Our First Family Christmas

This was our first Christmas as a family of 3! What a difference Colby made to the holiday. We actually had 3 days of Christmas and are just starting to get back to our routine. It certainly has been a whirlwind of fun, toys, food, hugs, and lots of laughter.

Christmas Eve we celebrated with Mike's family. We went to his parents' house around 3. Thankfully they live right down the road, so no travel. We had a small gathering with his parents and Mike's brother David, his wife Jocelyn, and their baby Lizzy. She is only 6 months old so it was thier first family Christmas too! Mike's sister Trisha and her husband AJ were the only ones missing. They live in Ohio, so Mike's parents left to visit with them on Christmas Day. After opening gifts and relaxing we all went to Mike's grandparents' house down the road. They are Mike's dad's parents and family. We had a big gathering there and enjoyed some appetizers and lots of goodies. Colby received a Hess car, some puzzles, a dump truck, and some great photos to hang in his room. Mike's Aunt Jo took pictures of Colby's stuffed animals (Pooh, Mickey, Goofy, Tigger, and more) and used those pictures to PhotoShop into some landscape photos she had taken. So Mickey is now fishing, Pooh is holding sunflowers. They came out great. Colby needed some big photos to decorate his room. Colby also got a trailer truck, bulldozer, and road grader made just for him by Grandpa! We didn't leave there until aroudn 9 so we had one tired out little boy. Thankfully we did get him to take a short nap before we left.

Christmas morning Mike and I were wide awake. We were like little kids on Christmas, both so excited. I was ready with the video camera as Colby opened his presents. He was so excited with the small drum and percussion set Santa brought. He also loved his 2 John Deere tractors and dump truck. We had to play with all his toys before we left for my parents' house. Until this year, we always celebrated with my mom's family at Mamie's house. Unfortunately, we lost her this year so everyone decided to have their own family celebrations and then get together on Saturday. So we went to my parents' house to celebrate with my brothers and sisters and their families. Not the usual 40 or so people but a respectable 16 people. We did miss my nephew Teddy though. He was with his dad. A wonderful meal and even more goodies to eat. And of course, more presents. Colby got a John Deere bank that light up and makes noise when you put money in it. He also got a new Thomas train piece, some great books, a few shirts, a race car track, and letter blocks that Mamie had already bought for him. I also received a beautiful silver necklace from Mamie. It is a heart with a mom holding a baby. It is so sweet and very special. No nap and a long day, we went home and relaxed watching Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas.

Saturday we had one more Christmas celebration. We went to my Uncle Lou's to celebrate with my mom's family. Not everyone was there but we had a great time. Cloby loved playing with his cousins again along with my cousins children. There were kids everywhere! More goodies to eat and even more presents. A few more books, a wooden tool box, some Legos, and we all received a ornament from my Aunt Linda with a picture of my grandparents on it wishing us a Heavenly Christmas. Uncle Lou lives next door to my grandparents house so we did go over there to look through some things to see if their grandchildren wanted anything. I took a few things, mostly cooking stuff, but it did give a bittersweet taste to the day. Boy do I miss them both. I just wish Poppy could have met Colby and that both he and Mamie could have spent one Christmas with us. Christmas was such a special time for Poppy. I hope that I can pass on his love for giving and the sense of joy he gave to everyone.

We spent Sunday relaxing and playing with all the new toys. We did go to Mike's grandparents' for a special dinner. It is his grandpa's birthday so Aunt Marie made home-made ravioli. Yum yum! Ravioli and ice cream. A great way to end a busy weekend. Now we are looking forward to New Year's Eve and my Aunt Doone's, and next month we are having dinner with a few of our fellow adopting friends. We met through our agency and through our blogs. I can't wait for all the boys to get together. It should be a lot of fun!

My Amazing Husband and Mom

I can't believe that it is almost Christmas. Just 2 days to go. And those days will be very busy. We spend Christmas Eve with Mike's family. We will go to his parents' first and then to his grandparents' for dinner. Then Christmas Day we will be with my parents and family. I am so glad that everyone lives close. The farthest we will travel is about 10 miles or so. And it is nice that Mike's grandparents have always celebrated with the family on Christmas Eve. They do the same thing for Easter, celebrating the day before. It is a big family and they want to make sure everyone comes together.

