The things we take for granted...

I've been meaning to post about this topic for several weeks now and everytime I think to do it, the boys do some other adorably cute or interesting behavior that I blog about that instead.

Before I forget though, I just have to share about one of the things I take for granted that Gabriel and Michael don't: Groceries.

A few days after we brought the boys home, our refrigerator was running low on supplies and our pantry was missing a few key items so I decided to take my first trip to the grocery story with Michael. Daddy stayed home with Gabriel as we thought it might be easier to have just one little guy at the store instead of two. As Michael and I walked (well Michael rode) up and down the isles, Michael's eyes were wide-open staring at all of the food and supplies. As I filled our cart he continued to watch in a quiet awe as passed each item. And when we checked out,they bagged all of our supplies and his excitement grew. He said, "Mommy, I can't wait to show Gabriel all our stuff!" Not thinking much about his comment we loaded everything up in the car and headed for home.

Michael graciously helped me carry in some of the bags including the ones with the toilet paper (who knew we'd go through so much TP), paper towels (yet another important supply) and the cereal (one of their favorite foods). When Daddy and Gabriel saw us loaded down with supplies they joined the troops in carrying in all the groceries. All in the kitchen, Michael shouted, "Gabriel, look what Mommy and Daddy got us?" as he gently pulled out item after item from the bag and proudly held it up to show his brother. At which Gabriel responded, "Mom, thank you so much for getting us cereal." "Mommy, thank you very much for getting us paper towels" "Mommy, I love you for getting us toilet paper, that was so nice of you." And on and on. By the time they reached the second to last bag, it hit me.

Gabriel and Michael probably haven't always had these basic supplies. Seeing their faces light up like they had just opened up the biggest present to find a brand new shiny bike, when in reality, they were simply holding a bottle of Tide, made my heart ache. I am confident that when I was their age I never thought to say to my mom, "Thanks for buying me toilet paper and laundry detergent so you can wash my clothes mom." I'm sure when I was their age I was "that" child in the grocery store asking my mom for everything in sight and then throwing a tantrum when she said no for the 50th time.

To think that a 3- and a 4-year old would be so thankful for having such basic supplies, makes me count my blessings that we get to be their mom and dad. That night after putting the boys to bed, Jarrett and I talked in depth about how impressed, amazing and stunned we were that the boys would be so expressively thankful for just our basic groceries. We wondered if their reaction was just a fluke since everything was new or if it really was a showing of their appreciation.

The next week and every week since then, the boy's reaction has been the same. "Wow, mom you bought me milk, that is so nice!" "Daddy, thank you so much for the grapes and bananas." "Michael, we are so lucky to get to stay with Mommy and Daddy cause look at all the stuff they bought us to eat." "Mommy, thank you for the onions." and on and on and on.

I use to dread the grocery store because it seemed no matter what day or time I went, it was always crowded and filled with people in a hurry. Now I look forward to going to the grocery store, not because our grocery bill have doubled, but because of the reaction I know I'll receive when I get home.

You are very welcome Gabriel and Michael for those basic supplies. Thank you for being so appreciative and reminding me not to take the most simple of things for granted.

Until next time,
Angie

It's raining, it's pouring, the boys are outside playing...

Today in the desert something happened which doesn't happen all that often... we had a rain storm, or in desert terms, a monsoon.

Although many of the streets were flooded which caused traffic headaches for many, two little boys couldn't have been more happy. Being from the mid-west where it seems to rain every other day, we usually stayed inside and played when it rained. That is not the case if you are a little boy or girl growing up in Arizona. When it rains and pours there's nothing better to do than go outside and jump in the rain...

Until next time, may all your rain showers be happy showers,

Angie

Daddy's Toys

When Daddy was a little boy some of his favorite toys were matchbox cars. He and his brothers would play for hours in the backyard of their home racing them, pretending to be driving the cars and competing to see who had the best one.

As Daddy grew bigger, the time he spent playing with matchbox cars unfortunately grew shorter. In the time I've been married or dating him, I don't think I've ever seen him play with the small cars. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this but with the addition of Gabriel and Michael to our house, Daddy's time of playing with little cars has returned, and boy is he loving it.

The boys have been given several matchbox cars of their own that they enjoy playing with. They race them along the walls, refrigerator, dishwasher, cupboards, beds, basically everywhere but on the floor (where they should race them) in our home.

This past weekend, Jarrett and I were able to add to the boy's excitement of their small collection of cars by going up into the attic and bringing down all of the cars Daddy use to play with as a little boy. Thankfully Nana and Papa (his mom and dad) saved many of the toys Jarrett played with as a boy and after we were married they gave them to us so we could someday let our children play with them.

