The Gilmore Family

The Holidays

2012-01-05T20:27:00.003-06:00

What a wonderful Christmas.
Our little family, having grown from 3 to 4, had a most magical holiday season in 2011. The whole family was excited to see Luka experience his first Christmas, and that includes Alena! She was so tickled when they woke up Christmas Eve morning to watch him open his stocking and gifts that she didn't even want to touch her packages until she had seen him pick every last little piece of wrapping paper of each gift. In all, we traveled to 8 homes for seasonal celebrations. It was a true eye opener when the often taken-for-granted banana (accompanied by an apple and an orange and stuffed in the stockings at Granny P and Grandpa V's ever since I can remember) was received by Luka with such zeal, one might have thought it was a puppy.
Here's hoping your family had as beautiful of a Christmas as was had in The Gilmore household and to a fulfilling 2012!!

Before the church Christmas program. Alena performed the role of a suddenly-solo angel with more confidence than we have ever seen out of her in a public forum.

The kids with their "big" gift. I think this was actually a childhood dream of my own that I am apparently now experiencing vicariously through them.

This is the best remotely-operated family snapshot you get with a toddler.

Catch Up

2011-12-10T09:39:00.002-06:00

May I be, well certainly not the first, but one to say that the conversion from a one-child home to a two-child home is quite a change. Clearly from my recent 2 1/2 month blogging interval it would seem the number of hours in a day are diminishing in the Gilmore household. I appreciate now every little bit of assistance that makes more family time possible - Greg's donation of his weekdays off (which I currently don't get)to taking care of all the necessary "life" tasks, Bette for making the house shine and occasionally having dinner ready for us, Al Gore for ultimately making internet shopping possible [ ;-) ]...

Our three has been four now for 3 1/2 months, since August 31st. Luka's adjustment is such that even we feel like he has been ours forever. He's a typical little boy and little brother, ornery and appropriately mischievous. His vocabulary is evolving rapidly though he still recognizes and responds to some Russian phrases.

Alena is sailing through Kindergarten, now reading at a first grade level. She will be the first to "mention" that she is the only one in her class who can flawlessly count to 100. Soon, she will begin her second season of swimming classes and expresses interest in golf, running, and art.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to this collection of photos, in its entirety. Just evidence we have and do still exist for anyone who was wondering!

The "main" Christmas tree. We also have one in the family room decorated with keepsake ornaments.

One of the Christmas card "out-takes" shots. This may be as good as it gets :-)

Alena modeling her beloved Hello Kitty scarf. How did HK get so big all of a sudden??

He's not at all happy. Rarely smiles, and if he does - it is clearly not sincere...

The back of this shirt reads "PUJOLS 5". In April, it will be retired and replaced with one that reads "FREESE 23".

A Walk in the Park

2011-09-30T10:49:00.003-05:00

Luka and I ventured out into a little park in downtown Hannibal this week. As the Home of Mark Twain would have it, this little park is surrounded by white picket fence so Luka enjoyed the freedom of running around, untethered. His adjustment has been surprisingly smooth and we have been rather astonished at his ability to learn. While in Russia, we worked to use signing as a language barrier-buster. Within four days, he learned to communicate "more", "eat", "drink" and "again". Now I struggle with learning signs to keep up. He has added "bath", "dog", "bubbles", "cereal", "all done", "book", and "cook". He has invented his own gesture for baby by patting himself on the belly (as in, "like me") when he sees a picture of another child. Yikes. Thank goodness for Baby Sign iPad app...

Alena has taken on the role of Big Sister with excellence! She is happy to share, eager to read him stories, and helpful with meal and bath times. I have yet to get a *great* picture of the two of them together but the one I do have is still sweet <3 .

I'm one step closer to getting some video posted but so far, I've only managed to get the audio to play... Hmph. Stills will have to do for now...

"HIIIIIIIII!!!!" --- in case you couldn't hear it from there.

This is lingual concentration.

Big Guy

Makes me giggle.

I love a good black and white

Photo Card

2011-09-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

Checkers Chocolate Basic Borders

Send special Valentine's Day cards from Shutterfly this year.

View the entire collection of cards.

Home Sweet, Sweet Home

2011-09-06T10:46:00.003-05:00

What an adventure. And the best part is - it has only begun. We got home last Wednesday night after a long, sleepless flight back from Moscow. Luka has been doing wonderfully. He eats well, sleeps well, plays well... Did I say eats well?? He has enjoyed many great firsts, some of which are very surreal to Greg and I. Such as putting his feet in grass, sliding on a slide, swinging, opening a gift, eating an avacado (a staple in our house)... It is wonderful watching these mini-milestones. And watching Alena with him? Ahh, it just makes my heart melt. She is determined to be in Who's Who for Excellence in Big Sisterdom.

Another first was this haircut. He was pretty shaggy when we got him and now - what a little man! I have many videos, thanks to Shirley, and will be posting those as soon as I figure out this new camera!

"Aw, Ma! This haircut makes me look dumb!"

"Oh, I look like Dad? Nevermind. This cut will do."

2011-07-28T17:19:00.006-05:00

Greg and I traveled to Russia this week for our court hearing as the biggest part of the final adoption process! Although tremendously intimidating, all things went well before the judge. Our case worker/interpreter, Olga, the representative from the Child Welfare Department, Svetlana, and the director/head physician of Luka's orphanage, also Svetlana, all had raving things to say about us and our encounters with our son. After hearing our case, the stoic judge took a 5 minute recess (ie: smoke break) and returned with an affirmative ruling! **Insert much rambling regarding the level of relief felt at this time**

Now that it is offical :-) I am able to post a few pics.

MEET LUKA

Once we left court, we took Luka on his first - slightly panicky - car ride to get his photo taken for his passport. Yes, that is him NOT in a carseat. Apparently not a big deal in Russia.

These are videos (YES, I finally learned to do this) taken during our trips. The first one was taken only minutes after we met him. He had actually started to cry when his caregiver left but with a flash of Greg's toothy grin, he was a happy kid.

These were taken with my phone so they are a tad choppy

Turn your head sideways, I have no idea how to rotate these videos.

He was not happy for us to leave. In fact, he dove back into Greg's arms and waived good-bye to his caregivers! Great moment for Mom and Dad. We will now return in 4 weeks to bring him home. I. Can't. Wait.

Everytime I See Your Bubbly Face

2011-07-17T21:25:00.003-05:00

The days are passing a little slower than we'd like right now, given the upcoming trip to see The Little Guy but we are transforming those lemons.Our lazy Sunday excluded church (Thank You, British Open) and included lots of pool playing and bubble chasing. This girl giggled like - well, a little girl - playing in the giant bubbles. She is definitely in need of the company of her little brother as mom and dad don't have the stamina required by a 5 year old. Just a little longer, though...

Our Day in Court

2011-07-09T19:08:00.002-05:00

We were notified yesterday by Anna, our caseworker, that we have been assigned July 26th for our court hearing in Moscow to begin finalizing our adoption! During the 10-day waiting period, we will fly back to the States (which is considerably less expensive than staying in Moscow) and return when we get the go-ahead. On the 3rd trip, we will visit the US Embassy for a visa and get the O.K. from a western physician there. While the visa and other documents are processing, we will get to keep Luka with us! We are estimating he will be officially here with us early-to-mid August!!

3rd "Trimester" Complete

2011-07-03T19:31:00.003-05:00

The last chunk of paperwork is complete after a long wait courtesy of the US FBI. The required federal background check for Greg and I, two pharmacists with state professional registration and licensure for the past 10+ years, took well over the Bureau's estimated 3-6week time frame. At any rate, we have hopefully met the deadline for a July completion (and not have to skip August where all Russian judges take a month-long holiday).

It was the first week of May when we first met Luka, thus it has now been 2 months since we have seen him. The wait has been pretty rough, especially with his fast approaching 1st birthday :( which we will likely miss. Nevertheless, we are elated to be now waiting for the red-eye call to hop back on a plane for our court hearing in Moscow. After that, we will fly back to the states and ride out our 10 day mandatory wait period. We will then return to Moscow, visit the fine folks at the US Embassy to get Luka's visa and passport, check in with the American physician there, and then we are official!! My fingers (as well as yours, I hope) are crossed in hopes of rapid processing in Russia!

**Note to reader: The overuse of the word "wait" in this post is recognized, but unfortunately necessary :-D

Hanging Out

2011-06-22T12:02:00.002-05:00

No big surprise, the weather in Missouri has been unpredictable the last several days. Super hot, fairly cool, rainy, etc... It changes sometimes hourly. Yesterday was a great day for us to get outside (and not collapse of a humidity and heat stroke) and play around. Time is amazingly passing at two different rates for us: Ultra fast, when measured in terms of the First Day of Kindergarten, and Ultra slow, as the clock counting the time until we go see our son again. I'm just trying to sit calmly and find a now-balance for both scenarios.

As for Alena, she is dominating the swing set, showing a good game face for the newly attempted game of tennis, and working on her golf swing to pass time. And in her spare time, expressing her inner goofball with a school ocular creation.

Birthday Girl

2011-06-13T08:07:00.004-05:00

In spite of my protests, my little girl turned 5 last week and it has been quite the ongoing celebration. We started with a Hello Kitty birthday party at our house the Saturday before the big day which was big fun for Alena, what with all the kids around. Then she and I headed out to Java Jive for some Jet-Tea smoothie action! After that, it was pool time. She is swimming like a fish now with the sole help of a couple semi-deflated water wings. Then we took a quick trip to Chicago with Mom and P, complete with stop at the American Girl Store.

Aside from the birthday, Alena has been enjoying a great summer so far. Golfing, more swimming, getting ready for Kindergarten , and waiting (im)patiently for her baby brother to arrive. Since I am in my *FINAL** semester of my doctorate program I, too, am able to fully enjoy the summertime bliss again! Ready to get that baby home and have a crazy-busy, fun-filled maternity leave!

These are a few shots from the bday:

Awaiting her smoothie

Enjoying that smoothie before getting out the door

Chilling in downtown Hanni

Just Imagine...

2011-05-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

*A picture of the most adorable little boy HERE*

I am DYING to show off my beautiful son! But unfortunately, all I can post is various shots of the rest of the trip. But believe me, when all is "go", there will be pics'a plenty.
We arrived in Moscow on Monday, May 2 and traveled to the baby home to meet him on the 3rd. Before reaching the home, we had to stop by the Ministry of Education to officially receive our referral. The director, secretary, and deputy of the department handed us papers - written entirely in Russian - with a picture of a dark-haired newborn. Our translator read to us his information including is sparkling medical record and what little family history they knew. We were then asked by, who I can only describe as the most Russian person I had met, if we agreed to our referral. Once we had given our 110% affirmative, we (following the direction of our translator) jolted up out of our seats, into the car, and we sped away to the orphanage.
Upon entering the doors there, we were quickly whisked away through a labyrinth of hallways and into the 6x6 office of the social worker, fresh off her smoke break. After business was completed here, we zoomed through a few more halls (could have been the same ones, it is and was a literal blur) and into the office of the physicians. They informed us that he was one of the healthiest children they had ever seen in an orphanage. Factors I believe contributed to this were that he had been breastfed during the first crucial week of his life, he was with his biological mother for 3 months, and was given into the care of the home due to poverty rather than neglect or birth defect. After this brief and happy meeting, we - wait, can you guess?? YES. Ran the maize again and abruptly stopped at a door where we could hear the babbling of babies and the clanking of toys :-)
When the door swung open, I literally fell to my knees watching my baby, with his HUGE brown eyes and dark hair toddling toward me with the help of his caregiver. The woman picked him up and matter-of-factly sat him down on a changing table and walked away. This was the first and only sign of tears we ever witnessed during the 3 day visit and only for a minute. I picked him up and started counting his fingers in Russian. This seemed to calm him down. It was Greg's beaming smile that solidified a wonderful first 3 days. He had his son bouncing with giggles, a video that I can't wait to post! We ventured outside, played with the sheep pillow pet we brought him, and examined the baby-proof photo album we left with him with pictures of his new mama, daddy, and big sis. He actually looks a little like Greg! They definitely share ears and smiles!
We now are waiting for state records and FBI information to submit the final ream of paperwork in order to be granted a court date. After court, we return to the US to sit out our mandatory 10 day waiting period. Then, it's back to Russia one final time to bring him home! The best scenario is that we return sometime in early July, as his birthday is on the 8th. One year of age is the time the Moscow City region prefers for finalization of international adoption.

So keep your fingers crossed that all is speedy! We can't wait to have him home to stay, our sweet Luka Gilmore.

And now, a few shots from the trip:

2011-05-21T14:55:00.001-05:00

Referral!!

2011-04-21T19:01:00.004-05:00

Wednesday we got the greatest call from CHI that we had ALREADY been invited to travel to Russia to meet our baby! Anna, our US case manager, was shocked the process took only a few days from the time our documents arrived in the country to a few days later when the associate at CHI in Russia said there was already a match for us. I can't even believe things went so swiftly! We are right at 1 year from when we started the process and it sounds like roughly 2 months before he is home with us for good. Below is the email and itinerary from Anna explaining the first trip:

Dear Jessica and Gregory,
Congratulations!!! You’ve been invited to travel for the 1st trip to Moscow City.
Here are your official travel dates:

May 01 – leave US, arrive in Moscow on May 02
May 03 – visit to the Department of Education (where you will receive your child’s official information)
May 03 – visit to the orphanage
May 04, 05 – visit to the orphanage
May 06 – leave Moscow, arrive in US.

Karolyn will send you instructions for your visas, please apply for them as soon as you can (that way you can get your visas little cheaper).

