The Story of A Family

Boys will be Boys

2012-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

I have found that having a boy is very different than having a girl in many ways. One of them is their tolerance of being messy. Emma hated being messy and would ask for a change of clothes or a wet napkin several times a day if there was anything remotely messy with what she was doing. Johnny EMBRACES the messy.......

This is what he chose to do instead of rolling out cookies during our Christmas baking....rolling your face is definitely more fun than rolling dough...

Santa

2012-01-17T20:00:00.001-08:00

The kids loved their multiple visits with Santa this year. Emma and Johnny both asked for bikes...

Yaya comes to town....

2012-01-17T19:47:00.000-08:00

Though my parents were coming for Christmas, my mom could not resist a quick trip down south for some pre-Christmas fun. We had a great time making gingerbread houses....

Going on a horse drawn wagon ride through our apartment complex.....

Having a girls outing to see the play "Tarzan".....

And then finally, a trolly ride through San Francisco.....ding...ding....

It was a great visit and very nice to say goodbye knowing we would see her in just a few weeks...

Cutting Down our Christmas Tree

2012-01-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

To get our tree this year we drove to the coast and cut it down at a tree farm overlooking the Pacific.

Johnny loved running around the trees....

There was some hammock swinging...

Some climbing....

Some tire swinging....

And some marshmallow roasting....

And the final product........

Papa and Meemaw's Visit

2011-12-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

After a fun day touring San Francisco we headed to the beach for some tide pools. It was very cold (at least for California) but we bundled up and were able to see starfish, sea anemones, crabs and even a large group of seals.

After our adventure on the beach we had a picnic overlooking the ocean...

While we were picnicking John had a surprise visit from a mole that was trying to surface right where he was sitting. After a few surprising bumps, John decided to move so he didn't get bit in the rear. It was quite amusing...
The next day was Thanksgiving. Emma made centerpieces for the table and was a great help getting the table ready...
A pre-meal nap......what else is Thanksgiving for?

Yummm!!!! Think we had enough food to feed a small army. Everything turned out and we ate till we were going to burst...

I don't think I got any photo's but we once again got up for Black Friday....ALL of us, including the kiddos. This was Emma's 5th year out shopping early in the morning. This was a tradition started by Meemaw that we haven't broken and it was very fun being able to go out with her again.

That afternoon we headed to Stanford's campus for a tour.

And then some Christmas decorating.

We had so much fun during Papa and Meemaw's visit. Thanks for coming to visit us!! Can't wait for next time....

Alcatraz

2011-12-15T19:51:00.001-08:00

Papa and Meemaw came to visit for Thanksgiving and we spent our first day together in San Francisco. We took the boat ride to Alcatraz and had lots of fun touring the Island.

Emma had so much fun looking around and listening to the audio tour that she says that is what she wants to go back to Alcatraz for her birthday. Can you imagine parents getting an invitation for a five year old girls birthday party at Alcatraz???

We also went to Ghirardelli Square and Pier 39. It was a great day in "the city".

Stanford Basketball

2011-12-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

The kids had lots of fun cheering on the Stanford Women's Basketball team.

I think Johnny is going to be a sports fan.

Halloween

2011-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here are my two cuties, Cinderella and Lightning McQueen about to head out trick or treating ...

My beautiful princess.....
Talking with Meemaw and Papa online prior to heading out to get some candy....

We discovered that trick or treating at an apartment complex is AWESOME. Every few yards there is another door waiting to be knocked on. We live in a very kid friendly place so most of our neighbors participated and there were tons of kids out and about....

Some of the neighbors got really into it and decorated up their porches....

A photo of the loot. We are still eating our candy several weeks later...

Emma also got to had out some of our candy. This was one of her favorite things last year and once again she loved giving other kids candy.....
And was very sad when the last trick or treater left and she had to go to bed...

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

The week before Halloween was very busy...the kids ended up dressing up four times. First was a party thrown by our apartment complex. They went all out. Haunted house, bouncy castles, cotton candy, caramel apples, DJ, and lots of fun games. It was very fun....

Next up was a Halloween parade and trick or treating downtown Menlo Park with the Davis family.

Then on Sunday the parents group at our apartment complex had a get together at the playground near our house.....

And then, our course, actual Halloween....pictures to come.

Siblings

2011-11-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this photo!!

It captures them as siblings so well. They are the best of friends.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

It was fun this year as Emma was old enough to decide what kind of face she wanted on her pumpkin...

They both helped dig out the seeds...

Emma drew the face she wanted on her pumpkin...Johnny drew all over his pumpkin...

And Emma chose a happy face girl for her pumpkin....."nothing Scary" as she put it...

Lemos Farm

2011-11-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

What is October without a trip to a farm to get a pumpkin? This year we drove to Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay. We made the mistake of going on the weekend and it was packed.

Johnny loved the tractors....
And the little train ride....

But the big event of the day was Emma's first pony ride. She beamed the entire time...

There were also goats to feed which we all loved....

I think Emma wanted to take one of them home...

Johnny

2011-10-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

As with all second children, I have not done as well documenting each of Johnny's milestones so here a list (mostly for me to remember later) of some of the things he is doing now.....

Things Johnny is Saying:

Johnny's turn (when he see Emma doing ANYTHING)

Show...show (when he wants to do something himself and doesn't want help)

Hiya!! (play fighting)

Aww Man (at very appropriate times)

Memaa (this is what he calls Emma..it is so sweet)

fee...fee (this means he needs to go pee pee)

Hide (he still LOVES to hide and is really good at it)

Orange (this is his favorite color and if you ask him what color something is he will insist it is orange and laugh knowing it isn't)

Five Mo Minute (while holding up one finger when I tell him it is time to go)

Go Home (when he wants us to go away)

No Tan Tu Memma (No thank you Emma)

My Memma (to anyone that talks to Emma)

Funny things he Does:

Hits the ball and runs bases no matter where we are.

Gets in a runners stance at random moments then takes off running.

He has started going number two in the toilet and with each plop he will say...."football" or "baseball" based on the size and shape

Wants french toast for breakfast EVERY morning

Refuses to give kisses and is more adamant the more that you want one...sometimes we trick him and ask for one when he gets distracted...then you get the sweetest kiss...then he realizes he has been tricked and wipes it away with a smirk on his face.

Happy Hallow

2011-10-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of the places we kept hearing that we needed to visit was Happy Hallow in San Jose. This is pretty much an amusement park made just for preschoolers. It has the kiddie rides, a small zoo and a large play area. The even greater thing is that we get in free with our NC Zoo pass!

Here is a roller coaster that both kids rode and LOVED.

Johnny was too short for the ride but we had just happened to have picked his hair out that day and the people in charge of the ride weren't really sure what to do with it. He was just tall enough with his afro to be let in...

We had a very fun day (we have already been back) and I think we will make many more trips to Happy Hallow this year.

New Friends

2011-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

When we found out that we were moving to Palo Alto good friends of ours from college put us in contact with their friends, the Davis family, to help us figure out where we should live and help us get settled in. Paula, Glen, Dana and Xander have been life savers for us. They invited us over for dinner our first night in town, helped us move in, and have become great friends. Not only are they an awesome family, the kids get along well and I think Paula and I have either talked or hung out at least every other day since we moved here. Here is a picture of us at Sprinkles taking advantage of a free cupcake....

I know that I am going to have to find more friends soon but for now I am VERY thankful to have my one friend in town. Not sure if you read my blog Paula but if so....thanks for everything!

"Fear the Tree"

2011-10-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are sports fans I am sure that you already knew this but Stanford University's mascot is a tree. A Cardinal to be exact. This actually fits the personality of the school exactly. Who needs a tough mascot when you go to Stanford? A tree will do.....