For the past 7 years, every time I would climb into the attic or into our storage closet, I would see the boxes marked "Jarrett's childhood toys" . Each and every time I would see the boxes my heart would ache that we didn't have anyone to share them with. This past weekend we were able to fulfill yet another hope and dream by dusting off the boxes and bringing them down to share with our boys.

You would have thought it was Christmas yet again at the Haskovec house. Gabriel, Michael and Daddy spent hours carefully inspecting each car, taking inventory of how many cars they had total and racing them to see which ones are the fastest. It didn't matter that some of the cars had all of their paint scratched off, or if a car was missing a door. For the boys they felt so lucky to be able to play with their Daddy's toys and for their Daddy, he was able to reminisce about his wonderful youth and celebrate his blessings of two wonderful sons that he can share part of himself with.

I'm sure we'll have many more Matchbox Saturdays (and Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays; well you get the point). I'm so happy for Jarrett to be able to share this with his boys, as I can see the pride and happiness he has in getting to celebrate this special dream he's carried in his heart for so long too.

Here's some photos of a Daddy having fun with his boys....

Until next time,

Angie

Cheers!

Somewhere, sometime, someplace, the boys must have seen someone doing "cheers" at the dinner table. Last night when we were eating dinner Gabriel asked if we could "cheers." Daddy agreed and we cheered to our family.

This morning I made banana french toast and as usual, we served the boys first while Daddy and I finished getting our plates together. Daddy and I must have gotten a little distracted talking about something because the boys started taking amongst themselves. With the sounds of their glasses clinking together Jarrett and I stopped talking and looked over to see Gabriel and Michael doing "cheers" at the table. Gabriel said, "Cheers Michael for getting to stay with Mommy and Daddy." "Yea Gabriel that's a good cheers."

The cheers proceeded to turn into more cheers all for the following things...

"Cheers Michael for staying with Grandpa Chip and Grandma Darlene."
"Cheers Gabriel for staying with Nana and Papa"

"Cheers for staying with Uncle Adam, Uncle Nolan, Uncle Jeremy and Uncle Jonas"

"And our cousins."

"Oh yea and more cheers for Aunt Megan, Aunt Trisha and Aunt MaeLyn!"

"Oh yea cheers for staying forever with Jack"

"Oh Gabriel, what about Grandpa Ray, Grandma Dorrie and Grandma Hazel, cheers to them too okay?"

"Michael let's cheer our whole big big big big big new family."
"Yea!"

Sometimes we forget to count our blessings. Gabriel and Michael reminded us this morning, we have so many things to be thankful for. Cheers to all of them!

Until next time,

Angie

Mom, will you ask God...

When you were a child did you listen to what was said in church? I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but as a kid I don't remember listening to anything that was said in church. I guess I always thought that what ever was being said was only for adults. I did know though, that I was suppose to be quiet and sit patiently until the last "Amen" song and then we could go home.

I guess I just assumed the same situation would happen with Gabriel and Michael when we took them to church. However, after the last few weeks I've found out that not only are Gabriel and Michael sitting quietly while we are in church, but they are also listening attentively.

Every week at church before communion the priest recites the Communion Rite and talks about the Body and Blood of Christ. For the last few weeks every time Gabriel and Michael hear the word blood they turn to me and whisper "Mom, why did he say blood?" I whisper back that I'll explain later and we move on with the rest of the service. Until last week, I had forgotten to explain to the boys why Father Gary always says that and so I did my best to explain the whole story of why God died for us. Trying to explain such a complex story in 3- and 4-year-old terms was quite a challenge, so I tried to simplify it by saying, "God died so that we can live and when he passed away he was bleeding. That is why they say body and blood of Christ." The boys seemed to understand it at that point, but now they are truly inquisitive about God, Jesus Christ and Heaven. In the car today we had a conversation about Heaven. It went like this...