Today I am baking cookies. Yes, a late start. With a two year old, I got a late start this year. I made some with my mom and Aunt Doone but I still have more to bake. I like giving some to everyone for Christmas. I started yesterday making candy cane cookies but my hand mixer broke. I was so worried I couldn't make the Italian cookies because all I had was the hand mixer. So, I put the dough in the fridge and went to tutor. To my surprise, I came home to a brand new KitchenAid mixer! Wow! An early Christmas present. I have always wanted one but they are expensive so I wasn't going to buy one. Well, my wonderful mom and Mike bought it for me this Christmas. What a treat! So today I have christened it with Italian cookies. It works great! Two batches down and now to roll the candy cane cookies and make Spritz cookies. A bust day. If only a little boy would take his nap!

Holiday Fun

Well, it seems my family shared more than just turkey this Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful day together and then everyone ended up sick. Someone started it and just about all of us got a cold, sinus infection, or something. Colby had a slight cough and runny nose but seemed to be ok. Mike and I have been battling a cough, sinus infection for just over a week. Mine was bad enough my teeth were hurting. My mom still has her cough but my brother Chris got it the worst. He ended up with pneumonia. So, we have been trying to get rest and get better. We are now on the mend.

We have also had a lot of holiday fun the past few weekends. We went to Mike's uncle's house to buy a Christmas tree on the 5th and decorated it. Even with not feeling great, we had fun. Colby is still amazed that a tree is in our family room. He loves the lights and the candy canes on the tree. He was so cute putting the ornaments on. I think one branch got 5 ornaments! He would try to hang them and if he missed the branch, the ornament would just fall. And there he left it!

Wednesday Colby and I went to visit with our friends Jill and Nicholas and Sharon and Sean. It was our first time to see Sean since he came home around Halloween. The three boys had a great time playing together and it was fun for the mommies too. We love getting together. We had lunch together and shared stories. Another friend from our adoption agency just came home from Russia with her two boys. Christine lives in NY, not far from here. I am hoping to get all 5 boys and the families together for dinner in January.

This past Friday we went to the mall to see Santa. Colby loves looking at pictures of Santa but I wasn't sure how he would do sitting on his lap. We waited in line and he watched other kids sit down. When we got up to Santa he said hi to him. Colby has really been fascinated with his shoes lately. So he had to show Santa his boots. Then I put him on Santa's lap. He shyed away but Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas. I told him to tell Santa about Thomas the Train. Then he lit up and started talking. The photographer had a stuffed monkey he held up and that caught Colby's attention. We got a great photo! I hope to scan and download it soon. After that we went to Meriden to see the Christmas lights at Hubbard Park. They are all different animals lit with white lights. The also have a huge globe lit up. You drive through the park and see the lights. We also like to get out and walk around. Mike and I have gone there many times, it is something we like to do this time of year. But it was amazing to drive through the park and here Colby point out the different animals. We walked around a little but it was cold and very windy! But we had fun!

Yesterday we had our first family Christmas party. We went to Mike's parents to get together with Mike's mom's family. We had a wonderful lunch of lasagna, some great dessert, and a fun grab bag. I'm not sure if Colby liked the cars or the plastic tubing they came in better.

This weekend we will have our parents for dinner, bake some Christmas cookies, and watch some Christmas movies. I have truly loved teaching Colby all about Christmas, from the story of the birth of Jesus to the legend of Santa Claus. What an amazing holiday. No wonder it was my Poppy's favorite time of year. And mine too!

Happy Giving!

A little late but we had a pretty busy weekend. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Colby wishes you all a "Happy Giving" as he says.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. I am amazed at how different I now view each holiday. I always love getting together with family and friends at holidays. But now I can experience each holiday anew through the eyes of my 2 year old. The Thanksgiving Day Parade wasn't the same old thing that I watch to pass time in the morning before we leave for dinner. The prayer of thanks truly this year I had reason to give thanks. Watching the kids play together was a whole new experience. Now I watched my own. What a blessing it is to see these ordinary things turned extraordinary through the eyes of a child.

We spent the morning watching the parade and waiting to see Santa. Mickey Mouse, Kermit, and the drums in the bands were all huge hits, as was the singers. Colby still loves his music. After the parade, we left for my parents' house. This was our first Thanksgiving without Mamie, and that was difficult. Although we have the joy of having Colby with us, knowing Mamie is not here gave the day a slight bittersweet taste. Usually we have dinner with all my mom's family at Mamie's house but each family decided to have their own this year. It made for a somewhat smaller dinner, we all fit at two tables now, but I did miss the fun of seeing everyone. Also, my sister Kristin, Steve, and my nephew Teddy were not there and we did miss them. But, the rest of the family was there. I loved watching Colby play with his cousins Max, Alex, and Keith. They had a blast playing with the toy train and the blocks.

Max reading a Christmas story to Colby.

Grandma and Uncle Chris playing backgammon, with a little help from Keith and Colby.