If you should have any questions – please let me know.
Again, Congratulations!!!!

Anna

We leave in just a few days on our 18 hour journey to Moscow (I'll be honest, I'm going to need sedating for the trans-Atlantic crossing). We will be taking an item and some pictures that he will keep until our return. Still deciding on what the item will be as they note we should not leave anything we dearly want back - just in case. His room is (nearly) done with the exception of a sweet vintage dinosaur painting being completed as we speak, and of course - clothes! Poor thing has 2 pair of PJs and that's it so far! It's hard to buy things for a baby about whom you know no size or age or nutrition status! IT'S MAKING ME CRAZY!

Nonetheless, the time is almost here! Hopefully we will have at least the referral picture and possibly more when we get back! AHHHHHH!

Technological Challenges

2011-04-20T11:21:00.001-05:00

Sorry for all the blog changes lately - I realized I had some settings wrong which were not allowing some people to access the page. Hope things work now!

Mexico 2011

2011-04-16T12:12:00.003-05:00

Ahh, Vacation.

We just returned from a spectacularly lazy vacation in Cancun. If you're like me, you hear that name and think par-ty. I was initially not thrilled about our destination, dreading the drunken 18 year olds and ignorant, overdone twits, but after just a few hours there, I realized we had chosen an excellent option from our time share collection.
Our resort was quiet and very well kept. Staff was everywhere, waiting to assist us with whatever we needed. We never waited to wanted for anything! The weather was sunny and 85* everyday. Alena had a great time playing in the sand, napping on the ocean, and swimming. Endless swimming. It was the perfect do-nothing vacation.

This was probably my favorite picture of the 500+ I took (God bless digital photography). She loved her new swim suit!

Hurry Up and Wait :-)

2011-04-08T17:46:00.001-05:00

We received word today that our packet was all approved and is making its way to Russia as we speak! We are officially awaiting our little bundle of referral joy!

Hang-Ups

2011-04-06T21:35:00.003-05:00

We had hoped to have a finalized packet sitting in the office of the Dept of Education в России (in Russia) by now, but what would an international adoption be without a hitch along the way? Until the adoption I was ignorant to the idea of the "apostille" (different from "apostle"). For anyone else that was sailing in my same unaware boat, allow me to explain. A notary public is he or she that verifies that you are the person signing the document. They place there little stamp and/or (**here begins problem**)crimp on the pages and sign themselves. After that, Russia requires that the notarized documents be apostilled by the office of the Secretary of State which is the verification that the notary is legit. Seems redundant but so not up to me.

SO. Two weeks ago, we notarized-and-apostilled our hearts out on about 40 documents. We overnighted that sapling to our agency, CHI, and Anna promptly sent it to Jeff City. A day later, we received a copy of a fax from the SOS's office saying our notary used THE CRIMPER and her registry number was not embeded with the embossed image. REJECT.

That's right. Even though the notary also used an ink stamp with said number, the use of the un-numbered crimper cost us 2 baby-waiting weeks. ARG. We have since re-printed, re-signed, re-notarized, and re-mailed our packet to the capitol and are waiting for what we hope to be a returned packet of apostilled paperwork. We are crossing our fingers extra tight that there are no issues with this packet as we chose a different notary... Now, I don't want to send a gender-biased message here so I will leave out pronouns BUT.(The notary) had large hands and (the notary) used a well-inked stamp and a gel pen. (The notary) was not conscious of the undried markings and (the notary) dragged (the notary's) hands across the page time and time and time again! Double ARG. I hope that the recommendation that "your documents be neat and unwrinkled and free of stains or smudges" is a lenient one!!

At any messy rate, we trust this set-back is due to divine timing and will patiently await the perfect referral <3

Moscow, Baby

2011-03-12T14:47:00.002-06:00

Just a few weeks ago, we submitted our "Basic Registration" packet to CHI to be forwarded to Russia. There, they told us, it would be translated and the team there would select from the 16 possible regions the one that best suited us. And Thursday we received an email that told us that region was Moscow City :-). Below is the email directly from Anna, our CHI case manager, explaining the pros and cons of this region:

Dear Gregory and Jessica,
I have received information from our chief representative in Russia regarding the region for you guys. She has recommended Moscow City Region (now this is different from the Moscow Region) J When you travel to Russia – you will arrive in Moscow and you will remain in Moscow for the rest of your trip.
Moscow City is a very good region with established and clear requirements (so far we never had a judge ask for any additional documents on top of what’s on the list). Here are few details about this region that you will need to know, so you can make your decision if you want to go to this region.

The positives about the region:
* Shorter time in country.
* You don’t have to travel within Russia , so you save money on not having to buy any more tickets. Which can be $500-$1,200 per person per trip.
* You don’t have to have in-country medical (you definitely save money here, which can be $750 per person + blood work and chest X-rays).
* Moscow City normally issues a referral about 1-3 months after the registration
* There is normally only 1-1.5 months between 1st and 2nd trip

The down side of the region:
* You stay in Moscow where the hotels can be more expensive then in smaller towns
* There are no first trips during summer months
* There is additional fee of $X for orphanage donation and transportation (this is something that applies only to this region and Nizhny Novgorod region).

Hope this makes sense and helps you make a decision about the region.
Please let me know if you think this will work for you or if you think of any questions – I’ll be happy to discuss them with you.

Anna

As you see, we do have the option to decline this region recommendation and have another one selected for us however we intend to move forward with Moscow. It is our understanding that the orphanages in Moscow City (versus the Moscow region, another option) tend to be more financially stable thus the children are generally thriving. Now, we begin the second massive load of paperwork with the hope of getting it submitted in time to possible get a referral and make a first trip before the summer starts (ambition!).

Just a Pic

2011-03-02T11:36:00.005-06:00

The New Decade

2011-01-13T11:30:00.005-06:00

So, 2011... what do you have in store for us this year??

I am hoping this year will bring so much, most of all - our new baby son :-). Our first "real" set of documents are on their way to Russia where they will be translated and the chief consultant for CHI there will match us with the region they feel we are best suited. I.Can't.Wait. for that piece of the puzzle to fall into place! We will likely know the name of the orphanage then and, as any Google Earth-loving dork would do, we can zoom via satellite to get a glimpse of where our kiddo may or will be soon! Alena is super excited about becoming a big sister, though the following conversation lets me know she is a little miffed that we are getting a boy:

Alena: MOM. When our new baby bwother gonna be here?
Me: Not for a while, but it won't be too long hopefully.
Alena: Why you guys get a boy? Why you WANTED a BOY??
Me: Well, we have 2 girls in our house now and 1 boy. Shouldn't we even it up?
Alena: NO! I do NOT want 2 girls and 2 boys. Just only 3 girls and ONE BOY. DADDY!

Hmm, I'm sure she'll get over it someday.

Otherwise things are in full swing at the Gilmore House. Greg is working at a new pharmacy which he luh-huves and is slaving away to keep the girls of this house running in princess-ly fashion (voluntarily, I add). I started my 8th semester of this 9 semester marathon in school and am aiming for a July graduation. I'm still doing the clinical thing at the HRH where my true love is working the ICU with critical patients (<3). And Alena who is 4 going on 14, has a new addiction - listening to Glee music on the iPad and impressing us with her mad touch screen navigation skills. Her sign language has really taken off thanks to an app which demonstrates basic signing. She is currently enjoying going to Mizzou basketball games (where she practices her golf swing in the stands), wrestling her Dad, and loving to try new foods (she is a Thai girl!).

We hope everyone's year has started off fantastically and that your New Year's resolutions do not become statistical! One of mine is to post Christmas pics before Valentine's Day!!

From the 3 of Us...

2010-12-13T21:10:00.003-06:00

Wishes for the warmest holiday season and a fulfilling New Year!

The Roaring 20s

2010-12-02T10:52:00.002-06:00

So today I wake up in the third decade of my life to my warm home, my *endearing word not yet created to describe adequately* family, and a cerebral filing cabinet full of priceless memories. It is truly impossible to understand fully the lottery winning that it all is. I don't deserve it, I don't treat it all as graciously as I should, and I forget to maintain a running mental stream of thanks at all times. Since I was of an age when a thought began to run deeper than whether I should wear one pair of slouch socks or two (you know, for color) I have, with an increasing degree of understanding, realized how easily it would have been for my little genetic code to have been otherwise inscribed in a place where life was not such a fairytale. Having parents who are not criminals (to my knowledge), a job which does not involve walking 8 miles each way to collect hippo bath water to drink, a home which does not have crack or people spackled into the walls, a husband that has only one wife, a child that does not have to wield an automatic weapon to defend our chicken, or a government that, albeit corrupt, doesn't force me to obey my husband's every ridiculous whine is a fantastic stroke of fortune.

I can confidently say that I have taken each moment life has presented me and at least attempted to do with it the most possible. I am an expert at face-falling, crow-eating, and egg-wiping as well as hat-dusting, high head-holding, and do-overs. I have traveled, spent invaluable time with family, worked hard (yes, that is intended as a GOOD thing), played, and celebrated. With all of the "downs" there have been a hundred "ups".

I read this quote: "30 is the new 20, unless your 20, then it's the new 40." I lauged! Then, I abruptly stopped laughing. Then I just smiled and shook my head. 29 years and 364 days has flown by and in that time, so much has happened. I could never list all of the most influential moments so I tried to round out the Top 10 of the Last 10 (in chronological order, not sentimental!). This list is insufficient by a long stretch but gets the point across!

1. Escaped my teens (2000)
2. Turned 21 [the last numerical age that actually means anything] (2001)
3. Married a fairly awesome guy / MU beating Nebraska the same day (2003)
4. Obtained Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology (2004)
5. Accepted first real job (2004)
6. Welcomed the most beautiful child into my life (2006)
7. Stopped walking (2007)
8. Started walking (2007-2008)
9. Enrolled in Doctor of Pharmacy program with University of Florida (2008)
10. Began lengthy journey of Russian adoption (2010)

To the next 30+!

Had to do it

2010-11-16T21:12:00.002-06:00

I Have nothing to say, I just had to attempt a post from the iPad! I doubt I'll get much posted in the near future as I have a new addiction - Google Earth via iPad. See you when then new wears off!

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-11-01T19:59:00.004-05:00

{Subtitle: The Shortest Post Ever}

Halloween 2010! She had a blast once we dragged her to a house or two. And she obtained a reasonable, non-diabetes inducing amount of loot which will be slowly rationed until Easter.

**These were the only poses I could get her to do.

Lucky #7

2010-10-20T09:48:00.004-05:00

Greg and I just celebrated out 7th anniversary! We took our second trip to The Cottages at Hermann Hill and, once again, the place was fabulous. It is a B&B (which normally I hate - not a fan of sharing a single bathroom with perfect strangers) and it is private and luxurious. It was one of those great mini-vacations where you do nothing and love it. Greg and I haven't taken many trips without Alena and needless to say she was less than impressed with our out-stepping. She had a great time, though, staying with Greg's parents and hanging with her cousins at Aunt Jody's (Thanks you all!).

The beautiful and secluded cottages at Hermann Hill

View of the Missouri River off the back balcony. It was a foggy morning this day - so much that I had to wait several hours for the fog to begin to lift to get this shot. When I stepped out with my camera when I first woke up, I could see nothing!!

Stone Hill Winery

Missouri's claim to wine fame and a personal favorite of my own - the Norton grape. These seen on the vine growing on Hermann Hill,

The Oak Glenn Winery provided a spectacular view, one that was enhanced by a brief fall storm rolling by.

Oak Glenn Vinyard along-side the Missouri

This was taken a few days before we left. Clearly this is not a well-planned shot of the two of us but it is one that Alena took (she begged relentlessly to do so). We were laughing so hard at her mannerisms (quite familiar) and the warp speed in which she managed to snap so many pics!

Reason to Not Study #362 (of 365)

2010-09-13T09:18:00.003-05:00

And here I sit, on the verge of my final year of the University of Florida PharmD program when I have the MOST to do, tapping out a little blogpost. Clearly, logic was not involved in decision-making this morning as I was choosing between my unfinished case presentation, my workshop presentation, my respiratory disorder work-up, and my humongous sepsis study analysis OR Blogger. [narrator chuckles carelessly].

O, but there are days to come in during the grayest part of winter when I would actually rather be inside working on all that busy work - I mean, well-worth-the-money education - than sticking even my nose out into the frostbiting cold. Wait, who am I kidding. There will Mizzou football games, Mizzou basketball games, vacations to beautiful wineries, weekends in Chicago disguised as school...

Anyway, this weekend I got to snap a few shots of the Bug and I think this one is one to add to the black and whites I have of her on the mantle. I happen to like the sullen look of "I am going to throw that *&#! camera down our driveway" she gives me at least once during these sessions.

In my next act of academic defiance I hope to get scanned a picture of myself as a kid and post it beside one of her. I had a moment when taking these pics when I realized just how much even I think she looks like me! Luckily, she got her Dad's ears so the other 23 chromosomes are respectably accounted for.

The Artist

2010-08-18T12:12:00.005-05:00

She has a new love in her life: painting sun catchers. Our home (and possibly yours) will soon be filled with hundreds of brightly colored frogs, unicorns, and butterflies. And I am so fine with that :-)

This kid is not that interested in tech stuff (though she does dig the iPod touch) and that makes me freakin' ecstatic. I had to raise an eyebrow the other day, though, when she painted a "SMILE" one with an orange "S" and the rest was solid black. If you watch Nurse Jackie you might think she needs counseling.

In other art news, this made my day. I love when she does stuff like this at school and this was one of the best! Her teachers always write down whatever the child says to describe their art. Pretty good if you ask me.

