Four Going on Twenty

Sicily is officially older now. She has been begging and wanting to be four now for months. Although, we are a little nervous she might be growing up too fast. All she wanted for her birthday was a wedding gown and Hannah Montana guitar. She immediately put both on and wanted her hair done really pretty for the day with a half a tube of lip gloss as well. I must admit she looked pretty darn cute. However, when Sam came home for lunch he wasn't too thrilled with what he saw. His baby girl in a wedding gown, gone rock star. Later that day we went and saw the Hannah Montana movie, and the girl sang along to every song...some of which I have never even heard before. Scary, for me, but Happy Birthday to Sissy. We love her.

I am very ashamed of this cake, especially since I have sister in laws that can make the most amazing birthday cakes. But, in my defense...cake is not my specialty. I don't like it, never have, and my kids usually choose their favorite dessert for their birthdays. Sicily is just too young to know that you don't choose cake, unless you don't mind a gross Albertsons cake...she will learn quickly...the other 3 have. So we blew out candles on it and than maybe the boys had a couple of bites of it, and the rest went in the trash.

Cutest Kids EVER

What an exciting, and emotional two weeks it has been. I'm telling you, I am a blubbering mess. I can hardly talk to anyone about these boys without tearing up, and than if I keep going it turns into full out bawling. It has also been an amazingly spiritual experience for me. I have felt closer to my Savior and Father in Heaven in the past 2 weeks than almost any other time in my life. Amazing is the only way to describe it.

I had pictures here, but I found out we aren't supposed to post pictures of the children until we pass through court.

Ethiopia Here We Come

Monday March 30, 2009 will go down in the Smith Family History as a glorious day. About a year ago we decided to adopt two kids from Ethiopia, and after 2 feet of paper work and lots of fingerprints and background checks we finally got our file complete in January. So from there it was going to be about an 18 month wait, so we just started waiting. In February we decided we needed to start praying for our kids in Ethiopia because more than likely they were alive and just waiting for us. So we did, and it was a little awkward at first, but than it got easier. Well, then about 3 weeks ago, I just kept getting this thought that we were going to get our referral soon, but I would just brush that off as wishful thinking, and remind myself that the wait was 18 months for referral...be patient. Well, Monday at about 3 in the afternoon the phone rang and I saw that it was our agency in Minnesota. I picked up the phone thinking I probably forgot to get something notarized or the likes. It was our case worker and she explained that our agency had just finalized a partnership with a new orphanage in Ethiopia in a village named Nazret, about 2 hours south of Addis Ababa, the capital. She asked if I knew about this, and I said, "yes", and than proceeded to tell me that she had a referral for us. I was speechless. Luckily she started telling me about the boys, so I could just sit, listen, and bawl. She explained it was 2 little boys 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old, and all their personality traits that the orphanage listed. Nathneal is the 4 year old, (Nathaniel in English, so we will probably call him Nate), and Dagim is 2 (pronounced Dageem, we will call him Dag most likely). They are so stinking cute and we couldn't be happier. I would post their pictures, but I found out after I had already emailed them to family, I wasn't supposed to yet, and that the agency will be sending me a photo that I can post as soon as they get our acceptance paperwork. Needless to say I spent the next two days crying myself to sleep. Our kids are ecstatic and Sam had an amazing spritual experience with it as well. Heavenly Father blessed me with an instantaneous love for these boys the second I saw their picture, and although we have never met I feel all the emotions of their mother. The first night I cried tears of joy, sorrow for their birth mom, gratitude for her, worry for them and that they are being taken care of good, and that they will want to be part of our family. I worry about the fear they will have when two white people (they've probably never even seen white people) march into their lives and take them away from everything familiar. Put them on this giant plane and take them to a foreign land, that smells weird, looks strange, and they don't understand a single word. Holy Crap! They are fighters though and in the pictures they still have gigantic angelic smiles on their faces. It really is a miracle, that we got our referral so quick...I guess out of the 350 families on the waiting list, they were all requesting under 48 months of age or a sibling group with girls. I'm delighted I won't have to learn how to braid hair...just a buzz for us. We really couldn't be happier. From here the wait time is between 8 and 12 weeks before we travel to pick them up. We won't know until about 2-3 weeks before, but I got lots to do before than. Bigger car, new beds, more life jackets, car seats, diapers...I love it. So from a family of 6 to one of 8 in a couple of months....EIGHT IS GREAT and we can't WAIT!