A couple of weeks ago we attended our first Stanford football game. The kids loved the crowds and watched most of the game. I think this is the only game we will make it to this year as they are sold out of the cheap seats but we look forward to next season and are ready with our Stanford gear to cheer the Cardinal on!

Above is my attempt to get a picture of our family at the game. Johnny was not cooperating so he gets a picture posted of him picking his nose.

We all went to the Stanford bookstore and got to pick out a shirt for the game. Emma picked pink...of course...

And Johnny picked a football player and insisted on taking his football to the game.

Santa Cruz

2011-10-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our next day trip had to be to the beach. The beaches on the San Francisco coast are beautiful. The closest large beach area is Santa Cruz. It has a big boardwalk with a ferris wheel and lots of other stuff to do at the beach but we passed on the crowds and went to the state park to see the tide pools instead.

The kids loved looking in the tide pools and putting their fingers in the sea anemones.

Emma told Johnny all about how to touch the sea life though he was perfectly happy just watching.

And of course, they loved playing in the waves. Though the water was freezing (yes we definitely miss the warm Atlantic ocean) the kids still had fun being chased by the ocean.

And got nice and sandy in the process....

Had to include this picture of Johnny. This is what he does no matter where we go..RUNS!

End of Summer Fun

2011-10-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of the things that has made our move easier is having a pool. When we need to get out, we put on our suits, take a five minute walk, and we are at the pool. Emma can now swim on her own across the pool and John has even taught her to do a crawl stroke. Johnny jumps in with no fear and floats until someone helps him up.

Since swimming during the day isn't enough for our kiddos, one evening we headed to Stanford and let them walk around in a fountain. Apparantly there is no rule against this on campus so it is a common sight to see kids cooling off with their feet in the water. It is just more fun when you can walk around in water that seems like it should be off limits. It is also more fun when it is paired with a Jamba Juice!

The City

2011-10-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

We decided our first trip exploring the area needed to be to "the city". This is how everyone in the Peninsula area refers to San Francisco. You can drive to the city in less than an hour but we wanted our first trip to be by train so we rode the Caltrain.

The kids LOVED the train. It takes about 45 minutes to get there on a normal train, 30 minutes on an express train.

We didn't have any agenda for the day so we got off the train and started walking. We walked down to the Ferry Station and walked around the farmers market and then walked down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of street performers and vendors everywhere. We ate lunch on Pier 39 which is full of restaurants and shops.

Alcatraz from a distance....(yes....we did go home and watch "The Rock" that night)
Then we decided to keep walking and walked up to Giradelli Square. At this point we had walked almost four miles so we took a break and let the kids take a nap in the stroller while we enjoyed a hot chocolate from the Giradelli shop.

We were going to take a trolly ride but the lines were long and it didn't take us back where we came so we decided to save it for our next trip.

Once the kids woke up we headed back down to the water to catch a cable car back up to where the train station would take us home.

We quickly discovered that the cable cars are packed at 4 in the afternoon and there was no way a family of four and a huge stroller were going to fit. So we started walking again. By the end of the day we had walked almost 8 miles. Our feet were sore for the next week but it was well worth it. We really enjoyed San Francisco and are looking forward to our next visit.

"Stanford is Bike Friendly" is an Understatement

2011-10-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

When John came out for his interview, he came back and told me everyone he met rode bikes. I thought...ok, I can see how a flat area with good weather would have a lot of bike riders but surely everyone doesn't ride bikes; what are we in the 50's?. I have been proven wrong. Everyone from the ages of 5 - 85 rides bikes. It is a reasonable way to get around in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and around Stanford's campus. There are bike lanes everywhere and drivers are very pedestrian and bike aware. Here is a photo of the kids saying goodbye to John on his way to work.

We are a one car family now and John rides to work, rain or shine (though to be fair...the shine is almost all the time). Stanford's campus is so big that it would take the students too long to get from one class to another on foot so everyone gets a bike to get around. Crossing a bike path at Stanford is kind of like crossing a street. You look both ways and stay put during traffic times (between classes) or you might get run over. We are loving this new way of life. For some reason, an outing is just better when you can walk or ride there. We have not yet invested in a way to pull the kids behind us so for now we are a one bike family. But I predict that I will not be able to resist the trend and will be searching craigslist for a bike trailer in the near future.

The New Digs

2011-10-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

I have finally caught up with our journey this summer so I can start posting pictures of our new place. I will have to admit, moving from Greensboro where we owned a home to a place where we had to be on a wait list for an apartment was a bit nerve wracking (not to mention we are paying 5 times what we did in Greensboro for our apartment). Just as I was starting to panic about having a place to live, the apartment complex that we wanted to live in had an opening and we were next on the list. It is across the street from Stanford and walking distance from a ton of parks, the grocery store, and best of all John's office. Our apartment is GREAT! It feels a lot bigger than we expected it to feel, our patio is big enough for the kids to play and have a small table, the kitchen is a good size and even has a desk for the kids to eat breakfast at (the dining room table has carpet underneath...yipes!), our bedroom fit our furniture and even my desk to use for tax season, and we are loving having our own bathroom. The complex itself has two heated pools and hot tubs along with a fitness room and two good sized playgrounds. They take really good care of the grounds so there are lots of flowers and grass along with courtyards and even a small lemon grove in the middle. We feel very blessed to have landed here sight unseen. Here are some pics...

So the Pell Bed and Breakfast is open for reservations....who is going to come visit!?

Long Haulers

2011-10-08T20:43:00.001-07:00

Our time in Washington was over and we had one more long day of driving to get to our final destination. We left Wenatchee at 5 AM and headed south. We spent a large part of the day in pajamas and stopped at McDonalds three times.

There was a lot of napping....
Some giggles.....
And 17 hours later we were crossing the golden gate bridge and almost home....

Our kids were once again great. The picture of them giggling was them at 10:30 at night after being in the car for FOREVER. We arrived at our hotel in Palo Alto at around midnight and went to our apartment the next morning. We were home.....

A Sad Goodbye

2011-10-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

We had about a week after the wedding before we headed down to California. We had such a wonderful time visiting family and friends during our 7 week vacation and it was finally coming to an end. Three days after the wedding we had to say goodbye to Auntie Heidi, Uncle Nick, Hannah and Hailey. They were moving to Tanzania and it would most likely be TWO YEARS until we saw them again. Ughhhh!! I can't really explain how hard it is for me to have my sister, who has become one of my best friends, living across the world with my sweet nieces (and Nick I miss you too :). She is such an important part of my life and there is a part of me that doesn't feel right without being able to just call her up and chat with her about this or that. We got married a few years apart and became mothers less than a year apart so our lives have become intertwined with similar experiences. I hate that she is so far away though I am so glad that they are where God has called them to be. Our family looks forward to our reunion Summer of 2013.......

Some of you know my sister so if you want to know more about what she is doing they started a blog......http://forrestfamilyinafrica.blogspot.com

The Wedding

2011-09-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

On August 26th my baby brother got married. The photographer did an AMAZING job and just posted some of the photo's on her blog:

Lifesong Photography

I still don't think it has fully hit me that he is married but I am so excited to have Carin for a sister and to watch them grow as a married couple. The whole family was in the wedding and the kids did great as flower girl and ring bearer (along with their cousins). It was beautiful and a fun day full of celebration. We love you Uncle Justi and Auntie Carin and can't wait for you to visit!!

Bellingham

2011-09-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

After our trip to Seattle our family headed up to Bellingham where John and I both got our degrees and lived prior to moving to North Carolina. Oh.....we love Bellingham. It has a special place in our heart, both the people and the town itself. We took the kids to Western to show them where we went to school (mostly to reminisce ourselves because as you see from the next photo, Johnny slept through the whole thing). We were also able to meet with the amazing campus pastors that mentored us while at Western; Brady and Shirley and Dave and Shelly. It was so encouraging to meet with them and hear about the ministry and also to share with them what was going on in our lives. What a great way to recharge before heading to another college campus......
We were also able to meet up with some friends we hadn't seen for three years. We had all added children to our families since the last time we got together. It was great to see everyone and catch up on their lives...