Michael: "Mom, tell me the story about God and Grandma Virginia?"
Me: "Well Michael, God wanted Grandma Virginia to join him in Heaven so she passed away to go and be with him."
Gabriel: "Why does she live in Heaven?"
Me: "Well she lives there because she wants to be with God."
Michael: "Oh, can I live in Heaven?"
Me: "Um, honey not now, you have to stay here with us for a long long long long long long time. You won't go to Heaven until you are really really really really old okay?"
Michael: "Mom, will you go to Heaven?"
Me: "I really hope so honey but again not for a long long long long long time, okay?"
Michael: "Mom, when you go to Heaven, I will go with you so you don't have to go alone okay?"
Me (with tears in my eyes): "Honey, that is really nice of you to say.
Michael: "Mom, will you ask God if I can go with you?"
Me:"Um, we'lll see honey, I think God will want you to stay here."
Gabriel: "Mom, if we go to Heaven, who will stay in our house?"
Me: "Um, I don't know Gabriel."
Gabriel: "Mom, will you ask God to keep our house for us when we go to Heaven so no one takes it?"
Me: "Sure, now look over there, there's a fire truck."

Thank goodness for distractions. I had no idea Church could bring up so many hard questions. I though at this age they'd only be asking me, "Mom, what's that?" "Mom, can I have this?" "Mom, why do birds fly?" I think I can answer those questions, but the questions I've gotten today; wow, they are keeping me on my toes.

Until next time,
Angie

We LOVE New York and Uncle Nolan!

Uncle Nolan, who moved to New York earlier this summer, came back for the weekend to visit. He brought all of his nephews and niece a gift. Can you guess what it was?

Thanks Uncle Nolan for the gift! We love New York, but we love you more!

Make a hole for the mice mom

Earlier this week the boys and I made a trip to Pet Smart to get Jack, our puppy, some dog food. While we were there the boys studied all of the smaller creatures Pet Smart has available for sale. They have hermits, mice, rats and gerbils, not to mention the birds and the fish. Seriously, it is almost better than the zoo, and comes at pretty much the same cost. The boys watched in awe as the mice and rats scurried around their cages and ran around the wheels that were in their homes.

As we left the store I had the bag of food hanging from my right arm, our 5lb Yorkie in the other (because the pavement is too hot and can burn his feet), Gabriel holding onto my elbow and Michael gripping my pinkie finger. While I was trying to watch for cars to cross the street and maneuvering the craziness in my arms, all I could think about was getting home. The boys, on the other hand though, had all the time they needed to come up with a great idea they keep begging me to go along with.

When we pulled into the garage Gabriel announced, "Oh Mom, I have an idea! When we get inside I'll tell you okay mom?" "Okay Gabriel" thinking he's probably going to ask me for some candy treat or to play some game with him. Upon entering the door he raced off to the kitchen, screaming for me to follow behind him. With my curiosity peaked, I followed, wondering what he was about to tell me. Instead of him jumping at the bit to tell me something, he was bent over looking at the exterior wall and measuring a space with his hands. "Gabriel honey, what are you doing?" "Mom, I'm measuring a hole for the mice." "For what?" "For mice mom." What mice Gabriel?" "Mom, the mice that can live in our house." "Oh really Gabriel, you think we need to have mice in our home?" "Yes Mom, just like me and Daddy and you and Michael and Jack live in our house, we should have mice live in our house too. That's n idea, isn't it mom?" "Oh yes, Gabriel that is quite the idea." "See Mom, we can cut a circle in the wall here so the mice can come in and out to eat and go potty" "Well I'm just happy that they have to go outside to go potty" "Oh yes mom, they're too little to go potty in the big potty. They can go outside just like Jack" "Um Gabriel that is a great idea but I think we'll let the mice live somewhere else, we just don't have room in our house for mice. "Mom, can they live in someone else's house?" "Um, I don't know anyone who would like to have mice in their house." "But where are they going to live?" "Outside" "But mom, it is too hot outside." "Um..." running out of answers and not sure how to end the conversation all I could think to say was... "Yea, maybe you should ask Daddy where they can live because honey, mommy doesn't want mice living in our house." "Okay mom, when is dad coming home from work?"

Thanks Daddy for helping answer this one.

Until next time,
Angie

My new new new school!

For weeks Gabriel and Michael have been talking about going to school and what it was going to be like. Each of them had their own vision of what school was. For Gabriel it was a day filled with countless playtime, snacks and learning. For Michael it was a day following his big brother in what ever activity he was participating in.

Today the boy's make-believe vision of school became a reality as they actually went to school.

Normally Gabriel is up and in full speed before 6:30 every morning but today he must have wanted to be extra rested for his first day because I had to wake them both up at 7:05. From the moment Gabriel woke up, he realized it was finally the day he's been dreaming about for a very long time. It took him less than 20 minutes to get dressed, comb his hair, eat 2 bowls of cereal, brush his teeth and put his shoes on. Before I could get Michael out of his pajamas after eating a banana, Gabriel was standing at the door telling me to "Hurry up Mom, I don't want to be late for school."

