby that would become our son. We were taken into the conference room while Katie gathered the information. Then we started looking at all of his information, what little there was. We knew this was our son. We verbally accepted his referral and then the moment came when we saw his face for the very first time. No words can describe how you feel when you see your child's face for the first time. I don't ever want to discount how a mother feels as she's giving birth to a child and actually seeing them for the first time, but as an adoptive mom it's different. What we have is a small 4 x 6 picture of this little baby...no coos, no crying, no little eyes opening and closing...but a small picture that totally opens your heart and you realize that this is the child you will do your best to parent. It's totally overwhelming and exhilarating. We knew from the moment we looked at his medical information and then gazed at his little picture that this little baby boy was OUR SON. God had blessed us yet again with another son. How great is our God?




Later that evening, we showed Ian the picture of his new baby brother. He looked at it intently and said "that's my brother". Then he kissed his little picture. I'm not sure he understood what all of this excitement actually meant, but it was a sweet moment.




The next 9 months were excruciating. What was supposed to be a 3-6 month wait before we traveled to Vietnam, turned into over 9 months. Lots of ups and downs.....a lot of downs...but we still knew that waiting on the other side of the world was our son....our baby Drew.




One year ago today we saw a glimpse of God's love for us....we saw the face of an angel. And...Charlie was right....my day one year ago...October 5th, 2007....got a whole lot better. :)




Saturday, October 4, 2008

Just A Few Pictures





Drew and I had the privilege of attending Natasha's shower for Nehemiah today. We had a great time. The girls that were there were so much fun and we even did a sweet little art project for Nehemiah's room. All of us "non-creative" types had fun laughing at our masterpieces. Natasha loved all of them. We painted scenes from Vietnam onto wooden rice spoons. Cute and clever idea. Mine didn't look like a scene from Vietnam....not quite sure what it looked like. Drew had a great time too. He loved playing with the toys at Rhonda's house, eating all of the yummy food and all of the attention from the other mommies and little girls there. He was asleep in the car before we got to the end of Rhonda's road. Too much partying I suppose.

Natasha....if you read this....I'm honored to have been part of this special day. Nehemiah is so loved already and I can't wait until he's home. Also can't wait until you join the ranks of being a parent of 2. You are an amazing woman and mother and I am blessed to call you my friend. Love you girl.

Cuteness

Brothers sitting still....what's up with that?
Not as sweet as it looks...Ian just didn't like Drew being on his bike :)
Bath time fun
Our handsome Indian Prince
OK....I've had enough of pictures for today :)


These boys are amazing. They both LOVE being outside and this evening was a perfect evening for it. It's fall and we love this time of year.

Ian is adjusting to his new pre-school beautifully. We get glowing reports every day. He's quite the little charmer. He also loves going to Mission Friends at church on Wednesday evenings. This past Wednesday, during chapel time, they were talking about Missionaries who are in Utah. They asked the kids "are they in Mexico"....."no"...."are they in India?"....Ian promptly stands up and says "I'm from India". He's very proud of the fact that he's from India. He has started saying, "I'm Ian Everett Kushal Conner. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma City" (ok, close enough)." At his new pre-school (Southpark Christian School), they have chapel time each week. They have a bible memory verse....yes for 3 year olds...to learn each month. This month it's Psalm 18:30...As for God, His way is perfect. Tonight after dinner Charlie said, let's practice your memory verse. Ian said "I do it, I do it....As for God, His way is perfect....Psalm 18:30". WOW...double WOW. He's only been working on it this week. Very proud of my little man.

Drew is doing better. Still teething and still somewhat miserable...but it's better than it was. He's becoming quite vocal. Jabbering a lot more. Saying a few words. He listens very well right now. He's a great eater. His bed time routine is getting better and better. He wakes up one time for a bottle and then goes back to sleep. Of course, if he's having a bad teething night....it's nuts. He is attaching beautifully to both Charlie and I. He still prefers mommy if he's upset, but he will let Charlie comfort him too. If I'm not around...he settles down with Charlie. But if he sees or hears me....all bets are off. He wants his mommy! While it's wonderful, there are times when I need to attend to Ian.

OK...it's getting late. Ian has Soccer tomorrow and Drew and I are going to Natasha's baby shower. Sunday is a special day for our family....so stay tuned for pictures!

As for God, His way is perfect. Psalm 18:30