Today - I share with you - my most treasured gifts - my three children. This is a picture of Becca, Max and Logan before the wedding ceremony. Unfortunately we had to hide out in the "back room" as we waited for guests to arrive and keep Becca hidden from Jordan. ;-) Logan wouldn't take many pictures through out the night - so I'm happy he agreed to take a few pictures before the evening started. I'm looking forward to adding the picture to my desk at work - it has been awhile since I've had a nice picture of the three... more

Well, all that hard work and preparation paid off - this past Saturday, Jordan and Rebecca exchanged their vows! It was a very special evening and although we had a few "mishaps" - all in all - it went very nicely and most importantly - everyone seemed to enjoy the night. Lots of laughter and fun.

Below is the final toast that I was able to do at their wedding:

Dear family & friends,

I’d like to welcome all of you and say thanks for sharing in this special night with all of us. Many of you know... more

Here I have a very recent, hot off the presses, picture of our son, Max and his grandma and Pa-Pa. We were very proud of him at his birthday party on Sunday, as he opened and READ his birthday cards - he was gracious enough to thank his family all on his own. We were especially proud that he READ - we had truly worried when school first started that we would have another child struggle tremendously with reading. It has been amazing how far he has come since the beginning of 1st Grade - he truly has a wonderful teacher and a well run reading... more

Our Hanukah and Christmas cards are officially reaching members of our family and friends all over the world!

Just thought I'd share the picture we cropped of our two cuties to warm the hearts of family and friends......

Logan (Taraz) is in the yellow and Max (Semey) is in the white. This is the day they were helping daddy with moving some bedding around in the guest room - they were laying down on the job. :)

One of my favorites! It takes me back from our current -- cold and snowy days - to a fun time in summer - the boys had just had their haircuts and daddy snapped this picture of them on the back of his pick up truck!

It also "gently" reminds me that I am the only "girl" left in a "boys" world at our house - as they find bodily functions are roll on the floor laugh material. It cracked me up after a rather "gasous" night with Max as he proudly "fanned" the smell into the air to my protest - that he informed me that I was all about... more

Sometimes it is helpful to look at pictures when you get "frustrated" with things going on in life. Logan has been a very difficult potty training "sell" and I try to just take a deep breath and know that one day it will be mere memory.

So today my Love Thursday is dedicated to Logan - my baby....

This picture is from one of our visits at the baby house - it brings joy and happiness to my heart. Logan was 10 months old when we met him and arrived home one day before his first birthday. Logan would... more

I've written many blogs about my daughter Becca and have given a brief "overview" of the bumps along the road with her as a teen. I really should put a picture of my earned gray hair here - but instead - I give you my LOVE THURSDAY picture.

This picture is from this weekend when Becca, Jordan and Cali came to visit. Cali is my grand-daughter and is in the picture with Uncle Max - her smile makes my heart melt!

Cali brought the daughter I know and love "back" to me. I spent a week... more

My little superman. :) Every year we have a Halloween party that our boys have grown to know and love. Even though this picture is a few years old - it remains one of my favorite treasured memories! It just captures the 'fun' of the night and makes me smile. Hope it brings a smile to your face too.

Take care,
Cyndi

Someone over on the adoption.com China forum posted an excellent question.

Can anybody suggest good questions to use to interview adoption agencies with?

And some great responses:

The first thing I would do is call or e- mail as many agencys as you can. They are all really good at getting info to you quickly.(if they are not, don't want to use them) Some of these packets are filled w/ tons and tons od information. Many will have dvd's also. A lot also had references. Call them! I actually met a few great people doing that. After you weed thru that call your top ones... more

Tonight my son got a haircut with my hairdresser. It wasn't too bad really, a little whining, but my hairdresser is the best. Of course, it isn't every day your parents and grandparents all show up to watch you get a simple haircut.

I laughed to myself as my hairdreser got to work. My mom is using clips to imitate sharks, my dad is talking to him about the haircut he got today, I am using a locked grip to hold my son still, and my husband is standing there with a huge grin. This much fuss over a haircut.

My mother-in-law attempted the last cut. He made her cry when he fussed. Haircut over after a few locks gone.

In anticipation of the haircut, my mom came down... more