Notice we even have teeth. Very important.

The Shoulda's

2010-08-05T20:58:00.008-05:00

We are definitely well on our way with this adoption process. We had our home study last Friday, which was surprisingly breezy, and our individual and couple interviews Wednesday at CHI. Our poor case worker drove all the way here from St. Louis to walk in, walk around, ask us if we had a fire extinguisher, and ask if we had guns and then she left. We obviously got the better end of traveling when we went to StL since she got Hardee's and we got StL Bread Co and Qdoba!

The interviews went well, just a little awkward... I mean, they basically asked us which members of our family were crazy. My list was longer than Greg's. (HA, kidding). But really, the questions were status quo and we both feel good about the whole thing.

I will say that I am highly suprised/annoyed by some of the questions and 'vibes' we have gotten! And being the nice person I am, I try to give an informational, no-nonsense response but my ever-sarcastic self usually thinks something different...

THEM: Why would you adopt internationally? There are lots of US kids that need homes!
NICE ME: We researched both and prefer international as they are closed-style adoptions. In addition, US foster homes typically able to provide better care than Russian orphanages which are often so poor, you are handed a near-naked baby who is likely malnourished.
THE SHOULDA RESPONSE: And how many children have YOU adopted? RIGHT.

THEM: Aren't you worried your kid might be screwed up?
NICE ME: If our child has issues we will deal with those issues just like we would if Alena developed the issue. We have lots of love, patience, and great resources.
THE SHOULDA RESPONSE: If YOUR mother felt that way, you wouldn't be here.

THEM: A Russian? A COMMIE?
NICE ME: They are no longer a communist nation.
THE SHOULDA RESPONSE: They are no longer a communist nation, you narrow-minded, uneducated, {explicit}. And anyway, I doubt the baby will know much about Stalin. Step out of your box.

NOW THEN. I feel a little better knowing my keyboard knows how I feel about it.

Other Russian adoption FYI:
* The government considers orphans "mentally retarded" upon abandonment.
* Physicians encourage parents to "get rid of" any child with the slightest imperfection, including something as simple as a lazy eye.
* If the risk for maternal alcohol consumption is assumed or even unknown, officials state the child has "encephalopathy" (swelling of the brain). They usually do NOT as this is an immediately life-threatening condition.
* Nearly half of the entire population of Russia lives below the poverty line.
* The furthest orphanage we could potentially travel to is in Vladivostok which is just a hop-skip from Japan. This is a 10+ hour flight from Moscow, after the initial 10 hour flight from the States. I'm loading up on Josh and Chucks (SYSK Podcasts)!

SO! With, once again, having nothing to do with anything, I had to post these funny little shots of when Alena and I hit downtown. I treated her with a trip to The Paddlewheel Popcorn and Candy Shoppe where she was giddy to get Reese's Pieces. I, myself wanted a Fitz's and wanted her picture with the bottle but she hates soda so this is all just a lie for the sake of the image.

Summer Happenings

2010-06-26T17:31:00.005-05:00

I always get behind on things I want to blog about and always think "maybe I should title this one 'potpourri'" since there are always many things/pics to post and they do not usually have much to do with one another. Then I think, "I can be more clever than that". Then I'm not really...

Anyway! It's hard to keep up during the summer anyway. Who wants to sit by the computer, likely snacking on something that will inevitably shorten my life, while the daughter, husband, and sunshine are having fun without me?! Well, at this very second, the daughter is asleep and the husband is mowing so here's my chance!

We spent Alena's birth week with just about everyone we're related to...! We hit the zoo with the Brown side, the Lake with the Gilmore's, and Starvy Creek with the Day's

Opening her new, completely awesome Leap Frog Interactive Globe - she can already show you where to find China, Hawaii, the US, and of course, Russia. More impressively, she knows that the money used in Russia is called the Ruble. The music setting on the globe might be here favorite feature, though.

Alena watching zebra's with her new friend while at the zoo!

The zoo park. Apparently Nana has forgotten her age. How blissful :-)

Alena on her birthday morning!

And why not a little 3-Day to Chicago? We stayed downtown at The Drake - a beautiful, historic Chicago hotel and had a fantastic breakfast there the next morning. The AG Store was top of the to-do list as was Garrett's Popcorn. A short (unimpressive) trip to the Children's Museum was made and then we ate at a nifty little joint called Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders (OMG, the flatbread). I also purchased my first watch in about 10 years. The next night, we stayed out in Oak Brook because, well, THAT is where The Land of Nod is. We ate the greatest Thai dinner I have ever had (and I am NO fan of Asian food). It was, without need to say, an awesome family getaway!

The Navy Pier

At American Girl.

If popcorn can be described as 'rich' then this was.

Me playing with the shaddow screens at the Museum.

In Lincoln Park

I was happy to get my camera back after a perfect stranger asked if I wanted him to take our picture...

My favorite people :-)

A side note - congrats to my sister, Whitney, and her new husband for their June 5th marriage!

And my other sister Adrian's little girl Lilee is now almost 2 months old! I intend to post pics from that little home shoot soon!! Though I took them a while ago...clearly I am a bit busy these days.

ADOPTION UPDATE:
We have completed the second round of paperwork, the first of two huge sets (the dossier to follow). We also received an update on the American-Russia adoption crisis. Here is the excerpt that the agency sent to us:

Here’s the latest excerpt from the US Department of State website:

A U.S. interagency team met with its Russian counterpart in Washington, D.C. June 14 – 17 for the third round of discussions about an adoption agreement. This most recent round of negotiations ended after four days of positive and productive talks that reflected the continuing commitment of both sides to the common goal of increasing safeguards for adoption between Russia and the United States. The U.S. delegation was led by the Managing Director of the State Department Office of Overseas Citizen Services, and also included representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser, and the Bureaus of the Consular and European Affairs. The Russian side was led by the Ministry of Education and Science’s Director of Government and Children’s Welfare.

Rockin' the 4

2010-06-13T22:32:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALENA! While the date of this post does not say so due to our B.U.S.Y. week, the Bug turned 4 on June 6th!

I have TONS of pictures from our many birthday adventures over the last week (yep, thanks to The Poppe Philosophy, we don't just celebrate a birth DAY). Bikes, zoos, cakes, clothes, toys, family...!! We started the craze in SoMo and ended it with a long weekend in Chicago, then by the lake in Paris! Details will come in a post which was started much before 10:30pm and an alarm is not waiting to upset me at 5:45am!

Here is the Queen of 4 just before going to her bday party at school!

Россия

2010-05-25T17:39:00.009-05:00

Assuming the Bing Translator did not fail me, that says.............. RUSSIA!!

We are adopting from Russia. The decision came in a round-a-bout way. We have friends who successfully and happily adopted through Children's Hope International, a St. Louis - based adoption agency. Their programs include Colombia, Ethiopia, China, and Russia with affilate agencies in Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. We considered Colombia prior to deciding on Russia but the process takes nearly 4 years. We really want our children to be close in age so that quickly fell out of favor! Russia was a tie for first place and that is where our friends' children were born. They shared with us their wonderful experience and said CHI was excellent throughout the entire process!

And so it is that we have begun our experience adopting from Russia. I hope to keep the process blogged not only to share it with family and friends but to use it to create a book of how the new little Gilmore Baby came to be a part of our family!

The CHI Russian program estimates that we could be on our way to meet our child in 8-14 months! A child born in Russia must remain on the adoption database in the region they were born in for several months, then on the national database until they are 8 months old. At that point, they are eligible for international adoption. Russia's orphanages, or "baby homes" as they must be called (the term "orphanage" is not permitted) range from very impoverished to fairly nice. The Russian government asks that you be open to adopting a child with "minor, correctable medical needs" which much of the time simply means that the child is seriously malnourished, depending on the fortune of the baby home. As with biological children, you never know what you might encounter! A general rule of thumb is that, for every 4 months of institutionalization a child is likely to have a month's delay in development. The positive twist is that, once they are placed with a family, the child advances at an excellerated rate! Russia is a diverse country much like the USA. The notion that all adoptive children will be blonde-haired and blue-eyed is like saying all American children will be at least 5'6"! Russia borders many Asian countries thus, depending on the region, the child may have those among other influences. At any rate, we cannot wait to meet him/her!

Just to answer a few questions we've been asked:\
1.) We did not specify boy or girl, simply either with boy prefence.
2.) The age of the child will likely be around 12 months thought it can range from 8-36 months (younger couples are typically matched with younger chlildren.
3.) The region of Russia the child will come to us from is up to many factors, none of which are in our control.
4.) We will travel to Russia twice - once to meet our child and a second time to go through court hearingsn and eventually bring the child home :-)
5.) Greg and I are both still capable of having children of our own, it is for many other reasons we are adopting.

Announcement

2010-05-17T13:26:00.006-05:00

We are adopting.

(Barring no unforeseen inhibitors.)

Details to come. Now enjoy the following picture of the Big Sister To-Be.

Playing out on the swingset. She's so cute :-)

This and That and This

2010-04-11T21:27:00.005-05:00

No, you are not delusional. It has, in fact, only been 4 days since the last post. Turns out, a lot of time is created when one crams for a final on a given Saturday which does not actually occur until the following Saturday :-0

This post is a cramming of another sort - that of many, unrelated events from our recent happenings. I will not go on - again - about the rockin' weather (although it has been) but it is amazing what sun can do. Forge on, you studies on the benefits of Vitamin D! Our neighbors must think we're crazy seeing as we have been outside... yeah, pretty much every nice day... drinking morning coffee, eating supper, playing with the Bug and running barefoot! More accurately, they are crazy for staying in! Or maybe my Cullen-esque legs are frightening them...

Anyway! In non-chronological order, Easter! It was our year to be in SoMo and for Greg to get to hang with the in-laws :-) We woke up Sunday morning to the generosity of an overzealous Bunny who brought Alena conical gold - a Dora umbrella. This was a much coveted item at the store a few weekends ago but had to remain unpurchased due to one toddlers irresistible urge to hide in the circular clothing racks. And what is worse than a sucker-for-a-dad telling his baby girl that she can't have it - through tears and pleads of "but my fwiends have an umbwella and I don't have an umbwella!!" - is the mom who has to watch the tragedy. So the Bunny saved her tortured soul and she has been begging for rain.

We had a delish Eggs Benedict breakfast on the deck and headed to church with my Dad. In all, we made 4 house stops, had 2 huge and great dinners, and Alena hauled in a record Easter load.

Changing gears, these are a few snaps from our No-Boys Outing to the Powder Room where Alena received her first pedi ever in the company of her cousin, Alexis, and Aunt Adrian (and Lilee on the way). The PR is a super cute girly joint in Hanni that I uber-dig though the pinkness will burn your retina after more than 3 hours. I think I smell a tradition a brewin'!

Then more recently I got to take engagement pics for my other sis, Whitney! Fun stuff! These are just a couple, obviously. Better let the couple share as they wish!

And not least but last, yesterday Alena was actually in the mood for modeling so who's gonna let that get by?!? The wind made quite the foe but it made for a fun pic! Wait, did she just turn 16...???

And that's that in an overstuffed nutshell.

75 Degrees = Avoidance of Responsibility

2010-04-07T08:41:00.005-05:00

Ah, spring. You know, when we travel to a warmer climate I always think that those residents have the good life with their 85* days year round. Then we have days like the last few and the temperate seasons are just fine by me, though that is one of the many contributors to my blog laziness (last post 3/2)! It seems that Missouri's loathe-worthy winters make these days more relaxing and enjoyable.

Nothing gets done in our house until after 8pm almost always and the longer days just cause further delay. When I pick Alena up from school we come home and play (playroom, outside, watch the occasional iCarly - the latter totally for me, not her) then Alena helps me make supper. As soon as Greg gets home, we eat, then it's more Hangin' with Miss Alena. Then, finally, bed for the Bug and the completion of the days' responsibilities (eye roll, tongue out).

This is just photographic evidences a, b, and c of the case of procrastination mentioned above. Greg was teaching Alena the art of making flowers with sidewalk chalk. While these pics should be of Easter I'll keep on track and post those in May or so :-)

***Note chalk on face***

Bucket List

2010-03-02T22:20:00.005-06:00

A coworker made me think the other day when she mentioned flying a Cessna and scuba diving as being on her "Bucket List". For anyone who has seen the movie it is utterly hilarious and tear-jerking. Most of use do not have quite the abyss of endless funding Jack shared with Morgan but the imagining of such things is relatively inexpensive. I never actually, I mean actually, thought about it but now I am intrigued by what I might consider bucket-worthy... I suppose we add-to and remove-from the list as life goes on and we get new ideas or the urgency changes but mine looks like this, at least for now and from about 30,000ft.

1. Write a book. I have a lot to say about a lot of things I'm really just lacking the time it would require. Oh, and an interested audience :-) Now that I think about it, I might need to write more than one...
2. Visit the Maldives. How beautiful.
3. Go on a medical mission trip. Humbling at the very least.
4. Give a child, besides my own, opportunities they might not otherwise have had.
5. Fish for walleye in Canada. Don't ask me, just sounds like a rite of passage with my heritage being what it is.
6. Complete all the quilts I have started.

I can think of a bunch of 'stuff' but I want my bucket list to have some depth. While you may read these and wonder how deep something like quilting or walleye fishing could be, they do have meaning to me. More will follow, I'm sure of it.

And the following is, I don't know, the un-list. Anyway, things that I intend to NEVER do:
1. Skydive
2. Scuba dive
3. Go spelunking
4. Visit the Orient
5. Eat most of what is considered a 'delicacy' in other countries
6. Run the Boston Marathon

And THAT list could go on and on.