We left my parents' house to go to Mike's Aunt Karin's house for dessert. Mike's Dad's whole family still get together for each holiday and that meant seeing about 30 or so more people. Colby took a short nap on the ride there and was soon revved up to go play with his cousins. He has a cousin Logan who is just 4 months younger than him and they played the piano together for everyone. I had a wonderful conversation with Christine. She is Mike's cousin Timmy's fiance. They will get married this coming June. Hopefully we will get together soon.

After a long day, Colby was definitely tired. He simply crashed when we put him to bed. So a wonderful first Thanksgiving together. So much to be thankful for this year. And now on to Christmas. Colby is already going crazy over that. We decorated the house yesterday and Mike and I went shopping on Saturday while Colby visited with Mike's parents. We plan to get our Christmas tree this Saturday. And I can't wait. I am always excited about Christmas. It was my Poppy's favorite holiday and mine. This year I am even more excited as I now have the opportunity to teach my son the meaning behind Christmas and the joy of giving.

Big Boy

Well, I guess I must admit it. My little baby boy has truly grown up. I can't believe how much Colby has changed, just within the last month or so. Was it really 9 months ago that we came home? Did we really celebrate his birthday 6 months ago? Amazing! Colby often reminds me that he is a big boy, but I always remind him that he will always and forever be my baby boy.

Here are just a few of the big boy things Colby now does:

1)He puts his own pants and shoes on. He still needs help putting his socks and shirt on but he can take his socks off by himself.

2) He also puts on his own "undies". Yes, that's right. No more diapers, although he wears pull-ups to bed. We started potty training in late August but with so many things going on, we weren't very consistent. Now we took the plug and in the past two weeks Colby has only worn undies except to bed and if we are out all day. Still a few accidents but he is quite proud of himself, as am I.

3) He now sleeps in a big boy bed. We converted his crib in August to a toddler bed.

4) He can count to 11 and will say his ABCs with you.

5) He loves to "read" books. We always read together. Mike or I will read the book to Colby and ask him questions. He will answer them all and when we are done, he likes to read the book back to us. He usually remembers everything that happened in the story.

6) He LOVES puzzles. He can put together puzzles with 4-5 pieces. My Aunt Doone just gave him a puzzle with 12 pieces and he loves to put that together too!

7) He is now showing a great imagination. He loves to play with his cars and often uses my flipflops for the "garage". He loves to play with his animals having them go to bed, eat, and play. It is so cute to watch.

8) Colby loves doing chores. He helps dust, sweep, and vaccuum. He also feeds to dog everynight. What a big helper!

9) If at all possible, he is even more outgoing. Colby always was outgoing but now I see him playing with other kids more and holding conversations with others. Amazing! I can't believe that just 8 months ago he wasn't talking at all. His vocabulary is better than many 2 year olds.

10) He is starting to recognize his shapes and colors. He knows a triangle and the color gray.

11) He shows compassion and caring for others. He doesn't like it if other kids cry or fuss and he will give them a hug and say, "It's ok, no cry."

12) I'm sure there are so many other things. Every day brings something new and Colby is always finding new ways to amaze me. Mike and I are quite lucky to have Colby in our lives. What a wonderful, beautiful, smart big boy!

What's That Hiding in My Trees?

Why, it's a Colby Monkey!

Happy Halloween!

Well, I guess I am behind in updating this. I honestly have no reason, no excuse, except to say that I have just been enjoying the past few fall days. The weather has been holding out and it hasn't been too cold. Colby and I have just been enjoying the days. Mike has also been coming home early so we have been spending a lot of time together as a family.

Colby's first Halloween was hectic but very good. I was very worried how he would react to all the stimulation, being up late, dressing up, and getting lots of candy. We had read many Halloween books and he learned very quickly to say "Trick or Treat" and "Happy Halloween". From our trips to the store I knew that Colby didn't like masks so we stayed clear of them.

We started the night around 4:30 going to Mike's parents' house. His brother and his wife, David and Jocelyn, brought their new baby, Lizzy, over as well and we had a nice visit. Lizzy was the most adorable bumble bee ever! We ate dinner with them, pizza. Then everyone went to Mike's grandparents' house down the road. Colby walked with his grandpa but Mike and I drove since we would be leaving from there to go to my parents' house. On the way, Colby and Grandpa stopped at a neighbor's and got some candy. Mike's grandparents' gave him more candy and some cupcakes too. Enough to share with Mommy and Daddy!