I anticipated leaving the house about 10 minutes late but because of the excitement the boys had for school, we actually ended up leaving the house 20 minutes early. As we drove to the school the boys were happily singing songs they learned from Bible School, I guess they were expecting the same experience. I, on the other hand, had a stomach full of nerves as I tried to prep them for what their new experience was going to be like. Gabriel your teacher's names are Ms. Valerie and Ms. Megan (and no not Aunt Megan, she is back in Iowa). Michael your teachers names are Ms. V and Ms. Kate okay? You'll have to use your inside voices when you are in your classroom and Michael if you have to go potty please go right to your teacher and say, "Please can I go potty?" Before I could get through my never-ending lists of reminders, we had arrived in the school parking lot and my voices was being out-shouted by the boys cheers of excitement. "Mom, look at that playground! Oh I can't wait to play"

Once inside I talked with the school director as they showed me how to sign in and what to do each day and then she said, "Who would like to see their room first?" I responded Gabriel, I had thought this through. If Michael had to go first he wouldn't want to stay in his classroom by himself if Gabriel wasn't there. It was better to make sure Michael saw Gabriel happy in his room, so Michael would be excited about his room. Gabriel bounced down the hall following right behind the school director and as she opened the door his eyes lit up. He nervously walked in but never hesitated in greeting the teacher. Ms. Valerie took his hand and immediately welcomed him to the rest of the class. She then took him over to see some toys. He left my hand without hesitation and didn't look back as he went across the room. He truly was ready and craving the desire to go to school.

Knowing Gabriel was set and happy to be in his classroom, we moved onto helping Michael find his new room. Michael still holding my hand was in between the school director and me as we walked down the hallway. As she was talking Michael looked up at her and then took her hand so that he was supported on both sides as we entered his classroom. It is kind of a surreal environment, that is going into a child care facility. Imagine opening a door to a bunch of three year old, some screaming that someone has just taken their toy, others laughing as they play with their friends, and a few little ones standing in the middle of the room bawling their eyes out that their mommy or daddy has just left them. It didn't seem to be too traumatic for Michael but inside I was a mess, thinking to myself, I can't leave him here, he's too little and needs me to do so many things for him, who's going to help him now. Michael's teacher, Ms. V came right up to us and greeted Michael with a smile and a gentle hug and then she turned to me and said, "Mom, it is going to be okay." Maybe I looked a little shocked. She explained how she runs her classroom and what their routine is for the day. After about 5 minutes of talking she took Michael by the hand and asked if he was ready to play. He released the death grip he had on my leg and proceeded hand in hand as she lead him to an activity table where the little ones were playing Lego's. I took that as my cue to step out of the room. Although I worried about not saying an official good-bye I got the drift that, no official good-bye was the best route to take.

I walked out the door and off to begin my day at work. I did my best to try and stay focused on the tasks the cover my desk, but my mind seemed to always drift back to those two little boys and wondering how they were doing. I kept telling myself that they were fine, they had to be, I told the staff at the school probably 10 times that if they needed anything or if the boys weren't doing well with the school day to call me at any time. I hadn't received a call so I guessed that must have meant they were doing okay. Finally at noon I gave in to the urge I had been fighting since 8:15 a.m. and I called to check in on them. The report for Gabriel was all glowing marks. The program director said, "Gabriel's report so far this morning is that he is an absolutely wonderful little boy and he is actively engaging in the lessons and activities Ms. Valerie had planned. Michael's report was still positive but not as glowing... for him they said he's been doing pretty good adjusting to the class and Ms. V has really enjoyed getting to know him. I'm not exactly sure how to speak/read day-care code so if anyone can translate what that means, I'm all ears.

As the minutes and hours seemed to drag by I finally got myself into a project when I realized it was finally time to leave. I race out of the office and could hardly get to the school fast enough. As I walked it I wanted to observe before making my appearance and since I dropped Gabriel off first, I decided he got to be the first one picked up. I peered through the window in the door to see that he was sitting at a project table working with his teacher on an art project. When I opened the door and waved, we made eye contact and I could see the relief in his eyes as he turned to the teacher and said, "That's my mom, can I leave now?" Yes she said and he walked right over to me.

His first question to me was "Mom, where's Michael?" I should have known, always his brother's keeper, this was the first day in probably their whole lives that they were separated for more than 2 hours. We quickly walked to Michael's classroom and opened the door to see all of Michael's classmates sitting quietly in their chairs while Michael seemed to be walking aimlessly around the classroom with a scared look on his face. As soon as he saw Gabriel and I he couldn't get to us fast enough. He was ready to leave and could have cared less that he was just about to miss his snack. And if you know Michael, food and eating are one of his favorite activities.