**************************************

Completely unrelated, I cannot WAIT for Alena's birthday this summer! Not that anyone wants their little girl to grow up faster than they freakin' already do! But it is going to be great! It will be the day after Aunt Whitney's wedding (yay!) and the preliminary idea is Springfield Cardinals! Alena LOVED the ballgame last year and has asked for that again. There is a spin, though. While we do not intend to deprive the child in her lifetime we do want her to understand that she is a lucky kid. SO, thanks to Kathy's great idea, we want to have a "giving-back" component. Not sure what yet but we will either be asking for a donation in lieu of gifts that will go to the charity Alena chooses OR we will stick with the baseball theme and gather game equipment for a t-ball or little league team that may be strained. Any other ideas are WELCOME! So Fun!

Breathe Free

2010-02-25T13:28:00.006-06:00

How nice it is to be posting in a non-toxic environment! I am a day early in privatizing this blog but since tomorrow is Monday and Mondays always bite TODAY is the elected day! I had found myself not only worrying about the P-listers in the world spying on my baby but also writing a bunch of premeditated, suburban Pleasantville Botox model, prettified jargon that really wasn't me (refer back to the postings of October '07 to remind yourself of my smart-aleckness). It is so wonderful to say what I want and post pictures of my cute kid without the worry of the freakster(s) that were beginning to infiltrate the commentary. Why are there such nubs (I use the term 'nub' only because I have grandparents that read this) in the world? Really, why can people not find their own business to meddle in rather than concern themselves with the likes of my simple June-and-Ward happenings!? Arg. People: they're the worst, right Mom? :-)

So rock on with the only slightly censored new version of the Gilmore blog. Hopefully full of a more 'real' take on our daily life - sometimes normal, often cram-packed, usually humorous, and always hoppin' with fun. I want to be reading the print version of my bloggables later in life and know what I was actually thinking that day or how much of Alena's hair I had to cut off secondary to a large mixing stand accident (no, that hasn't happened yet but if it does, you'll know!).

If you're a Facebooker you might have read the bit about Alena painting my toenails the other night (and cuticles, and toes, and tarsal area...). She had a grand time slopping it on like a true abstract artist and seemed to take the blobs as works of genius. That is, until she wanted to paint her own toes. Her perfectionism busted out loud and she feverishly corrected her errors with a paper towel. Exasperated, she finally asked me to do the work once she realized she wasn't going to master the paint-in-the-lines approach. It was all fun and games until someone spilled the polish remover (um, yeah - me, not her) all over the rug. I know, I can hear you from here - I am who lets their 3 yr old use irremovables on a rug. Or did. But in the end, what a great mother-daughter moment.

(This was just Toe #1)

I am SO proud of Alena (shocker). She is in class with a friend, Ana, who speaks primarily Spanish and whose parents have worried about her social development. Language barriers are hard to overcome when one is 3 and thus, establishing and maintaining friendships is rough. I started talking with Alena about all the ways she might try to communicate with Ana (Alena can count to 10 and say a few words in Spanish) and tried to help her understand that Ana might be 'sad' sometimes without anyone to play with. I was so proud of her the other day when I read her Daily Activity Sheet from her teachers when it said that "Alena took a book to Ana and read to her in the play area. They laughed and later played babies together". She is going to have that weak spot for the underdog like her parents.

If I ever get the patience I am going to try to post video of Alena performing her multi-lingual numerical masterpieces. She wowed us at dinner last night flawlessly counting to 10 in 3 languages, to 5 in another, and slowing working her way through a 5th. Spanish and French are her specialties with Japanese crowding its way in. Hawaiian is one that has become more interesting after she visited the Island! And speaking of video, I HAVE to post Alena's Dance Party: Playroom Style as soon as I catch her again! She cranks up the beat on her keyboard and we watch her inconspicuously from behind the door as she expressively moves like Martha Graham on speed!

Anyway, as my schoolwork stares up at me and the Hour of Dinner creeps, I feel the anxiety of responsibility prying my fingers off the keyboard. I seem to love a good rant-via-type so brace yourself and those peering over your shoulder! I usually have a lot to say :-)

Members Only

2010-02-21T14:03:00.002-06:00

Normally, The Bandwagon is a ride I try to avoid. But it seems some odd little pest has found this fun little blog and begun leaving me nonsensical and therefore slightly alarming comments. When Shirley started PandaNation and chose to make it invitation-only for the safety and privacy of their family, I considered doing the same. It wasn't really my favorite option at the time and I (naively) felt I wouldn't be bothered! Many fellow bloggers have recently experienced trouble, either socially or technically, after posting various blurbs. Until the last week or so I had been left out of at least the technical annoyance.

So for the sake of my sanity I think it's time to do now what I should have done a year and a half ago! I think this will not only make me feel better about The Bug's security but I'm ready it start posting what I really want! Hmmm, maybe this calls for a re-vamp of my Facebook, too...

Anyway, send me an email (the official go-date is March 1st) if you'd like to be added to the list of readers. To my huge family and all my family-like friends, don't worry! I'll give you the first of the available slots!! I'm sorry if this is a big trouble for anyone but I'm ready to have MY blog back! THANKS!!

Hawaii!!

2010-01-24T18:19:00.005-06:00

Wow, it has been a while - as usual - since I have blogged. For good reason, though. Once The Holidays wound down, our family began excitedly preparing for our trip to the 50th state. It was something we wanted to do with my Mom and Mark to celebrate my Mom's XXth birthday! I don't think I need to say how much fun we had. The weather was perfect, the food was great, and the comapny was the best!

We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort in a 2 BR Condo. It was amazing! We had plenty of space, excellent furnishings, and a gorgeous backyard complete with pool, hot tub, and falls. We woke up whenever, drank coffee, mimosas, and juice on the patio all listening to the sound of the waterfalls.

The Resort

Our favorite lunch spot, The Lagoon Grill

The tip of the resort, The Buddha Point, a great place to whale watch!

A water way flowed throughout the resort giving a unique way to travel

Our favorite sunning spot!

While there, we took in a lot of site-seeing and some of the best sites were found ziplining in the canopy (WAY awesome). These were taken from the off-road paths on our way to the zips. The Hawaiian countryside was breathtaking.

This was the eco-highlight of the rainforest, a 30-ft sparkling waterfall. It was here we stopped to have local snacks and sip guava juice.

Whale watching was another fave of ours. The swells were unusually high for Kona which was a little unsettling for the mid-westerners aboard the double-decker cattamaran. Once we starting spotting spouts all over the place that subsided (for me anyway). And the moment we saw our first whale up-close was a humbling experience. These blue whales, larger than school buses, were a kind reminder that we humans are not as big-shot as we think we are. And when I witnessed the huge creature lurch its entire self out of the water and do a back-flop that caused a soakable spray, I was speechless (and camera-less).

I took a jillion pictures, naturally, but I'll just drop in a few of the remaining highlights.

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I'm beginning to think Alena has some photographical talent!

Yikes, I'm getting old...

Alena enjoying her Lava Flow, moments before it was all down that shirt...

THIS is my FAVORITE!
It was an unforgettable trip! I cannot say how grateful we are for the memories we are able to give our daughter and share with our family. It came with a jolt of realization for me, though. That I am offered so many joys, opportunities, and well, "things" that most of the world is not fortunate enough to even dream of. The quake in Haiti struck while we were gone. Our friend and pastor said, "It is something we cannot imagine - that the people of Haiti, who were wrought with poverty - are praying that their lives may soon return to what they were before. That even though they had but cardboard and tin for homes, they pray for that life again". When I think of the things I hope for each day, like, that the cafeteria will have warm cookies, or how crappy it is to see another foggy day, or that I can find something to wear to work that I didn't just wear last week... I am ashamed of myself. I am proud of what I do and where I've gotten but I often think that I 'really help people' by doing my job. But that is just it. I do it (and love it), but not without the compensation! So what do I really give anyone? GIVE. I had not made a New Year's Resolution because I find most of them are drowned by April. But I believe that to really be worth anything I have and, more importantly to raise a giving, selfless, thankful child, it is time I started giving. And not just money, we do that, that's too easy. Write a check, go have a big fat supper and watch the game. Time. Effort. I want Alena to know that kind of joy and understand that 'things' are not what leave a mark. I know vulnerability and need (relatively speaking) and what the kindness of strangers and friends has meant to me. I don't know where this will go or what I will do but opportunity awaits, once again, I just intend to find it in a different place!

Christmas Marathon

2009-12-27T19:51:00.007-06:00

Crazy, wonderful holiday!! We have been over the river and through the woods to get to all our festivities the last two weekends! Last weekend was Christmas, SoMo style, where we had celebrations with 1) my Mom, Mark, Adrian and Bryan, 2) My dad, Kim, and Whitney, 3) Pa & Granny, 4) Aunt Kathy and Uncle David 5) and a Christmas first with breakfast in PJ's at P&V's! This weekend was the Gilmore gathering where Santa made a HUGE stop at Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Johns then it was on to Greg's grandmothers' home. There was TONS of shutter activity coming from several cameras so here are just a few!

The one and ONLY semi-salvageable pic from the first attempt at Christmas pics. As you can see, no Christmas dress but rather old jeans and playshirt! (the jeans are holy, I guess - har har).

If you've been near me at ALL this pre-gift season I appologize for the incessant excitement for the (awesome) present below. The dollhouse was from Greg and I to Alena but was handmade by my Pa. He is a phenomenal craftsman - I gave him a picture (from the Land of Nod) of what we were hoping for and he not only created it, but made it better! All the people and furniture came from L of N and were handpainted keeping with the idea of the project. Alena LOVES it (and so does her mother). It nurtures real imagination and creative play, something Greg and I believe is imperative in a young child's life. Just a few of my favorite rooms are below - the 'real estate photos', if you will.

We let Alena open her stocking full of stuff from us on Christmas Eve morning (early!). She was excited to find houseshoes, "plip-plops", and a swimsuit for the much-anticipated trip to The Big Island!!

When Christmas morning arrived it was every kid for his/herself as the crowd of 9 thundered up the stairs and into the living room to find their treasures! Hunter, Alexis, Maggie, Eleanor, Alena, Gavin, Janelle, Grace, and Chasten found their stash in such order, just as Santa left them! Alena had a moment of panic when she realized the other kids 'beat' her to their presents and started opening before she did (loving, motherly eyeroll). We had to do a little coaxing to re-get her into the spirit..... but socks did the trick!

The weekend ended with the tireless efforts of Aunt Stacey (with Mags and Eleanor) pulling the kiddos behind the Ranger in the sled. Alena thought it was great until Josie, the dog, came over to join in the fun. This is a shot of Alena (after climbing up Eleanor's torso to safety) - enjoying the snow - from the security of the deck!

Hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours! Happy Holidays!!

A Post for the Sake of Posting

2009-12-22T22:38:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest. I have no purposeful post.

The entire motivation behind this post is that it has been almost a month since the last one (which was also lacking) and I feel that my faithful blog readers click often for something new and interesting and get - well, not that. So I'll try to make this worthwhiile, although I don't even have a picture to post of the kiddo (gasp).

In lieu of the popular Christmas Letter, which I do not generate, I'll update the world on our 2009. Of course, if you are a Gilmore Family Blog reader, and given that you are here reading this now I assume you are, you probably already know anything I might write. Nonetheless, may you be entertained.

Alena has spent the last few months taking skyward aim in height. Her 3T pants are huge around her tiny waist and would be inches too short if she had any backside to hold them in place. She is so into the pedicure scene it sheds an unsettling light on the teenage years. She is still going to the Children's Center as an active student in Preschool A where she hangs with many old friends as well as some newcomers. She does art, reading, physicial exercise, journal writing, theatrical play, music, and tons of other awesome activities.
Alena tried out the whole dance thing and was initially psyched. The love for that quickly diminished and that time became Thursday Night Sob Hour. I was really unimpressed with the 'academy' she was attending anyway so I was not sad when she begged to never go back. We might try again in a year or so - at a different joint. But because she has such an awesome Dad who ran upon a gem while searching for paint for a particular Christmas present (.....eek! can't wait for that one!), Thursday nights will become Art Night at a downtown art studio!! I can't wait for those masterpieces!

Greg is enjoying newfound freetime (relative to before anyway), checking things off the honey-do list. Numero Uno - change the Globe (aka bedroom) into a much less anxiety-inducing room! And we've pulled a little HGTV by painting a 90's-gold chandellier a textured black and moved it from the dining room to the bedroom. I love it! I know, we've been in this new house over a year and should have more done than this. But we don't. And that's ok.
I'm sure you know by now that Greg will not be persuing the purchase of the retail pharmacy as originally planned. This has come with some initial disappointment but has really opened up opportunity for Greg and, if you know him, opportunity never gets a chance to knock before he's 5 steps ahead of it. It is this very ambition that makes me love him and also want to poke his eyes out.

As for me, I have polished of semester #4 of 9 of the Doctor of Pharmacy program - Go Gators (rolls off a little better than "Go Eutectics", though I have for them a place in my heart as well). I LOVE school and it is amazing what you want to learn when you don't really have to. I have obtained ceritification in the Fundamentals of Critical Care Support and have obtained certification in vaccination delivery, though all that I know sounds like a paint-peeling party to most. The most popular inquiry I get these days right after the Alena Questions is how I've been since The Zapping. The short version is: I've rolled down a few hills, torn the knees out of a few scrubs, nearly broken an arm in a Chicago hopital (dumping a Campfire Mocha literally on my head), and I stll can't feel my right pinky finger. The hands, shins, and feet feel like I walk around in sand. BUT!! I ran the Cannibal again this year along with a 5K in Mtown to support a missionary family, I have little to no clonus (rebounding or bouncing) in my legs, all test for MS, tumors, or lesions have all been negative, and I am back in private ballet classes for continuing rehab. The dancing has helped tremendously and it is way more fun that being hooked up to those electrodes in physical therapy!!