As you can see...the kids got along quite well..

This is an attempt to get a photo of all of the kids. Johnny was NOT HAPPY!

Then he got to throw rocks in the water and all was well.......

While in Bellingham we stayed with the Belleme family. I realized I didn't take any photo's while at their house but stole the one below off of Facebook. They brought their daughter Elyanna home from Ethiopia six months after we brought Johnny home and then were surprised with a son a year later. We got to meet Titus for the first time and spent the evenings catching up with Joe and Janet. Thanks for being such great hosts!

Seattle with Forrest Family

2011-09-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days in Seattle with Uncle Nick, Aunt Heidi, Hannah and Hailey. We strolled around Seattle.....
Pikes Place.....
Ate Lunch on a Pier......
We were one stroller short so Emma and Hannah cuddled up and rode together....

Johnny insisted on wearing Emma's sunglasses for a large portion of the day....
And fell asleep while shoe shopping....
Hmmmm....difference between girls and boys while shoe shopping...nature or nurture??
And then the next day we headed to the Woodland Park Zoo.....

Johnny insisted this was a shark and was fascinated with the "shark" swimming by him over and over again....

And we got to feed birds again much to Emma's delight...
This time Johnny got brave and joined in....

It was our first trip with just the Forrest family and was so great. With the cousins so close in age it has been really fun to see their relationship grow even though we have always lived far away from them. Now, they live in Tanzania so these moments will be few and far between. We can't wait for 2013 for our next Forrest/Pell adventure.

Weekend at Point Defiance

2011-09-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

We headed over to the west side for a few days with Papa and Meemaw. Meemaw had a class she was taking so we spent the first morning at the Tukwilla Fun Center. I didn't think the kids were going to like this Frog Hopper but they LOVED it. It went really high...you can't really tell from the photo.

Emma driving her first car. Johnny was very distraught that he was too short to ride himself....

A trip to the Rainforest Cafe.....

Petting the sea life at Point Defiance. We had such a great day. The weather was unbeatable and the animals were all out showing off...
Johnny kissing a fish....

There was an exhibit where you could buy a stick with food on it and feed the birds. We had to drag Emma out of this one....

And to end a great day...a carousel ride. We had so much fun on our trip with Papa and Meemaw. Thanks for all of the fun!

The Lake

2011-09-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

A few days after arriving in Washington we headed to the lake house on Lake Roosevelt. It was a week of fun in the sun with the Stagge/Forrest family.

Some playing at the beach with the future Mr. and Mrs. Stagge

Some napping on the front porch.....

Did some fishing.........

Some floating.......

We found pollywogs....

Drove the boat......

Celebrated birthdays......

And of course some tea parties........

Yes, the girls got ahold of Johnny....I think he might have been the cutest one...

Day 4 and 5 Dakota to Washington

2011-09-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

On Day 4 we drove, and drove, and drove 1,026 miles in total and 16 hours of travel time. The kids were great and the scenery was beautiful.

Our van took quite the beating from all of the bugs......

Johnny wore his pajama's all day because it is his Thomas shirt....On Day five we only had about 6 hours away so we got up and got to Wenatchee early afternoon. On our way home we happened to stop at a rest stop that had a ton of marmots that loved being fed. The kids had a blast...

And then we finally got to Wenatchee.......

Grand Forks

2011-09-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

On our way to Washington we were able to stop for a few days to visit Uncle Tim, Aunt Lindsey, Luke and Jack. We had so much fun and were very thankful for the pitstop in the midst of our long trip...

We had great weather while in Grand Forks and it was a beautiful town. We were able to spend a lot of time at the park, see Jack ride his bike without training wheels for the first time, go for a sister run, eat pizza at a local pizza joint, and watch the kids love on each other and play all day long. Thanks ND Pells for a wonderful visit!

Some backyard play...
Red Light Green Light, Aunt Sarah Style...with lots of made up colors in between....

Pizza Parlor....

Jack and Emma were pretty tired. They both actually fell asleep at the table.......

The oldest cousin looking tough for the camera....

Emma sleeping with Jack. They slept like this all four nights we were there. It was great to see how much they bonded on this trip as they are only two months apart.

One afternoon a thunderstorm rolled through. Johnny does not like the "Boom" sound so wants to be held when there is a storm. Here is a picture of Luke, Jack and Emma comforting Johnny during the storm. They actually fought over who got to hold him.
The big bike rider.....

We Are In California

2011-09-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

We have arrived safely to Palo Alto and are attempting to unpack and settle into life in California. I hope to get the blog updated soon with all of the fun we had during our time in Washington but wanted to post a quick update on where we were. Prayers are welcome as we transition to a new place. So far so good........

Transition....Vacation.....Moving.....Vacation???

2011-08-14T22:10:00.001-07:00

Our family is in transition, I mean on vacation, I mean moving, I mean on vacation......

Well, we are in limbo. In some ways it is wonderful. We got through the stressful part of packing up all of our stuff, saying goodbye to loved ones in North Carolina, and driving across the country without having to immediately get to work at settling into a new place. We have been able to visit family, take trips to fun places, see old friends, lounge around, play with cousins, be cooked for, go for a night away for our anniversary, not worry about the day to day responsibilities of owning or renting a home and all sorts of other great things. I am so thankful for this time but there is a part of me that also feels like this "vacation" isn't real. It is real in the sense that it allows us to spend lots of quality time with family, but is isn't real in the sense that when it ends, we do not go back to normalcy. I can't look at our kids starting to get restless at all the change and promise them that it will feel normal again soon. Maybe I need the normalcy more than they do. I think that I am really excited about this new adventure one day and then dreading the first couple of month the next. We are living in that in between time and as the date approaches where we will actually move into our apartment in Palo Alto, I am equal parts excited and scared. It will be different moving to a new place with kids. Last time we moved we were all on our own. This both comforts and gives me more worry.

I guess, in summary, I am feeling a bit mixed up at the moment. I miss you all in North Carolina, am loving the time spent here in Washington, and can't wait to go (don't want to go ) to California to begin our new adventure all at the same time. I just hope these next three weeks go by fast...I mean slow......I mean......

Day Three - North Dakota here we come!

2011-07-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today we got going around 8am and only had a little over six hours to drive to get to Grand Forks, ND. The day was uneventful and we made it to Uncle Tim, Auntie Lindsey, Luke and Jacks house. The kids hit it off like they always do and within minutes were running around the house playing. Within a few hours Emma had them playing that she was the queen and they would do whatever she wanted them to do. John was able to play in a tennis league with Tim and we took them to the park to play. It was so great to be out of the car and even greater to spend some time with family. Pictures to come.

Day Two

2011-07-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Today we made it from Greenburg, IN to Eau Claire, WI a total of 550 miles. We got going at 8am, stopped twice, and made it to our destination at 5:15 gaining an hour. I thought the kids did great on our first day. They did even better on our second day. They slept a large portion of the afternoon and between watching movies, coloring, and listening to music there was very little whining. Here is a photo of them in the car after 9 hours of traveling. Still goofy and smiling. Shortly after this photo they had a cheeto fight which consisted of them throwing cheetos at eachother, mommy and daddy, and anywhere they thought was funny. Whatever makes them this happy in this long of a car ride is fine with me :)

We made great time so I was able to find a hotel with an indoor water park to stop at for the night. We ate dinner, checked in and hit the park. The kids had a blast and hopefully ran off some energy to make it through one more long day of driving until we get to take a break and play with cousins. North Dakota here we come!!!

Emma "Come on!! Let's go swimming!!"

