Kazapalooza 2009 - Just Pictures for Now! - Updated

I'm in a rush, so I'll just quickly post some pictures of our great weekend - narrative to follow (hopefully later today!).

Headed to the pool for the very fun pool party! The resort was so gorgeous!

Definitely a water baby - he LOVED it!

Like his brothers...

Titus and Asa were born 1 week apart within 1 hour distance of each other and both were adopted into families with two older boys.

And here are the families of boys - six between us! Gretchen and Chris went from 0 to 3 kids in about 13 months. They are an awesome family and we loved hanging out with them!

These boys were all born and adopted from Uralsk, Kazakhstan. Our boys have been home the longest and are the oldest by a bit. They are all absolutely adorable! It was so fun comparing notes about the baby houses and in-country experience!

Our family on the last day.

Stopping for ice cream on the way home...what would a trip be without an ice cream stop. :)

It's just so amazing to be with people who love Kazakhstan, have had similar experiences, and have been so blessed through adoption. I loved feeling "normal" - you don't have to explain everything; we all know how it works etc. It was incredible to see all the families - some built entirely through adoption and some built through both biology and adoption.

Every single person would tell you that adoption is awesome - I think we are all pretty passionate about it! :) What beautiful families, beautiful hearts, and beautiful children.

Yesterday was an emotional day - in a happy and good way! I learned of two families receiving referrals and another family having two foster children placed with them. I saw all of them this weekend and rejoice with them! I love that more children are on their way to finding forever families. I could go on and on but I'll stop. We can't wait until next year and we hope to see many of you before then!

Back Home Again

We are home from an amazing weekend in Nashville! We thoroughly enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones as 60+ Kaz adoptive families got together! It was absolutely beautiful to see the children, emotional to see how each family has been impacted and blessed, and incredible to be apart of raising money for Kaz kids through Two Hearts for Hope. I cannot think of a better way to spend the weekend! Pictures and post to come. Off to bed...

Sweetness

This guy is a great traveler overall! He went on our trip to Chicago a few weeks ago and was remarkably cheery...I think he enjoyed all the attention! :)

Does anyone else hate teething biscuits? So messy and nasty but babies seem to love them. :) Poor guy is cutting about four teeth right now - the two on the upper left are winning so he may have a lopsided smile for a little while.

He is taking a lot of steps! I will never get tired of watching that developmental milestone - we first got to experience it with Calvin. Titus is incredibly proud of himself and constantly looking around to see who will cheer for him - we oblige. :)

Titus is also occasionally giving open mouthed kisses which completely melts my heart.

Brotherly Love & Craziness

You can decide what's going on here...

Learning Something New

Last year (at the start of 2008), I mentioned that I wanted to learn to knit. My good friend, Heather, is an accomplished knitter and so she gave me yarn, needles, and a pattern to get started. It took me 18 months but I finally finished the project last week! Okay, I actually didn't start until February of this year and mostly knitted it at the newly formed knitting club (super fun, by the way!). So...here is the completed project.

I think the model is pretty cute. :) While this was my first completed knitting project, I certainly hope it won't be the last! It was fun and I had such a sense of accomplishment. The older boys have requested hats for themselves - Calvin would like orange and green stripe and Patrick would like two colors of blue. We'll see.

Winners!

I'm happy to report that I feel like a new woman. I think I got more rest yesterday than I have in several days combined. :) My mom graciously took the boys when I called her at 6 a.m. telling her I was very ill - there was absolutely no way I could have cared from them.

Well, today marks the end of the celebration! I had such a great time thinking up giveaways and reading all the comments. I put everyone's names in bowls and had the boys draw the winners for each giveaway. And with that, we have 7 winners!

#1 - Starbucks Card - Heather L.
#2 - Dessert Cookbook - Jennifer T.
#3 - Trader Joe's Bags - Jenna N.
#4 - Book Giftcard - Jenny S.
#5 - Outdoor Cookbook - Heather S.
#6 - Art Notecards - Stephanie E.
#7 - Necklace - Ann H.

Thank you all for entering! Evidently you had a greater increase of winning if your name was Heather or anything with Jen. :) It was random, I promise! Honestly, I always wish I could give something to everyone but alas, that just isn't possible - there were a lot of entries.

Congrats to all of you and I will be getting your prizes to you in the next week! Enjoy!

30: The 1st 24

I'm closing all entries and tomorrow I will hopefully post all the winners! Thank you all for celebrating with me!

So far, 30 hasn't been very good...I came down with severe stomach flu early this morning and have felt awful. I'm sure things will look up in the next 24 hours. :)

I did have a lovely day celebrating yesterday - my mom and all of my sisters (even the one from up north!) surprised me for lunch and Andrew took me out for a lovely dinner last night. Sadly, I'm missing out on my Mom's Night Out tonight - they let me pick the restaurant and I was so looking forward to it.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is better than today and that nobody else gets sick - we are scheduled to head out of town for the weekend and we definitely want to go and be well! I think I've used up all the energy I had...back to bed for me.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

(by Alaina's lucky husband Andrew)

On this her thirtieth birthday, I thought she needed a guest post on her blog!  Henceforth, with no more ado, I give you: 

Thirty Wonderful Things About Alaina!  (or, why I love her so much; in random order)

 Alaina:

1.  is the best and most faithful friend I ever could have asked for (and prettiest!)