So that is that. As Christmas Day approaches and 2009 winds to an end I once again think of how wildly fortunate our family is. We hope you are near the ones you love this holiday season and 2010 brings you the best of the bests.

What Alena is Thankful For

2009-11-24T21:24:00.000-06:00

When I picked Alena up from school I noticed on her daily sheet that the kids wrote in their journals today what they were thankful for. Driving home I asked Alena what it was she was most thankful for and this is what she said:

"Umm.... Trees. Mommy-Daddy. And America Flag."

Who says patriotism is dead? :-)

(This is a random shot that makes me laugh. This was what I got out of "model for me!")

Our blessings are too many to list but are in our hearts everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving.

They Do!

2009-11-18T09:32:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Adrian and Bryan! We love you!

Tricks and Treats

2009-11-01T12:06:00.000-06:00

When did I choose 'trick' over 'treat'??? I would have gladly taken a packet of M&M's or Reese's Pieces! But instead I spent the better part of Halloween morning in the garage (while Greg worked) trying to decide how to get a nasty opossum out of the sack it was napping in and back into the road where it belonged, all while maintaining the biteless, rabidless state of health I enjoy. I've dealth with mice, rats, snakes, spiders, etc. but no large pest up til then so I wasn't sure how this should go down. My dad sugested it be 'dispatched' ASAP so I headed out with a flat shovel to take care of the problem. I pushed the opening of the sack back and it turned to look at me (ugh, ugly). With it now hissing at me, I raised the shovel above my head, feeling that one good shot to that rodential skull would do it and I..... you know....

Yep, totally chickened out. Instead, I trapped it under a flower pot, piled 4 bricks on top of that and used the shovel to push it into the driveway, where it waited for Greg to come release it into the woods. I know, if my dad is reading this he is likely shaking his head and mumbling something like, "city gir!" to himself. But the reality is that it was much more appealing to neatly keep it hostage prior to its humane freeing than to have to power wash the remains of its composition off my garage floor.

You know how after something like that happens you feel like things are crawling all over you? Yep. That's me right now.

ANYWAY!! Halloween was fantastic with all the neihborhood tricking and treating plus the bonus of the "Nana-Poppe" visiting. Alena's costume - a Spanish Tango Dancer - had to do even though 2 nights before Halloween she decided she wanted to be a 'cowboy girl' instead. Trick or Treating really was not her thing until we decided to go home (after many forced door-knocks) and she said, "I go to one more house". After that, she became a pro. With Daddy carrying her, of course. She came home with a reasonable amount of loot, enough to surely please the dentist when we go on Thursday, and had a great time handing out canding to the later Treaters. The pictures are a little noisy given the late afternoon sun pouring directly onto the porch and that Alena was excitedly wiggling, ready to begin the fun. Nonetheless, I think she looked adorable :-)

Fall Fun!

2009-10-24T16:48:00.000-05:00

I had hoped to post a few pics of Alena in her Halloween costume but she was not in the mood for photography and, thus, the pics we took were not too fab! I did get a few cutest-ever shots of Alena and her cousin, Hunter, this morning after the fall party at Grandma Kathy's house. They were the only 2 kids left in the house and were being big-time buddies. It's hard to get the littlest ones to slow down long enough for a snap so ya gotta take moments like these and run with 'em!

The party was lotsa fun for all the kids! Crazy food (including pumpkin and kitty lollipop cakes below!), fun games, and pumpkin carving. Alena designed her own pumpkin face Wednesday night so Friday night's pumpkin was left up to me. She helped with a little coaxing but mostly she just wanted to know when we were going to be eating supper :-) It was wild with such a full house but isn't that what this time of year is all about!

And now, for the Pumpikn and Kitty Cat lollipop cakes....

Greg and I stayed up late Thursday night making these - they were SO much fun! We took them to the fall party Friday and the kiddos ate them up! The recipe is on Braisin' Women or to see better versions, see Bakerella - where the idea came from!

Alena the Photographer

2009-10-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

I haven't touched this computer since my last blog really don't have time to do so now, however anxiety from not posting was getting to me! SO! With few words I will post this little snipit from several weeks ago when the three of us had a 'play day'. We took family pics, went downtown to the H (more properly called 'Ice & Coal' - great paninis!), and hit Riverview Park. Alena was such an awesome sport at the pic-taking that I couldn't say no when she asked to take mine and Greg's picture. She looked SO cute behind the tripod!! And honestly, she got a pretty good shot!!

The artist (taken with the P&S)

I love these guys :-)

The Air Up There

2009-09-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

Usually my picture-taking experience is limited to children, family, the occasional creature, etc... anyway, things which are land-roving. This weekend I got to shoot from a much more extreme angle.
It was the weekend of the fall festival at Starvy Creek and it was one for the records. The RV load, for which there are 350 electrical hook-ups, surpassed well beyond 500 causing many willing bluegrassers to rough it. The walk-in crowd was bulging at all edges of the natural ampitheater and my Granny sold ALL (250ish) homemade pies. Yes, every-single-one. The park was a sight to see. And see it I did. From about 1500ft.
My Aunt Kathy had a brainstorm to send my sister, Whitney, and I up in a helicopter to take aerial photos of the masses. My Pa thought the idea would be great for advertising and a little above average publicity (pun intended). It was equipped for "2.5 passengers" (per the pilot) and the 3 of us were quite snug. However, the lack of doors and entire glass front made it feel much roomier. Our pilot had a great sense of humor - like when he was securing our seatbelts and said, "the paramedics don't like searching for bodies". That made us feel safe and not the least anxious (erk).
We spent a total of 1 hour exactly in the air which allowed us to take over 600 photos. We even got to fly over our Dad's house, grandparents house, and various other relatives. It was a phenomenal ride. I think I need to get one of those for myself...
Thanks SO much to Pa for treating us to such a rare experience that we'll remember FOREVER and to Aunt Kathy for suggesting it :-) I hope the photos can return the favor.

The watermark is only on a few - there is a method to that madness.

A bit like Woodstock for gospel lovers ;-D

The Heli

Along the way in gorgeous Southern MO.

Thanks for lending me this pic, Whitney!

Labor Day Laziness

2009-09-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

If I cross my fingers tight enough, I can say with confidence that I have worked my last weekend (at least, for a while)! Who knew a pharmacist would see the day she wasn't working weekends?! And what a better last-weekend to have than on Labor Day weekend. I left early Sunday and headed for Paris to spend that night with Greg's fam since I had Monday off. We played cards and ate. And ate. And ate (I wish I had a satiety center in my brain but I must have been left out of that line). I spent this morning in my most favorite way - drinking coffee on the Gilmore's screened-in porch with Greg. Afterward, I headed downstairs to change clothes and was greeted by a s-n-a-k-e in our bedroom (house out in middle of field, room in basement, many openings of walkout basement door, you see how this was possible)! Ok, it was the size of a huge earthworm but it was, no doubt, reptilian. Thank goodness for Stacey, my much braver sister-in-law, who caught it and threw it, no carried it nicely, outside. The element of suprise will make a girl into a major sissy any day.

I couldn't be bothered to cook supper which, knowing how I love to cook, is a huge sign of lax in my house. We ate out and watched TV (I barely remembered how to turn it on) and I even laid down while Alena took a nap. Of course, I hate naps in the middle of the day so that lasted about 10 minutes and I was up again. Alena is always the most photo-cooperative when she just wakes up so I tried to take advantage of that! With the bribery of popcorn and Greg's help I got quite a few good ones! I love when I don't even have to use Photoshop to fix anything! There are tons and I'd be better to put them in slideshow form but I'm just not gonna. I've had this hat for a long time and just got the poncho in a great Children's Place sale! I love when things work out like that!

Happy Labor Day!

Preschool!

2009-08-31T20:59:00.000-05:00

Today was the big day - Alena moved into Preschool A (...to much Dr.Seuss). And she did so like such a little lady with little transition anxiety. I think it helped that a long-time friend of hers was sobbing into his Elmo pillow when we arrived and I suggested that she try to make him feel better. Little Miss Empathy rushed right to his side and pat his back, having no time for tears of her own. Her days will be slightly more structured now and the curriculum will be ramped up a few notches. She has an exciting two years ahead of her!

**Funny story - sometimes when Alena is not as eager to do what we've asked her to do, we do the old count-to-three bit. Lately, I've been shaking it up and adding -Mississippi after each number. Today, while playing in her playroom, I heard her saying to her baby, "ONE LITTLE-SIPPI, TWO LITTLE-SIPPI..." Guess she misunderstood.

I almost did the b/w thing to this one - then noticed you could see her long, curly locks much better in color!

The Old Ball Game

2009-08-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

And here ends the somewhat faithful blogging for a while as class starts tomorrow for me (boo - cardiac disorders) and Alena will soon begin preschool. Our weekends are filling up fast, practically until February 2010, with weddings (congrats Adrian + Bryan and Amanda + Jesse), trips to Chicago, camping, golf tournaments, bluegrass festival, and Hawaii (YAY!!!), etc. I love busy :-).

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I am not ready for summer to end but Fall is one of my FAVORITE times of year. I have a newfound love for butternutt squash (to appear sometime soon on Braisin' Women) and that + cider + fall = {{{heart}}}.

I missed my 10 year high school reunion last weekend and while I'm sad about that I had a GREAT time at the Cards game with David and Kathy!! Normally, that would be a Chicago weekend for me but this was an off-month. Alena LOVED cheering for 'Yadi' and Albert and even moreso loved Ben and Jerry ;-). So it is late and I have no creativity where Photoshop nor verbage is concerned. With that, a few pics from the weekend and hopefully at least a few posts in the upcoming 4 months!

2009-08-08T18:32:00.000-05:00

I haven't given an Alena update in a while (ha) and some of you have been asking. No better time than the present :-).
One of my favorite new things she does is count in Spanish. There is a little Spanish-speaking girl in her class, Ana, and the teachers try to speak both languages to the kids(what they know). Alena loves to sing "Adios, Ana" when Ana leaves for the day. I just had parent-teacher conferences last week and her teacher, Miss Melissa, was impressed by Alena's cognition and development. She can spell her name and identify all the letters - and even write some of them!
Her creative side is flourishing with all the artwork and projects she is doing at school. We keep it going at home with lots of left-brainer activities at her art table. She loves to dive into culinary creativity (I let her have flour, sugar, colored sprinkles, and water and TONS of kitchen gadgets). She LOVES 'cooking' on her own as well as with Mom.
Alena is playing around with my very first guitar that I got from Pa and Granny when I was, like, 5. She sits down and strums with me as I play mine. And SING! She can really belt out various rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle".
And no more pull-ups - even at night! She has been fully trained for several months now but had been sporting the fluff for bedtime. No more! Such a nice removal from the shopping list!
Soon I plan to post some of her recent artwork. I was highly impressed!!

And now for the fun part - new pics. The originals had pretty yellowed lighting so I did a super-quick desaturation to go vintage style. You can see her silly face and 'Vogue' poses, which crack me up. What fun would life be if all pictures turned out perfect?!

2009-08-04T22:36:00.001-05:00

Roughin' It

2009-08-04T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well, sort of. Ok, it wasn't really rough at all. We decided to try Alena out camping. We got Greg this massive tent and sleeping bags for Father's Day (of 2007) and this was our first time in it. I was all psyched for a great weekend of nature and the picture taking of said experience so you can imagine my disgust when we got settled and I realized had NO CF cards. Amateur. Anyway, luckily I had my trusty Powershot and even though it wasn't my device of choice, the 5MP's worked peachily. And honestly, it was handy out on the boat to have a less cumbersome camera.

We had a most fabulous time at the little lake on The Gilmore's property. The weather was incomprehensibly wonderful for the first of August which allowed for uber relaxation. We fished, swam, canoed, roasted hot dogs, sunned, and most importantly - ate S'mores! It cooled off to a sleep-friendly 63 degrees and we LOVED the family snuggle at bedtime! I took a ton of pictures (and there are a couple in here taken by the Bug) but so as not to bore you with a flip-book of events I have included only a few.

I think we might be tree-huggin' campout finatics after this past weekend. But only, of course, if it is sunny, warm during the day, cool at night, gets cell reception and Wi-fi, close to running water and indoor plumbing, and I don't have to catch, clean, or dress my supper. (true pioneer)

The Recent Past

2009-07-14T08:57:00.000-05:00

Now that my first year of school has come to and end (all the busy work, anyway) I can publish a post in which my pulse isn't racing, my head isn't throbbing, and my guilt level isn't sky-high from the pull of needing to do other things!

All the craziness since The 4th has this post crammed full of various events! We are lovin' life in the Gilmore household with all the excitment the summer has brought and will bring! The quick version of the story follows!

Our adventures began at Starvy Creek, my grandparents bluegrass festival, the week before The 4th. Alena and I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday there working at the gate and enjoying the most fabulous homemade pie on the planet. My Granny makes hundreds of these pies EVERY YEAR to sell at the festival. They almost always sell out, even of the gooseberry (bleck - not my fave no matter who makes it). Alena kept everyone busy, especially her Aunt Whitney who tirelessly played with her and entertained her both days! As usual, the park filled up to capacity with RV's and the crowds were excellent despite the threat of weather! Times spent down there are some of the most memorable in my life.

