Cute as a Button

Uncle Riley followed through this weekend by sending Landon his RedWings jersey. Hallie LOVES it! Landon will too. He was game to put it on but Hallie had a hard time getting him to stand still and keep his arms open long enough to take his picture. With all the energy he has ice hockey just may be in his future.

Today we went to the Detroit Zoo with the missionaries. There is a fun set of missionaries serving in our area right now. We left the house and headed straight for 7 - 11. Maybe one day I will get the picture of Landon drinking his own Slurpee off of my phone and onto the blog. He loved it until he started taking the straw out and so that ended the Slurpee fun. Mean Mom. Arrived at the zoo, saw the best of the zoo, we only had 2 hours before they closed and then headed for Noodles & Co. It wasn't Qdoba like Elder Wood wanted but the meals were buy one get one free so they liked that idea and everyone enjoyed their food.

Today we also got a package from Hallie's parents who recently returned from a vacation to Maine. They sent us all sorts of goodies that we were so excited to receive. Thanks! Our fisherman will be happy to be on the keychain and our Souwester will receive a great spot in the house.

We put Landon in an older swimming class today that was held in this really large fountain pool. Mike took him as Hallie had an appointment. When Hallie got home Mike proceeded to tell her how Landon went face first into the water 3 times before the end of the 30 min. I guess the fountain is graduated in depth and Landon thought it was fun to walk into the deeper area. Thank goodness Mike had worn shorts and did not have his shoes on because no one besides Mike saw it happen. He is a trooper and kept going, we will see how he does tomorrow. The class is for 3 & 4 yr olds and he is not yet 2, the other class was too boring for him and they gave no refunds.

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways

I love it when Landon:

1. Does something funny in sacrament so everyone around him laughs
2. Holds my portable speakers (I gave it to him to keep him quiet) and then proceeds to make them stop working
3. When he yells no during a very quiet time at church
4. Takes a 2 hour + nap
5. During a missionary lesson with an investigator he throws up his lunch on the couch between the investigator and the missionary
6. Chucks the missionaries' scriptures on the floor faster than I can stop him
7. Will sit and watch 20 min of Signing Time so I can load the dishwasher
8. He tries to make the signs or moves his head along to the music
9. Dumps the whole bag of goldfish crackers on the bench in church and proceeds to smash them
10. We tell a realtor he is fine with steps and the next thing we know he is head first down a set of basement stairs

I love this kid but he sure does make every day truly different from the next.

Too Many Things and Not Enough Time

Here in pictures and brief descriptions we will let you know what we have been up to.

Hallie's favorite meal of the day is breakfast. So when we are not able to get out for a "regular" date Mike takes her to breakfast. We have a whole list of places we want to eat and visit in our fine state and so this last month we made it to one on the list. The restaurant is called The Breakfast Club. Hallie found out about it on the Internet and figured it is not often you can screw up breakfast. We had a great time! We all enjoyed our food, they had fun books for the kids to look at, and at the end of the meal they brought us each a chocolate covered strawberry. We will definitely go back. The picture above is of Mike and Landon in front of the restaurant.

Landon has found his way into the kitchen utensil drawer. Two of his favorite things to pull out are the metal cup we use to melt butter in on the stove for popcorn and our corn on the cob pics. Interestingly enough both items came from Grandma Landon. He does not know that and since his finding the corn on the cob pics we have hid them in another drawer, as I am sure he would poke someones eye out with them before too long.

.Here is a very nice picture of a portion of our backyard. The flowers are really in full bloom and the grass is so green. It is July 4th and we have not turned the water on the grass yet. The potted plants, now that is a different story we will get to in a minute.

Finally at the beginning of July it was hot enough for Landon to play in his blow up pool. Hallie bought it in May and he has only been able to use it twice. Even today it was too cold for him to use it. Speaking of too cold, Hallie went to Water Aerobics on Thursday and it was only 57 degrees. For once the pool water felt warmer than the outside temperature. Global Warming, HA HA HA!

We can't take credit for the blueberries (Costco can) but the raspberries are ours. I don't know if we can take credit for them either, but Mike sure does know how to pick them well. We will thank some past owner of our little house.