Then off we went to my parents' house. More candy and an apple and lots more hugs and kisses. It was getting late but my Aunt Doone had asked us to stop by so we went there next. More candy and a little play time. I was worried by then because it was getting late and we had now bounced from house to house. I was hoping to have Colby do a little actual "Trick or Treating". Thankfully it worked out great. A few minutes after getting to my Aunt Doone's her oldest daughter, Carmen, knocked on the door with her two kids, Isabel and Julian. They had been trick or treating with her brother, Jason, his wife, Linda, and their 1 year old Jaden. Jaden was done but the kids wanted to go to a few more houses so we went with them. We went to about 5 houses, in the DARK . When we were done we were tired and wet. It had been drizzling but it really started to rain. But Colby loved riding in the wagon with Julian the Pirate and he had a great time trick or treating. He even remembered to say thank you! What a great night it turned out to be!

Conversing with a Two Year Old

Friday Colby and I had a few errands to run. Thursday had been a bright, warm, sunny day, but Friday was quite chilly. One stop we made was to the library downtown to pick up a book I had placed on hold. Driving to the library is always fun with Colby pointing out the trucks, the tractors at the construction sight, and so much more. As we drove away Colby pointed to a lady walking with her head down. She was walking somewhat quickly. As usual, I didn't really see her but Colby seems to see everything. Our conversation went like this:

Colby: Mommy, lady running.
Me: Where is she going?
Colby: Mommy, lady sad. (Colby usually doesn't give an answer to my questions.)
Me: Oh, why is the lady sad?
Colby: Mommy, lady sad. Lady chilly.

Just too precious.

Fall Fun

Well, this weekend the weather certainly took a turn for the worse. I was hoping that we would have many great Fall days. I love the changing colors and the crisp feel to the warm days. But no, it actually snowed towards the end of last week and even this past Sunday. I think we skipped right from rainy Spring to winter. I'm not sure where Summer went and now it seems Fall is getting the boot too! Yuck!

But, before the weather changed, we did have a wonderful weekend. On the 10th, Mike, Colby, and I went with my mom to Lyman Orchard. They have a huge corn maze, apple picking, and even horse-drawn wagon rides. The weather was cool and the sky was a little grey but we had a great time. Colby took the lead to show us the way through the corn maze. He enjoyed it when my mom or I would run ahead and pop out at him somewhere else. At one point Colby ran up ahead

and Mom and Mike went a different way. I followed Colby. Mom and Mike ended up on a bridge and called out to us. We went to join them. Come to find out, Colby took the right way. Leave it to a 2 year old to find the way!

After a quick lunch, we went on the wagon ride. It was a short ride but Colby seemed to enjoy it. The horses were made Samuel and Adams! They were big grey Dapples, draft horses. They were beautiful. I really miss the horses Poppy had on his farm. Then we went into the store to look around. Mike and I bought some apple butter. My mom bought an apple pie for my dad and also a caramel apple for Colby. He ate it a few days later. What a mess!

I have wanted to go for a long walk in the woods but we have been very busy or the weather was terrible. But, Mike and I did bring Colby for a short walk in Wolcott. The walking path skirts next to the lake and is quite pretty. We went one day right before dinner. Colby enjoyed climbing on the rocks and picking up sticks and pinecones. Colby and I made one of the pincones into a little man with some sticks. He just needs an acorn for his head. Hopefully I'll get that today. Although, someone is not cooperating with his nap! Ugh!

A beautiful day today. We spent the morning at the park, although it was a little wet. No one else was there though. It was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine after all the rain yesterday. Hopefully we'll have a few more nice days before winter really sets in.

Happy Birt It!

Happy Birt it (Birthday) Daddy! I hope you like your card. Mommy and I worked really hard on it. I loved using the glitter glue and stickers. And Mommy and I loved making your cake. Chocolate icing is so yummy tummy. I am so happy that we have the special times together, even if it is just for a little afternoon nap!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Some Quiet Fun

We have been busy but now our schedule seems to have settled down a little. We had one last birthday party this past weekend for my cousin Colleen's little boy. Liam turned 1 in September. On Sunday Colby and I went with my sister-in-law Jan to Rainforest Cafe and to Build-A-Bear. Jan loves both places. We had brought Colby there in April for his birthday but he was quite overwhelemed by it. Now he really enjoyed Build-A-Bear but the elephants and Rainforest Cafe did upset him a little. It was really noisy. I am noticing that things that seemed to upset Colby before, now don't and things that he didn't seem to care about before, now scare him a little. The ever changing 2 year old!

