Chance to win a Canon Digital SLR...

Click here for a chance to win a Canon Digital SLR camera and other great prizes! In the process, you'll also help a family offset some costs of their Korean adoption.

Jen :)

Holiday Recap...

Man, can you believe how fast the holidays go by??? I can't believe we're in mid-January already! Although I do have one more holiday party on the 31st...we call it the Annual Cousins Holiday party...and we're hosting this year...so time to get this house in order! I have to say we've been getting very organized over the past few weeks (we started TIVO'ing that show Clean House and its inspired us!) We've thrown out and given away a ton of stuff...need to work on the garage (and possibly building a shed) and then we'll be in really good shape! Minimizing & organizing is our mission for 2009.

The holidays were great...everyone was healthy (a miracle!!) and fun was had by all. The kids and Craig were off from school & work for almost 2 1/2 weeks (a little *too* long if you ask me!). They enjoyed all their Xmas presents and (of course) got everything they wanted...can you say spoiled?!? We all got a great present from my parents...four days at the Great Wolf Lodge! The boys have been wanting to go back for the past two years and now we're all going in April! Ava's gonna love it...she LOVES the pool.

Well, here's a few slideshows from the past month that wrap up what we've been up to. Enjoy & Happy New Year!!




Jen :)

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

I probably won't be blogging much in the next few weeks, so I just wanted to wish everyone a safe, happy & healthy holiday season.

Jen :)

Please pray for this family...

The Azhderian family has lost their little girl in a home invasion in Guatemala. They already had her new birth certificate issued and were only a few weeks from bringing her home. Send up some prayers for this little girl and her family today.


**The following is from the Shrum family blog...

The Azhderian Family still owe alot from the adoption of Josi. Carla
e-mailed me and told me they just sent the last payment for Josi a
few weeks ago of $12,800. This horrible tradgedy should never have to
happen to any family and then have to end up paying for an adoption
when their child will never come home to them.

If you are like me and want to do something for this sweet family and
do not know what to do, here is a wonderful way to honor precious
Josi. They have a chip in button on their blog you can donate any
amount to in Josi's name. I am praying that God will help them not
have to worry about the financial end of this with all that they are
going through right now.

If you want to help me with the memorial fund for Josi please post
this on your blog, spread the word to all your adoption friends, or
you can send them to my blog. I think together we all can show our
love to Azhderian family in their time of crisis.

Click here to go to their blog. They have a chip in button on
the side bar of their blog where you can give your donation.

Thank you,
Jen

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

As you can see I Christmas'd up my blog...check out the You Tube clip over on the right...Alvin & The Chipmunks are rockin'! Ava loves it...she makes me play it over & over & OVER while she dances.

Speaking of Christmas, I put up our tree today. We bought a brand new one this weekend...pre-lit with 1000 lights! It's really nice & SO easy to assemble. I highly recommend the pre-lit tree.

For the first time in 7 years, I had all the kids Xmas gifts bought before Thanksgiving. I think I spent a *little* too much, but they're worth it! Here's a few special gifts they'll find under the tree this year...

For Ava...


And for the boys...



Now I just need to finish shopping for our other family members and I'll be done! Wishing everyone a safe & healthy holiday season!!
Jen :)

Wow, one year ago...

One year ago today I held my daughter for the 1st time at the Westin in Guatemala. What a day that was...waking up in the middle of the night to make the very early flight...arriving in Guatemala for the 1st time and all that entails...getting to the hotel and unpacking like maniacs because Ava was scheduled to arrive in less than an hour...getting the call that Ava was in the lobby waiting for us. Such a range of emotions...happiness, fear, you name it, we felt it! And then the wonderful moment when she was placed into my arms. Here's the slideshow from that first day of our visit trip, November 21, 2007...

And after a wild ride on the adoption rollercoaster she is now safe & sound in our home...at times we thought she would never make it here; but now it seems like she has been here forever.

We love you little girl!
Jen :)

BOO!!!

Happy Halloween!!
Jen :]

Before you fill that little orange box on Friday...

Read this from Families Without Borders...

The Unfortunate Impact of UNICEF Policies on Guatemalan Adoptions

Guatemala is now in the aftermath of a six-month long unofficial suspension of intercountry adoptions. The government’s attempts at implementing UNICEF-supported adoption “reform” during this period involved violations of existing internal laws and constitutional protections. The ability of birthmothers to make adoption plans for their children and private foster care arrangements through private attorneys for children in the adoption process were eliminated as part of this attempted “reform”. At the same time, the Guatemalan government made no provision to fund childcare in orphanages, nor to assist birthmothers with either childcare or adoption plans.

UNICEF was instrumental in the recent suspension of intercountry adoptions from Guatemala. The Constitutional Court of Guatemala has provided a reprieve by finding the accession to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to be unconstitutional, and therefore void. However, UNICEF continues to aggressively lobby the Guatemalan Congress to pass extremely restrictive adoption laws that, if implemented, will likely have disastrous consequences on the health and well-being of thousands of needy children and their birthmothers.