Cross Country Road Trip - Day One

2011-07-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

We said our last goodbyes and cried as we drove out of Greensboro. It was so sad leaving all of our good friends but but that is for another post that I can't quite bring myself to write.

Today we made it from Greensboro to Greensburg, Indiana. A little over 500 miles and 10 hours of travel time. The kids did GREAT in the car. Watched a few movies, ate some snacks, took naps and only got restless right before our stops.

We ate lunch at a rest stop like you should on all good road trips.

The hotel we stayed at had a broken pool so we were able to go to the local YMCA to swim instead. It was a good break from sitting in the car. Getting them to go to sleep was a challenge but at 10 pm everything was quiet and John and I were able to start looking at places to live online (oh did I mention that we are officially homeless and literally living out of our van?)

All in all we couldn't have asked for a better travel day.

The Big Move and Saying Goodbye

2011-07-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

After a week of packing we were ready to move everything into our POD where it will stay for a month and a half. We had a large group of friends come over for the day to help us load up the POD and get our house cleaned up. As you can see, we had our work cut out for us.....

I didn't get pictures of everyone that came to help us move but we are so appreciative of everyone that helped. Moving our family across the country was no easy task and I do not know how we would have done it without the help of our Greensboro Family. Thank you so much for everyone that helped....

On our last day in town we took our last walk down Walker to the local restaurants and said goodbye to our empty house. It was really hard. This place is home for us....

What was even harder was saying goodbye to our good friends. We are going to be lost in California without our dear friends.

We love and miss you all (you know who you are) so much! It definitely has not sunk in that we are not heading back to Greensboro. Thank you for making Greensboro our home for six years. We hope to see you all in California in the near future.....

Emma's 4th Birthday

2011-07-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

After our Pell Family birthday party we went into full packing mode. Emma's birthday landed right in the middle of our packing week so we took the week off and spent the day celebrating instead of packing. We started our morning off with chocolate chip pancakes and then we were off to the movies to watch Shrek 4.

Then for lunch, Five Guys, our current family favorite....

And then we were off for afternoon tea. Emma insisted on wearing her princess dress.....

Kristen treated us to tea for Emma's birthday.

Words cannot begin to express how much I love this girl. Can't believe she is already four years old. I love watching her grow into a little girl but miss my baby at the same time. She is growing up too fast!!

Sleep Over with Kai

2011-07-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

Kai invited Emma over for a sleep over. They have grown up together and the best of friends. Angie said that they were up late, woke up early and had a great time...

Some late night ice cream....

And Pancakes for breakfast.....
Thanks Kai for a great sleep over. Emma had so much fun!!

Beach Camping

2011-07-14T17:22:00.000-07:00

In June we went camping with the Phipps family and we all slept in this tent...

Yep, Angie, Greg, Kai (3 yrs old), Blayze (10 months old), me, John, Emma (almost 4), and Johnny (almost 2) all in one huge tent. We were all pretty proud of ourselves for accomplishing a two night beach camping trip with kids this age. The kids did not go to bed till around 10pm each night and we ended up driving Johnny and Emma around in the van the second night to get them to sleep but once we went to bed the night was pretty uneventful.

Notice Emma is still in her pretty dress. I can't believe I have a daughter that camps in a dress...

Johnny enjoyed his marshmallow and was very dissapointed he couldn't roast it on this short stick....

This is what Johnny looked like most of the time at the campsite. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him rolling in the dirt while we were there. And most of the time he wouldn't wear his shoes....He loved camping!

A little snooze on our way.....

The Beach!!!! The kids were at great ages for a beach trip. Emma and Kai played all day long, Johnny played half day then dozed off with John in the shade, and Blayze ate as much sand as he could get in his mouth.

On day Three we packed up and spent the morning at the aquarium...

Johnny LOVED the fish. He just ran around the entire time we were at the aquarium shrieking "ish"...

We have loved our beach trips in North Carolina and this trip with our good friends was a great way to say goodbye to our east coast beaches.....

Birthday Party for the July Birthdays

2011-07-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

On John's birthday we had a birthday party for John, Emma and Johnny. I made princess and prince cupcakes for the occasion. Here are the birthday boys and girl in cupcake form.....

Some pizza.....

Some Gift Opening.....

And of course, a pinata.....

It was a great party and a good way to end our time in our home and begin our major packing process.

Grrrr......

2011-07-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Johnny has taken to growling. Most of the time this is in good fun. He growls at his cars, any animal he sees, us when he is hiding from us and we find him.... He is the kind of kid that growls loudly and then when you step toward him runs away with a shriek. It is quite amusing. What is not quite as amusing is when Johnny growls at other kids, or at Emma, or at us when he isn't happy with a situation. We were at the pool the other day and a kid was coming down the steps where he was standing and he looked the kid in the eye and let out a big "don't come too close to me" growl. The fact that the kid was quite a bit bigger than Johnny did not seem to phase him. He was also told on by an 8 year old kid at the splash park because he was pushing. Yes, our Johnny was picking on an eight year old. I am a little worried he is going to grow up to be a bully or many a grizzly bear. Hopefully he keeps his growl while it is still cute and looses it before he becomes "that kid".....

Pool Time

2011-07-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

We have spent a lot of mornings at the pool with our friend Kristen this summer. She is moving to Texas when we move to California so we got together as much as possible. Emma and Johnny LOVE the pool. Emma has always loved the water and is swimming this year. She can almost get all the way across the pool, swimming under water, coming up for air, and going back down again. We are so proud! Johnny was a bit hesitant last year but this summer has been fearless. Last time we were at the pool he kept diving under the water where he would just dead float right under the water till I pulled him up, he would take a breath and do it over and over again.

Kristen is such a good friend. She meets us at her pool a couple of times a week and takes one of the kids while I take the other. I do not know how I am going to survive without her :(.......

Though Johnny has loved the water, he doesn't quite last as long as Emma does. He normally needs a snack or a nap after a few hours. I still haven't found Emma's limit as we were at the pool for almost four hours one time and she still didn't want to get out.......

June Happenings

2011-07-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

We tried to take advantage of June to enjoy our last hot summer for a while. We spent a lot of time outside at pools or splash parks and as always some fun times on the front porch....

Sunday's Music at the Park with friends......

A little dancin.....
A little red rover......
And of course a water fight with against Emma and Will....who do you think won??
Downtown Toons at Noon at Center City park....

It was a relaxing month with lots of fun...

Johnny Turns Two!

2011-07-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my baby boy turned two. I remember the anticipation I felt during this time two years ago. We were waiting for our phone to ring to tell us about our son. Little did we know, he had just come into the world and was beginning the journey that would bring him into our arms six months later.

This birthday has brought with it a mix of emotions for me. There is the part of me that wishes I could sit down with him and whisper in his ear about the day he was born. Tell him all about how he came into this world. Give him the details about how he looked, what his first days were like, how long it took him to cry, who was there around him for his birth. Instead I will say a prayer for his birth mother, that she will have a peace in her heart when she thinks of him. That she will somehow know how much he is cherished and loved. I am thankful that he is still too young to have any feelings of loss on his birthday. No wishing these details of his life weren't missing. And so, for as long as I can, I will bear this loss for him and then we will bear it together.

Here are the things that I can tell him on his birthday. He was deeply loved from the moment we laid eyes on him. We love every part of who he is and feel so honored to be able to be his parents. Watching him grow into a little boy this year has been pure joy. He lights up our world with his smiles, giggles, and playful attitude. Our life would be incomplete without him and we thank God every day that he is able to be part of our lives. Happy Birthday Johnny!!

Spring Time Fun

2011-07-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

We were busy this spring enjoying for the last time what Greensboro has to offer. Here are some photo's of us at the children's museum......