CANDY

                                           

Did I ever tell you I love candy?  There is the funnest store here in Boise called Powell's Candy store.  We were at that end of town this weekend eating dinner between NCAA tourney games, and I just couldn't resist.  It is an entire store with nothing but candy, chocolates and gelato.  It's not just M&M's either, it has every kind of candy ever made, and it is like taking a walk down memory lane.  So I thought for posterity sake, I would rank my 10 all time favorite candies.  Now, I am not a chocolate girl at all.  I never have been, but show me the straight sugar sort of stuff and I am happy, happy.  I told my kids they could each pick out their favorite 3 things, which they did, and than Sam and I each had about 10 of our favorite things.  Nothing like leaving a candy store with a Nordstroms size bag....Mom, don't worry I am exaggerating just a little.  So now for the ranking:

#1  Slap Stick Sucker....You know that carmel dream they used to sale at King's in N. Ogden.  I sucked on that thing Friday night for a whole hour, and loved every carmelly, slightly banana flavor.  Yummy!

#2  Necco's....I know you are all grossed out by this, but I love those chalky little wafers...especially pink.

#3  Smartie pops....The chalky double flavor suckers we used to be able to get at North Ogden Park during softball games.

#4  Big Hunk...Nougat with a couple peanuts here and there.  Pull your crown right off kind of good.

#5  Charleston Chew....vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry, I love them all.

#6  Bit o' Honey...I ate about 10 this weekend, and had to run twice on Saturday to feel better about myself.

#7  Sugar babies...Yummy, chewy,  and they kill if you have even an inkling of a cavity coming.

#8  Nibs...It has to be Nibs too, because the imitators are no good.

#9  Cotton Candy...This was one of Elle and Sissy's picks this weekend.  Pure sugar bliss., that reminds me of the rodeo as a kid.

#10 Boston Baked Beans...Sam's club sells gigantic bags, they are great on the boat.

So now  everyone knows what treat to buy me. Luckily for my booty, you can't find my favorites at every convenient store in town.  It is only on special occasions that I take the Body Bugg off and say, "to hell with it, "  which does happen on rare occasions, like this weekend, with a visit to Powell's.  Come visit so I can take you all there.

GO MALAYSIA

                                       

We were so lucky to be a host family this year for the Special Olympics World Winter Games.  Idaho was the state to be in this February, as the world came to participate in the special olympics.  Back in November they announced at church that families were needed to host athletes from around the world for up to one week prior to the start of the games, as they got acclimated to the time difference, settled in, and let them experience life in Idaho.  We thought, "sure we can do that, we have extra rooms."  

About 1 week before they arrived we learned we would be hosting athletes from the Malaysia floor hockey team.  We so lucked out, because we also had the head of delegates, who spoke English...(added bonus, we would actually be able to communicate).  So from Tuesday evening when we picked them up until Saturday morning, we hung out with the Malaysian Special Olympians.  I might be biased, but I think we got the two funnest athletes, they were so polite and darling. And Raymond, the head of delegates was great.  My girls instantly wanted to snuggle with him and sit on his lap.  The more I thought about it though, I realized, anyone who takes time to be with these special olympians is someone special too.  It was hilarious to see them experience their first hamburger and fries, pizza, snow, a hot tub, a washer and dryer, and warm water in a shower. They also froze thier butts off. The best was one morning for breakfast, I fixed fruit and muffins and then pulled about 5 different kinds of cold cereal out for them to try if they wanted.  One of the boys went for muffins and fruit while Raymond, the head of delegation, and Geoffery, one of the athletes tried cereal.  Raymond mixed all 5 kinds together, and Geoffery went for Captain Crunch Berries.  After about 3 bites, he nudged his fellow athlete, who was eating a muffin, and in the fastest Malay ever, I think he said something to the effect of, "put that crap down and get yourself a bowl of this...it is awesome."  So he did, and 5 bowls later, and late for practice because of it, they each almost threw up crunch berries running up and down the court.  Their wasn't a meal they didn't love, and it was seriously so fun to have them try a little of this, and some of that.  As for sleep, I don't know that they ever got that figured out, because their light was always on and they didn't get out of bed most mornings until 10 or so.  We loved it though.  Sam and the kids were gone all day, so Sicily and I had some major bonding and entertaining.  We loved it and had a great experience and wish the special olympics came to Idaho every year so we could do it again, and again.

