what are they planning?

Memorial weekend 2008, what on earth did we rope Papa into doing?

PEEK A BOO!

One day there is faint hope that the summer is coming, the next it has disappeared again...this was one of the few nice days last week, sadly we are still quite a bit below average for Minnesota. Paisley sure loves the days when she can sit outside on the blanket and soak in the summer sun(with 55 sunblock of course!)

giving Mummy a heart attack while getting her groove on

thats my girl, doing stunts while rocking out to Dan Zanes on the TV! Believe me folks, we are working on getting her to understand bouncing on the arm of the chair like a jumping bean is not safe...Piper is the safety ranger, she tells Paisley to "sit down or you will crack your head open and brains will fall out on the ground!"...now if I was Paisley I'd listen to Piper, she's absolutely right! On a lighter note, Paisley has got patting and clapping down, and can climb stairs and 'cruise' along the furniture, perhaps walking isn't as far away as we thought?

deliciously spoiled!

The other day I arrived home to find a lovely box of goodies on my doorstep from a bloggy friend of mine out in Colorado. The box was overflowing with thoughtful gifts wrapped with the care that only an Artiste could manage. The girls were stoked to get fun t-shirts and uber cool recycled plastic toothbrushes (no the brushes themselves are new, the plastic they are made from is recycled), Maia is someone who shares the passion of reduce reuse recycle along with a growing number of our friends.

and for moi? the most amazing SLAB of gorgeous chocolate I have had the pleasure to receive, along with some spa products and a box of doggy treats for Olive. Thanks so much Maia, it was such a nice surprise to receive such a bountiful box of goodies! Piper loves her Cash tshirt, she's a big fan of the 'Man in Black', so she will be sure to wear it when she is jammin with her little sister! The tshirt for Paisley is so incredibly 'apt' if not a wee bit scary since she is just learnig to walk, and has taken to climbing the stairs!

thelma & louise...with a twist

The girls have really been enjoying the jeep lately, Piper has designated herself as supreme driver. Paisley, well, her feet dont touch the pedals just yet so she rides shotgun. Piper looks like a child of the 60's with her flowing skirt and hippies shirt from Grandad Pete & Nana Jocelyn, Daddy's mowing hat and a handful of dandylions picked at random from a few of the neighbors yards.

Paisley however is more, hmmm....cautious, she is on the phone with her Daddy checking to see if Pipers jepp insurance is up to date!

T.G.I.F

You have no idea how happy we are that it's finally the weekend! Nana & Papa are coming to town! Time for bbq's, rolling in the grass and having a good time!

My Barbie - que!

We got this Barbie Jeep from friends when we lived in Vermont just as we were waiting to move to Minnesota. We didn't have Piper's referral yet but we were pretty sure she'd like one in the future, so when our friends offered we couldn't refuse! We got it out of the garage last summer but Piper wasn't quite ready to drive it, her feet barely touched the pedal and frankly it kind of freaked her out. But a week or so ago she must have spotted it under the tarp and kept asking for her 'Bar-B-Q', we had no idea of what she was asking for until one day we were in the garage and she walked up to it and asked again...pretty cool that she 'kinda' remembered what it was called.

she is very interested in how it works and keeps telling us she needs to 'fix the flat tire', she is also now the designated 'Taxi au cul de sac'....giving all the kids turns for hours on end (even if they really don't want to)! even Paisley gets a turn, but only if she wears a seat belt per Piper's instructions. Note the safety gear, Piper is...cautious.

droolin'

Our wee one is teething like crazy, SIX, yep six new teeth are relentlessly pushing their way through tender gums! Our normally happy kiddo is cranky and waking up in the wee hours in misery. Thank Goodness for Hylands teething tablets! One sure way to make her happy is to get her out in the sun for a bit. Sunshine seems to make this Snowflower happy!

This dress was cousin Mollie's last summer, I'm so glad Auntie Laura sent it to Paisley, Piper had the exact one last year too! It's got to be one of our favorites of all time!

tragic loss

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME
NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.
More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

our thoughts are with the Chapman Family today

cruisin'

jumpin jellybeans!

