Sunday, December 28, 2008
Christmas Video
Scott put together and posted a video of the kids opening some of their presents, including those from family members. It's at gallery.mac.com/scottegarner, if you want to see it. We're enjoying a very relaxing break. The weather has been awful so we haven't been out much, but we've been playing foosball, ping-pong, uno attack, and dodging nerf darts. Also working on the puzzle that Beanie and Tallis gave us (it's hard!) I've already put most of the Christmas stuff away, kind of early, but good to get it done. I'm trying to organize as I go, including vacuuming up all the dead bugs (eww!) in the storage room.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Thank You Very Much!!!
Here's a big thank you to family for our wonderful presents. I have to say, the one I've enjoyed the most today is the Ogden Nash book of poems by Kim and Val. Who knew he was so prolific, or erudite (a little interjection of scholarly commentary). He's got a great one, "Allergy in a Country Churchyard." I foresee lots of Findelmeyer Proposition posts in the future. Fun!!!! We're also looking forward to digging into the Girl Scout Cookies.
Beebs and Scott, we are still figuring out the bean game (I'm a little slow) but it looks really fun. And the kids love Corduroy, Ethan had a copy when he was a little boy and he ripped it.
Mom and Dad, we're excited to use the veggie chopper, Ethan is going to have some fun reading ahead, and the kids loved the hot chocolate and new spoons in their stockings. I personally can't wait to see the cousins book and the calendars. Thanks to Hilary for the pretty container and the licorice (we have had so much sugar today you can't believe it!)
We've already used Heidi's early present, the "green bags." I've been working on the penguin puzzle off and on all day. I have all the easy parts done, and now I'm pulling my hair out working on the hard parts. And thanks to Kyle for the Amazon gift card, I'm really looking forward to using it!
Grandma and Grandpa Garner gave the kids "Wall-E" and "Prince Caspian," as well as some video games - - they're so excited! The only thing better would be if you could have been here yourselves!
It looks like we won't be making it out to Idaho, the weather there is too bad to risk the roads. So we'll hunker down in the bad weather here. This has been such a fun, lazy day, the perfect Christmas. We miss you all and love you so much!
Beebs and Scott, we are still figuring out the bean game (I'm a little slow) but it looks really fun. And the kids love Corduroy, Ethan had a copy when he was a little boy and he ripped it.
Mom and Dad, we're excited to use the veggie chopper, Ethan is going to have some fun reading ahead, and the kids loved the hot chocolate and new spoons in their stockings. I personally can't wait to see the cousins book and the calendars. Thanks to Hilary for the pretty container and the licorice (we have had so much sugar today you can't believe it!)
We've already used Heidi's early present, the "green bags." I've been working on the penguin puzzle off and on all day. I have all the easy parts done, and now I'm pulling my hair out working on the hard parts. And thanks to Kyle for the Amazon gift card, I'm really looking forward to using it!
Grandma and Grandpa Garner gave the kids "Wall-E" and "Prince Caspian," as well as some video games - - they're so excited! The only thing better would be if you could have been here yourselves!
It looks like we won't be making it out to Idaho, the weather there is too bad to risk the roads. So we'll hunker down in the bad weather here. This has been such a fun, lazy day, the perfect Christmas. We miss you all and love you so much!
Family Christmas Letter
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALI, SCOTT, ETHAN, AND NOAH
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one annual Christmas letter from the Garners!
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . two front teeth. Noah's baby ones were knocked out in a sledding accident in February and his new ones have finally poked through!
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . three new appliances. Our dryer, refrigerator and sump pump all bit the dust this year and had to be replaced. We're taking bets on which goes next, the washing machine or the dishwasher.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . four hours a week, that's how much Ali continues to work at the dental office. She's also president of the county Down syndrome organization and secretary in her church young women's group.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . five fun family outings. We went downtown to see "Peter and the Wolf," and also a performance by the pianist Lang Lang. Over spring break we took a little road trip and visited the Virginia Zoo and Hershey, Pennsylvania. And during Thanksgiving we went on a cruise.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one student in 6th grade. Yes, Ethan turned 11 and graduated from elementary school. He loves middle school and has made a lot of new friends. He keeps busy with scouts, as well as piano and guitar lessons. And he spends a fair amount of time playing his nintendo.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . seven times a hundred approximate hours of paperwork for our adoption. First our country (Vietnam) closed, so we changed to domestic. Then our agency went out of business. We're with a new agency now and have high hopes for a new baby sometime next year!
