Post coming soon!

Hi!  Just a quick note to let you know that all is well in the land of Bear Cub!!  :)  We've just had a really busy, FUN week and are about to get Daddy Bear home after a long 2 1/2 weeks!  We leave in an hour to go pick him up.  Yay!  Be on the lookout after the weekend for a post and photos about our trip to the beach with Grandma and Grandpa, and our birthday celebration at Magic Kingdom for Mimi.  I'm telling ya, lots of fun times here - but we are SO happy to get Daddy home for the weekend!  Until next time...

Photos!

BC and his 2 good friends feeding a Larakeet at the zoo.

Bear Cub LOVES to watch the fish!

Checking out some frogs...

The fellas...it's nearly impossible to get them all to look AND smile at the same time!

Towards the end of our day...everyone (especially BC!) was getting tired.

Just taking a break from all that walking... and yup, that is Fuzzy that came to the zoo with us.  Fuzzy and Coconut have made a reappearance as very important critters to BC!  He did great carrying him around the zoo...I was pretty surprised!

Fire station FUN!!  Last Monday we went to a local fire station with a friend of mine from 5th grade on and her son and baby daughter.  The boys were crazy about the fire truck!  BC noticed right away that it was a Ford..."just like Mommy's truck!"

Would you let this man drive a fire engine??  

So, Fuzzy gets a trip to the zoo and Coconut got to go to the fire station.  Bear Cub loves his puppies!

Still here!

Hi there!  Geez, I can't believe it's been a week since my last post!  Bad blogger alert!  :)  I promise to get some pictures uploaded and post again soon.  Bear Cub and I have had a busy week - a trip to a local fire station with some friends (we even got to ride around the block in the fire truck!), a visit with Mimi, a day trip to the beach, and now, back home again for the weekend.  Time flies when you're on the move!  Tomorrow we're heading to the zoo to meet up with some friends from our old town and then we SHOULD have a nice, quiet day on Sunday.  Monday we'll head to the beach for the day to have some fun in the sun with Grandpa & Grandma and then it's on to Disney mid-week to celebrate Mimi's birthday!  Wow!! 

 Have a wonderful weekend ahead and be on the lookout for new pics soon!!  :)

BC LOVES Animal Kingdom! (VIDEO at the very bottom of this post!)

Hi everyone!  Hope you all are doing well.  And I hope you're still reading the blog!  My comments have dwindled some in the past few weeks, so I hope we haven't lost your interest.  

This past week was a busy one, with the other house closing (STILL having to pinch myself over that one!) and now, trying to recover from a nasty cold.  By nighttime, I've got just a squeak of a voice left, so I'm hoping I'm on the road to recovery.  It would be nice to be able to talk normally once again!  And you just never realize how much you need your VOICE, in all situations, until you just can't seem to find it!  Bear Cub and I have looked all around the house, but to no avail, we can't find Mommy's voice.  ;)  

We did manage a really fun trip to Animal Kingdom yesterday, just BC and me.  I LOVE these together times of ours.  He can be a wild, spirited, and sometimes demanding little guy, but I will hold on to these Mommy & Bear Cub times forever.  I love to talk to him, hear his ideas and opinions, and just WATCH him soak in his surroundings.  I do hope I soak all of this in.  At times I think to myself, "Oh no!  We're not getting enough video! I have to remember him at this point!"  But then I think that I don't want to live behind the camera at all times, because then I'd miss out on the REAL moment.  But still...I can't help but think these things, especially when I see how much he is growing and changing every single day.  Have I ever said that I love this little boy of ours?  I do.  :)  So very much!

When asked what he wanted to see at Animal Kingdom, he said, "The fruit bats!" So we headed over to the fruit bat area and meandered around the rest of the park.  It was pretty crowded...and HOT, but BC was a trooper, walking a lot on his own and happy the whole day.  Of course, we rode the train to pet the goats (future goat farmer, maybe??) and this time, you'll hopefully see his dance moves as he grooved along with some African music.  His dancing is too funny!  Speed running in circles....round and round and round...makes you dizzy to watch for too long!  :)

He slept the entire way home and woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.  We met Grandpa & Grandma and the aunts at IKEA for some breakfast and a round of shopping.  I love that store.  If I could win one of those "You have 10 min. to grab whatever you want" kind of contests, I'd love to go for it in that store!  I'm trying to decided on a chair for our family room, but couldn't quite make the decision today.  I did buy some baskets to help organize toys, so that was good too!  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and the photos!  Leave me a quick comment -- a girl likes to know there's an audience out there!  ;)  Thanks!  