Seeing his pale and scared expression I could tell the day was a little bit overwhelming for him and inside my heart was breaking. Upon seeing both of us Michael said, "Mom, I go with you and I don't go to school okay?" Gabriel then told me that Michael cried when he saw him on the playground because he wasn't able to go with Gabriel into Gabriel's class.

As we walked out of the school I think all of us were exhausted with the emotional roller coaster ride the day had presented us. Gabriel seemed to be on a high from all that he did and couldn't wait to get home to show me how to dance the snake, cow and monkey dance he learned. Michael on other hand asked me at least 50 times why he couldn't go with Gabriel into his class and if he had to go back to school? I think the transition for school might be a little more difficult for him but I remind myself that this will also be a good experience. They will indeed learn a lot, make friends their age, and develop their own identity (especially important in Michael's case). Although it will be hard for all of us to transition into our new schedule, I guess this is a stage in life that would eventually come whether the boys are 3 and 4 or 5 and 6. It isn't just Gabriel and Michael that are feeling the change, I think mom is too.

Until next time,

Angie

The first picture of many more "First day of school photo" to come.

Another one of the best friends and brothers.

Michael's project he finally decided to show me later tonight. As the evening progresses, school didn't seem so bad. Here is the picture of his monkey project he made for us.

I have been blessed.

I can't count the number of times I've thought over the past few months how lucky I am. I know I've blogged about this before but I feel that unless I'm screaming it from the rooftops, I just can't convey how happy and fortunate I feel I am. Jarrett and I have waited a very long time to have a family and someday I'll share the story of what "that time" in our life was like, but it would be fair to say that it always felt like something was missing.


Jarrett and I love each other very much and seem to grow closer and closer with each passing day, but I think if you were to ask us if our lives were complete prior to April 29, 2010 (the day we found out we were selected to be parents for Gabriel and Michael), our answer would have been no. I've long to have children and a family for many many years and in the last few years I'm confident Jarrett's desire matched mine.


That waiting time was hard, very hard and sometimes we wondered if God would ever bless us with children. I think you find yourself second guessing what your purpose is in life. I always thought I was supposed to be a mom, but maybe God thought I was suppose to be something else. I'm so thankful to be able to put those thoughts, scratch that, actually you could call them fears behind me.


I'm so happy to be able to say that I've found my purpose in life. That purpose is not defined by my title at work, the size of my house, or the car I drive. My purpose is to be a mom and the best mom I can be to these two little boys.


Five years ago on Friday my grandma Virginia passed away and I will always morn the fact that she didn't get to see my children. My grandma was a wonderful mother and grandmother and I was blessed to be very close to both her and my grandpa. Grandma Virigina was an avid doll collector, I'm not sure how many dolls she had but as a little girl growing up, I loved going to her house to see the walls and walls of glass hutches filled with beautiful, porcelain dolls. For a little girl it was a dream house. The Christmas before she passed away Grandma gave me a gift that I will always cherish... it was a baby doll, one of the dolls she had collected and saved for me. When I opened the carefully wrapped package to see a porcelain baby doll dressed in a light pink-laced dress, I looked up to see that she had come across the room and said, "Maybe some day soon Doll (that is what she'd always call me) you'll have a baby that you can start collecting dolls for." I've always remembered what she said and prayed for the day when I could fulfill her (and my dream).


Although Gabriel and Michael aren't into dolls, I do feel in some strange way, that I'm fulfilling our dreams. My grandmother was a very religious person and for God to have blessed us with Gabriel and Michael (God's two archangels), I find peace in somehow thinking she's watching down on us smiling.



Thank you God for bringing us these two little boys. They are more perfect than I dream and prayed for. So today, as we spend a family day together, I just want to shout from the mountain tops, "Thank you God! I have been so blessed."



Our little boy is learning how to write his name... when he came to our house he didn't know a single letter. I'm so proud of him.







Michael, loves his milk and yogurt!

















My little cup-cake decorators... work in progress!

The finished products!







Until next time,
Angie

So much fun...Wobble Gobbles and all!

Today was a big day for the boys. For the past two weeks they have gotten to wake up, scarf down a bowl of cereal and then partake in what has become one of their favorite activities.... swimming.