And Music in the Park......
And Lazy 5 Ranch......
I remember taking Emma on this wagon ride when she was Johnny's age. She cautiously fed the animals without touching them but mostly watched while clinging to my mom or I when the animals got to close. Johnny had no fear. He fed any animal that came up to the wagon and I think may have crawled inside their mouths if they would have let him. At one point I took my eye off of him for a second and he had ran to the end of the wagon and was trying to climb down to run with the buffalo. He also didn't want me to touch him when the wagon was going. He wanted to hold on all by himself.....

Here is me feeding the Giraffe.....pretty awesome......

A Buddies Birthday Party

2011-06-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Kai turned 3 on May 13th and had his birthday party at a Train Museum. It was a fun time with friends and ended with a ride on a real train....

Strawberry Time!!

2011-06-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

I love strawberries. Every year we take advantage of strawberry season and pick our own strawberries. Last year I carried Johnny on my back while Emma and I picked berries. This year, we all got to participate. Johnny ate a lot more than he picked but Emma was able to pick a half basket herself this year.

This is Johnny eating cream cheese during one of our picnics at the strawberry patch. He is possibly the messiest child I have every seen.....

And, of course, with strawberry season comes Grandma Stagge's Strawberry Pie...yum yum...

House for Sale

2011-06-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

On May 1st we officially put our house on the market. We decided to try and sell our house without a realtor to save in fees but used a service to list our home. We had lots of showings which meant our house had to be spotless for the months of May and June. Keeping our house "show ready" with two little ones was NO FUN! If you have young children and do not have to move I do not suggest going through this. We had three open houses, several close offers and last Wednesday accepted an offer and are officially under contract. Wahoo!!! We are so relieved that we were able to sell our house in this market and can move forward instead of having the worry of a house payment following us to the west coast. I wanted to include some of the photo's of our home so that we have them for years to come. We have loved our home and neighborhood. It is the home we brought both of our children home to and will miss it dearly......

Dance Class Picture Day

2011-06-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

Emma's dance class has come to an end but I wanted to make sure to post some photo's of her picture day at class. We signed Emma up for a Creative Movement class at the Cultural Arts center downtown and it was well worth the money. She loved it and I loved how relaxed and fun it was for three and four year old girls. The teacher, Elizabeth, was amazing with them and taught them a lot about dance but her expectations were that they would have fun and try to listen to directions. I think that sometimes we push our kids into situations that are too intense too early instead of letting them enjoy being kids and not taking life so seriously. I loved this class because it was mostly about learning to move your body and love dancing.....

Emma and Miss Elizabeth....she will be missed...

Easter Fun

2011-06-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Pre Easter Craft

I thought I would try blown eggs again this year as Johnny could paint while Emma painted the eggs. Johnny insisted on getting an egg to paint too...

It started off well with Daddy helping prep the eggs for painting...
Then Johnny shoved his finger through an egg and he was DONE.....

Lindley Park Easter Egg Hunt

Easter morning. The kids loved their baskets from the Easter Bunny.

We go to a church in our neighborhood we can walk to so we were able to walk to our Easter Sunday service. One of the many reasons we have loved living in this neighborhood.
Emma and Will holding hands walking back from church....

We had a gathering at our house for Easter complete with egg dying, egg hunting and lots of yummy food...

Baby James even got into the egg hunting...sort of...

My Beautiful Little Girl

2011-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Emma was super sweet as a baby when she came into the world, and she is still as sweet as can be as a preschooler. I really can not describe how much joy she has brought to her lives. She is very outgoing and fun loving but at the same time sensitive and kind. Whenever Johnny is upset you are sure to hear a "oh sfveethart" or "it's ok buddy" from her as she runs to get a stuffed animal for him to cuddle with. She is eager to please and loves following rules. When we are on walks it is Emma that stops cold at the curb and yells for us if we forget to grab her hand. Or if we use words like poop when in public she will loudly remind us this is not public language. I asked her once to stop twirling her hair as it may make it fall out and if she sees me even reach for my hair to play with it she reminds me that we don't do this. She is very observant and will compliment someone if she notices something different about them like a new haircut or pretty necklace. She loves all things girly and last week refused a sucker because she had just applied her chapstick and it would mess it up. She still refuses to wear pants or shorts and will only wear dresses, skirts with fancy shirts, and one "outfit" that yaya bought her. She loves to pretend and talks all day long to her stuffed animals. Recently we were at Barnes and Noble and she was told she couldn't take a stuffed dog with her out of the store. She threw one of her rare fits screaming that she loved it and it would miss her as I carried her out of the store. A week later when I was bribing her to sit and get her hair cut I asked her what she wanted and she quickly named the dog she had to leave behind. We went to B&N to pick up the dog after her hair cut and Emma picked it up, pet it's head and whispered..."don't worry puppy, don't be sad, I won't leave you this time, I love you". The relentless love for this stuffed dog is just a small reflection of the love that Emma has for those around her. It is amazing to be her mom and watch how she already, at this young age, loves on others in a way that makes them light up when she is around. It is an amazing blessing to have her as my daughter.

My Little Man

2011-05-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Johnny is growing into a sweet, lovable, rambunctious little boy. He is no longer my toddler. No longer needs to be carried but prefers walking. No longer just cries but uses words to communicate. He is growing up too fast. This first picture of Johnny captures his personality so well. He is fun loving and almost always smiling and a bit mischievous. Not in the rebellious way, but in the..."this is is so much fun wanna join me?" kind of way. He is very stubborn but wants to be included so tends to comply so that he can participate in whichever game or activity he wants to be a part of. He loves kicking. He will kick balls, walls, people, pretty much anything that is kickable. He is very coordinated for his age and I predict he will be athletic as he grows up. He loves being outside. Loves being thrown around up in the air by his daddy. Loves to run around like a "crazy man" as Emma likes to say. He is maybe the messiest little boy I have seen and needs several new shirts per day if he is going to stay clean. He loves all things boy and is very adventurous but at the same time startles at loud noises or unfamiliar places and faces. One of his favorite things to do now is to pretend to eat your nose. He also has an unbelievably sweet side. He loves to cuddle at night and sometimes you will get one of his random and wonderful kisses just because. He is adored by us and we feel so lucky to have such an amazing and wonderful little boy as our son.

Siblings

2011-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

I am loving this stage of life. In July Emma will be four and Johnny will be two. They are becoming the best of friends. Emma is such a sweet older sister and loves on Johnny when he needs an extra hug or can't seem to communicate something that he wants. Johnny adores Emma and follows her around the house, copying everything she does. They have started playing pretend together and chase eachother around on bikes, play hide and seek, and have giggle attacks about anything that strikes them both as funny. Now that Johnny is talking they are beginning to have small conversations without me involved. It is so fun to hear Emma tell something to Johnny, him nod his head, smile and them both run off with eachother......

A visit from Yaya.....

2011-05-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

In the midst of John's conferences and on campus interviews my mom came to visit. It was so great to have her visiting while John was away and the kids had a blast...

Emma got her first "Build a Bear" for Easter.

Talula Has Left Us......

2011-04-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

When we moved to NC back in 2005 we were determined to settle in and get a dog. We had decided to get a Bernese Mountain Dog and after much hunting drove to Washington DC to pick up Talula. She was the CUTEST puppy we had ever seen..........

We took her everywhere with us. Days at the park, long walks, trips to friends. She became part of our family....

We were not great dog trainers so Talula quickly realized she could be very spoiled and get away with pretty much anything. But she was sweet and cute so we didn't care....

She made the Christmas card of 2005.....

She grew into a beautiful adult dog and we loved taking her for walks in our neighborhood. Everyone would stop and ask us what kind of dog she was and comment on how beautiful she was. She was horrible to potty train, not extremely bright, chewed anything and everything but she was our dog and we loved her....