Pics from the weekend!

Um...yes...that IS  a blueberry in his ear.  He stuck it in there and then acted like nothing had happened at all!  Only a boy would think to do this...  ;)  (although I DID stick the pea up my nose at about this age...sheesh!)

BC and Grandma!!

The party gals!

Playing the fishing game with the big boys

Uncle T and Aunt S... giving BC a new cousin in January!  Yay!  :)

Oh, the joys of opening presents!

Last Friday...so happy to have Daddy home that he skipped his nap and later fell asleep cuddled up with Daddy.  So sweet!

S-O-L-D!

Yup, our (old) house closed TODAY!!  Yippee!  Bear Cub and I were at the closing, as Daddy had to fly out for business this morning, but all went well and very smoothly, so it's all good!  What a RELIEF!!  I know we are SO very fortunate to have found a buyer...and what great timing...closing less than 3 weeks after the move into the new house!

We made a day of our trip today - visiting with BC's neighborhood "Nana" and having a great lunch at Chick-fil-A with my friend and her two boys.  BC had a lot of fun playing in the playroom there after he ate, and was so tired that he slept through half of the closing.  Perfect!

Things are going well here - we enjoyed having Daddy home for a LONG weekend and we got a lot done around the house.  It really looks good and I have a goal of finishing up our closet (it's A LOT smaller than our previous one, so it will take some extra organizing...) and getting rid of the last few boxes that are tucked in to a few corners.  I really love the house and the neighborhood too!  There is a lot going on, with tons of young families, so I know we'll meet people each time we head out.  

We celebrated BC's birthday...AGAIN...on Sunday with family.  It was a really nice day - great to have everyone here, to celebrate the birthday boy and to see the house at the stage that it's at.  I do believe BC thinks his birthday will just go on and on...although today he said something like, "I want that for my birthday...when I am four!"  Oh my...do I really have a year of this?? ;)  The boy loves his presents!

He's been saying all kinds of cute and detailed things lately.  For instance, tonight at the dinner table, he told me, "I OFFERED Zoe some of my bologna."  Oh really??  Offered??  And yes, he had bologna for dinner...I was too pooped after our closing and travels to be a culinary artist.  Ah well.    He's also using words like "usually," and "probably."  They sound pretty adorable coming from his 3-year-old mouth!

He had his 3-year-old check-up appointment yesterday...with his NEW doctor.  She was recommended by my friend here in our community, and I really liked her!  BC took to her and even gave her a hug at the end!  He is still pretty skiddish when it comes to the doctoring process, so it takes a real special doctor to get him to cooperate.  He's doing well - still small on the growth charts, but making progress as he should...he even grew 4+ inches in a year!  Go Bear Cub!!  

Have a great rest of the week!  I'll try to post again soon!  :)

Oh, Happy Adoption Day!

July 13, 2007...a dream became a reality as Daddy Bear and I stood nervously in a Russian courtroom and became the proud parents of the most precious little boy in the world.  It was beyond exhilarating, better than amazing, and definitely the most incredible adventure/journey that we will EVER go on in this life of ours! 

July 13 is a special day - it's the day we OFFICIALLY became a family.  I say 'officially' because we can say that as soon as we saw his sweet little picture and referral video, we just knew that he was our son.  Yes, it took a few months to finalize it, but I was his mother from the very moment I saw that picture.  I believe I was his mother from the moment he was born, it just took a bit longer than the traditional Mama to get to her baby.  What matters most is that I did indeed get there to my sweet baby boy!

So, here's to our wonderful Bear Cub!!  Happy Adoption Day! The memories of that day in 2007 are still fresh in our minds and we are forever thankful for you and all that you are.  You are our baby...always will be...our son.  Now those are the 2 sweetest words that I know...  

We love you, Bear Cub!