On July 4th we went to Comerica City Fest in the New Center area of Detroit. I think it was once called Food Fest and I can definitely see why. There were LOTS of food vendors. Here you buy tickets for the food and then use your tickets to buy what you want. We like to get the small sized items so we can use our tickets for lots of different items.

The first place we stopped at was the Meijer kids area. Landon found a hula hoop and was not sure what to do with it. In the picture above he was watching a little girl turn with about 6 of them, he was mesmerized.

They had some baby animals on display. Landon was not so sure if he wanted to pet the goats, sheep, cow, or pig. After a little bit he ventured and touched the goat. It sure was cute to watch him become more comfortable with his environment.

Landon did not find it enough to sit and watch Farmer John and his educational farm show he wanted to be a part of the action. Farmer John was not impressed with his active participant. But he did have a cute dog that did fun tricks.

We asked Landon to take a seat and he promptly plopped down right here next to this kid in the front. He is such a character.

Here is the first of 3 pictures of what was my lovely Gerbera Daisies. How they died was a mystery until I talked to the lady at a nursery today. They are not shade plants and we had them in the shade. It was not due to lack of water like one of the Elders in the Branch thought. I think a time or two there may have been too much water. Oh well.

Even the fuscia died. Unfortunately it was not the healthiest plant we had brought home that day. Didn't help they fell out of the ceiling one night.

So, on July 4th with her fingers crossed Hallie made her way to a local nursery called Meldrun & Smith. The ladies who worked there were great! They gave Landon a sucker to occupy him and they still thought he was cute after he threw small rocks at one of the ladies. Here are pictures of the new flowers we hopefully will not kill.

Hallie's grandma, is very sick. She is actually in the very slow process of dying. If you would please send a little prayer her way that Heavenly Father will take her from this we would all appreciate it. We hate to be so far from home and hear that she is suffering. We love her dearly but know that Heavenly Father's plan will work it's magic and she will be back with her loving husband, Ace.

A Most Beautiful Post

Today I read the R House Blog and she shared a great story about a book called the Runaway Bunny. I have never read it and would like to read it based on her recommendation. But the end of her post is what got me. I have copied it here but changed a bit of it to fit us. At the end are some recent photos of Landon. Life has been pretty busy lately and we have not had much time to post.

i will...

dream of you,

long for you,

search for you,

cry tears of joy for you,

sit on the exam room table time after time,

watch your birth mothers' relinquish for you,

be labeled as "difficult" for you,

have my home inspected for you,

endure one waiting period after another for you,

pray for your birth parents for you,

get background checks for you,

get fingerprinted for you,

be interviewed for you,

get medical paperwork done for you,

worry about you,

prepare for you,

hold you,

hire the best attorneys money can buy for you,

endure good and bad caseworkers for you,

be judged for you,

sacrifice everything i have for you,

love you until the end of time...

no matter what,

i will run after you.

for you are my little bunny.

For Father's Day Mike got a new game for the Wii. It is the greatest exercise game called EA Active. Landon thought it was so much fun to try to run on the balance board just like his dad.

A couple of Saturdays ago we went to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House here in South East Michigan. They were opening a new exhibit and had fun things for kids. We saw a little play about an imaginary car, were able to build our own car out of modeling clay, and we took our picture in front of a car built in 1941. It was a little cool that day but loved the green grass and getting to see the beautiful grounds on which this mansion was built. Mike took the tour of the house while we played.

I know it is hard to see in the picture below but Landon got his first real pair of tennis shoes. They lace up and everything. He even carried the bag from Payless to the car. He also got a great pair of church shoes that picture will come another day. He looks so put together when he has them on.

Important to Us

Father’s Day Frosty Weekend
Wendy’s restaurants will be donating 50 cents for every Frosty product purchased over the Father’s Day weekend (June 20-21) to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s initiatives. Customers can also stop by Wendy’s and donate by purchasing a Frosty pin-up for $1 each.

