Watermelon Festival 2006 part 2

Don't ask! I don't have a clue want I did wrong to warrant 2 separate posts on the same event but I don't have JK glued to me when I'm posting so there you go. As I was saying....Matthew enjoyed the petting zoo however he enjoyed his hot dog, bright lights and Mommy (yes, Mommy not Daddy this time) winning him a stuffed Tiger on one of the arcade games. I can't believe how blonde he is getting. Now if his eyes turn green or blue I'm really going to freak out. When we met this little bugger, he he had dark brown hair and eyes. Could it possibly be true that lots of love, good nutrition and sunshine make that much of a difference? It sure does with our little Prince.

Until next time, enjoy the pics of the Prince!

Watermelon Festival 2006 part 1

On Sunday 8/13 we took Matthew to the 45th annual Watermelon Festival in Sunland/Tujunga. I mainly wanted Matthew to see the petting zoo and bright lights. He enjoyed everything the 2 hours we were there. They actually ran out of free watermelon right as we got there. Matthew settle for a hotdog and Brian and I split a lemon/watermelon icee thingy from Buon Gusto something or another.

Here are some pictures of Matthew in the petting zoo, he loved the ponys but couldn't get a picture quick enough.

Matthew & Miss Anna Grace

Last Wednesday 8/9/06 Matthew and Anna Grace finally saw each other again since Matthew left the "Big House" on 5/16/06 in Siberia. The reunion wasn't as warm and fuzzy as Chesley and I had envisioned (well, me anyway) it worked out well. The Daddys got to meet and us Mommies got to have our long awaited and much deserved cocktails together finally toasting our children being home. M and AG are a very cute pair. The more they see each other the more they will want to see each other. Personally I wish they lived across the street but if we see them 2-3 times per year that is a gift also. We Mommies really held each others hands through our adoptions between trips 1 and 2 and for that we will forever be linked. Makes only sense that M and AG should get married someday and buy their Mommie's adjoining beachfront Condos on Maui.

We are getting the kiddos together this Sunday for pictures, lunch and lots of playing...wish us luck! Here are some pics from The Cheesecake Factory in Woodland Hills. You probably can't tell from these pictures but once we arrived and requested 2 high chairs we were seated in the back of the restaurant furthest away from civilization.

Matthew is 21 months old today!

Matthew turned 21 months old today and this means he's been ours forever for 3 months and 1 day. The longer we have him, the less I remember about what it was like without him. He got sent home from Nursery school Monday after lunch. No he wasn't fighting or anything. He came down with a fever so Brian went to get him and take him to Dr. Sherman. Diagnosed as a Viral Infection (yes I totally over reacted) and we treated him with Motrin and Tylenol and extra hugs and kisses. He was up and running around by yesterday afternoon. I took him back to school today after sitting on the freeway for nearly 3 hours (victim of the B & J Wine cooler incident on the 5 freeway at Magic Mountain Parkway). He ran right in like he owned the place and didn't even tell Mama goodbye.

Little Man completed week 5 of Nursery School on Friday and did draw one additional picture (used 2 colors this time) and assisted in planting shrubs. He's doing well under the supervision of Denise and Tara and I thank God for those 2 angels every day.

He now weighs a whopping 22 1/2 pounds!

Fire Chief Wess

These are from the photo shoot on Sunday July 30th. He is being entered into their annual "fresh face" contest in which the winner will become the Face of Picture People across the country. I think he looks quite handsome in his Fire Chief outfit but then again Mommy has always had a thing for a man in uniform....prison jumpsuit excluded.

All kidding aside, he was much better at holding a pose for more than half a second this time around. I can't wait to send more pictures to his old orphanage via courier so they can see how much he's grown and how happy he truly is. His girlfriend from the "big house" AG is arriving in town with her Mommy and Daddy today. They are here for 3 weeks. Can't wait to see these two together again. Matthew spent 14 months of his life with this beautiful baby girl and when he sees pictures of her he squeals with delight. Her Mommy and I are going to do a few Mommy & Me things with the kids while they are here including getting their pics taken together. With any luck this can become an annual or semi-annual event depending how often they can visit.

Big Boy Bathtub Fun

Matthew has graduated from his infant/toddler tub on the counter (it is fairly large) to the regular bathtub in the bathroom across from his bedroom. He absolutely loves it! He thinks it's a heated lap pool. He splashes to his hearts content and I barely have to scrub him down at all anymore. He is a big boy now. Just ask him...he'll tell you.

I have more pics that are unedited that I am saving for when he brings his first serious girlfriend home from High School. Don't mess with Mommy!

Week 4 of Nursery School

This past week went by very fast. Matthew appears to be doing well, he enjoys being with the other kids and the structure which is so important. This week they did two art creations. On Thursday they decorated a Strawberry face mask (yes he took a bite out of it!) and on Friday it was a free form drawing. Don't make fun of Matthew's masterpiece just yet. I think the green on white drawing looks just like the planter under Denise's kitchen window from Matthew's point of view. I'm just happy he drew something with the crayon instead of eating it. Denise has also posted a weekly progress chart on the wall. Matthew had 1 green mark which means he did something really well or did something exactly how he was supposed to when he was supposed to. Could have been worse, he could have had several red markers which unfortunately I believe are in his future based on his behavior when I picked him up last night. Onward to week #5! Go Matthew!!!