Today was the last day of swimming lessons. When the boys came to us, swimming was almost like a foreign object to them. Their foster family has a swimming pool but when we saw it, it didn't have water in it and in asking the boys we soon learned that their idea of swimming was splish splashing around in one of those plastic pools you can buy at Target. With Jarrett and I both swimming fans, we couldn't wait to introduce them to the pool.

Gabriel, having more of a cautious and reserved personality was at first a little afraid and scared. On his first trip he wore his life jacket, two arm floaties and carried a water noodle while he tip-toed into the first two steps of the pool. His brother Michael on the other hand, responded in the complete opposite manner. Although we made him wear a life jacket, Michael approached the water full speed ahead and did a face flop (similar to the belly flop only where you plant your face into the water in the same manner as you would you belly in the other type of flop) into the deepest part of the pool. He showed no fear. As you can imagine Jarrett and I realized signing them up for swimming lessons was a top priority.

Throughout this summer, since I've been blessed to be a home for the majority of it, we've spent a lot of time in the pool practicing how to bob our heads, blow bubbles and how to kick our feet. Although I feel like we've seen their swimming skills grow significantly, taking them to swimming lessons has been amazing.

In their first few days in the "Shrimp" class they learned how to swim underwater to retrieve items, how to do the crawl stroke and how to roll from their back to their stomach to begin swimming. It has been wonderful to watch their confidence and ability to move throughout the water grow. The fear Gabriel possessed has turned into a controlled and low level of concern as he now knows what to do in situations that used to make him afraid. And Michael I think he is starting to learn that he needs to have some fear of the water and that he does not have gills. Seriously, for a while there I think he thought he could be Nemo. Last week he told me, "Mommy, I can't breathe under water." Yes Michael that is why you have to wait until we can catch you before you jump

Today as the boys received their first report card and got all passing marks, I felt proud that their progress was apparent not only to Jarrett and I, but also to their favorite swimming teacher Melanie. Shrimp class complete, next step... ducks.

Until next time,



Angie

PS: And if you are wondering what Wobble Gobbles are... they are those things that Michael is wearing on his face in the first picture. We've told the boys a few time they are called water goggles, but they insist and correct us by saying, "No mom, they're called Woggle Gobbles."

Googoo for Gaga

Last Friday morning when I was folding the 3rd of my now 5th load of daily laundry, I had the Today show on to watch their summer concert series. I normally don't pay too much attention to the show after Ann Curry does her normal 7:10 a.m. news brief. It seems after 7:10 our morning flys by, but last Friday I had decided to tune in for extra time because Lady Gaga was going to be performing. The boys seemed to be happy entertaining themselves with their awesome Buzz Lightyear toys (thanks Kathy), so I thought I might finally get the chance to see a few more minutes of the show.

Now, I'm not that much of a Lady Gaga fan but I do have to say she is intriguing... if it isn't her music I'm tuning in for, it is for those crazy outfits. Every time I see her, her outfit seems even more outrageous than the time before. When I heard she was going to be on the Today Show I thought to myself, wow, she is really going to have to tame down her look. And thus, I continued to fold clothes and watch for her to take the stage.

Just as it seem with any show I try to catch these days, something else becomes a higher priority and on this day, the higher priority was the buzzer from the washing machine telling me my next load of clothes was ready to be switched out. As I quickly tried to move the white clothes from the washer to the dryer, I could hear in the other room that the Today Show had come back on and that Ms. Gaga was singing her famous "Bad Romance" song. As I raced back to my bedroom, expecting to just see the TV, I was instead surprised to see this...

Michael had climbed all the way up onto our high bed and was perched at the end, watching with googly eyes as Ms. Gaga sprawled out on a piano and sang her heart out.

It was too funny and it caught me off guard to even know exactly how to respond. He was completely enthralled with her. As soon as the song was over he said, "Mommy she's naughty... we don't crawl on pianos and we don't put our feet on a piano, right mom!" That is correct Michael, maybe we should go play now okay? Mommy, I want to watch her... Mommy what is her name? Lady Gaga.... oh I like Lady Gaga even though she is naughty, she sings pretty.

And thanks to the Today Show, Ms Gaga has a new fan that has gone googoo for her. Thanks Lady Gaga, I now have to explain every morning that it is naughty to crawl on pianos but it is only okay if Lady Gaga does it.

Until next time,

Angie

Mom, I want to adopt you.