And then comes baby. She was great with our kids from the beginning. She had a sense to be gentle and never got upset with Emma or Johnny messing with her. She didn't even seem to mind being neglected once the kids came. She went from number one, to number two, to a very last number 3 on our priority list once the kids came around. Every mom I talk to with a dog can attest to how hard it is to manage a dog and small kids and give the dog the attention that they need and deserve. Talula became a second thought instead of our first. She got more attention from the kids but less attention from us. But she went with it and blended into the background of our lives.

As I sit here and write this it is so strange to not here the jangling of Talula's collar as she wanders around the house, looking for toilet paper or maybe a scrap of paper Emma left on the floor to devour. It felt strange to leave the house today without putting Talula behind her gate. It was completely foreign to have someone stop by our house and not have to pull Talula away from the door as she tried to greet our visitor. When it started raining I went to the back door out of habit to let her in only to find myself standing there, tearing up that she wasn't there to let in. I will have to admit, I was the first in our family to say that Talula was a nuisance, too much of a burden for me to care for once we had kids. I had many conversations with John about finding her a new home (this was normally after she had peed in the house or chewed up her 400th sock) to which John would say absolutely not. But, she has left a void in our house. Her death seems so sudden......maybe I wasn't so ready to be dogless. She was a good dog; part of our family, part of our life here in North Carolina and we all loved her very much. We are so sad that we had to say goodbye.......

Big News!!

2011-04-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am going to interrupt my blog catching up to give everyone our big news.....

John accepted a position as a professor at Stanford and we are moving to California!!

We are so proud of him and how hard he worked to get here and excited for what lies ahead for our family. We are, of course, also very sad to be leaving our good friends, beautiful neighborhood and home, and southern cooking but we have been here for six years, John has gotten his degree, and it is time....

We won't be moving until sometime during the middle of the summer but are now in the scramble to get our house on the market. We are praying it sells quickly so that we can focus on moving and finding a place to live in the San Francisco area. I hear the trolly bells, beach and wine country calling....wanna come visit?

Spring Break Fun

2011-04-18T20:22:00.001-07:00

Each year John has had a spring break of teaching and has had to commit this time to working on his dissertation. Now that he is done with school, we can finally begin to enjoy his spring breaks! This year we decided to go local. We went to the zoo.....

I think the tram was a highlight for all......

And the next day we went to the science center in Durham. They had a great butterfly exhibit. Emma really wanted a butterfly to land on her. At first, Johnny ran up ahead with his usual no fear attitude. Suddenly he saw a huge butterfly trying to land on him and completely freaked out. He stayed much closer to us after that.....
Emma got to hold her butterfly......

Johnny still not sure why we are letting bugs fly on us.....

Train ride through the Dinosaur forest...

It was a lot of fun and a good preview for fun spring breaks to come.....

Kick, Kick, Kick.......

2011-04-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

Emma is playing soccer this spring. She has loved her dance class so much so we decided that we would see how she liked playing a sport with a ball and team. She loved "dressing up" in her outfit for the game...

It is set up as a practice/game so most of the time the kids are just running around with their balls. For any of you that know Johnny well, you can imagine that him having to watch people play with balls without him was not an easy reality for him......
We finally had to break it to him that he was not going to be able to stay on the field....

I think Emma might like the water breaks the best.......

The kids do drills and practice for the first 45 minutes and then try to play a game for the last 15 minutes. Once the game starts there are those couple of kids that can dribble and take the ball from the other kids. Within minutes one of her teammates is sitting on the ground crying and the rest of them are pretty much wandering around the field deciding if it is worth running or if they should just pick some grass. You spend the first years of a childs life trying to convince them that they should share, be polite, not steal toys from others, take turns. Then you try to teach them how to play a sport and you hear yourself saying, "steal the ball" and "be aggressive" and "kick the ball at the goalie". Hmmmm.....no wonder these little kids run around the field confused....

March Happenings

2011-04-13T18:28:00.001-07:00

I haven't been very good about keeping up the blog lately so thought I would post a few photo's from the last month......

Here is us at an Elon University (where John works) basketball game. Johnny LOVED watching all the balls bounce around the gym. Emma loved watching the cheerleaders.

We also got to spend some time at a children's museum and a science center.....

And my attempt to braid Johnny's hair....it took me about a half hour and a lot of candy to keep him as still as possible....
This only lasted one day so don't think I will be doing this very often....

Have You Finished Your Tax Return?!?!

2011-03-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

You have only have three weeks left to file your tax return!! Are you done? Have you figured out how or when you are going to get it done? There is still time to get help with your return. I have capacity to take on a few more clients before the end of tax season. Let me know if you are interested....

For those that are claiming the adoption credit, if you have any questions please let me know. There are extra filing requirements this year and it has become a refundable credit! For those of you that adopted prior to 2010, you still may be able to get some of this refundable credit. If you did not file for the credit the year that you adopted you can go back and amend the returns to create a carry forward that you can take advantage of this year. Make sure that you are taking full advantage of the credit. I am more than happy to answer questions of fellow adoptive parents and then help you file if you need help.

Urgent Need for Help with Ethiopian Adoption

2011-03-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

We have received notice the the Ministry of Women's affairs in Ethiopia has a movement in place that would decrease the amount of adoptions processed by up to 90%, leaving thousands of children a year in orphanages instead of joining a loving family; children like Johnny. I am heartbroken to hear this and pray that it does not come to pass.

So, what can we do about this?

1.) The Joint Council has launched an emergency campaign for the children of Ethiopia. Please sign the petition today by clicking on the word "petition". You can read more about the proposed changes and the emergency campaign on this blog. The petition will be sent to Ethiopia on this Friday so don't put off signing.

2.) Forward this information onto friends and family. The more voices that are heard, the better chance we have to make change.

3.) Pray for all of the children and families affected by this change.

Thank you for your help!

The Pells

Old Roomies

2011-03-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Johnny was able to reunite with one of his roommates from Hannah's Hope. The special mothers called them brothers as they arrived around the same time to the orphanage and were only a month apart.

A lot has changed. They have both grown from babies to toddlers. Isaiah is now bigger than Johnny. They are starting to talk. But, one thing has not changed...they are still the two cutest little boys I have seen.....

We caught up with some kisses.......
A little bit of basketball........
Some crib jumping......
And a whole lot of fun.......

It was so great to see how well he was doing and catch up with the Fleming family. Hope to make a better habit of getting together this coming year.

"The thud of your babies head......."

2011-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

When Emma was five months old she rolled off the bed onto our hardwood floor. We were getting ready for a Christmas party and John ran upstairs to join me in getting ready (our clothes are located upstairs while our bedroom is downstairs......we live in an old house with no closet space....very annoying sidenote) Emma had just started wiggling around and we were really used to being able to leave her on our bed. I asked John where she was and he sarcastically said "I left her on the edge of the bed"....then he got this look on his face and raced down the stairs. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs we both hear a thud and screaming. She had fallen face first off the bed. We calmed her down and pulled out our baby book to see what to do. John felt horrible, he was in tears as well. The section on head trauma began with "One of the worst sounds that a new parent can hear is the thud of their babies head as it hits the ground...". We felt a tiny bit better that this had obviously happened to others.

Then when Emma was around 8 months old, while I was standing next to the bed blow drying my hair, she fell off the bed again. I just missed catching her as she fell of the bed and hit her face on the hardwood floor. Ahhhhhhh!!! Really, we let it happen again? Now we are borderline horrible parents.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, we got the kids to bed and were chatting with friends and we hear that same thud and scream. Emma is now three and a half but had somehow rolled off the bed and hit her face on that same wood floor again (the kids share a room so if Johnny is not asleep before Emma she starts in our bed before we take her to her bed) The other two times we should have known better but really......again???!! Poor girl. Here are some photo's of her fat lip and black eye.......