Me and Geoffery and Iquan.  Iquan was Muslim (they don't eat pork) so the first night, I made homemade pizzas and I didn't realize pepperoni was pork until after we ate...oops please forgive.

This is the whole Malaysian floor hockey team.  It was the only sport Malaysia participated in, because winter is not a climate in Malaysia.

They always wanted me in their pictures...I was flattered.

These are the coaches and Geoffery on the end with Raymond, the head of delegate, second from the right.

This is Raymond out enjoying a burger and an Idaho potato, in the form of fries.

Iquan and Geoffery trying french toast for the first time.

THINK SPRING

We are kind of getting sick of winter here at our house.  This picture was taken Sunday night after a blizzard for a couple of hours. Now, I'm sure my sister is looking at this picture and laughing that I am complaining about my sciff of snow(I think she got 30 inches yesterday...but she chose to live in the Arctic Circle) and we are ready for spring now.  Let me explain why my boys are in their undies making snow angels...I don't know where they ever got the idea they could go in the hot tub in their underwear, but that is their suit of choice...okay second choice, buck naked would be their first, but we draw the line there. I'm sure one of these days we will receive a complaint from the HOA for indecent exposure, because never fail, the kids will be in the hot tub, I will look out the window at them and one of the boys will be standing on the edge peeing onto the grass...I might have even caught the girls a time or two.  We don't have any neighbors that you can see in our backyard, but there is a walking path that neighbors frequent at all times of the day.   So this is our nightly ritual before bed.  Hot tub at 8:15- 8:45, than make a gigantic mess of moms bathroom before they attempt to go to bed.  It is practically the only sort of bath/shower Carter will take, so we don't argue.  I'm sure you all want to come sit in our hot tub on your next visit to Eagle now, huh?  Don't fret it is heavily treated and drained bimonthly...although I do not get in it unless it was just filled that day. 

So here's to politely excusing winter and welcoming spring.  Bring it on.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Lisa Lou.  So I was supposed to pick the 6th picture, from the 6th file on my computer and blog about it.  It just so happened it was one of my favorite pictures of Elle holding this frog that is almost bigger than her.  I love it because that is just her.  She loves frogs, lizards, iguanas, and snakes, or whatever other creepy crawling thing she can get her hands on.  I remember a  year or so back she caught a snake while we were in Utah at Lisa's house and she insisted we bring it home.  So she put it in a water bottle and we started our 4 hour journey home.  About 2 hours into the drive she decided to get the snake out and play with him, and thought he might need to stretch  a bit, so she let him do so on the floor of the car.  Meanwhile she got distracted and the snake took off.  Two or so minutes later, she remembers the snake, but he was no where to be found.  Can I just say it was a long ride home for me.  We finally did find him,  but poor guy didn't make it to Boise...he was out'a there.  Elle is one of the toughest chicks I know, and loves whatever Carter and Spencer love.  There is a waterfall/pond right next to her bus stop and come spring, I can just count on her and Carter coming home with 3 or 4 frogs  a day, and mud up to her thighs.  I added a couple more pictures of Elle with her critters just to show her love.