This year, Wendy’s started a new tradition for Father’s Day. Kids can go to FrostyCard.com to create a free custom Father’s Day eCard and Wendy’s will donate an additional 25¢ to the Foundation for every Frosty Card sent. Kids choose from a variety of scenes and objects, from sandcastles on the beach to baseball in the backyard, or they can give Dad a taste of Hollywood by selecting a pre-designed card created by a celebrity.

Thank you to the many folks across the nation for buying a frosty and helping children who wait for adoption. Last year’s efforts raised more than $1.5 million!

What We Do Matters

So while I was writing the other post, I forgot to write about the important stuff. (Fair warning: This post is going to sound academic, but bear with me.) In addition to the Ben Franklin book, I have finished or am in the process of working on a few books that all seem to share a common idea that I hope somehow to incorporate into my academic writing on leadership (Side note: If you want a career with a fair amount of unstructured time, vague deadlines, and lots of reading and writing, choose academia. On the other hand, if you dread the thought that for the rest of your life you’re going to have to do what boils down to “homework,” don’t). The Ben Franklin book and the other books I am or have been working on—Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (finished a few months back), Church History in Plain Language (just finished), By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion, and Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas—all share some common ideas about people and history.

It boils down to the claim that the actions of individuals matter.

Mr. Franklin put it well with this little ditty: “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” Givens, on page 45 of By the Hand of Mormon, puts the idea best in describing Mormon as an abridger who emphatically emphasizes “that individual choice produces cataclysmic consequences.” Givens goes on, “‘Either something or nothing must depend on individual choices,’ writes C. S. Lewis (in Perelandra, p. 142), and Mormon . . . embraces the first option (see Alma 46:9 where Mormon describes the effects of Amalickiah’s quest for power).” What you do matters. What I do matters.

What we do matters.

As far as leadership goes, this idea is huge (not new, but important anyway).

What we do matters.

Each of us has both the capacity and the responsibility to act in ways that may profoundly affect those around us and serve as a catalyst for changing the world. What seemed to make the difference between ordinary folks and the extraordinary heroes and villains of history was not who they were or where they came from, but the energy they devoted to an idea and the effort they took to bring their vision of the future to pass. Longfellow set this idea to verse:

“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

Again, no new ideas here, just my realization that history is the story of generally ordinary men and women who, energized by ideas (good or bad) and the will to spread them, have profoundly affected the events and people around them. The effect of our individual actions may not get into the history books, but

what we do matters.

What we do, done with intent, bears real fruit in the lives of those around us.

The Big 200

It's taken us since October 2004 to do it, but we've managed to post 200 blog entries (did you know we were keeping track?). I wanted this to be "Detroit Red Wings keep the Stanley Cup," but it was not to be (Congrats, Riley). Oh, well. Moving on. At least I have the Lakers.

Instead, I will tell how Michigan has seen fit to introduce me to a new, unexpected, and unwanted experience: allergies. Love the green, hate the pollen or whatever is wreaking havok on my eyes and sinuses. The last time I felt this bad was as a missionary in Buenos Aires. It gradually occured to me at breakfast as we were chatting and reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (no relation to what we were reading--just random free association) that my mission nurse may have misdiagnosed my sinus woes in BsAs as sinusitis rather than nasty allergies. Springtime and fall in Detroit and BsAs share many similar qualities, including a whole whack of plantlife coming into bloom or decaying. I never had allergies growing up, so this is new. Hello, Benadryl, my new best friend.

Thoughtful Friends

Today I was in contact with a friend on Facebook that I know from my mission. He sent this Mormon Message video on to me. Thanks Jerry!

I Want To Go On Vacation Because Of Them!

We do not have television to watch so we listen to a lot of radio. On the radio I hear commercials for Pure Michigan or michigan.org . They are wonderful commercials in my opinion as McCann-Erickson does the job of putting me right in the spot where they are talking about. We found out tonight that the voice is Tim Allen (Tool Time was supposedly set in a suburb of Detroit). Hopefully you will enjoy one of my faves!