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eight family visits, some here, and some in Utah, Idaho, Canada and Virginia. Also a great family trip to Disneyland with Ali's sister's family. Fun!
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one nine-year-old Noah! Noah has made great progress over the past year, especially with speech and writing. He loves to carry a little notebook around with him and write down random numbers. He's always happy and smiling, and entertains us every day.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . ten family favorites: Monk (tv show), fresh guacamole, a snowblower that works, traveling, Costco, guitar music by Christopher Parkening, pirates (Noah especially), Yahtzee, the Simpsons, and french toast (Ethan has become very good at making it).
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . a new job with the 11-year old scouts for Scott! He's not super excited about the camping part, but enjoys spending time with Ethan and his buddies every Wednesday night. Scott also has been playing a lot of tennis with his friends at the new gym near our house.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . twelve months of happiness, and hopes for a wonderful holiday season and new year to our dear friends and family!
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one annual Christmas letter from the Garners!
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . two front teeth. Noah's baby ones were knocked out in a sledding accident in February and his new ones have finally poked through!
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . three new appliances. Our dryer, refrigerator and sump pump all bit the dust this year and had to be replaced. We're taking bets on which goes next, the washing machine or the dishwasher.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . four hours a week, that's how much Ali continues to work at the dental office. She's also president of the county Down syndrome organization and secretary in her church young women's group.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . five fun family outings. We went downtown to see "Peter and the Wolf," and also a performance by the pianist Lang Lang. Over spring break we took a little road trip and visited the Virginia Zoo and Hershey, Pennsylvania. And during Thanksgiving we went on a cruise.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one student in 6th grade. Yes, Ethan turned 11 and graduated from elementary school. He loves middle school and has made a lot of new friends. He keeps busy with scouts, as well as piano and guitar lessons. And he spends a fair amount of time playing his nintendo.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . seven times a hundred approximate hours of paperwork for our adoption. First our country (Vietnam) closed, so we changed to domestic. Then our agency went out of business. We're with a new agency now and have high hopes for a new baby sometime next year!
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . eight family visits, some here, and some in Utah, Idaho, Canada and Virginia. Also a great family trip to Disneyland with Ali's sister's family. Fun!
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . one nine-year-old Noah! Noah has made great progress over the past year, especially with speech and writing. He loves to carry a little notebook around with him and write down random numbers. He's always happy and smiling, and entertains us every day.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . ten family favorites: Monk (tv show), fresh guacamole, a snowblower that works, traveling, Costco, guitar music by Christopher Parkening, pirates (Noah especially), Yahtzee, the Simpsons, and french toast (Ethan has become very good at making it).
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . a new job with the 11-year old scouts for Scott! He's not super excited about the camping part, but enjoys spending time with Ethan and his buddies every Wednesday night. Scott also has been playing a lot of tennis with his friends at the new gym near our house.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . twelve months of happiness, and hopes for a wonderful holiday season and new year to our dear friends and family!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Random Stuff
I had to pass along a great website my friend Julie told me about - - stealsdeals.blogspot.com. I love it, every day they post great deals/coupons, etc.
Also - - the scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaner (it's a gel you stick on the inside of your toilet bowl) is cheap, easy, and very effective. A pack costs a little over $4, contains 6 applications, and each application lasts 2 weeks or more (mine lasted 3). It smells nice, too.
Lastly, I'm recommending 2 books. The first is "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. It's translated from French, about a concierge at an expensive apartment building in Paris and a little girl who lives in the building. I checked it out from the library based solely on the unusual title, and ended up really enjoying it. I also recently read "Ghost Map" by Steven Johnson, about the cholera epidemic in London in the 1850s. Extremely interesting and very well written (the author is a genius, I'm sure.) It also made me so very, very grateful for indoor plumbing.
Hope you all are enjoying the pre-holiday rush!
Also - - the scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaner (it's a gel you stick on the inside of your toilet bowl) is cheap, easy, and very effective. A pack costs a little over $4, contains 6 applications, and each application lasts 2 weeks or more (mine lasted 3). It smells nice, too.