Since I've been home with the boys I've discovered a show on the Discovery Health channel that like I like to watch while I clean up the house, fold laundry, wash dishes and while the boys are napping. Today though, our schedule was a little changed around since Gabriel has a dentist appointment. So while I was cleaning up lunch and while the boys were playing with a few toys, I had on the TV on to watch "An Adoption Story." I guess you could say this show really strikes a cord with me. The stories always seem to get me, and today when the adoptive mom finally got to meet her adoptive son, tears came to my eyes because I knew just how happy she was at that very moment. Not realizing that Michael had tuned into the show as well, he suddenly asked, "Mom, what is she doing?" I replied, "Michael she is adopting that little boy. Just like we are adopting you and Gabriel. Do you know what adoption means?" He smiled and said, "No" and thus started a conversation that I've been wondering about for a while now.

I said, Michael, adoption means that we get to give you our last name and then you get to stay with us forever and ever.
His smile growing wider, he screamed, "FOREVER AND EVER MOMMY?"
"Yes Michael forever!"
"Mommy, can I adopt you?"
Pausing a moment to try and figure out how to answer that one I decided that yes he could adopt me. "Yes, honey you can adopt me too"
What about Daddy, can we adopt him?
"Of course Michael."
At this point, we had also caught Gabriel's attention who was in the bathroom taking care of some business, when he shouted, "Mom, come here... I want to be adopted."
As the conversation transitioned to the bathroom, both of them became passionate about the idea being adopted. I proceeded to tell them about what we get to look forward to in November when our adoptive is finalized.

Gabriel and Michael in November, we get to have a very special day where we go to the court, you know, the place where Daddy sometimes goes to work, and we get to sit in front of a judge. The judge, with the big black robe, will ask you what your name is and you can reply..." pausing to let the boys respond.
" Michael Haskovec (which at this point sounds more like Hassoeck) and Gabriel Haskovec"
"That is right boys, and then you know what he'll say?..."
"He'll say congratulations then, that means you get to stay with Mommy and Daddy forever!"
At which point both of the boys screamed "Yea!!!!!!!!"
Michael then asked, "And that means we never have to go back to Sally (foster mom's) place again?"
That is correct Michael, we can always visit with them and go see them but that means you will always get to stay with us.
Again shouts of happiness and approval rained throughout our tiny bathroom.
Gabriel then asked, "Mom, do Michael and I get to adopt you and Daddy on that day too"
"Absolutely honey, we'll all adopt each other and that means we will become our own forever family"
And then as if we had finished reading one of the boy's Disney books, that always ends with, and they lived happily ever after, Michael smiled and said, "The End!"

Until next time,
Angie

PS: I want to mention that the boy's foster mom/family are truly wonderful people. Even though Michael mentioned he didn't want to go back there, I want to be clear, that they are truly amazing people who love these little boys with their whole hearts. Jarrett and I couldn't be more appreciative for what they did to help raise Gabriel and Michael. Everyday, I count my blessings that they were with them, because they did an amazing job caring for, loving and guiding them. I think Gabriel and Michael say they don't want to go back not because they don't like them, but only because they seem so desperate to have a forever home with a Mommy and Daddy they never have to leave.

Is it too soon to be girl crazy?

Today I decided to take the boys to get a haircut. Now they've already had two haircuts since they've been with us. The first one thankfully was given by my mom and they looked so nice. Then, before we went back to Iowa I decided to try my hand at giving them a cut. That is where I made the mistake. Granted, no one back in Iowa said anything about how uneven or choppy their hair looked, I think everyone was trying to be kind. But, every night, when I give them a bath and comb their hair it makes me crazy because I can tell just how bad of a job I did. So today, I decided to fix that.

After meeting Uncle Jonas last week, the boys have become obsessed. They want to do anything and everything to be like Uncle Jonas. They wear fire boots around the house almost 13 of the 14 hours of the day they are awake, they pretend to drive big cranes, fight fires and flex their muscles to try and be just like him. I should have come to expect it, but today, when I was driving them to get their haircut I said, "Now boys, how do you want to have your hair cut?" To which the immediate shout was, "Just like Uncle Jonas!" With such a firm answer I couldn't help but try and fulfill their wish. I did my best to describe to the stylist what to do, but basically I told them to cut it short and even (the keyword) and then in the front to gel and spike it.

Remembering how well the boys sat for their previous 2 haircuts, I was a little nervous this experience could go south at any moment. To my surprise Michael and Gabriel climbed right up in the chair and with their superman and batman capes they each sat very still. It was so cute to watch. As each stylist cut their hairs shorter, the smiles on their faces grew bigger. It was obvious that it wasn't just their mom that thought they looked pretty cool. In fact as we were walking out the store Gabriel said to me, "Mom, do you think Ava would like my haircut?"