THE BIRTHDAY BOY!!!

YUM!!  Birthday M & Ms and blacked out teeth!  :)

Make a wish, Bear Cub!

Present time!

Ooooh!  Are those for me!?!?  :)

Happy, happy birthday today to our Bear Cub!  It is incredible to believe that he is now three years old and doing ALL the things that he does!  He had a really happy day, despite all the rain we had.  Mimi has been visiting this week, so we went to Dunkin' Donuts for BC's favorite sprinkled donut.  Of course, he only licked the icing and pulled the sprinkles off, but hey, you can do that on your birthday!  :)  We then spent some time at Barnes and Noble, played at home, and he had an exciting birthday dessert of M&Ms in a bowl (even with a candle to blow out!).  We'll celebrate AGAIN this Sunday and have a real birthday cake.  I think he liked the bowl of candy, though!  :)   Enjoy the pics from today - I'd say Bear Cub had a very happy third birthday!

THREE YEARS OLD!!

I'm just sitting here, while Bear Cub sleeps, looking at the balloons hung up and the Lightning McQueen birthday banner by the table, and thinking... "WOW...my BABY is going to be three tomorrow!"   I'll post more tomorrow night to tell you of our day together and hopefully put some photos up too.  Happy, happy birthday to our sweet, lively, feisty, and fun Bear Cub - we love you SO very much and are so proud of you!!  :)

Hello from HOME!

This green area is right across the street from our front porch.

Our pretty new home!

The back of the house

Need to buy more sand for the sand table, but BC has had fun just playing with water!

And Miss Zoe, of COURSE, loves the water -- she even jumps up into the table to get wet!  I need to get the frog pool out again for HER!  :)

Hi everyone!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  We continue to settle into our new home and neighborhood and I can honestly say that it feels like HOME now and it's wonderful!  The house is great - we are loving the extra space and especially the bonus room area which is basically Bear Cub's play room.  It is SO nice to not have his toys all over our living space anymore.  The house is not that much bigger than our previous home -- about 400 sq. ft. or so bigger - but the design is so different with the living space downstairs and all the bedrooms up.  Also, we have a den downstairs now which is nice to use as an office and a place to keep our books.  I really love it!

The community is amazing too - there are walking trails all throughout and a Town Square that is only a few blocks from us, so it's very easy to walk to!  During the summer, they have live concerts in this area where they bring in local bands and the residents set up their lawn chairs, relax and just watch the kids run and play.  Bear Cub had so much fun last Friday night!  As soon as the music started, he started his form of "DANCE," which is basically running and running in circles as fast as he can.  Too cute.  He'd stop to pet a dog here and there, and then keep on running!  He slept great that night!

Speaking of sleeping, the transition into the big boy bed has gone really well.  He still chatters and talks for some time once we leave his room, but so far, he is staying in bed and eventually falling asleep on his own.  As sad as I was not to have the crib (a sign my baby is growing up!) in the house, I must now say it is SO nice to just have that twin bed in his room with his furniture.  His room feels so much more open now!  So yay for the big boy bed!

We've met some neighbors and everyone seems so friendly and nice.  It seems like everyone has a dog around here, so people are always out taking walks, riding bikes and taking advantage of the community.  Yesterday afternoon, our fence was installed!  This is a first for us and it is fantastic to be able to open up the back door and just let Zoe out, with no worries of her running off.  It's also good for Bear Cub, as he can play without me worrying about him dashing into the street.  We are enjoying our yard -- it's smaller than before, but still PLENTY of room to play and less yard for Daddy to mow, so that is nice for him too.

Daddy has been traveling a lot lately for work, so we look forward to the time when he'll be home full time again.  My mom has come to help and hang out, so that has been good company for me.  And a big help too!  Bear Cub and I also had a chance to meet up with a friend of mine from high school last week and her kids for a play date.  They live in another neighborhood in our community, so it's nice to already know someone around here.  The boys got along well, so I'm sure we'll have many more play dates to look forward to.  :)

Let's see...I hadn't yet signed BC up for his preschool that we had found a couple of months ago.  As much as I loved this little Lutheran school, I ended up checking out the community preschool, which is also right next to the elementary school that BC will eventually attend.  I really liked this preschool too and we can walk there!  The convenience was just too hard for me to pass up, so yesterday I got him all signed up for the Tuesday/Thursday morning class, starting in late August.  I'm excited for him and he was excited about the Thomas the Tank Engine set in their big play area.  

