{talking up a storm}

I know this post will probably be of little interest to anyone else but me, but I have been feeling the need to write down some of the new things Luke has been saying. 

As some of you may or may not know Luke has had a big SCREAMING issue ever since he came home, it's not always been when he was upset, many times it was when he was excited or happy.  There have been days when I have wanted to rip my hair out and run strait out the front door as fast as I can.  His scream is the most eye piercing thing I have ever heard.   No joke.

Suddenly over the last month or so his language skills have exploded.  Now that he is talking so much more the screaming has almost disappeared.  It feels like a miracle, something I thought might never happen.  Don't get me wrong he still on occasion will let out a big one and I jump about a foot, but so much less then before.  I'm still amazed some days when I think about all the changes he has faced in his 28 months, and the different languages he had to learn at such a very young age.  For the first 11 months of his life we believe he was spoken to in Wolayta, then in Addis it was Amharic for 3 months, then English.  All by the time he was 13 months old. 

Here are some of my favorite things Luke likes to say these days:

Starbucks now mommy.
Mini scone please.
No foam latte mommy.  (When he makes me pretend coffee in the toy kitchen :))
I love airplanes.
I go airplane. 
Here ya go Brooke.
I want to go swimming pool.
I want snack NOW!
I want eat NOW!
I want to go outside.
Bumble bee scare me car.
No go to bed now.
I want to go airplane now.
I love you!
Brooke Noah go swimming.
Read to me.
I want more ice cream.
I poppy yucky.
Ear hurt mommy. 


And many many more...I want this or that.  So helpful now that I know what he wants or doesn't want.

{summertime is here}

 School is out and the pool is open!

 What more could a kid ask for?

(Please say a little prayer for me, that I will survive this extra long summer break)

{spring photos}

Little bit of this, little bit of that

 Noah sporting his new swim goggles

 Brooke on her new wheels!

 

 Race day

Brooke ran a 1k, no stopping and sprinted to beat me at the end.  Stinker!  

Not far I know, but like her mother she is not a fan of running. 

I had the joy of pushing 33lb Lukie in the giant Bob. 

 

 Neighborhood Easter egg hunt

Easter Sunday

This is what happens when Luke goes shopping with Brooke. 

 My handsome little guy!

Backyard fun with friends!

 Noah LOVES soccer!

 

 

Enjoying the Erie Balloon Festival from our backyard

 

 Noah's "early" birthday party with friends

(We thought we would be in Seattle by now, so he celebrated early with his Colorado buddies)

 

 Noah's last day of preschool & the Wheels Parade!  

Starting a new preschool was hard on Noah, but we couldn't have asked for a nicer bunch of kids to have in his class.  They are going to be missed so much!

 Field day at Brooke's school

  Brooke's last day of 1st grade.  So many new friends and so many memories.  

She is growing up way too fast!

I also had the privilege of spending 4 days away with some fabulous adoptive mama friends of mine.  Many of them I met for the first time in Ethiopia when Ryan and I met Luke.  We share such a close bond and I am so blessed to have these ladies in my life! 
BIG thanks to my husband that encourages me to do things like this! 
The hardest part, saying goodbye to all of them again. 
I'm still praying we have that travel group reunion someday soon!

Calvin, Auntie, Name & Papa come to town!

My sister, nephew and parents came for a visit in March!  Here are a few pictures from their trip.  We had such a great time with all of them and loved showing them around Colorado!  Calvin was a trooper, he arrived with a double ear infection and still let us drive him around and around for 2 days strait!

 {cousins - so happy to be together again}

Visiting the Denver Aquarium

 

Everyone loves a trip to Lucky Pie

 Please don't burn me with that marshmallow mommy!

Luke always loves reading books with Nama & Papa!

 Trip to Garden of the Gods

{Sorry I haven't blogged in a while with all of our on again off again moving stuff, blogging has had to take a back seat.}

Colorado - What we will miss

I haven't been blogging too much lately.  Our family has had quiet the adventure the past month or so.  We are still firmly planted in Colorado, but will be leaving in a few short months to head back to our home state of Oregon.  We thought we were moving to Seattle this weekend...but plans changed.  Anyway, we are excited to be going "home" but have truly fallen in love with Colorado.  When people in CO ask "why are you moving, don't you like it here?"  Ryan and I have both been having to pause and remember "why are we moving".  It's not that we don't love it here, but circumstances with schools, housing and job stuff just made it feel like going back to Oregon was best for our family (the kids!) right now.

I've been preparing myself for the day when we leave.  We had dreamed of moving out of state ever since we both graduated from U of O.  Great jobs we both landed right out of college kept us in Oregon and parents who don't seem to want us to ever fly far from the next.  After Luke came home though, and 2 trips to Africa I felt like the world was so much bigger then what we had been living in.  We were blessed to finally have this opportunity this past year and it's hard to say goodbye to it all. 

I have a list of things running around in my head that I will miss in Colorado and don't want to forgot.  Here are just a few....

1. Giant cotton like clouds that you almost feel like you can touch.
2. Amazing views of the Rocky Mountains from our home.
3.  The friendliest people around!  So laid back and easy going!  I really want to bring some of that back to OR.
4.  A backyard that is always filled with neighborhood kids runny from house to house.  Everyone is always ready to play and parents are always ready to let them play.
5.  The "pretend fences", I hated these when we first moved here.  Now I have come to love them, there is always someone right outside ready to say hello or lend a hand.
6.  THE SUN!  All the time!!
7.  Crisp mountain air...except when the wind blows too hard then it has a bit like cow.
8.  All our new friends, from church, school and neighborhood they will all be missed.
9.  Neighborhood pool, I have a love hate relationship with that place.  I'm always afraid one of my 3 non-swimming kids is going to drown.  Way to much drinking and relaxing goes on there that I'm too afraid to partake because of my non-swimming kids and hubby.
10.  BOULDER!!  Love love love that town!!  I love all the hippies, yummy restaurants, Pearl Street, college, everything about it!
11.  Skiing, in just under 45 minutes the kids and I were at the mountain.  Super easy drive, no chains, no big SUV needed, dry snowing roads.  Oh I will so miss that.
12.  All the people running, biking, walking, hiking doing stuff outdoors.  People are outside all the time.
13.  Hiking at Chautauqua