Johnny's Dedication and Homecoming Day

2011-02-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

On the Occasion of Our Son’s Dedication

1/16/2011

Greensboro, North Carolina

One year ago today, Johnny Tibebu Pell, we carried you off a plane and introduced you to your sister Emma and our family changed.

In the year between that day and today we have had a lot of time think about what it means to be the parents of someone as special as you. You bring so much to our family—joy, laughter, curiosity, an adventurous sparkle in your eye, and an Afro. And, while we may never be able to give you as much as you give to us, today we want to publically express our commitment to you and our desire you create a safe place for you to grow and learn about what it means to follow after Jesus and to live in the awe and wonder of his creation.

John Tibebu, you came into this world under challenging circumstances, and, perhaps, will always wrestle with what it means to be adopted; what it means to be Ethiopian; and what it means to be loved, in unique ways by two families—including one you may never see. These are and will be elements of your story that will always, to some extent, inform how you navigate your life.

And, while we wish every day that you never had to experience any of this, we know we can’t take this from you—cannot bear this burden for you. We know that someday the world may seem unkind, filled with injustice, a place where God feels far away; We know that someday you may face curious stares and biting remarks; We know that some day your beautiful skin may feel like an unbearable burden and your bouncy curls a remainder that part of you is far, far away from this place; and We know that we will not have all of the answers, we cannot help you through every struggle and every question because your journey, Johnny, is unlike anything we have experienced.

Yet, while our promises are few, they are certain and they are solid.

We promise to love you more everyday, to hold you in high regard, as a unique and wonderful creation of our God.

We promise never to leave your side as you explore, and question, and grow. As you struggle, we will lift you up. As you question, we help you find answers. We will try, to best of our ability, to demonstrate the love of God’s Kingdom—a love that is patient, kind, slow to anger, and quick to forgive.

In world of injustice, we promise to speak often of God’s Kingdom—a place in which our hope rests, a dream, an idea, and a reality in which our differences forge us together and love is, regardless of what the cynics say, strong enough to overcome.

When you feel alone, we promise to rest by your side. To slow down the pace of an ever-quickening world and allow you experience the comfort of family. And, if the day should ever come when you need to find answers for yourself then we will support you along the way never begrudging you for wanting understand the plans God has for your life.

In all of this, Johnny Tibebu Pell, we promise never to be so arrogant to believe that we can raise you alone. Already, the people in this room have loved and supported you, and we will continue to look to them for strength and support; Moreover, we promise to rely on the strength of our God, the creator of good things, the sustainer of life, and the one in whom our hope rests.

It is our hope for you that you grow into a man of God. A man with unique giftings and a desire to serve others above yourself. A man that is confident but also humble—always changing and growing, always becoming. We want you to be a man that sees life as an adventure and takes advantage of every moment. A man that is thoughtful and kind; always curious about others and the world around you. A man that is quick to trust and even quicker to forgive. A man that is following in the footsteps of the One that goes before us, the One that has made our paths straight.

Today, we dedicate you to the Lord, and in doing so we are reminded that families are built in strange and miraculous ways. And, if nothing else, remember that every time we call your name it reminds us that you are a fourth-generation John Pell, you are bound up in a family and a history that spans oceans and continents, and you are our son.

May the Lord Bless and Keep you, John Tibebu Pell.

Amen.

We dedicated Johnny in our home surrounded by our good friends in Greensboro; the community of believers that God has blessed us with for this season of our life. It was such a sweet time for us and a wonderful way to celebrate Johnny's first Homecoming Day. Thank you to all of our good friends that made this day so special.

Emma's "Children"

2011-02-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Meet Emma's Children......

From left to right: Boots in his bed, Any (pronounced like Amy except with an "n") the Panda, kitty ("she is Emma's pet not a children"), and Cinderelly. It's so funny what kids will attach to. Boots came with Dora but apparently Emma is a much better caregiver than Dora was. Boots' bed is a jewelry box from ????. Any was purchased at the zoo by Yaya and Pappy this last spring. Kitty was found at a yard sale (don't judge) a couple of years ago. And Cinderelly was a Target special this year during the black Friday sales. So this is the gang, Emma's current BFF's. If you come to our house, don't be surprised to be shushed by Emma as oftentimes her children are sleeping.....how rude for you to wake them up!!

These Days.....

2011-02-18T04:45:00.000-08:00

Are going by way too fast. I no longer have a baby. Johnny is officially a little boy. Before I forget all about this stage and move onto the next I thought I would write a bit about each of my kiddos for my own memory sake.

With a three and a half year old and a now 19 month old, the words and phrases that you hear around our house are quite amusing. Johnny is saying more words everyday. Let's see if I can remember all of the things that he says:

Ah do (All done)

Nah (No)

Ball

Uck (Truck)

Caw (Car)

Love you (yuv u)

Plane

Dunk

Oosh (shoes)

Baba (bottle)

Ma (milk)

cu (cup)

wawa (water)

ba (bath)

dog

nana (banana)

eese (cheese)

ma (more)

Mommy (Mammee)

Dada

Emma

Yaya

Papa (for Papa and Pappy)

Mama (for Meemaw)

Kai

BooBoo

Johnny does not walk anywhere, he runs. If he hears anything interesting going on he takes of at a dead run and pushes his way into the middle to make sure he doesn't miss out (second child maybe? :) He loves balls, cars, trucks, planes, all the boy stuff. He is extremely adventurous; climbs on everything and tries to jump off, goes down any slide, ect but gets scared by certain sounds or electronics like the vacuum or a remote controlled car. He is very into spitting right now and spits to be funny (this is not funny). His new thing is to spit his food at the dog and then laughs hysterically as Talula eats it up. He mimics Emma and tries to do whatever she does to make us laugh. He loves music and his dancing now consists of "shaking it" and running around in a circle. He now does "fists of fury" on command. His favorite thing to play is "dunk" with mommy, daddy and emma and he will clap for us whenever we make a basket in his new basketball hoop. He still loves to snuggle and if John or I sit on the ground he will run over, climb in our lap and lay his head on our chest. He also does this with Emma which she LOVES. He loves to push his balls and cars around in the baby stroller. He is still a morning person and greets us each morning with a huge smile and normally pointing at a ball ready to play. He is a sweet boy that is passionate in how he plays and how he loves his family.

Emma's imagination has exploded. She spends most of her day playing with her "children" in some way shape or form. She has included Johnny in this play as the Daddy. She is a rule follower and people pleaser. We told her once that we were not going to say poop in public anymore (this is one of her favorite topics). Since that day we are given a stern talking to if we "say poop in public". She loves playing with her brother and bossing him around. The other day they were playing in Johnny's crib and Emma had Johnny laying down with a blanket tucked around him with a fake bottle. He was her baby and it was time to go to sleep. She is also very compassionate. If Johnny is having a hard time she is the first to get him a toy or do a silly dance to try and make him happy. Emma's favorite thing to play is dragons. She pulls out the tent and we get inside with her "children" and we hide from the dragons. This could go on for hours. She still loves to dance and puts on dance shows for us on a regular basis. She is not a morning person and takes a while to wake up in the morning but once she is up, she talks all day long. She is very social and asks questions about EVERYTHING! She still snuggles with us and asks to be rocked prior to bed at least a couple of days a week. She wants to wear dresses only. We finally made one of her dresses her "house dress" so that she could put it on once we got home from something that we made her wear pants to. If she is wearing tights and a sweater with her dress she will immediately take them off once she is inside so she is normally wearing a summer dress no matter how cold it is outside. She has the three year old stubborn and OCD attitude but is quick to say she is sorry and is great at listening and following instruction when needed. Her sweet spirit and loving attitude towards others still amazes me on a daily basis.

Some Emma phrases:

"We don't say poop in public"

"Did God make poop?"