This Thursday is Bear Cub's THIRD birthday!  We'll have a little family party this weekend with the grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the area and probably a fun lunch out ON his birthday.  His choice, of course!  I'm sure it will either be McDonald's or Chick-fil-A....

Because of our busy we've been lately and with everything else going on, I missed a blog post about a VERY important date -- JULY 1.   That was our 9th wedding anniversary!  We weren't able to spend the day together, as Warren was out of town, but it was still a special day and one to remember.  I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to SUCH a wonderful man - and my best friend.  These 9 years have been adventure-filled, full of laughter, some tears, but most importantly, LOTS OF LOVE and HAPPINESS.  So, here's another Happy Anniversary!  to my dear hubbie!

I'll try to get back to my good bloggin' ways as things continue to settle down around here. Take care!  

Saying good-bye...

Last Saturday, June 27, the angels above must have rejoiced, for they gained a soul that we all wanted for ourselves, but were not able to hold to forever. Our very dear Grandpa S. (Bear Cub's GREAT-Grandpa), passed away.  He was 88 years old.  I don't think the full sense of loss has hit me, and I doubt it really will until the next time we go to Indiana and he is not there.  

I truly loved him as my own grandpa.  When I first met him, back when I was only 19 years old, he treated me like one of his own.  He had a smile that could light a room and a twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes that was undeniable.  I can still hear him say my name and I love the fact that I will always have this memory with me.  He was kind, had a fun sense of humor, and had a memory that was incredible!  I loved to hear him tell stories from the past -- about his days in the Navy, working at the stock yards, and of his adventures from his youth.  He was a smart, smart man and had incredible people skills.  He commanded respect and I believe that anyone that would meet him would say the same thing.  I loved him so much.

I have to hope and believe that there is more to us than just this physical world and that we will indeed see our Grandpa once again.  I feel so fortunate that Bear Cub was able to spend time with his Great-Grandpa and I will forever tell him how much Grandpa loved him.  Grandpa would just watch Bear Cub and give a small smile and say, "He is a FINE boy."  

We are all blessed to have loved this special man and he will live on in our hearts and memories forever.  He will be missed and there will always be an ache for him.  But I do believe he is watching over us all now, smiling his sweet smile, and perhaps when the stars twinkle brightly at night, we will know that twinkle is coming from his eyes as he watches from above. 

I love you, Grandpa and will forever miss you.  Thank you for all of your love and support and for being such a wonderful father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.  You will live on because of what you taught us all and we will pass those lessons and stories on to future generations.   I can hear your voice now and all I can do is smile amidst my tears.  Thank you.

We're getting settled!

BC's last morning in his crib.  So far, he's doing really well in his BIG BOY bed at the new house!  We hope that continues!  :)

The moving crew!  A BIG thanks to our friend Matt and our family that helped us on moving day.  Without them, it would not have gone very smooth at all and would have taken FOREVER!  Thanks, guys...we love ya!

Our family at our new home (Zoe came the next day...)

The moving truck!  It was packed full!  It's amazing how you don't know how much STUFF you have until you start to move!  Yikes!  Time for a big clean-out around here!

Hi!  Just a quick note to say that our move was very successful and we are finally settling into our new home.  The house is great and Bear Cub finally seems to be back to his usual self.  He seemed very out of sorts for the first few days, saying over and over, "I want to go back home!  Back home to Clermont!"  But yesterday, while in Clermont, he told me he wanted to go back to the NEW house, so I think we have made some progress!  

The people I've met so far have been very friendly and the boxes around the house are beginning to disappear.  Daddy has been away for work, so my mom came over to help around the house.  BIG HELP!  Thank you, Mimi Bear!  

It is really looking and FEELING like home now, which is wonderful.  I even felt a little off the first few days, missing our old house and the area.  Things are coming along...we just can't wait to have Daddy Bear home again and get back into our family routine.

Enjoy the pictures!  :)  Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!