Thankful

Today...and every day....we are so very thankful that God put an adoption plan together for our family. He brought Ian to us and now is bringing Drew to us.

Today we celebrated our 2nd Thanksgiving and it was great. Ian is such a great little guy. He's full force 2 3/4...almost 3....but he's a joy.

Today...my sweet angel kissed me and said I lub you mommy.

Today...I'm thankful for the most amazing husband in the world.

Today....I'm blessed beyond measure and I am so, so grateful.

I'm reminded of the song "Thank You Lord"....For all you've given to me...for all the blessings that I cannot see...Thank you Lord.... Thank you Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Citizenship

On Wednesday, November 7, 2007, Ian Everett Kushal Conner was issued his Certificate of Citizenship from the United States. Even though he became an American citizen when our adoption was finalized in January, this is the last and final step. It was a little anti climatic. We arrived at USCIS in Oklahoma City around 8:50am for our 9:00am appointment. There was a huge line of people. We finally made it through the security line. We went into the room where all of the other people with their cute little kiddos were. We had to change lines because everyone was blocking the doors. Finally, the nice lady took Ian's immigration card. She walked back over, handed the certificate to me and asked me to check for accuracy. Then she had me sign two photos and the back of one of the certificates. She said..."OK, you're done." and handed me a flag for Ian, his certificate of citizenship and a letter from the President.

It was a very good day though. Another family from our church was there. They adopted their little boy, Henry, from Guatemala. They arrived home with Henry around the same time we came home with Ian. Henry and Ian are about the same age and are in the same Sunday School class. Ian spotted Henry first and said "Hengry". They were in line behind us. When they finished we were able to take some pictures of the boys together and our families together. I'm glad we were able to share this day with them.

So...our little man no longer has a "green card". He's officially a citizen of our wonderful country...The United States of America!!!!

Halloween Fun

We have had so much fun the past few days. On Sunday evening we visited the Tulsa Zoo for their annual HalloZOOeen. It's a great event. Very younger kid friendly. There were a ton of people there....according to the news about 4000. But, it was very organized. Ian loved the train ride. He didn't want to ride the carousel at all. He enjoyed the goblin stops...and like getting candy in his little pumpkin.

Wednesday night was our Fall Festival at church. It was different for us this year. Last year, Ian had fun...but this year....he had a GREAT time. Of course, he was very excited to find out that there were train rides. He rode the train about 6 times. The pony rides were a big hit too. He decided to try the "no hands" bit...just to see how mommy would react I think. Then he started saying "giddy-up". He played a few of the games...and was quite the little hit. There were so many cute kiddos...but being a totally unbiased mommy...Ian was cuter that cute. He did have a little melt down moment and decided that biting daddy seemed like a good idea. So...we had to have a time out in the middle of the Fall Festival. He wasn't too happy about that, but he didn't move.

We're through the first of the holidays this season. Now it's time to start gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm ready to put my Christmas tree up NOW...but for some reason I don't think Charlie is thinking the same way.

Our little man is growing up way too fast. He has lost so much of the "baby" look in his face. Makes me a little sad...but...that's part of life.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Fall Fun

Discipline

How to discipline is always a concern. We don't want to be too tough, but we have to set some boundaries. Lately, "time out" has been working well for Ian. We didn't know for sure if he understood or not. Today...we got our answer.

Charlie and Ian were playing basketball in the living room. Charlie shot the ball and it hit the table. I said "Daddy"...with an ever so slight mommy tone. Ian then took control. He said "don't throw my ball." Then he promptly walked over to his time out spot and said, ever so sternly......"TIME OUT DADDY....SIT DOWN."

Cutest Thundering Herd Fan Ever....GO HERD!!!

That's MY Brother

I'm not sure that Ian understands totally what's going on, but he knows that the picture of Drew is his brother. He was so cute Friday evening when we showed the picture to him. He said "baby?"....and then "toes, momma....stinky feet"...then he giggled. Then we told him that was his baby brother in Vietnam and he said "that's my brother"...and kissed the picture. Throughout the weekend we'd show him the picture and he'd repeat..."that's my brother". We'd ask him where is baby brother was and he'd say "biet..nom". He thinks it's pretty cool right now, but just wait until he finds out he'll have to share his stuff with him.

These are the pictures we took when we first showed Drew's picture to Ian.