We're exactly where we need to be

Our friend Stephanie recently posted a story on her blog about going home for her grandma's funeral. She made the following statement of gratitude for the Lord's hand in her life: "Nothing makes me feel more blessed than seeing how the Lord has blessed me and always gotten me where he wanted me to be." There's something deceptively simple yet profound in the second part of that statement that stuck with me. I have also found that, in spite of my best (worst?) efforts, the Lord always manages to find a way to get me where He wants me to be (Cripes! It's as if He knew my life's path or something). I find it strangely comforting to know that in spite of any regrets I may have for decisions I have made, He's already anticipated my choices and their consequences, and He's moved on. "Pick yourself up, kid. I've got you covered. On to plan B (or C, or Z). I'll get you where I need you to be." Take Joseph Smith: "OK, so you lost those 116 pages. Yes, it is a big deal. Yes, you should feel bad about it. Fortunately for you, I had Mormon throw in this other bit, so things will work out. Now, let's move on." A related bit of wisdom comes from Meet the Robinsons (which is a great adoption story, by the way): "Keep moving forward." When I have those times when I'm feeling down and reflecting upon where and what I might have been, I take comfort in remembering I am where I am now because of the good graces of a kind God who wants me to look back with gratitude and forward with hope as I resolve in the present to make the most of what is here and now.

A story that we take to heart

An important family value we have is living fully in the present. Mike stumbled on this story that really embodies that ideal. Enjoy!

Wherever You Are, Be There

by Steve Goodier

A delightful story is told about a young man who applied for a job as a telegraph operator. He answered an ad in the newspaper and went to the telegraph office to await an interview. Though he knew Morse Code and was qualified in every other way, seven other applicants were also waiting in the large, noisy office.

He saw customers coming and going and heard a telegraph clacking away in the background. He also noticed a sign on the receptionist's counter instructing applicants to fill out a form and wait to be summoned to an inner office for an interview. He filled out the form and sat down to wait.

After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in. Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering why he had been so bold. They talked among themselves and finally determined that, since nobody had been summoned to interview yet, the man would likely be reprimanded for not following instructions and possibly disqualified for the job.

Within a few minutes, however, the young man emerged from the inner office escorted by the interviewer, who announced to the other applicants, "Thank you all very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

They were all confused and one man spoke up: "Wait a minute -- I don't understand. We've been waiting longer than he and we never even got a chance to be interviewed."

The employer responded, "All the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message: 'If you understand this, then come right in. The job is yours.'"

This man knew a valuable life-lesson that most people miss: Wherever You Are, Be There. If you're there physically, also be there emotionally. Be there mentally. Be there attentively. Be there as fully as you can.

It's about being present and fully alive in the moment. Wherever you are, be there. Give your full attention to others (is there really a better gift?). Give yourself fully to the task at hand or to the present moment. When you're completely present, you'll make the most of every minute. And minutes lived fully add up to a life lived magnificently.

A Ray of Sun

This past Friday was a very beautiful day here in South East Michigan. Days like these you forget Winter is one of the four seasons. After Landon woke up from his morning nap we went to the Tot Lot. He had a nice time. He loves to follow the other kids around. Last Summer he loved the swings. Not so much this year so we are trying him on them every time we go and this time was a bit better. Afterwards we thought it would be fun to try an ice cream joint that we have driven by many times. We tried the Saunders Bumpy Cake and Landon as you can see had his very own cone.

To Be A Mom

It wasn't my week to feel quite so competent as a mom. Poor Landon. I don't know what was worse--crying or him watching me cry. But in the roller coaster we call life we are on a different part of the ride today, and things seem to be okay. My night was made when, as we were playing with Landon upstairs after giving him a bath, the doorbell rang. (We don't have a regular doorbell. We have a vintage bell in the door that you turn back and forth. Thanks, Canada!)

The great youth who were ringing it rang it with such vigor. I loved it! Most people don't even realize it is there so we don't hear it very often. Mike went and answered the door and said I had to come down to get it. My hair was pulled back with a head band, and my bangs were sky high. I was more worried about my tight fitting t-shirt than my dumb hair. The boys had a HUGE beautiful bouquet of flowers just for me. I would have liked to have shed a tear, but I think they were all gone for once. (Finally!) Their mom is my Visiting Teacher and she is in SLC right now so that may have had something to do with it, but I don't care. I was loved and am loved. The cute boys gave me a hug and went on their way. Sure made being a mom a little bit better.