"Johnny is a kazy (crazy) man"

"I've got to get settled"

"That's not my friend, that's my children" (when talking about her stuffed animals and dolls)

"I'm having a snappy day" (this is a bad day)

"Once there was a little girl named poopsidaisy and .........." (telling a story)

"It's like 30 o'clock" (telling time)

"What are we doing today tomorrow?" (when asking about the morning)

"I only wear elmo underwear if I am wearing pants, if I wear a dress I have to wear my princess underwear"

"Princesses don't clean up"

"Can I wear my house dress today?" (her summer dress she wears around the house)

"Did we do that lesterday? (when asking about anything in the past)

Snuggles

2011-02-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

One of Johnny's favorite things to do is to crawl in your lap and lay his head on your chest to snuggle. He has learned that he can do this with Emma too and she LOVES it. No matter what she is doing, if Johnny is in a snuggling mood, she will stop what she is doing to let him snuggle with her. So sweet........

3 Year Old Theology

2011-02-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

Emma has been asking a lot of questions about God lately. Some on the silly side like..."does God poop?" and some more thought out questions. Here is a conversation I had in the car with Emma the other day....

Emma: "Mom, is Jesus God?"

Me: "Yes Emma, Jesus is God" (Thinking...please don't ask me to explain the Trinity to you at 3 years old; or at any age for that matter :)

Emma: "Does God sleep?"

Me: "Hmmmm.....I don't know Emma, let's ask Daddy what he thinks when we see him" (Phew...she is just asking random questions)

Emma: "Jesus slept on the boat with his friends. God must sleep"

Me: "Ummmm......"

Looks like Emma in her three years has figured out more than Mommy has.

Oh The Places We've Been.....

2011-02-14T15:44:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Our vacation just kept going and going......

2011-02-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

John had to go to a conference at the beginning of January so instead of heading home the kids and I stayed in Washington with the plan that I would fly back with the kids the day after John got home from his conference. Five days, three cancelled flights and three snowstorms later.....we finally got home. We made the most of our delays and the snow with a little bit of......

DANCING!!!

Some photo shoots......

Some playing in the snow......

Emma was so brave and wanted to sled by herself.....
Even got past doing a face plant and wanted more.....

And of course, some disney movies to end the evening.......

It's Tax Time!!

2011-01-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Have you decided what you are going to do about getting your tax return done this year? Do taxes confuse you? Make you want to pull your hair out? How much time did you spend last year preparing your tax return just hoping it is right? Or perhaps you took it somewhere and aren't quite sure if you got what you paid for? You can pay up to $150 dollars on tax software and then spend hours trying to figure out if you entered information correctly. Or, some may choose to go to a tax preparer and spend upwards of $300 dollars for even the simplest return.

I would love to help you with your return this year. As a CPA with over 8 years of tax experience and because I work from home, I am able to prepare tax returns with the same expertise as a more expensive CPA / Tax firm and for around half the price. My desire is to not only prepare your tax return but to also provide answers to your questions and help you plan for the future. This kind of of personal, one-to-one experience is something most tax preparation services do not provide and the kind of service that would cost much more at a larger firm. Do you live outside of Greensboro? No problem. We can use video conferencing or your preferred method of communication to go over your return. All you would need to do is either mail or scan and email me the information I need to prepare the return.

I will make sure to ask you the kinds of questions that help provide you with a correct return. For example:

• Did you refinance your home? Did you know that some of the expenses associated with the refinance are deductible?

• Did you know that if you itemize your tax return, you can choose between taking a deduction for sales tax and a deduction for state income tax?

• What about school expenses? Do you know what does or does not qualify?

• Do you know what medical expenses you are getting a deduction for? Do you spend a lot of time adding up receipts for medical costs and then not benefiting from a deduction?

• Did you adopt a child this year and aren't sure what expenses qualify and how you make the most out of this credit?

• How do you know that you are capturing all of your deductions? What if you are missing something and paying a lot more tax than you should be paying?

• Do you have any ideas about what you might be able to do this year to lower your tax liability?

I can help with all of these questions along with saving you the grief of spending an entire day in the spring desperately trying to finish your taxes.

My fees for preparing your tax return would be as follows:

Basic Tax Return, no itemized deductions

$100

Basic Tax Return, with itemized deductions

$150

*Additional cost added for rental properties, schedule C businesses, and other more complicated tax issues. Contact me for a more accurate quote.

Thank you,

Sarah Pell, CPA

sarahdpell@gmail.com

"Gotcha Day"

2011-01-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

January 10th, 2010......

And a year later...........

I know I am biased but he is pretty much the cutest little boy on the face of the earth. Johnny we love you more than you will ever know!

One Year Ago Today.....

2011-01-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

We boarded a plane to bring our son home. I can't believe that it has already been a year and yet in some ways it seems so far away. Here is the post and photo's of us on our way to Ethiopia....

January 8th, 2010

It is so hard for me to put into words what a blessing Johnny has been to our lives this year. He is amazing little boy that lights up our life in ways that we didn't realize were missing. I remember parents of multiple children telling us that your heart just grows to love each of your children as much as your first. When we left Emma behind with her grandparents to go get Johnny I remember thinking.....can we really love another as much as we love her? Is it possible to have enough love to go around? The answer is YES!! (I know all of you with multiple children know this but I think parents with one child just have to learn it for themselves before believing it)

As I reflect back on this past year my heart just swells. I feel so blessed to have been entrusted to raise and love Emma and Johnny. They are both very different yet have the same sweet soul. One of the best things about being a parent is watching your child grow into the person they are going to be. Each year reveals a bit more about who they are and gives glimpses into what they might become. With Johnny, our ability to watch him grow began at six months when we brought him home. We held and comforted him as he transitioned to his new home. We watched as each day he let his guard down a bit more and trusted us with more of who he was. He is now a running, laughing, curious, sweet little boy who loves with no reservation and trusts us fully.

I am so thankful that we made the choice to adopt. The choice that led us to board that plane one year ago and bring home such an amazing child. The choice that has taught us so much about who we are and who we want to be. The choice that gave us a son that has blessed us beyond words.

New Years Eve Tradition

2011-01-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

We were able to continue our New Years Eve tradition this year with some of our friends from Washington. The Harris family hosted and we had a great time catching up and watching our growing families play.......

We also got to go to a hockey game thanks to Meemaw "connections" and had a great time...

Guess Who is Engaged??

2011-01-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve Uncle Justi and Carin got engaged. Wow....I can't believe my baby brother is getting married! Carin is awesome and fits into our family so well. We looking forward to watching them walk down the aisle on August 27th. Congratulations you guys!!

Some Pictures of the Pells

2010-12-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

As always, my mom got some good pics of the kiddos while we were in Washington. Here are some of my favorites......

You will notice that there are a lot more of Johnny than of Emma. This is because Emma will not smile for the camera anymore unless bribed or caught in a good mood. I do not want her to use this to prove she doesn't get enough attention...don't worry, she does...

Stagge Family Christmas

2010-12-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas at the Stagge house this year and this was the first year that Emma really got the idea of Santa Claus. Here is Yaya, Hannah and Emma making cookies for Santa the morning of Christmas Eve.....

No.....Hailey is not punching Johnny in the face but he is crying because he had to take ANOTHER picture prior to opening his Christmas eve pajamas....

Yaya was so excited that she found matching pajamas for the girls and guys this year! Don't we look great!!! What will she come up with next year....hmmmm???

Decorating the cookies for Santa.....

Reading the Christmas story before going to bed on Christmas Eve........

Do you see how intent they are at listening? Maybe next year.....

My how out family has grown.....
Christmas morning opening our stockings....

Johnny got a ball!! How did Santa know??

The cousins had a great time playing this year. Johnny and Hailey are only two months apart and both love to growl at eachother. Aren't they the cutest??

We ended up staying in Washington a few extra days due to weather so we took advantage and went to a farm where you can feed the animals.....