Here's a little background on that... when we were in Iowa and went to the farm the boys were able to meet my cousin Eric's little girls. He has three adorable little girls. The oldest, Ava is Gabriel's age and his youngest, twins Kelly and Jordan are Michael's age. From the moment the boys met the girls I think they developed a crush. The entire time we were back in Iowa they asked about the girls. They wondered if they were playing outside or if they were taking a nap. They asked to have them come over and play and they asked if they could have them to our house in Arizona to go swimming with them. Gabriel would talk about how him and Ava are alike because they are the same age, they have the same color hair and they have a matching tooth. In his mind he is convinced that they were just simply made for each other.

So when Gabriel asked me if I thought Ava would like his haircut, I couldn't help but smile and laugh on the inside, that my little 4-year-old was already thinking about what girls would think of how he looked. I of course answered right away, "Oh yes Gabriel I think she would really like it, I think she'd say you look very handsome." At which he said, "Mom, do you think she'd want to give me a kiss on the cheek? Laughing now out loud I said, "Maybe honey but mom sure thinks you look kissably cute" and then I kissed him.

As we got into the car, the boys then decided to start listing off all of the girls they've met that might like their new look. The conversation (if you could call it that) went something like this,

Michael: "Mom do you think Kat would think I look pretty?

With no time for me to answer Gabriel said "Mom, would Chloe like my haircut?"

Michael: "Mom, would Jordan and Kelly kiss my cheek?"

Gabriel: "Oh Mom, I know, Kathy would like my haircut wouldn't she?"

And the list of pretty girls kept going on and on and on.

I've been told to watch out when the boys become girl crazy. I had no idea I'd have to prepare myself for when they were 3 and 4. I thought I could at least wait until they were 13 and 14.

As long as it is all innocent fun, I'm okay with it. So without further ado, here's the newest look of my little boys, Gabriel and Michael (sporting their new Uncle Jonas haircut). You might notice the more photos I took, the more they tried to work the camera.

So here you go girls, these shots are for you!

And Last but not least, here's one flexing their muscles. Thanks Uncle Jonas for showing them this one!

Until next time,

Angie

Iowa Vacation Pt 2

One day we went biking as a family and here is a shot of Grandpa Chip and Gabriel with the dam in the background. We were so proud of Gabriel that day, he rode about 8 miles that afternoon. We joked saying he almost rode the training wheels right off of his bike.
Another one of Grandma toys the boys found, were the Halloween masks. It was so cute seeing them run all over the house showing off just how funny they looked.

Here's a photo of Michael on our "fishing trip." He enjoyed spending the entire afternoon bonding with the worms. Even though it looks like he's just about to take a bite, we made sure he knew NOT to put them anywhere near his mouth.

Here's Granpda Chip and Gabriel showing off their large mouth bass. Gabriel was quite the fisherman that day.

A view of the lake at my Grandpa Rays house. It is such a peaceful and beautiful place. If you remember the saying "Is this Heaven? No, its Iowa." The views from my grandpa's place sure reminds me of that saying.

Great Grandpa Ray showing Gabriel a big truck. It was so much fun introducing the boys to their new family. I have a very proud 85 year old Grandpa who smilied more than I've seen in a long time. I think he fell in love at first sight too.

Another shot of Uncle Jonas, Gabriel and Michael with their fire pants on. It was such a highlight for the boys to experience what Uncle Jonas does when he's responding to emergencies. Were all proud of him and his service to help others.

My Anut Donna, Uncle Rick, Cousins Eric, Stephanie, Tyler and Sarah along with their kids invited us to the farm to give the boys a new experience with all of the animals. Although Gabriel and Michael loved the cows, the horses and the calves, another highlight was this Power Wheels Jeep, which they took turns riding on until they ran it out of "grass" (as Michael says).

In this photo Gabriel is getting an up close and personal experience in milking a cow. Thankfully cousin Eric volunteered to show him how its done.

IOWA!!!! A quick photo recap.

Uncle Jonas on his motorcycle... we didn't let them drive it but they loved sitting on it!

Uncle Jonas the firefighter gave the boys a tour of the fire station. The boys LOVED trying on all of the gear and they are now all about being a firefighter.

The first thing the boys said as they looked out the window over Iowa was, "Mom look at all the places we can play in the grass". Here is a shot of the boys enjoying a walk around the lake at my Grandpa Rays house.

Since we were in Iowa we of course had to visit the farm. Michael's favorite part was letting the baby calves suck on his fingers. He thought it tickled.

We went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D while we were in Iowa. Here's a shot of my family just before we entered the theater.