During our quiet time, I have noticed that Colby has really gained a little imagination. He has a Little People farm and many animals. We had bought some of the animals when we first visited him in Russia in June 2007 and left them for the kids in the baby home. So Colby has had them for awhile. Just recently though he has really started to PLAY with them. He has the cow drink the water and the horse eats apples. The rooster says, "Doodle Doo" as he sits in the top of the barn. All the while he says the animal sounds and even sounds for when they drink and eat. It is so cute. I took a short video and hope to post it soon.

Colby's other favorite pasttime- sitting on Daddy!

Colby has also taken to building puzzles. Since I was a Kindergarten teacher for a couple years, I have a lot of puzzles, games, books, etc that I hope to use with Colby as he grows up. Right noe he LOVES the little wooden animal and transportation puzzles. They are mostly 4 pieces each, a couple have 3 pieces, and the giraffe has 5. At first Colby asked for help with putting the first two pieces together. Now, he wizzes right through the puzzles saying the animal's or vehicle's name and a sound for all of them. Also caught on video! It is amazing to watch as Colby learns all these new things. He loves to count and repeats the letters of the alphabet. Now we are working on colors! So many new things!

More Happenings

The past two weeks certainly have had their ups and downs. It was a busy time here, both good and bad. We had the funeral and get together for Mamie on Thursday. Although it was a sad time, I did get to see many people that I haven't seen in a long time. And they finally got to meet Colby. We left him with my sister-in-law, Jocelyn, during the church service but then Mike brought him up to Mamie's house for the dinner.

Last Tuesday was my mom's birthday, age kept secret! On Monday night, most of my aunts and uncles, a few cousins, and my brothers, Mike, Colby, and I went out to dinner to celebrate. We went to "On the Border" a great Mexican restraunt. It was nice to get together again to just relax and have some fun. It was Colby's first experience with Mexican food and he loved it! He ate his whole dinner- soft taco, rice, and refried beans!

I have to admit that last Tuesday was not a pleasant day. Colby and I did call my mom to wish her a happy birthday. However, the rest of the day was awful. Colby was a little more mischievious that day, getting into everything. Spilled milk (a whole cup worth), toys everywhere, climbing in the closet and tearing it apart, and of course not wanting to go down for his nap. I was so tired and frustrated. Naptime became a crying fest. I broke down. I guess after a week of running around and keeping busy, by then it truly hit me that Mamie was gone. I laid down and just cried. Colby was crying because he was overtired but wouldn't nap and I was just crying. The one good thing, Colby stopped at one point and came over to me. He threw his arms around me and said, "Love you Mommy!" That snapped me out of it and we just hugged for a long time. Thankfully, Colby and I both calmed down and he went for a short nap. I tried to nap too.

Saturday we had two parties. My brothers and sisters and families all went to our parents' house to celebrate September birthdays. It was my sisters Kristin and Karin, my sister-in-law Jan, my nephew Alex, and my mom's birthdays. Wow! We went there for lunch. Then we all went to my Aunt Doone's house to celebrate my cousin Jason's wedding. He and Linda had a quite ceremony together at Mamie's house by her garden. Then everyone went to Aunt Doone's house for a picnic to celebrate. Colby had a great time at both parties playing with his cousins Max and Alex and many other kids. And we were able to get a good photo of Colby with his four cousins at Mom's house.

Yesterday the excitement continued! Mike came home around lunch time. I was trying to clean the front closet, with all my craft supplies and games (job to continue), Colby had finally gone down for his nap, and Mike was outside mowing the lawn. Next thing I knew, Mike came running in the house and said he was going to wake Colby up. I hadn't even heard the sirens. We hear them at least once a day so I guess I had tuned them out. Well, there was a small house fire about five houses down our street. We have a fire hydrant in front of our house so one fire truck parked right in front of us! There were about five trucks in all, a police car, ambulance, and lots of flashing lights. Colby was amazed! It took a minute for him to wake up but once he did his eyes opend wide! He wasn't sure where to look first. We walked down the street to check out the trucks. The fire was already out when we got there. Most of the firemen waved to Colby and a couple of them came over to say hi. Colby was even invited to sit in one of the firetrucks! He was awestruck I think. I asked him what he was doing and he just said, "Touching firetruck." Of course, after all the excitement he wouldn't go back for his nap and wouldn't relax. It was a tough night, throwing food and a broken glass included. I really enjoy seeing Colby experience new things but the excitement seems too much for him and he becomes overwhelmed.

So, now it is nap time and I finally have the chance to update my blog. Hopefully the rest of the week be calm. This Saturday we have another birthday party. Always something fun to do. I'd also like to bring Colby to a corn maze and there is a Halloween costume to buy. Busy, busy, busy!