2.  enjoys her three sons, and is always envisioning fun things to do with them

3.  bakes incredibly delicious desserts (and main courses, too)

4.  is an interesting, engaging, entertaining writer – just look above and below!

5.  likes to play fantasy football with me, and really does play (e.g., she doesn’t just sign up, but she learns the players, the strategies, and seriously talks about who to start each week!)

6.  balances out my pack-rat tendencies and (to a greater or lesser extent, depending on my sentimentality) helps me get rid of no-longer-needed stuff :{

7.  is an extremely loyal, caring, devoted friend

8.  is also, like me, a competitive board-game enthusiast, although for some reason (probably three reasons, actually) we don’t play as much as we used to

9.  has this mischievous side that keeps life interesting

10.  loves spending time with me (as she would say, a happy coincidence!)

11.  definitely knows how to throw a (Christmas/birthday/general) party, complete with decorations, food, drinks – and did I say delicious food?

12.  enjoys looking at home plans with me, and envisioning and discussing our green dream house

13.  has a heart for adoption, which has changed our lives, and will, I trust, change many others as well

14.  likes dogs (maybe more than I do at this point, which is something of a role-reversal from a few years ago)

15.  enjoys gardening, and puts the produce – and particularly her herbs – to excellent use

16.  is very patient with my idiosyncrasies (I’ll not list them; she knows them well enough)

17.  helps make sure I don’t walk out of the house looking like I time-traveled from the 80s

18.  is something of a perfectionist, which, being one myself, is great (most of the time :)

19.  likes to travel and explore new towns, states, and countries – and is a great traveling companion

20.  is very financially responsible, which makes accounting, budgeting and saving easier

21.  has a great mind, and puts it to good use in many ways, including in discussing cases and other work with me

22.  loves people and is always eager to help, serve, and make their lives happier

23.  thoroughly enjoys a good book, and is always fun to book-shop with

24.  has remained remarkably mentally stable considering that she lives with four “boys,” three of whom are within three years age of each other

25.  not only loves Christmas, but also makes it a wonderful time of year, from decorations to events to gifts!

26.  is always up for a late night movie (even if she falls asleep in the middle :)

27.  loves her family and spending time with them

28.  bakes, cooks, and creates some of the most amazing things in the kitchen (did I list this already?  If so, it bears repeating!)

29.  has the prettiest name in the world (thanks, Dad and Mom J.!)

30.  like me, is concerned with stewardship of the earth, and in thinking and acting “green”

31.  is very concerned about the health and welfare of her family, and takes that very seriously (hello, more good food!)

32.  is very understanding when I have to work late

33.  and did I mention that she’s hot?!

Oh wait, I’m going on too long!  But as we were always told with our birthday “spankings,” there’s always two or three to “love Daddy on,” etc., so I trust you’ll forgive me.  Rest assured, she really is only turning thirty this year!  This short list barely scratches the surface; I could list thirty more.  But since she’s only turning thirty, that will have to wait! J

I love you, Alaina!

Countdown to 30: Giveaway 7

This is THE day...around 2 p.m. this afternoon I will turn 30. It's really not bad - I think the worst part is just not knowing where the time has gone because I certainly don't feel 30! I'm thinking a big cookout in a few weeks...at least that's what my sisters think and it sounds fun! :) In the mean time, I'm going to lunch with my sister and dinner with my husband - I feel so spoiled!

I've enjoyed looking back at birthdays past and in a way anticipating the birthdays that are to come. The past 30 years have brought some amazing things and I trust the next years will as well. The best thing ever is our journey to building our family. It's not just the best because I get to be the mom of three incredible boys but because it gave me an entirely new perspective on love, family, and the world. And while I was certain that we would someday adopt, I had no idea it would be by the time I was 30. It's been quite the journey. I feel so content and so blessed. Thank you for joining me on this Countdown to 30 - I've had a great time! Here's to another year of adventure, life changes, and living life to the fullest.

And now what you are waiting for - I'm so thrilled to offer this necklace for the final giveaway!

My sister-in-law, Ashley, just started her own jewelry business and I love what she is doing! Her etsy shop is up and running - Scapegoat Jewelry. She uses a variety of colors and styles in her designs. She debuted her jewelry at Liz's studio night in April. I'm a big fan, so excited for her new venture, and thrilled that she is participating in the giveaways this week! Today she is offering the above necklace to one lucky winner - I wish I could enter! :)

The necklace is the Double Stranded Cabochon Necklace and the description reads, "This necklace has two strands from which petit cabochons dangle. The two chains are of different weight; the top chain is about 1 mm in thickness and the bottom chain is about 2 mm. It also features a filigree box clasp. This necklace is 18" at its longest point."

In order to be entered into this awesome final giveaway and support another local artist, please visit her etsy shop and leave a comment with your favorite piece. I have a hard time choosing but I really like the Green and Red Cloisonne Lockets with Cloisonne Beads!

Here are the rules for one last time :):
1) 1 entry per person per giveaway - you do not have to live locally or even know me personally for any of the prizes (I will cover all shipping costs).
2) You can enter all drawings for the week - just leave a comment with the specified guidelines on each giveaway post.
3) Make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner (winners will be chosen randomly unless otherwise noted).

I will draw winners for all giveaways on Wednesday, June 3 and contact the winners via e-mail and list them here on the blog. And I'll try to get everything in the mail or delivered within the week. Thanks again for joining in my birthday celebration!

Don't forget to enter all the other giveaways for this week!
They will all close tomorrow evening!