If you agree that UNICEF's positions on intercountry adoption do not support the best interest of the children of Guatemala AND that your donations to UNICEF would be better served on vaccination, education, and nutrition programs, then we ask that you contact UNICEF and ask them to reconsider these positions and re-allocate resources to humanitarian programs...

Please pray for these families...

Both girls adopted from Guatemala have been diagnosed with Leukemia...Abby & Bella. Bella was diagnosed only last week. Please pray for their families and both of these sweet girls.

The Ferrick Family-Bella

The Riggs Family-Abby

Jen

Happy 14 months, Ava!!!

Today Ava is 14 months old...happy birthday little girl!!! She continues to explore the world. She's still not saying anything but she DEFINITELY gets her point across...she is a diva and a drama queen. She either gets her way or its bottom lip out and immediate tears...can you say SpOiLeD?!? It is VERY funny to watch...

In other news, the boys have been having a great football season. They both have been playing great defense...each pulling multiple flags per game. Such a big difference from last year. They also got to carry the ball this year (since they're big seven year olds!) Brian has made a ton of touchdowns and, up until last weekend, Justin has been a linebacker. But Justin finally got the ball on Saturday and made his first touchdown! Justin was bursting with excitement...he actually came under the ropes into the stands and hugged me. Then when he got home that night he said, "Mom, aren't you so proud of me?!?" We were so happy for him...it's tough having a twin brother who has been making touchdowns all season!

Here's a sweet picture from this weekends pumpkin picking adventure...


In the middle of all this football stuff, we managed to make a few improvements on our house. We had the entire house re-stained and had all new windows installed. We really needed the windows...the house is about 22 years old and the windows were original. They were getting pretty drafty and the grids were on the outside making it REALLY difficult to keep clean (especially with little hand prints everywhere!!) We're very happy with them...it feels like a brand new house! Here's the before (blue) and after...


Jen :]

Oktoberfest...

This past weekend Craig's company had an Oktoberfest event for its employees. It was so much fun! It turned out to be a perfect fall day. There was tons of food, a live German band, German (and Domestic) beer, rides for the kids, a rock wall, games, a petting zoo and pony rides! The boys had a blast and spent most of their time at this mini racetrack for remote control cars. I think they spent two hours driving these cars...they loved it! And our Ava adored all the animals...every time we would walk away she would sign "more"! She also couldn't get enough of the ponies. I didn't know if she would be scared, but we placed her on the pony only to find that she didn't want to get off! Craig walked her around that track a number of times and each time the pony stopped she signed "more!" It was too cute. Here's some pics from the day...


Jen :)

One year ago today...

We received the call that would change our lives...our little girl had arrived! Well, she was already one month old but she arrived into OUR lives. I remember walking out of work around 2:30 (I had a P/T job last year to keep me busy while waiting for Ava) and I grabbed my cell phone expecting to see no missed calls...but there WAS one...one from my agency. My heart started pounding and I knew this was IT! I calmly called my agency coordinator back and she was on another line!!! They said she would call me back. About 45 minutes later (which felt like an ETERNITY) she called back and announced that our baby girl was here! She rattled off a lot of information but I didn't hear much of it...she said it would all be in the packet that I would receive tomorrow...pictures would be included too...so I had to wait 24 hours before I could see her face. But it didn't matter, I was already in love with the idea of her. But the next day when FedEx arrived I fell in love with her face...


And here's the little princess today...

Not much celebrating today since she has a cold, but she's still smiling thru her runny eyes & nose.

Jen :]

Look at this kid...

My beauty.



Jen :]

1st Day of School!!!

Today was the boys 1st day of school...they are officially 2nd graders! Wow, how time flies! They are going to be busy boys from this day forward...football practice 3 nights a week and a game on the weekend & CCD every Wednesday. Really, Monday is their only night off. Luckily, I heard that 2nd grade is mostly a review of 1st grade and the amount of homework stays the same. So hopefully its a smooth year for them. Here they are on the bus stop this morning...

In Ava news, we're still running all around and happy as can be. She had her well check last week and all looked good. She is STILL not 20 pounds yet, but following her weight curve at the 25th percentile. She did grow a few inches taller though and remains at the 97th percentile for height...how funny is that...Guatemalans are known for being pretty short, so the fact that she is at 97% cracks me up. She's just long and lean!

She's starting to really communicate lately...not in words but in actions. I taught her the sign for "more" and she just points at everything she wants and signs "more". It's very cute...she opens my pantry, taps on the box of Ritz crackers and says "more". If I ask if she is hungry she taps on her highchair and says "more". If the TV is off she points at the TV and says "more". If I smell that's she done something in her diaper she walks over and points at the diapers and sits down. For someone who can't talk she sure gets her point across!!

We had a nice Labor Day weekend...the boys had a sleep over at their friends house and had a blast. They went fishing with their Dad and caught two fish. We spent a day at the beach. And on Monday we all went to the 1st Rutgers game of the season. Unfortunately they lost but we had a good time. Ava had fun too and even took her nap during the game...I can't believe she slept thru that noise! Here she is at the game...you can see her looking at her brothers lollipop and signing "more"!