Zonked on the golfcart at the festival park

Next came the Cannibal, of which I have no pictures but the after-run below. This is looking to become a bit of a tradition since the innaugural year in '08. Runners this year included myself, Greg, Mom, Mark, my unlce Daren, Kathy (Greg's mom), Stacey Carman (Greg's sister), and our neices Maggie and Eleanor! My Aunt Michelle, grandparents, and cousins Nolan and Paige came to town as well to cheer us on. Everyone did awesome! Greg came in 2nd in his age group, Stacey 4th in hers, and Kathy 6th in hers! I finished faster than last year (albeit slow as molasses) and my Mom made sure to finish right behind me so I wasn't last :-) What a good mom! I only have the one picture below taken by my Granny P as it was raining miserably from start to finish and I didn't want to subject my camera to the elements! We runners, as you can see, were soaked to the bone!

Brrr.

Paige and Nolan

Fireworks were interesting to see this year. We watched from the levy in downtown Hannibal. Normally, these are shot off Lover's Leap which provides a great platform so the show can be easily seen. But with the clouds hanging low, what we saw looked more like an extra-terrestrial lightshow than pyrotechnics! Kinda cool, really!

Alena just before the show

We had a quick pool day at the MC pool last week. Alena is becoming quite the little fish. I would have never imagined such as we all know her bravery isn't her strongest attribute. She loves to put her face in, crawl along the bottom, and splash Mom and Dad if they are within 10 feet! We also visited the Hannibal pool last week which was great! They have a kids' pool with the walk-in gradual depth increase and a big jungle gym in the middle. Alena SLID DOWN THE TUNNEL SLIDE. I know, unbelievable.

This past weekend I went to Chicago for the last time this semester (bittersweet!) then we went to the Quad Cities for a PGA tournament. This was Greg's Father's Day present from Alena. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed except during practice rounds. Can't wait for the Ryder Cup - dying to go to Wales!!

So if you're still reading after all that, here's a pharmacy update! Greg hasn't taken ownership just yet. We are still working some things out but I'll keep you posted!

Starvy Creek Debut

2009-07-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

I am not a video-blogger but this crackes me up. Alena made her singing debut at Starvy Creek (my grandparents bluegrass festival). My sister, Whitney, captured this impromtu performance on her phone and it has been uploaded from an email from that phone - hence, it's a little blurry! The video cuts off a little in the beginning but I had to share. It makes me smile :-)

Bed Head

2009-06-27T14:11:00.000-05:00

The image of my daughter as soon as she gets up in the mornings makes my day start out perfectly. It is usually extra-curly and almost always tumbling in her face. The massive quantities of flowing locks this kid sports might look like hours of combing out tangles to some people but to me, it is absolutely gorgeous.

I wanted to catch a few shots of her in this new dress she got from her Aunt Stacey, Uncle Chris, and Eleanor and Maggie for her birthday and I wanted to do it early to catch 'the look'. I took over 130 shots in about 20 minutes but don't exactly have time to get them all posted! Here's just a few!

I {{heart}} this one

A little lens flare action!

In the little garden next to our house

The BW's are my favorite - I've already printed an 8.5x11 of the first one to frame! But something about the way she was sitting in the bench pic makes my heart flutter! She posed herself that way!

**Funny story -
Alena was singing the Days of the Week song on our way to school the other day. Here's how it went:
"Monday, Tuesday, YESTERDAY, Friday, Saturday, SOMEDAY..."
I am laughing just typing this.

Lotta stuff to say....

2009-06-19T22:12:00.001-05:00

Does life slow down, like - ever? Hey,I bring most of it on myself and with my personality, I would be paint-drying bored if it weren't this way. What have we been up to...?

Well.

Alena just finished soccer camp last week and holy smokes, was it hillarious. The 2 soccer coaches were from London and Scotland with fatiguingly rapid yet awesome speak (I needed a stiff java each day just to hang in with the conversations). Alena LOVED them - well, eventually. Well, like the last day. But at THAT point she didn't want them to go home! Greg and I had a most fabulous time watching little Lenie kick AT the ball, run WITH the ball in hands, and sit ON the ball INSIDE the goal net (I don't care one thing about soccer but I'm fairly sure those are not ideal techniques). It was a blessing that one of her BFF's, Aidan, came as well. There were only a few kids in her age group so they moved those kiddos into the 4&5 yr old group - yikes! Mildly intimidating for a 27-pounder. The two of them were screamingly happy to see one another each day and ran around together during camp.
So much fun!

Check the moves!

Betrothed (sigh).

Note: Tongue=Concentration=Scholarship

My latest trip to Chicago was a blast for the fam as we all travelled up this round. We took a shortie-trip to the Art Park and touristly posed in front of The Bean - not a bad pic for being uploaded from the 'Gooseberry'!

Also did a little economy stimulating on The Mile. AND, my absolute new favorite addiction (that makes it sound like I have several...)

CARRIBOU COFFEE

OMGosh, it beats the cupsleave off of Starbucks. The best part? There is one in Quincy! I feel jittery already. :-) My recommendation: The Campfire Mocha. Delish.

Alena also fell in love - with Ms. Calah - her new American Girl Doll. I think it has a 'given' name but she immediately wanted to name it after our hairdresser (go fig). Pics to come soon!

Beyond that, I have just had 2 externs from the SIUE College of Pharmacy complete rotations under my preceptor...ing...ism...ship (whatever). Hated to see them go but the 6 other interns that they leave behind should continue to keep me hoppin' :-).

And more hugely, gigantically, enormously.... Greg takes ownership of Gateway Pharmacy on July 1st!! Which is... oh geez...12 days away? (nebulizer, please). This is hopefully going to be a rewarding and exciting time for him as this has been his dream for going on 6 years now. My hopes are high, my faith is strong, and my fingers are crossed!!

And a little Father's Day present for myself... a little lens-looking thing with sharp focus ability, internal stabilization, and 18-200 zoom should be showing up at my door any day... Oh, I do love those Men in Brown!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENERBUG!!!

2009-06-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

Who could have asked for a better 3rd birthday?! The weather was beautiful, the seats were comfy, and the company was the greatest! ALL of Greg's siblings and spouses came with their kiddos (minus Grace, Chasten, Janelle, and Gavin), both Greg's parents, and his Grandmother from Mexico came all totaling about 6 hours of travel. My Mom, Mark, Granny P and Grandpa, Adrian, and Bryan came adding another 5.5 hours. My Aunt Kathy stacked on another 4 hours, with Cristy topping it off at 7 minutes! We live a good distance from most of our family and so we are SO thankful and happy so many made it. Alena had a BLAST!

Our day started with appetizers, tropical tea, and lemonade at our house. The kids played on the swingset while some of the adults battled it out at washers! Alena got her wish for cupcakes (2 giant ones) but was a little shy when it came to the singing and candle-blowing. Hunter and Alexis stepped in like pros to help her out! Then it was off to Clemen's Field where we witnessed the first Hannibal Cavemen victory! And ya gotta love the hot dogs and athletic event popcorn - my fave! Alena got "cracker jacks" but they weren't what she expected - "CRACKER JACKS ARE TOO LOUD!!!!" A little mix-up between the popcorn and the explosive, celebratory FIREcrackers!!

The night ended with the die-hard adults outside around the chiminea fire while the Bug crashed from her big day. I just have to say that I LOVE our families. Never a hesitation to drop everything, rearrange busy schedules, and bee-line halfway across the state for a toddler's party. It made Alena's day.

The Party

Cousins Alexis, Alena, and Hunter

Greg's Grandma

Nana and Alena

This was so awesome to me - watching my grandpa & Greg play (and BEAT) my sister and Bryan at washers! It was his debut washer tournament!

At the Park

Alena and Poppe after the scoreboard guy gave her a baseball! (Shy again)

Kathy and Cristy enjoying the sun in the cheap, but MUCH more comfortable seats!

And how fun - the train runs RIGHT behind the wall of the park!

"...I want a cupcake on my plate"

2009-06-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

THAT is what Alena said she wanted for her birthday! Along with with saying, "I want you (to) take me to the ballgame, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks!"

So that is what she's going to get. The family is all gathering for the big event this Saturday, which happens to be among the first of the Hannibal Cavemen baseball games! We're excited to have a little something new to do in Hanni, especially since we are baseball lovers. And hopefully, if all goes well, the other wish for the cupcake will come true with the giant cupcake cakes I am going to make! We'll see about that one...

Anyway, we can't wait to see everyone! And of course, here are the bday shots we got down at the cave a couple of weeks ago. The b/w is the photoshoot finale meltdown at Riverview Park later that day. It cracks me up.

And the post-shoot meltdown!

Adrian, Bachelor of Arts & Science in Chemistry

2009-05-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

In a list on her blog, my sister listed a few of the things she would NOT miss about college...
In her words:
1. 8 am class
2. 9 am class
3. class
4. tests
5. cramming (I mean, studying for hours)
6. a part-time,crappy, retail job
7. Having to tell everyone my hometown is Marshfield and have them ask, "Is that by
St. Louis or KC?"
8. Living off of spaghetti o's, frozen burritos and hot pockets (with pop tarts and chocolate donuts for breakfast)
9. Having a bank account with two digits
10. Knowing that I'm working towards a piece of paper and a jurors robe
11. And finally: FINALS; quite possibly the worst idea ever. "What does 'finals' stand for?" you may ask yourself. Well, let me tell you....

...ok, so I am NOT going to finish that one. Even the "censoring" she did in her post left little to wonder!

So Welcome, Little Sis, to the real world! It's up to you now to prove you're the smarter one and solve some age-old chemical crime with your forthcoming forensic genius. Congratulations, Baby! "That diploma is HUUUUUGE!!"

And p.s - you will ALWAYS be eating Spaghetti-O's and frozen burritos if you never actually learn how to cook!

I also want to congratulate Jody on her recent graduation! Doing all you did with two small kiddos is incredible! We're all so proud of you!!!

The "Emotional" Alena

2009-04-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

I had like, 10 extra mintues today (while waiting on a plumber who didn't make it) and I decided to play in Photoshop a little. Usually I just have to slap the pics up as-is with very few of these 'fun' adjustments. So I gave this vintage style a shot - each pic is a little different since it was an experiment.

We did this little shoot on a whim which, fortunately and unfortunately, seem to go better than the scheduled ones! She was ASKING me to take her picture as she made all these silly expressions. Each of these faces was her contrived version of Suprised, Sad, Happy, and Angry - the latter being my favorite shot! Hillarious day.

To make this even funnier, you have to imagine the Marge Simpson groan she put into it as she was making this face. I could almost not hold the camera still!

2009-04-16T09:44:00.000-05:00

So at this very moment I am trying to do about 5 things. Type this post, print pictures, get ready for work, upload a book to my iPod, pack my dinner, and eat lunch. Originally, I had a lot to say in this post but now I have more urgency to publish it than I have time to type the long version.

The EaSter shoot I had hoped for did not quite happen, as you can see, as a result of working all weekend long. {{Gag}}. However, Greg made a great stand-in photographer for all the festivities. I love these shots of Alena's cousins he captured!

Now, with that simple little bit to say, here are the '09 Easter pics! Perhaps the next post will be more wordy.

Alexis and Hunter

Alena with Eleanor

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-09T11:37:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again... time to sweep out the old blog look and update with something bright and springy. That darkness was starting to get me down. Last weekend the three of us went to town planting indoor flowers and herbs and working out in the yard. So therapeutic. Alena's pride & joy is this little cactus. Just an idea to help build responsibility. She picked it out all by herself at the store, citing that the other cacti were too "shark" (sharp). The employees nearby cracked up.

So it will be exciting to see what the spring and summer have in store. Speaking of... I want to extend my most joyous congratulations to my cousins Chris & Shirley for their recent Adoption Referral! Baby Brown will be with her new parents very soon!!! Best wishes to their family!

Easter Preview

2009-04-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

Now I say "preview" but this might be the ONLY shot I get!! This kid is in the anti-photography stage. That is, unless I am feeding her blueberries but even then, as much as she eats, I worry she will look like Violet Beaureguard by the end of the shoot!
Of course this phase of silly faces, pouting, and floppy-limbs comes just as I THINK I may have found the right place, light, and time of day to shoot inside my house. I'm not betting on that yet, though. So anyway, here is a little glimpse of the Easter dress, though not much. She refused to put on underwear and kept hiking the dress way up so we do not have ANY blog-appropriate shots of the full ensemble!

A side note, I just signed Alena up for First Kicks Soccer.... We'll see how that goes. She will have JUST turned 3 when it starts and as we have discussed before, she has not much of either size or toughness!

Ow-ee

2009-03-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

UGH. There is NOTHING worse than watching, seemingly in slow-mo, your little kiddo head straight into a major injury. And it usually is major in our house. Broken arm, broken eyebone.... never just scraped knees.
Saturday at Greg's Grandma's house, Alena plowed teeth-first into an end-table. After she fell, she just sat there, her upper lip jammed into her nose, eyes as big as half-dollars. As Greg rushed over to grab her, he picked her up and blood gushed from her mouth! You know it's the white of their teeth. I just KNEW her front teeth we still stuck in that table. I was SO relieved to see they were ok after we got her mouth rinsed out! She still won't let us get close enough to determine if she shoved her lip against her top teeth or tore the place where your upper lip attaches to your gums. Either way, there will forever be a splintered bitemark on Great-grandmas table.

You can sort of see the swelling and some bruising. Greg said she looked like a Simpson.

Vacation Windown

2009-03-27T15:37:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's nice to take a vacation and NOT go anywhere. Nowhere major, anyway. One might think that a homebound sebatacle would result in spit-polished floors, neatly folded and placed laundry, and pics galore...

