Wordless Wednesday

Adjusting

I don't want to give everyone the false idea from looking at all these happy pictures that Jason and Grace's transition was painless.  It has been difficult for everyone involved and we continue to struggle with a few things.  When Jason first arrived, he would throw loud, screaming temper tantrums for little or no reason.  Sometimes the only provocation was me telling him "no" or "not right now".  With time-outs, we have mostly overcome these tantrums, but they resurface now and again.  Later, Jason decided that his frustration would result in biting the nearest object: a shoe, a book or all too often, my son's arm.  That behavior has also been curbed (thank goodness!).  Jason also likes to take off his clothes (diaper included) when we least expect it.  We got some good advice from a friend and have started duct-taping his diapers on.  Now at least he doesn't leave little surprises for us.  Some days are harder than others, but we are trying our best to keep these two happy and cared-for.  They are both eating well and sleeping through the night (good indicators!).  Jason does well in Nursery but is still working on sitting through Sacrament Service without incident.  We're hopeful that he can do it.  Meanwhile, Grace is on a roll!  This girl can roll back to front and back again.  Hooray for strong tummy and neck muscles!  Mobility is right around the corner...

Fountains

Nothing beats the heat like a trip to the park to play in the fountains.  Jason loved it!  Grace liked watching from the shade.

Ice Cream in the Park

One hot night, we went out and got some ice cream and ate it in the park.  Jason ate his fill and then was ready to play.  He is adventurous and was willing to go down any slide.  The swings were another favorite.

4th of July

For Independence Day, we spent the evening at a friend's house. There was a barbecue, slide and pool and fireworks. Jason really enjoyed the pool and glow sticks. Not such a fan of the sparklers. Grace pretty much slept through most of it.

How About a Haircut?

Jason's hair was starting to grow over his ears, so it was time for a haircut.  He did really well and held still for the whole thing.  I think he looks really sharp!  Just for reference, here are the before and after:

You know it's time to bring out those child locks again...

...when the two-year-old gets into the cabinets and puts dog food in EVERY SINGLE PAN!

Get this girl into a yoga class...

Grace loves to chew on her toes. If only those darn sandals weren't in the way!

The Pick-Up

We picked up Jason and Grace in Oklahoma City on June 21st. From the very beginning, Jason showed no inhibitions - he ran right up to me with his arms spread wide in a "pick me up" attitude. In retrospect, a good portion of that may have been due to the Capri Sun pouch glinting from the backseat of the car. As Jason sipped happily from the juice pouch and Grace got "one for the road", we signed documents and received a few helpful instructions, then we were on our way. It was a long journey home, but the kids handled it just fine. We stopped at a McDonalds for dinner. When Jason saw me filling up a cup at the soda fountain, he was so excited! He kept pointing at the cup, so I handed it over. He took a huge slurp and then... opened his mouth and let it all pour out. The look on his face was one of utter betrayal. How dare I give him... WATER! It took a while and a couple chicken nuggets to calm him down from that one.

New Blog

I created this blog by popular demand for people who want to keep up with Jason and Grace but are unable to visit them in person.  I want to start with an open format so people don't have to jump through a million hoops to be able to read it.  I may choose to make it private, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it!