Lastly, I'm recommending 2 books. The first is "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. It's translated from French, about a concierge at an expensive apartment building in Paris and a little girl who lives in the building. I checked it out from the library based solely on the unusual title, and ended up really enjoying it. I also recently read "Ghost Map" by Steven Johnson, about the cholera epidemic in London in the 1850s. Extremely interesting and very well written (the author is a genius, I'm sure.) It also made me so very, very grateful for indoor plumbing.
Hope you all are enjoying the pre-holiday rush!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Trip Pictures from Italy
Stained Glass in Rome
Ethan and Mom by the Trevi Fountain
Scott and the boys on the Spanish Steps
By the Colliseum
Ethan and Mom by the Trevi Fountain
Scott and the boys on the Spanish Steps
By the ColliseumMore Pictures
Mmmm . . . Slanty
The gorgeous coastline in Villefranche, France
From the Chagall Museum
Noah, our little hamSome Pictures from our Trip
Here's the church in Nice
Noah in Villefranche
The interesting statue in Frankfurt
Ethan with the penguins at the Natural History Museum
Best Buddies in FrankfurtTuesday, December 2, 2008
Back Home
We arrived last night (this morning) at 1:00 and all crawled into bed immediately. We'd flown from Barcelona to Frankfort, then to Washington D.C. and finally here to Chicago (and add to that the shuttles and taxis and car rides). It was about a 24 hour trip. And yippee, Noah stayed dry the whole time. Boy can he hold it! Lots of progress in that arena. Still more progress to be made. And it's about time because today is his 9th birthday! We're saving the celebration until tomorrow night when Omi comes. I didn't even get treats to take to his class today, I'll have to do it tomorrow. But he was just so happy to be home that he didn't care. The last 3 days of the trip he kept saying, "go home?" and that was the bribe we used to keep him happy on the way. Also the bribe of Omi coming to visit - - he's very excited!
Since it's his birthday, a little update on Noah. His fine motor control has improved exponentially this school year. He often carries a little notebook around with him and writes little scribbles. But he also draws recognizable faces (sometimes they look like paramecia because of the hair all the way around the head). He also makes wonderful rocket ships, and he loves to draw numbers. His ones, twos, threes, fours and sixes are great. His nines look like lollipops. He makes letters sometimes as well, but right now he's really into the numbers. He filled an entire 100 page notebook while we were travelling. Cute stuff!
Noah is also becoming much more articulate. We're working with him on saying each word in a sentence, and sometimes signing the words as well. A couple of my favorite phrases: "of course," when I ask him to do something, and "I know," when I tell him that I love him. He loves to sing, too, and his favorite song is "Follow the Prophet." I can't believe my little guy is 9! I've been thinking back to the day he was born, and how thrilled we were with him. We've had challenges, but he has brought us joy every day of his life and we love him with all our hearts.
I've been up since 4:30 this morning (Europe jet-lag, I get up early and feel great, but by 6 p.m. I'm wiped out). I've unpacked everything and have about half the laundry done (there were no laundry facilities on the ship so we have loads and loads.) Wow, do I have a lot going on this month! And my house is a big hairy mess!
Since it's his birthday, a little update on Noah. His fine motor control has improved exponentially this school year. He often carries a little notebook around with him and writes little scribbles. But he also draws recognizable faces (sometimes they look like paramecia because of the hair all the way around the head). He also makes wonderful rocket ships, and he loves to draw numbers. His ones, twos, threes, fours and sixes are great. His nines look like lollipops. He makes letters sometimes as well, but right now he's really into the numbers. He filled an entire 100 page notebook while we were travelling. Cute stuff!
Noah is also becoming much more articulate. We're working with him on saying each word in a sentence, and sometimes signing the words as well. A couple of my favorite phrases: "of course," when I ask him to do something, and "I know," when I tell him that I love him. He loves to sing, too, and his favorite song is "Follow the Prophet." I can't believe my little guy is 9! I've been thinking back to the day he was born, and how thrilled we were with him. We've had challenges, but he has brought us joy every day of his life and we love him with all our hearts.
I've been up since 4:30 this morning (Europe jet-lag, I get up early and feel great, but by 6 p.m. I'm wiped out). I've unpacked everything and have about half the laundry done (there were no laundry facilities on the ship so we have loads and loads.) Wow, do I have a lot going on this month! And my house is a big hairy mess!
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