I Have No Idea...

what to title this blog. It is all random but that is what our life is like sometimes. So I will describe the pictures which in turn will tell you about our random life.

The Gerbera Daisies were bought at Randazzo's Nursery. They were so colorful and pretty and remind me of my sister Carly. This is also Hallie's extent of gardening. Mike on the hand will get his hands dirty. So... let's hope the sky does not come down on us anytime soon because I will not be able to feed my family.

Landon got haircut number 5 today from Bill the Barber. He was very good the whole time. I have to admit now I like it neat and trim. Grandpa and Grandma O gave him this little train for Christmas and Landon just realized this last week he can ride it. So this evening when the sun peeked through the clouds we took him outside to ride on it and he loved it. That was until he thought it was time to dart across the street to see the neighbor. This kid was nearly all the way across the street before I could get him. I need an invisible fence!
Below are some of the great flowers and foliage you can find in our front and back yard. The folks who lived here before us did a great job of planting stuff that comes up year after year with relatively little maintenance. I thanked her the other day when I ran into her at Trader Joe's. It sure makes our house that backs up into an alley like a little oasis.





Today was the day we got our new dishwasher. Yee Haw! Hallie was so dang excited. These pictures are backwards. Here is the new dishwasher all installed and ready to get dirty.
Landon LOVED watching the man install it. Whenever the man would go to his truck to get something Landon ran after him would wait by the door until he came back and then followed him again to the kitchen.
Here is the gaping hole under the counter. We found a few things inside. A little insight into the past.
The new little baby on it's way. It will have to do until we get a real baby.
A fond farewell. We were excited to have a dishwasher after living 6 years in Utah without one. Except for the rust spots it left on our dishes it did us well for the last two years. Good bye dishwasher.

Some plugs

We wanted to make a few plugs for items and causes of interest. 

First, if we don't win this bike, someone we know should. The Madsen Cargo bike is one of a kind. Click the banner ad to go to the site and find out about these awesome bikes (OK, this was a shameless plug, but the bikes are cool anyway). 

Also, we are looking to advertise our adoption, and the R House is promoting a company that produces (among other things) adoption pass along cards. Follow this link to find out more about Spaces for Faces and to see what other items (such as baby announcements, calendars, holiday cards, etc.) they make. It's worth a look if for no other reason than to give us a chance to get our pass-along cards. :)

Finally,  LDS Family Services launched their new web site today. 

 

We don't get anything for plugging this one, but we just think it's neat. 

Friend Through Adoption

I have met a friend named Brenley through adoption. Her son is close to Landon's age. Brenley takes the most amazing photos. Today on her blog she had this short clip from You Tube posted and I thought I would share this with you. The great thing about it is that these folks on this message go against what a majority of you first think about those who are adopted. Remember no two people are alike, especially because a mom tried to give them more.

A Rematch With More At Stake

vs.

We were listening to the radio version of the hockey game tonight. I had been tuning in and out of it while doing other things. Right in the nick of time I turned it back up when the Wings scored the winning goal in over time. Wah hoo! It didn't hurt that one of their scorers tonight is from Newfoundland. Oh those Canadians have a place in my heart. This year the the final games between the Red Wings and the Penguins have a bigger stake in my family. Last year I didn't care so much who won (these two teams played each other last year) because my favorite team was still the Dallas Stars. Now that my favorite team is the Wings we are going to have lots of positivity coming from this part of the country, my brother Riley wants the Penguins to win. I want to show him that Detroit can do it two years in a row and pray that the Red Wings can help bring a rally to a sagging city.

Always Going

Landon wakes up from the night and most of his naps as though he were the Energizer Bunny. He tries to talk and we have no idea what he is saying. He points to all of the things on his wall thinking we know exactly what he is talking about. On Monday we found him the perfect T-Shirt. (No, this kid does not need for Hallie to buy him more clothes) but we couldn't resist the Red Wings. Hallie has looked everywhere for a shirt  but to no avail or it cost more than Landon may be worth. It fits him pretty darn good. His hair was sticking straight up right before we got this picture so I hope it does some justice to the crazy boy who dominates our house.

GO RED WINGS!