{{chimes, fade to reality}}

Ha! There might be spit on the tile but it would be better described as drool. There IS laundry neatly folded in the drawers but that just means it's the stuff no one has worn in months and should probably be Good-Will'ed. And (here's the biggest shocker) I hardly took a single pic the entire time. I know, I'm having labored respirations as well but it's really true. We ate well, though. It was SO much fun to try something new EVERYNIGHT!

The brief recap is this:
1) Friday-Sunday - CHICAGO! Complete with Shedd Aquarium visit and
Dinner: A bizarre dining experience at the Rainforest Cafe (once is enough for that joint)
2) Monday - Schoolwork to wrap-up semester #2 (only 7 left!)
Dinner: Farfalle pasta with homemade (lite) alfredo
3) Tuesday - Absoultely, positively nothing to speak of. Wonderful.
Dinner - Green Chile Corn Chowder
4) Wednesday - More nothing. Ahhhh.
Dinner - Ham, Swiss, & Roasted Asparagus Crepes with Mustard sauce (I'll blog that one later)
5) Thursday - Columbia shopping with my Ma, Sis, Mark, & Grandparents AND WATCHING THE MIZZOU VICTORY OVER MEMPHIS!
Dinner - Mexican Tostadas
6) Friday-Sunday - Back to CoMo for more NCAA craziness!
Dinner - tonight, Seasoned Cornish Game Hens (rosemary, garlic, EVOO, etc) and grilled carrots. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!! It WILL be posted soon!

So, 3 days left of blank right-mindedness for a much needed revival of the OTHER side of my brain. Maybe some Easter pics to come should I feel it move me to do so. This time off to sleep in and do nothing has been awesome. I do, however, feel this strange pull coming from somewhere south... could that be... what? Mexico? Carribbean? Not sure, but I can definitely sense white sand. :~P

And for anyone out there who cares:

M-I-Z.....!!!

Before the Rain

2009-03-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

I have worked, been educated, or had some plan every single weekend for the past 8 weeks. And now that I FINALLY have one off....?? RAIN. The whole stinkin' time. I guess I can hope for a Daylight Savings Weekend Miracle, but I'm sure not. Why complain though, right? Rain is always a sign of spring which (thankfully) puts everyone in better moods, myself included. I am anxiously awaiting the flower planting, the kite-flying, the picture-taking, and apparently the snake-killing that is just around the corner for us(rumor has it a black snake lives in my backyard from spring to winter - we'll get it, Mom. Don't freak).
But for the upcoming torrentials we are pre-rewarded with a day like today. A wonderful 70-degree'er that moved my winter-rounded boote to Riverview Park just down the road. I didn't bother with pics of the park itself for a few reasons 1)battery low on camera 2)ugly, foliage-less arbor and 3)I was a little nervous driving alone with my daughter near the edges of the cliffs that plummit down to the Mighty Miss. I know, I AM a chicken - but hey, chickens don't dig flying. Anyway, after the bloom and some xanax I will go back for a more scenic photo shoot. Any-anyway, I did get some cuties of Alena blowing bubbles and timidly romping on the park play equipment. Herself, she is not so brave and is therefore quite the 'concerned onlooker' for others (this is defined under "tattle-tale" on m-w.com). She informed me that another little girl was going "up dis wong" (referring to the slide the little girl was climping up backward). She then motherly turned to the little girl and said, "ON YOU BOTTOM! LIKE ME!!!" Ah, my little rule-enforcer.
So for all the many emails scolding me for my lack of timely blogging, here is the March edition (hopefully not the only one this month) of the endless ALG Story.

Love the foot propped.

Baby Legs

2009-02-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

These things are awesome. It's the hip little legwarmers for kiddos! My friend Nikki got them for Alena for Christmas and Alena LOVES them! They were especially perfect for last Tuesday when I was off and it was so nice out. Almost warm enough for a skirt alone but too warm for full tights. There are so many colors and designs I may be in for a few more pairs...

On another note, last night when putting Alena to bed, I asked her if she was excited about her Valentine's Day Party. She said yes, naturally, then in the sweetest little voice she asked, "Mommy come to my Val'ntyme party, too?" I HAD to find a break somehow during work for THAT. So I did and it was super cute. They made their own suckers, Valentine bags, and had healthy treats (to go along with the ton of candy they packed home). After work when I went to get her we were walking down the hall toward the door, she held my hand and said, "Thank you coming to my Val'ntyme party, Mommy".

Super Happy VDay to ME.

"Go Tebow"

2009-02-02T11:57:00.000-06:00

This kid cracks me up. I bought her this shirt (among SEVERAL others...) this weekend in the boy's section of Children's Place. She loves to watch sports and just to aggravate Greg and Adrian I taught her to say "Go Tebow" everytime football was on (my mom taught her "go Yadi" for when she watches baseball). She was so psyched to show Miss Dana at school today, that is all she talked about on our way there!

We had a funny this morning while getting ready to leave. Alena yelled for me to come in her room and see what she was up to. She had stripped everything off her bed, shoved her mattress half-off, and was sliding down it onto the floor! The look on her faced after she showed me was evident that she was SO proud of herself for doing this but was a little afraid she was in for a short stay in the corner!

On a side note, I decided to delete the 365. I found that was more stressed out searching for things to take pictures of (other than Alena) than I should have been for something intended to be fun! I enjoy Braisin' Women so much that IT is where I am going to place my extra time! I am hoping a great Risotto will show up there sometime this week..!!

Our Driveway....

2009-01-25T16:33:00.001-06:00

It's steep! So with a little snow...

it's really,

really,

REALLY FAST!

HA!!!
Our brief sledding adventure today which was nice after my trip to Chicago. The hill in our front yard makes a great sledding hill - we don't even need that much snow! Alena wasn't a huge fan, especially after the spill she and I took. I think it was too fast-paced for her!
We had several good laughs anyway!

Afterward, I caught this cute little snap of a snowflake that got caught on her eyelash. So sweet.

"Braisin' Women"

2009-01-20T11:22:00.000-06:00

If you're a food lover like me, take a sec to hit on

Braisin Women

This is my new blog (like I needed another one!) designed to bring women into one giant 'cyber-kitchen' to get sharing recipes, tips, and cooking secrets! If you'd like to be an author (I may have already sent you an invitation email) and post your recipes, let me know! Otherwise, just stop by anytime and get a great idea for dinner!

-Jessica

The Tutu

2009-01-14T09:21:00.000-06:00

I snapped these of Alena today and was just about crying the whole time! She just looked so pretty! And she was making up this "la-la-la" tune, belting it out all the while! Just cracked me up! And Mom, I asked her where she got her tutu and she jumped up and down, saying, "Nana did it! Nana did it"!!

Fun morning.

{{I am determined NOT to abandon this blog while doing the 365!}}

Remember When...

2009-01-10T13:40:00.001-06:00

My 365

2009-01-08T10:47:00.000-06:00

I'm trying something new... check out My 365:

Jessica's Black and Whites

Eagles

2009-01-07T11:55:00.000-06:00

Ok, I realize I may be the ONLY person in the world who digs this at ALL, HOWEVER! If you are a nature lover like me, a trip to the Saverton Lock & Dam is worth your while. I have never in my life seen so many Bald Eagles in one location. It was like a Hitchcock movie, no joke. My sister and I (and her guy, Bryan) jetted out there over Christmas and were absolutley amazed. These awesome birds were swarming the place, diving into the water, chilling in the trees. I can't believe I got a shot that you can actually see the bird's eyeball in. And that was with a piddley 75-300 lens!
Anyway, I hope to get out there one more time with a bigger lens before they move on in late February. I only had a minute to post this shot, and yes Adrian, I WILL email them all to you someday soon! Enjoy!

The Other Side of the Camera!

2009-01-03T20:57:00.000-06:00

Well it looks like I am going to get a dose of my own medicine! One of Alena's Christmas presents this year was a Kid Tough Camera (by Fisher Price) and she is LOVING being on the other side of the lens! I now know what I must sound like to her... She took some pictures of her babies and other stuffed animals, all the while saying, "Sit Down!" and "Scoot back!" and "Hold still" and "SMILE!". Hillarious. So here is the premier of AG Photography (guess I'll need to make her her own watermark :-P). There'll be more to come I'm sure!

PJ Day

2008-12-18T22:25:00.000-06:00

Miss Alena had PJ day at school on Wednesday this week. And just in time! She got a special suprise from Aunt Kathy in the mail a few days ago - MONKEY PJ's!
And just before we left that day to go to school, Alena insisted on the accessories you see below: big pink scarf, sunglasses, bunny slippers, and Clifford book! This whole day just cracked me up - and the pictures say it all!

And because I THINK there has been an error in the shipping of my Christmas cards and they probably will not arrive on time, I am including a couple extra shots from the little Christmas pic shoot. Anyway, when you finally get your card - imagine that it says "Happy New Year" instead! Then it will be "right on time"!!

Rarely Seen

2008-11-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

It is so hard to get a picture of my Granny Patsy - she is a bit photophobic! So I had to coax her a little for this 4-Generation shot, but I got it nonetheless. Definitely one for the history book (in more ways than one). This is a great big "THANKS" to her (and Grandpa) for working so hard on dinner this weekend! We love you!

Thankful For....

2008-11-26T09:09:00.000-06:00

1. God who forgives me for the dumb things I do
2. My daughter who makes life worth it
3. My husband for all the ways he spoils me
4. My Mom who loves me regardless of my life decisions, and
5. Mark who makes her happy
6. Adrian for making me laugh til I can't make sound
7. Aunt Kathy who teaches me to see all sides
8. Greg's family for always being an example of unconditional love
9. All my grandparents for being the reason I stayed out of trouble
10. My dad for making me stubborn
11. Whitney for standing by what she believes
12. Daren for being braver than I could ever imagine being
13. My aunts, uncles, & cousins who have given me such fond memories
14. Cristy - she knows why.
15. All the friends that make life fun
16. My job that I love, most days.
17. The lessons I learn everyday
18. The ability to live where you only see truly terrible living conditions on the National Geographic Channel.
19.Warm house, good food, clean water
20. Neurontin :-)

Count your blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving

Monday (&%*#)

2008-11-23T21:48:00.000-06:00

WEEK = 5 DAYS
WEEKENDS = 2 DAYS

.....Who decided this? I'm sure I was JUST leaving work on Friday and now it is almost Monday again. YUCK. Maybe with this new liberal government we can pass a 3 day workweek... :-)

Since Mondays are decidedly the most crapish day of the week, I wanted to post this little shot of Lenie I took today just before we got started on Christmas pictures. That laugh/smile just cracks me up - it should make Monday bearable. Have a good week.

The Debate....

2008-11-17T22:16:00.000-06:00

I found this shot while going through my (many) files of pictures. You can tell they were both genuinely happy in this one because A)Alena isn't saying "CHEEESE" and B)Greg doesn't have his usual, obvious I-must-smiile-for-the-camera smile! I think this is the one he has hanging up in the pharmacy which sparks much debate over who Alena looks more like - him or me. Lets take a poll.... What do YOU think?

Last Good Day

2008-11-05T21:57:00.000-06:00

As seems to be the theme in my life lately, things were crazy-busy today. Getting to work on time has actually been harder than it was when I lived in MC. I guess since I think I can "make it to work in just 7 minutes...!" that means I can cram a few extra things into the day. It has NOT been working that way, however!
But today, with the temp right around 70 degrees, I knew I needed to let all the chores pile up and get outside! Especially since today was supposed to be the last nice day before Winter rears its ugly head. Our house is surrounded by huge trees - Walnut, Oak, Maple - and that means one thing: LEAVES! And TONS of them! I raked just a portion of what was on our patio and let Alena have at it. Of course, Alena has never won a medal for bravery so getting her to jump in was, at first, impossible. After a little coaxing and still getting nowhere, I finally just threw her in!! She was NOT happy with me at first, but as you can see - she soon fell in love with playing in the leaves.

Barracuda

2008-11-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

I was in trouble by Saturday for not having Friday's Halloween shots up. So here they are! We had fun, even though Alena may wonder who in the world this woman was when she gets older!
Enjoy the pics and VOTE!!

Our Sarah Palin "campainging" for candy!

Back Again

2008-10-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

I nearly forgot how to post a blog entry... If you noticed, it has been OVER a month and a half since the last one. That's bad. I just got to visit some of my friends' blogs that I hadn't seen in ages and feel like I had missed out on a lot! Anyway, the quick story of life right now is just....2 yr old, new house, school, work, etc.! That is keeping us major-busy.
I have tons of pics that I have been taken in the last 2 months but only enough time to get in a few! She looks so grown-up to me, so I know she looks that to those of you who haven't seen her in a while! Hopefully we can get a family shot in soon...(don't hold your breath). Enjoy!

Riding the "Tri-kick-le" out on the patio

Note her cellphone on the back-end! She HAD to have it...

Being a monkey

Remember this kid?

2008-09-09T20:09:00.001-05:00

Seems like forever since I've posted a picture of my own child! We just got back from a little local vacation to St. Louis where we watched the BMW Championship (PGA) at Bellerive Country Club (those pictures are to come hopefully sooner than later...)! Just had sec to give a quick update on our lives!

First of all - we're moving! Yikes. We've decided to move to Hannibal for a while as we have been unlucky in finding a pre-existing house in MC and equally unlucky where land and building is concerned! So for a while, the house below will be home (sorry, kinda hard to see for the trees). Hopefully there will be the perfect piece of property pop up somewhere in between MC and Hannibal sometime soon. But for now - it's Greg's turn to drive!!

Work is busy as always as we are down to HALF the staff we had 4 months ago so (after last week) I liken time off to unicorns and leprechans... SO! If you know a pharmacist, send them this way!