Here is our dramariffic jumping jellybean on the trampoline at gymnastics! Of course, every single activity ends with a flourish...thats my girl. If not an Olympic gold in 2020 then perhaps a Golden globe for dramatic acting?

Flight of the Conchords Ep 8 'Foux Da Fa Fa'

The best show on EARTH!

Last night we left the girls with our favorite babysitter, and headed downtown to the Orpheum Theatre for what I can only describe as the best show I have EVER EVER EVER seen! Bret & Germaine AKA The Flight of the Conchords, a folk rock parody Duo(or two man band as they refer to themsleves) from Wellington New Zealand!

I laughed for two hours straight, and woke up smiling this morning!

It's not for everyone but their show on HBO is heading into it's second season this year...be sure to watch it if you like to laugh out loud. This was our EIGHTH Anniversary present to each other, and we almost didnt get tickets, they were sold out within fifteen minutes of going on sale! Mike & I had a quick dinner before the show and stopped by 'Solera' the tapas bar next to the theater for desert tapas and coffee prior to the show. Overall it was the best night out we have had in a long time.

I was slightly nervous at first to leave Paisley, but we trust our babysitter and know Paisley has been attaching beautifully so we were confident it would be fine...and it was!

Happy Mother's Day

from our Snowflowers

It's still a wee bit chilly here in Minnesota,

but the sun is shining and the sky is blue.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms & Mums who

make a difference in their children's lives every day.

We salute you all!

and if you need some peace & quiet try this

technique...it's quite good

Cloth or disposable?

neither!

I've said it before and I'll say it again!

I just couldnt do it any other way, these gdiapers are awesome! Paisley is doing great with them too! The liners are flushable, compstable or you can choose to toss them in the trash...which is okay too, because they are biodegradable! They are the easiest non-disposable diaper I have ever encountered! Have I told you how much we love them? Amazing. The covers come in an assortment of lovely updated colors too...we have cream & orange, but covet brown and green! who knew diapers were so cool and could be so much better for your babies health as well as the environment.

yeah, you'll change the world!

"Oh, please. Get a life. If you want to take offence, there's plenty to go around. Do something that matters. Set an example for your daughters and sons. Stop trying to be a victim and MOVE FORWARD!"

This was the only negative reply I got from posting this on my Yahoo adoption groups, I'm not going to play fisty-cuffs here, but seriously, these are the kind of people that expect others to change the world while they sit back...good for her, but this kind of 'tude doesn't fly in our house! We aren't victims, we are warriors, my girls aren't poster children for adoption causes but hopefully they will grow up understanding how important it is to stand up and speak out against all kinds of prejudice, regardless of the topic!

If not us then who?

SHAME SHAME SHAME

SHAME ON YOU!

You have got to be kidding me! How did this get past the executives at NBC?

Apparently NBC is holding a Mother's Day Special hosted by Donny & Marie where they will accept nominations and crown a special 'Mom', sounds good so far huh...um, well...not really...they have classified Adoptive Moms in the 'Non-Mom' category??? What the F*#?!

Sorry guys...but what on earth possessed them to classify millions of adoptive parents as NON-MOMS? What does this make my beautiful daughters? I know Piper and Paisley are too young to understand this just yet, by I know first hand of children who saw the promo for the show and are devastated because their Mom is classified by NBC on this pissarse television show as NON MOMS!

SHAME SHAME SHAME

and shame on Marie Osmond who is an adoptive parent, how could she participate in this show knowing what she does!

I complained to NBC, I suspect they will be getting thousands of similar emails...and just for good measure I emailed Adoptive Families Magazine to let them know.

I am beyond shocked, I am furious!

if this bugs you too...an email to Donny, Marie and NBC might help!

UPDATE: as of 5pm-ish today the wording is changed on the website, instead of saying non-mom moms it says adoptive moms...I still think we shouldn't be a separate category, but at this point I'm happy it is at least changed. Here is the statemet from the shows sponsor Teleflora, as it appears on the website.