Ian's A Big Brother

Introducing Ian's little brother.....Drew Austin Quang Conner. For details see our Vietnam blog http://connervietnamadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Faces

Lately Ian has been making his new "faces". He started by saying "Ian Sad"...followed by the sad face. Then..."Ian happy"...with the smiling, happy face. The past few days it's been "Ian Surprised". I'm assuming this is something he's been working on at daycare. Whatever the case, it's cute as can be. I wonder what his next "face" will be?

New Friend From South Korea

Welcome Home William Michael Choi Dreesen. William arrived home from South Korea last Thursday, September 20th. He is 8 months old. I work with William's Mommy...Mary. It's so fun to finally say Mommy Mary. :) Mary and Michael waited a long time for William's referral, but now the real fun begins as they start their lives together as a family of three.

note: the mosquito's in South Korea LOVED William....he had several bites on his sweet little face.

Conversation With Ian

Friday evening, Ian and I actually had a conversation on the telephone. It went something like this....

Ian: Hi Mommy
Mommy: Hi Ian. What are you doing?
Ian: Eating kicken and fren fies
Mommy: Is it good?
Ian: Yep
Mommy: I'll be home in a few minutes, OK?
Ian: OK Mommy. Bye, bye.
Mommy: Bye Ian. Love you.
Ian: Lub oooo Mommy. See ya.

How sweet is that? He's such a sweet little guy. I couldn't wait to get home to give him a big hug. He sure knows how to melt his mommy's heart.

He's been singing a lot the past few days. "Wheels On The Bus" is one of his favorites. He gets stuck on the "up and down" part. He repeats that over and over and over again. He's also trying to sing his ABC's. He does pretty well. When he gets to L-M-N-O-P...it's more like...LA, LA, LA, O-P. He looks so cute doing it.

We can't wait until he has a new brother to play with. It's hard to tell what Ian will teach him.

Catching Up

Computer is home now...and all is well. It's a crazy little thing, but I really missed it.

We've had a fairly busy couple of weeks. Ian is just talking, talking, talking. Sometimes I just don't know where it comes from. His little vocabulary is picking up quite nicely. He still puts his own spin on his words and sometimes we have no idea what he's saying...but that doesn't stop him. He'll keep saying it until his SLOW parents get it.

Some of our new "favorites"....

pic up puck (pick up truck)
ambeeance (ambulance)
fire puck (fire truck)
salren (siren)
go fas daddy (duh...go fast daddy)
winteeld (wind shield)


One of his latest phrases upsets me somewhat...."no talking mommy". Now where did that come from? Out of the blue sometimes when I'm talking, he just says "no talking mommy".

He had his first dental appointment this week. We practiced showing our teeth to the dentist several days before our appointment. He's put his little teeth together and say "cheese". Then he'd open wide and say "ahhhhh". He did pretty well for his first time. He didn't want to sit in the big boy chair, but they were fine with that. He sat on my lap and when Dr. Jim came in to check out his teeth, we just layed him back in Dr. Jim's lap. Ian did GREAT. Dr. Jim said "open wide for me...like a lion" and Ian said "rrrrroooooaaarrrrr". It was so cute. After Dr. Jim checked him out, he took him over to the "prize wall" and Ian got to pick out a prize. It was a very successful first appointment. Ian's teeth look great and so far no problems from the thumb sucking.

We're working on potty training. Somedays are better than others. Some days...no pee pee in the potty at all. He has pee pee'd in the potty at school three days this past week. Hopefully soon, we can ditch the diapers.

Today we went to Race For The Cure. It was such a beautiful day. A little chilly...but that's OK....I love this weather. Halloween will be here before we know it and then poof...it'll be Christmas.

Ian will attend his first football game in October. TU plays Marshall (our alma mater) on Saturday, October 13th. I CAN'T WAIT. I ordered Ian a Marshall jacket so he can be all decked out in his official Marshall gear. GO HERD!!! I'm afraid they're going to get thumped by TU, but that's OK....it'll be good just to see the team play.

One of my friends from work, Mary, leaves tomorrow to go to South Korea to pick up her son William. He'll be 8 months old tomorrow. Mary, Michael and William will return to Tulsa on Thursday. Can't wait to see them.

If you have a moment and are so inclined, please click on the link on the side of this page marked Baby Emy. Our friends Angie & Dustin (Mia's parents) have had their baby....Emy. She was born 3 months early. She's in the NICU in Oklahoma City. She's having good days and bad ones, but that's really to be expected. Please, please pray for this sweet family.