Alena is cracking us up left and right. She is developing a vocabulary at light speed and says things out of nowhere. She has learned to ride a little tricycle at daycare and can say all her ABC's and count to 10! We took her to the golf tournament on Friday for a couple hours and she LOVED it. We sat by the 9th Green where she kept reminding us to be quiet. When the gallery started clapping, she got very excited and screamed, "YAY! BASEBALL!" So she's a little confused, at least she is a sports fan!

Look for future posts to come a little less often for a while. With life getting out of hand, blogging has become a luxury!

Cousins

2008-08-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

These two are adorable!! I had so much fun taking these pictures of my friend Kristen's and her sister Calah's son and daughter. The smiles!! They were great sports, even in the hot morning after being woken up from nap. I miss the days when Alena wasn't so mobile... photo shoots were much easier. :-)

**Kristen/Calah - I will create a CD of the entire shoot for you very soon. Thanks for letting your babies be models!!

Cheese!

2008-08-08T20:23:00.000-05:00

Just a snapshot before heading out to eat Mexican. This kid has an unbelievable smile!

Fall Creek

2008-08-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, this place was beautiful. Just across the river into Illinois is this gorgeous stone bridge and a peaceful stream. Alena had a blast splashing and walking barefoot in the water. I took over 250 pictures but I'll spare you with just a few favorites.
I am told that beyond where we walked there are falls around 6 feet high. I am SO going back soon!

Stone Bridge over Fall Creek Gorge

Le Jardin

2008-07-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

I just had to post this. I haven't had a second lately to take even a single shot so I am poaching off my Aunt Kathy! We were down south a few weekends ago and Kathy snapped this in one of her many beautiful flower gardens, among several other great shots.
Nothing much, just changing up the scenery!

Semper Fi

2008-07-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

How beautiful is this crew?! My Uncle Daren, Aunt Michelle, and their 2 kiddos Nolan and Paige were home from Japan where he had been stationed for a handful of years. Daren, a seriously tough Marine helicoptor pilot, completed a tour in Iraq not too long ago. I know I speak for everyone when I say we are indescribably proud. We are so rediculously happy to say that not only did he make it home safely, but they are back in the states this time (hopefully) to stay.

We had a ball even though mine and Alena's time there was short this trip. Good food, awesome family, and the Springfield Cards!

Paige, Lena, & Nolan. I LOVE Paige's face in this picture!

Paige

Nolan

Playing with a Puggle

Daren and Michelle with their crew

At the game, Alena kept cheering "Yadi! Yadi! Yaaayyy Yadi!" She doesn't quite get the difference between the Majors and the little guys!

My favorite player always ends up being the catcher..... :-P

Poppy spoiling Alena taking her down to stand on the dugout. Of course, the seat tyrants were quick to throw a fit.

The Race is Run

2008-07-06T19:20:00.001-05:00

The best way to keep a promise to yourself - one that you know is totally going to suck and there is a good chance you'll back out - is to post it on your blog in advance for many to witness. That way you'll feel like a giant {L-shape-on-the-forehead} if you wimp out!
Worked for me anyway! Seriously, though. They say 'He giveth and He taketh away' and I think that since He did and gave it back, it was best I got shakin'. I had to lean in at a 45 degree angle to make it up Lover's Leap and my right foot was dragging like a dead fish every step of the way. But literally hanging on to my mom and sister for survival, I made it. I was expecting to hear my name called during the awards ceremony for the "Road Kill" honor! But who-da-thunk, it wasn't me! I didn't stick around to read the official posting to find out my place but I'm confident I know where I ended up! Since the Leisure Walk people were flying by me there was no need to see it in writing! Anyway, it didn't matter.

Thanks to Ma, Adrian, Mark, Granny P, Kathy G, and Stacey for tackling the Cannibal with me. And to Greg, Lenie, Eleanor, Grandpa, and Mary Jackson (!) for cheering us on at the start/finish line!

Here goes nothin'

Mom, Me, and Adrian - smiling thru the pain!

Kathy won 2nd place in her division!!!

Granny P

Adrian

Stacey

Mark

The Finale

WHO'S UP FOR NEXT YEAR?!?

Enough about all of us! Miss Alena had some excitement of her own this weekend! On a whim and much to Greg's chagrin, Alena was a last-minute entry in the MC Baby Contest... And she brought home the 1st Place Trophy!

AND! She did the Hannibal Cannibal Kids' Fun Run with a little help from her Daddy! Given she only had 6 hours of sleep, I think she did famously!

**THANKS to EVERYONE who cheered me on for this literal and figurative milestone from October 6th til now. 9 months later and you're still hangin' with me!

Home Again

2008-06-22T21:37:00.000-05:00

So this was a most rejuvenating trip. I have tons of pics, both that I took and that Mackenzie and Cristy took. There isn't much variation in them though - all beach! I haven't had a ton of time since being home with catching up with my family and getting ready for the dreaded work week to begin but I am posting a quick slide show from the little shoot on the beach. I'm sure Cristy will love me for it but I'm sure she'll show up in more than just this slide show. :-)
I have to tell on her real quick, mainly because she spent most of the trip laughing at me falling and stumbling all the time. We are all pretty tired after the long haul home and are super psyched about getting some sleep. We roll into their driveway to unload and SOMEONE locked her housekey inside on the kitchen table! SO after a short jaunt to the other side of town to wake her mother at 12:30am, we finally get their stuff in their house.
Good one, Cristy.
More pics to come!

Beach Shoot

Day 4

2008-06-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

Finally, a pic!
The three of us sitting outside the condo on the balcony!

Shop, shop, shop. Love it. And for future reference for anyone who may care - Jim and Nick's BBQ is quite the rockin' little joint! So good we even ordered extra cheese-garlic rolls (the pre-dinner warmer-upper) to take home!

We had a fun experience on the beach this morning... a school of something swam near the shore and it was an all out battle between them and the gulls! We were waiting for something bigger to come take what the birds missed but nothing happened!

I am loving this vacation big time

Oh YEAH!

2008-06-19T12:53:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIAN!!!!!! (I meant to post this yesterday)...

Day 3 - sort of

2008-06-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

So I had this whole post typed out for the "Day 3" entry and lo and behold the sea got the better of the Wi-Fi connection. The "auto-save" function on Blogger is apparntly a bit delayed.
Anyhoo... the abbreviated story is:

-Cristy got nailed by wave after wave; I laughed so hard I cried. (that's a getchaback from the elevator)
-We ate at Zoe's Kitchen for dinner which was great, although Feta is seemingly their ingredient of choice.
-Ate Cold Stone
-Shopped at Godiva
-Gained 10 pounds just reading the last 3 bullets
-Shopped some more(at ATL, among other favs!)
-Watched Lenie do some crazy dance via webcam.

And that's that. For now.

Day 2

2008-06-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Finally we're here. The water is clear, the sun is shining (now, anyway), and we just paid a visit to Ruth ('s Chris Steakhouse). I had no problem eating my dinner, but I saved my vegetables so that I could eat the Chocolate Explosion (which is exactly what my thighs will do because of it).

I have to say I was a little curious to see how I would do in the ocean since I barely have my land legs under control, let alone my sea ones... It was pretty tough and I landed on my butt a few times. Luckily I am passed the point in my life where I go to the beach to try to impress boys because - let me tell you - the sand makes for an ugly gait.

Tomorrow, it is beach/eat/beach/eat/beach/shop/eat. And we'll probably enjoy a little "Florida duck" watching (as the seagulls were called by a little boy playing in the sand). Au Revoir.

Destin-ation: Florida - Day 1

2008-06-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

So Day 1 of Girls' R&R Beach Road Trip is winding down here in Meridian, MS. It was a decent 10.5 hours to here given a couple release/refill stops. But you might imagine with this crew (mainly MY dippy self) that it hasn't been without some antics already.
I dropped Lenie off at school this morning and walked back out to my car ready to go pick up the Schnelle Women. I reached for the door, pulled the handle, AND...nothing. My fingernails bent backward as my hand slipped off and after a bleep or two, I groaned as I saw the keys dangling from the ignition. My mind started racing to come up with a solution since my extra set of keys is who-knows-where and just as I started back inside to call OnStar, I mindlessly pulled on the back door. It opened and I'm pretty sure I saw a brief flash of pearly light. Don't ask how I managed to lock ONE door with the keyless entry remote inside the vehicle.

So second, albeit minor... We had Glenda (the GPS) programmed to take us the shortest route from A to B. She did well, mostly 4 lane the whole way, until we got to mid-Mississippi where they do NOT believe in road lamps. And if you've never traveled by land to the Deep South it can best be described as a muggy, stinky, black whole in which, at night, you can only see the outline of thick, swampish forest and a funky steam hanging in the air. So suddenly, we end up in the setting for "To Kill a Mockingbird" and respectfully realize that we are the odd, pale women out. I thought it best if I turn off the cabin light, put down the 15-inch Atlas and just concentrate on getting the H back to multi-lane byways.

Finally, we reach our limit for the day and stop here at the Hampton Inn Meridian. For some reason, the young guy at the desk gave me a military discount (which I would not have asked for) and I go back out to tell the girls we had the room. We unloaded the Envoy and headed in. I was pretty proud of myself for the efficient packing I had done. 1 small suitcase, 1 carry-on bag, a laptop case, and my camera case. As we enter the elevator I feel the equillibrium start to shift in my head but you know me and neuronal messages these days, I didn't pick up on that right off! All at once, I found myself lying on my you-know, half in the elevator with Cristy and Mackenzie standing over me in tears from laughing so hard! Guess I misjudged how much weight I could pull! I'm sure the guy at the desk was glad he did me the favor of the discount.

Cast Off

2008-06-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Finally the arm is unleashed! The cast came off last Friday and she was such a big girl! No tears when the machine was roaring, just a little whimper and "all done! all done!" They asked me if I wanted to keep the cast... Hmm, looking at how gross it was, I think I did enough culturing back in micro. I'll just keep it in memory.

Alena has almost completed her first week in the "Two's" class. They are way serious about potty training in this one (or as the new-age educators are calling it - 'toilet learning'...). Hopefully she'll get more interested in HER going than her putting ELMO on the potty.

These are just a few random shots (again) from her little birthday parties. Once again, Ms. Brave was usually as far away from the water toys as physically possible. But she sure hoovered down the food! No shock there.

To start, I took these Wednesday before work/school. It was just one of those days where I looked at her and thought, "She looks way too big". Of course, the attitude with the sunglasses (from her BFF Audri!) doesn't help!.

At Gma Kathy and Gpa John's. Princess dress-up clothes - how appropriate, right PI, PII, and PIII?! (sorry, Brown-family joke)

Hunter

Alexis

Lenie and Audri.

Lauren, Slip 'n Slide Pro

Carly keeping up with Big Sis

Conner breaking the barrier!

(and I had to add this one!) I think this is Audri saying, "I get cameras in my face enough at home, Lady."

Playing on her new swingset. OF course I had to be with her or she wouldn't climb up the ladder.

"Lenie Duke"

2008-06-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

Birthday pictures are a little comical this year what with the cast and all, but I think the cast will be a memorable addition to this year's snaps. It is with great releif that I report the cast will be coming off Wednesday and I know Alena is ready. She has had enough semi-baths and sprinkle showers with a sandwich-sized ziploc baggie rubberbanded to her arm to do her for a while. It is a blessing and a curse that she inherited her dad's melanin since she will probably have a very hip tan when this thing comes off (Yep, it's June 2nd and she is darker than me [I know, not saying much]). I am a little concerned she is going to have a bit of a freak-out when they take the electronic rotary tool to her limb to cut the thing off, though. If you haven't noticed, there must have been a malfunction when bravery was being coded into her DNA. It must have been misread as a second gene for appetite.

She looks a bit like she either just finished a barrel race or just hopped out of the window of a 1970-something Dodge Charger here but either way I am in love with these pics. So glad she was in the mood to 'cheese'.

Birthweek Marathon Begins

2008-05-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

I've noticed a theme lately in the other blogs I often read - how fast time flies. I have to give a giant "ditto" to that, especially since Alena's 2nd birthday is right around the corner.
Alena is the beginning of the fourth generation on my side and the sixth addition to that generation on Greg's. It makes me think of how lucky I have been in my own life to have the vast extended family around me always and how that shaped me as an adult. That goes the same for Greg as well. He lost his grandfather just more than a week ago and there seemed to be a common thread hiding in the three eulogies: that his family never missed an opportuinity to be together. All together. And the reason really goes without saying, (or typing...) but nonetheless, it is that the circle keeps spinning whether we choose to be a part of it or not. Time marches on and we're best to fall in step and soak up every minute.

So, if I can climb out of something that deep...!
Alena got to start celebrating her birthday early - or birthday WEEK, really! Saturday at her Great-Granny Patsy's, we had BBQ with all that that entails. Alena had a ton of fun chasing giant bubbles with her cousins. Almost the entire family was there, except those living in another state or country!

That was followed up by an afternoon birthday in the park on Sunday. Aunt Kathy made Alena birthday strawberries-and-crust and everyone took turns chasing her around the playground equipment. **Extra thanks to Lacey and Jason who did a huge amount of traveling that day to make it to the party!

Nana (my mom) started a birthday tradition last year buying Alena her 'party dress'. These are a few shots of the latest fashion in 2-yr old birthday dresses! *Pink cast sold separately.

Gr-Granny P, Gr-Grandpa Von, Kendon, and Lenie.

Aunt Kathy took this snapshot at the park (with her new Nikon 40D!). That look pretty much translates to "I just have to smile like this and I will get all the cupcakes I want"!