summer bucket list: slip and slide, take two

After the slip and slide failure last week, I snagged a $5 slip and slide to try again. We have the perfect little hill in our backyard that just screams for a slip and slide!

It took the boys a few minutes to warm up to the idea….

Seriously, this child is so skinny, these 18 month swim trucks fall off him! I don’t have that problem in my bathing suit, for sure!

We added the baby slide for some more speed and the boys had a blast!

I love this series of pictures. They didn’t catch on to the fact that if you stood on the slide, you’d get knocked down… or maybe they just thought it was fun!

Leave them alone for two minutes and I come out to naked slip and sliding! Guess you go faster with no clothes on! Thank goodness for a fenced in yard!

I was laughing so hard at their naked little selves sliding all around. It was so hysterical!

I love my boys. Like a whole stinking lot!

Memorial Day

Our town hosts a Healing Field every Memorial Day weekend. It’s an absolutely breathtaking site and has grown so much over the last four years. I wanted to take my boys to see the flags and just so happened to partake in the closing ceremonies too.

The closing ceremonies were so touching, and really really really hot. But we did get to hear the lead singer of LoneStar who lives here in town. The boys likes the 21 gun salute the best, though!

As adoptive parents, so much weight is put on what you do or do not incorporate from your child’s birth culture. There are folks all over the map on what is right, what’s wrong, what’s not enough, what’s too much. We do our best to navigate that road, to find what fits with our family.

But something that isn’t talked about much, if at all, is teaching your kids American traditions. I guess, we figure they’ll just catch one. I dunno, maybe they will, but we want to be intentional about teaching our boys about traditions and holidays and the real reasons behind things like Memorial Day- it’s not a bbq or a lake weekend… it to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. A freedom they are now a part of. 

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Full circle: Aiden’s homecoming

Last October I did a series of posts on some waiting children to celebrate the anniversary of getting matched with Bates. One of the little guys I blogged about was “Robert”. Well, Robert was matched with some local friends of ours, and by local I mean, live in our neighborhood, can walk to their house, literally around the corner, about 2 blocks away friends.

Today “Robert’s”, now named Aiden, story came full circle when his parents and big brother brought him home and he joined the rest of his family!

And, of course, we love a good airport homecoming, even those in the middle of nap time!

And then… there he was!

Aiden is a daddy’s boy FOR SURE.

Little sister Molly was so excited to give her new big brother a hug! And big sister Mia was about to burst with excitement!

Aiden is scoping out his new best buds. I honestly think he was a little shocked to see some Asian faces!

The Reed Family, now a party of six!

Check out this grin! He was having a blast throwing his cars at folks and saying “uh oh”!

The Brown boys and their new bud and neighbor and his sweet momma!

Welcome home, Aiden!!!

big boy bed

Tonight we converted Brodie’s crib to a toddler “big boy bed”. While he hasn’t climbed out and actually LOVES his bed, but the boys are very soon to be sharing a room and ideally I’d like them to be in the big boy bunk beds we bought them. I thought it’d be best to transition to a big boy bed instead of straight to the top bunk.

I was sad to see the crib front go, my baby is in a toddler bed now. No more baby beds in the house.

And bedtime went surprising really well. We read a book, said his prayers, and he hopped right in the bed and laid down. He cried a few seconds as I walked out of the room, but he never got out of the bed. I stood outside his door and within seconds he had stopped crying and was well on his way to dream land!

I am actually really excited to see what he does when he wakes up in the morning. Brodie is a champ sleeper and is usually awake when I go get him in the morning, but I have no idea what time he actually wakes. He is happy to lay in his bed and play with his puppy until I come get him. I think he might stay in there all day! So I’m kinda excited to see what he does when he realizes he can get up! Here’s to another milestone and time passing way to fast!