We are almost "officially" on the waiting list for our child from Vietnam. As soon as our paperwork comes back from the consulate in San Francisco...we'll be on the list. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we find out who Ian's little brother is. There are several families in Vietnam right now picking up their children. Two of the families live here in the Tulsa area. Can't wait to see them when they get home. They are adopting two little boys that have lived in the orphanage together for a long time. The boys are both 3 years old. The links to their blogs are posted on our Vietnam blog (link is on right).

I promise, I'll post some pictures very soon. Ian is so cute and has such a sweet little personality. He continues to amaze us daily. We are so in love with this child.

More updates soon....

Two Years Ago

How time flies when you're having fun.

Two years ago today we saw the face of an angel....our angel....our Ian. What an incredible two years it has been. God blessed us with an amazing child that we love beyond imagination.

I'll post more and post more pictures when my computer comes home from the shop. In Ian's words "pooter kick" (translated computer is sick).

Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey

My dear friend Pam started this survey on her blog, so I must participate. Welcome to the Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey!!!!



1. How many blogs are listed under your favorites list that you check EVERY day? Way too many to count...probably between India Blogs and Vietnam Blogs....close to 50.

2. How many times a day do you "go to the bathroom" and end up checking blogs? Not many during the week....usually only after Ian goes to bed. But the weekend...that's a different story.

3. Do your kids recognize the other kids from the blogs that follow?? Ian recognizes Mia, Jadyn, Ryan and Ahlyana.

4. Do you keep track of how often people update their blogs and get upset when they don't keep to the schedule?? Duh....how am I going to get my fix if people don't update their blogs.

5. Favorite time of day to check blogs? Are you on a blog checking schedule?? Usually I check them after Ian is in bed. But...if I'm expecting something big to happen (like a Gotcha Day), I've been known to check them before I leave for work.

6. Who's blog is your favorite? Outside of the two blogs I have, Angie's (Mia's Blog) is probably my favorite.

7. How many of the blogs that you follow are people that you have never met in person? More than people I've actually met.

Ok...now some "getting to know your online friends whom you've never actually met questions"


8 How long have you been married? Keep in mind....we must have been pre-teens when we married....we've been married for 20 years.

9 Fav. food? Mexican.

10Fav. TV show? Outside of All My Children (thank Heavens for Soap Net), it's probably any reality show. I'm a reality show junkie.


11 Anything that you forbid your kids to watch on TV? Charlie probably has more shows in this category than I do. My big criteria at this point is language. Ian is repeating so much of what we say.

12. How long was your adoption journey from beginning to end? 21 months from application to Gotcha Day (then another 11 months until finalization). The journey to our second child, from Vietnam, has been 5 months so far.

13. How did you decide on the country you adopted from? We didn't decide on India....God did it for us. Vietnam is the same way. Doors were closed to India for us for a reason that only God knows. So we're just trusting Him.

14. What did you imagine your family to be like as a little girl? Oh my...."my" plan was to be married by 21 and have 2 kids by 25. Hmmmm....again God had a different plan since I didn't even get married until I was 25.

15. Favorite Momma down time activity? Getting a pedicure.

16. Do you have more online friends than "in person" friends? I think it depends on the day of the week you ask me. :)

17. Tell us the cartoon character that you are most like: I've always answered "Miss Piggy" to this question. I'm really sweet and lovable until I'm not happy then "BLAMMO".

18. What toothpaste do you use? Cinnamon Burst Crest

19. Stupidest adoption comment/question that you've received? My two favs so far are "Did he speak English when you got him"....duh...he was only 10 months old. And..."how much did he cost."

20. Fav. non-adoption website? My old hometown newspaper. I love reading the on line articles to see what's happening in Huntington, WV.



OK adoption blog buddies....it's time to complete the Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey. Copy the questions and paste into your blog and then answer the questions.

Pals

Ian, Cortez and Solomon at Day Schools. They made their own Tye Dyed shirts the day before this picture was taken.

Our Silly, Funny Helper

Another week down in the Conner house. Ian's daycare was closed today (Friday), so Charlie stayed home with Ian. They ran a couple of errands and stopped by my office to see me for a few minutes this morning.

Ian continues to amaze and amuse us daily. This morning we were sitting on the side of the bed and Ian decided he wanted to "zerbert" daddy's belly. So he did. Then he pulled up his own pajama shirt and tried to "zerbert" his OWN belly. We thought it was funny and laughed of course...which made him try to do it many, many times.