Jen :]

Party!!!

Yesterday was the 1st Annual Torres Kids Birthday Celebration! We decided to do one big family party for all three kids since their birthdays are only a few weeks apart. I think it went very well! All three were very happy and had a great time! The boys were especially happy since this was their 3rd party...they had a "kids only" bowling party back on 6/28...then on their actual birthday (7/12) they had a special day where they could do whatever they wanted (skatepark in the morning w/Dad, movie in the afternoon w/Mom and dinner at Chili's in the evening)...and now THIS party...presents at all three parties too...they certainly made out like bandits this year!

We had the party in our backyard and had about 30 people attend. It was a gorgeous sunny day with a nice breeze to keep everyone cool. We had yummy food (most of which was made by Nanny...thanks Nanny!!) The kids received tons of great toys and gorgeous clothes. We had cookie cakes for the boys (their choice), a big pink princess castle cake for Ava (which came soooo cute) and a big bowl of fruit for dessert. After dessert little Miss Ava took a nap and the big kids had a mean game of kickball followed by a water balloon toss contest. It was quite a battle! So all in all I think it went very well and fun was had by all!

Here's some pics from the day...you'll see Ava in her pretty birthday dress...you'll see her adorable birthday princess hat (supplied by Nanny & Papa)...you'll see a little girl digging into her chocolate cake and loving it...you'll see the massive piles of gifts...you'll see Ava loving on her Guatemalan doll that Craig & I bought her...you'll see a pooped out girl laying on the floor at the end of the night...and the last picture is Ava this morning having breakfast trying on her hat just one more time! Enjoy...

Jen :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Ava!!!

Today our sweet little girl turns ONE! What can I say about Ava...she's an absolute doll baby, she's very smart, she's curious and wants to see everything that's going on, she gives great wet kisses and big bear hugs, she loves to hi-five and she loves her brothers. She only has two teeth and not much hair, but she can walk like a champ! She's an angel and we couldn't love her more. She is a blessing to our family and has brought us more joy than we could have imagined.

Today we will think of her foster family who took such good care of her and loved her so much. We will also think of her birthmother and thank her for making such a brave choice. We hope she knows how loved Ava is and what wonderful opportunities she will have in her life thanks to her. Happy Birthday little one!!!


Jen :)

Vacation time...

Last week we spent our vacation down the shore in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. The kids had a ton of fun at the beach, at the pool and on the boardwalk. They also went to a water park, played mini golf and hit the batting cages. We also went on a sunset boat ride to see dolphins. We didn't get any pictures but the dolphins were literally swimming alongside the boat...Ava loved it and pointed and laughed at the "fishies"! Here's some shots of our trip...



In other news, Ava is walking everywhere...it's like she doesn't want to crawl anymore. When she falls down she stands back up (using one foot, no hands) and keeps walking. She's been walking for the past few weeks, but this last week she really got the hang of it. She's still wobbly some of the time, but she's getting there. I'm sure by the end of the month she'll be a pro.

The boys start football practice next week! I can't believe football is here already...time flies! And only 30 days until school starts...2nd grade.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!
Jen :)

Happy 11 months, Ava!!!

Ava is 11 months old today! One more month until the BIG ONE! She's doing great. She adores her brothers and they love on her constantly...they call her Princess Ava. She's (finally) starting to cut a couple teeth. The two front bottom teeth have broken thru the gums. She's trying to walk all over the place. Her record is 10 steps in a row...but other times she'll take one step and fall. I think she tries to go so fast that she doesn't take the time to get her balance. She's saying lots of different sounds...mama, dada, yaya, baba, even the K sound every once in a while. She's still taking 2 naps a day and sleeping all night from 9-8:30. She's just a little angel.

We're heading to the beach on vacation at the end of July...she likes sand & water so she should have a good time! And on August 16th we're having her birthday party. I already saw this princess castle cake that she MUST have...it's too cute. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Jen :)

Happy 7th Bday boys!!!

Seven years ago today two beauties were born...at 1:40pm Justin Michael arrived

and 23 minutes later his identical twin Brian Andrew came along.


A couple weeks ago they celebrated with their friends at a local bowling alley. They had a blast. It was glow in the dark bowling which was really fun. They bowled for two hours and had pizza and cake.


Today they have a full day planned...from 9-12 Dad is taking them to our local skatepark with their Razor scooters. This afternoon I'm taking them to see the movie Wall-E. Tonight we're going to Chili's for dinner (their choice, of course). And then home for some homemade cake from Nanny. Hope you enjoy your special day, boys!! We love you very, very much and are so proud of you.

Jen :)

Boys night at Yankee Stadium...

Craig, the boys & my Dad went to the Yankee game last night and had a fantastic time. My Aunt's company had some extra tickets so they got to take a bus into the city which was stocked w/food & drinks. They had a great time at the game and the Yankees won 5 - 0! They were also able to see the brand new Yankee Stadium being built across the street from the old one. As you can see from the last picture, they fell asleep on the ride home and didn't get home until after midnight. And they didn't wake up until 10am this morning.



Jen :)