"Teleflora is immediately changing the name of our "Non-Mom" category to "Adopting Moms". After closer examination, we can see how this may have been offensive to moms who have adopted children -- moms who are indeed real moms to their children in every sense of the word. In fact, many of us at Teleflora are “adopting” parents ourselves, including our president and owner. The essence of this category still focuses on a grandparent, neighbor, step mom, or mom to adopted or foster children, each one raising and loving a child. This show of insensitivity on our part was in no way intended and we deeply apologize for any concern or distress we may have caused. It was always our intent to salute and celebrate all moms."

Lumpy-ectomy

Yesterday was a big day for us all, we got up with the birds, dropped Piper off at our neighbors house in her jammies and headed to the Hospital. We met with all the people who would be in with Paisley during her surgery...of course the Chief of Pediatric surgery was doing her procedure and we really like him, the anesthesiologist was another story...what a jackhole! Let me just say, he has to be great at what he does, but his bedside manner sucked a kumera(a kiwi saying that means he stunk!), obviously what matters most is that he is a good at what he does, which I was assured of by the Chief! Michael & I made the request to stay with Paisley until she had been put to sleep, we were very calm and very clear that this was our intention. Dr Wanker however couldn't stand not having the last word

"well, this is purely for your benefit, not hers"

hehe...Mike and I simultaneously let him have it....citing adoption attachment and bonding and the importance of us being beside her until she was asleep. Like I said...jackhole.

In the end Mike was allowed to suit up and stay with Paisley until she went to sleep. We also requested a Vascular Specialist to start the IV, we told him he gets three tries then he must call one in. They did SEVEN tries before they got a line in,...no Vascular Specialist...next time they will believe me I'm sure!

The surgery went remarkably well, the surgeon didn't even have to shave her head! Lumpy was whisked off and is enjoying a stay at the tissue bank where he will be used for research(I did tell them if they cloned Paisley we'd like first dibs)

lumpy prior to surgery

sans lumpy...cool huh, the stitches are disolveable and all we need to do is put neosporin on twice a day and not wash her head for 5 days...you'd never even know she had a massive lump there earlier!

make the change

my kind of hero

not just a great actor, but an eco warrior!

damn, don't you love smart guys!

what can you do to make the change?

We switched...wont you?

mumma loves a banjo man

(of course I do, he sings our blog soundtrack!)

today we had the very best day imaginable! We have had tickets for our hero DAN ZANES for about a month now and Piper kept asking if we were going 'tomorrow' and finally tomorrow came!

We had a wee hiccup with Ticket'monster' (y'know who I mean), having purchased tickets for the 12pm show only to get an email a day or so ago saying that it was cancelled and our tickets would be refunded;-(

I went to the Dan Zanes website to see what the deal was only to find out that all 12pm tickets would be honored for the 3pm show...but stupid old Ticketmonster had already processed our 'refund'(minus the $35 service fees)

I emailed Dan Zanes and we got a reply back that we had seats, not to worry and we'd be able to see the concert after all! It's a small venue, the Fitzgerald Theatre in St Paul, yep, the one where Garrison Keiller does 'A Prairie Home Companion'!

A rockin' good time was had by all...Paisley sang through the entire show, bopping and clapping along to the eclectic beat of this formidable music man! As you can see Piper had a fab time too!If you have yet to hear the wonderful music of Dan Zanes and Friends I suggest you rush to the store and get a CD pronto!

dancing in the aisles....it's required!

The night ended with a meal at Broder's, our new favorite Italian place in Minneapolis. Piper and Paisley were mini celebrities at the restaurant, we had two different tables come up to us to commend them on their behavior and how sweet they are!

Today was also dubbed...Adios Lumpy night, for tomorrow it will be gone. Piper is very interested in Lumpy and wishes she could come to the hospital with us tomorrow...but she has a fun day planned with our wonderful neighbor Kristine. We have to be at the hospital at 8.30am tomorrow, so we will try to post an update later tomorrow night.