He's really into "helping". Everything is "Ian helping Momma". Or if he sees us doing something that looks interesting to him, he run across the room saying "helping, helping". He's really good at putting water in the fridge. He's much more independent these days.

He's fascinated by yellow cars. He point out every yellow car he sees...and even a few that he doesn't. Motorcycles are another thing that gets his attention.

We are so in love with this child!!!!

As soon as Charlie scans in a new picture for me, I'm going to post it. It's a picture of Ian with his friends from daycare, Cortez and Solomon. They look so cute together. We hear about "Tezzie" and "Sol-mon" daily. Tezzie and Sol-mon are getting ready to move to the next class and I know Ian will miss them.

It's outrageously hot in Tulsa. It's been near or over 100 degrees for a week now and we have at least another week of it. I'm so ready for Fall!!!!!

Friends Forever

India Camp 2007

Dillon International hosted yet another successful India Heritage Camp this weekend. The camp started on Thursday, but work commitments kept us from attending until Friday night. On Friday evening we attended the Family Fun Night at Camp Loughride in Tulsa. That is a beautiful facility. Ian wasn't interested in getting in the water...or so he said. After the struggle to change into his swimming trunks, we headed into the pool. I think he's part fish. HE LOVES THE POOL. I think he'll be swimming in no time.

A little later in the evening, Mia arrived with her Mommy and Daddy (Angie & Dustin). Ian was surrounded by lots of little girls at that time, but he still smiled that big Ian smile when he saw Mia. They had a moment of hugs and played a little in the kiddie pool. Dustin jumped in from the high dive and then the daddy's played in the pool for a little while with the kiddos. Ian's swim trunks kept falling off. The evening ended about 8pm and we headed home anxious for the next days' activities.

Today, we got up, ate breakfast and got ready for camp. We arrived just in time for the adult adoptee panel. Ian stayed in the nursery with Mia, Jadyn and Avi Joy (from Vietnam). We finally connected with Natasha (Avi Joy's Mommy). They too are in the process to adopt baby number 2 from Vietnam and they live in Tulsa. The adult adoptee panel was great this year. Two young adults adopted from India openly shared their story. You can tell that they are loved greatly and have adjusted beautifully. I kept looking at the young man, Fritz, who spoke and kept imagining what Ian will look like when he's older. These kids made their parents proud today!!!!

Then it was lunch time. Ian was more interested in running around than he was eating. Then the "campers" did their presentations. I can't wait until Ian is old enough to actually be a "camper".

We got lots of pictures of Ian, Mia and Jadyn this weekend. These three kiddos are so, so cute. We love spending time with their parents. Grace, Shane, Angie & Dustin seem like part of our family!!! I can't get over how adoption bonds families together.

Beautiful kids all around this weekend. We are so thankful that we live in Tulsa near our agency and that we're able to take part in these important heritage events. Hopefully we'll see more families coming to India Camp as the years go by. It really is a great time to get these kids together and it's a great time for the parents too.

Anticipation

I'm getting so excited. It's time for India Camp. It begins tomorrow, but due to my work schedule, won't be attending until Friday night and then all day on Saturday. We're so looking forward to seeing everyone. Especially Mia, Jadyn and Chandrima. We haven't seen Chandrima since Christmas and I can't wait to see how much she's grown and changed. Ian is still to young to be a true "camper", but he'll still have fun playing with his friends...his "girlfriends".

Another family is getting ready to travel to India to pick up their little girl. Congratulations to Cliff and Tami!!! Can't wait to follow their journey to bring Raina home. It's always so exciting to see another family come together. Our God is GREAT!!

A couple of Ian's buddies at daycare are getting ready to move to the next class. Tezzy (a.k.a. Cortez), Solomon and Ian are quite the threesome. Ian will be moving soon, but it makes me a little sad that his buddies won't be there. Oh well...momma will get over it. Ian will be moving up soon and they'll all be together again. Plus...it's not like their moving very far...they'll be in the next room.

Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to post from camp this weekend. With the beautiful kiddos....I have no doubt that I'll have GREAT pics to post.

Having Fun At The Dillon Run

Friday evening we had lots of fun at Dillon International's Run For the Children. We didn't actually "run" the course...but Charlie ran around a lot with Mr. Ian. He loves his wagon and LOVES to ride. Brad joined us and Ian loved spending time and running around with him. We also got to see our new friends Chris & Al and their daughter Lainey and Elsa. This was our third year to participate in this event and we love it. It was a warm but beautiful evening. What could be a better birthday celebration for Momma than watching her handsome little man having so much fun?