Elanee is 18!

Holy Crap! My baby is 18!!!
We had a big ol back yard BBQ for Elanees birthday. Lots of her friends came. Lots of our friends from Ithaca came. All of the boys, their women, Kari Veeder and Greg came. Angelica and family came. It was a great turn out, great food and ice cream sundaes.

Now shes all grown and old...and tattoo'd up and headin back to CA to finish her year of service.

What an adventure!

Angelica comes to visit!

WAHOOOOO!
Angelica came to our house to visit!!!

I have waited all her life for this moment. When she was 4 & 5 yrs old and I was with her father, I always had a room for her in my house. I kept toys and clothes for her. At that time we were going to see her bi-weekly but in the end we were never able to bring her home.

Since we reunited 2 yrs ago I have taken Elanee, Vayda and Maya Rae to
her world in Brockton, Mass. to see her.

So when she said she'd come to Elanee's Birthday party in our back yard I was psyched!!!
She and her boyfriend, Trevor, came with the boys. They got a little lost and learned a lot about the value of taking the Thruway instead of the back roads and what to pack when traveling with little ones etc. It was their first time making a long trip alone and it was a great learning experience. The next time will be easier and cheaper for them.

I was really worried about our accommodations as we only had the one nice guest room for Trevor. Angelica, the babies and Elanee had to crash in what was Elanee's old bedroom. Vayda and I rigged it up for them but it basically looked like a bad dorm room.
Everyone was happy enough with all that. I was also concerned with the fact that our house is soooo not baby proofed. I managed to get a couple of baby gates at a yard sale. In the end we were all very surprised how easy the babies were manage.

We didn't get to do a ton of stuff because we had a big party planned for Elanee but we did get out to the lake in Geneva for a bit on Sat. The party was a big hit on Sat evening. I got to sit up till 3 am with Trevor and chat. That rocked. Then on Sunday morning we were going to go to the Ithaca Festival but it was freezing so Angelica and I went up to get some gas for their car and then sat and talked for over 3 hrs. That was amazing! Amazing!!! I got to say all the stuff I have wanted to say since she was 4 yrs old. Sigh. Good good stuff.



I feel like I say this too much these days but I feel soooooooo grateful.

The Man~ Javari

The J man.... Javari !
Hes 22 mo old now and doing so well. :)

He loves his momma.....
and is such a big boy now.
He wont part with his pacifier and loves books.

Hes learning about the world.....
and looking for an adventure around every corner.

We took everyone down to the water park in Geneva for an hour in the afternoon.

Everyone had a great time!

Little man had a blast running around & getting wet.

Givin hugs to the little brother.

Back at the house he was all over...but so good. Hes a smart boy who doesnt get too quickly frustrated. He was loving all the time with his Aunties and asked for Nana (thats me!)

What a handsome little guy and such a pleasure. We cannot WAIT to have him here again!!!!

Our Crystal child

Here is Jayden!He is 11 mo old and A-maz-ing!

Such a pleasant little person.

He loves him mom.

We got him to smile in these pics but mostly he is a deep thinking, thoughtful guy.

Very serious.

He was very sleepy at the beach.

Heather says "That boy has a purpose and he knows it."

The day we met him (last Aug) I said he looked like a grown man I still think so.

I feel like I really got to connect with him on this visit. We spent a lot of time together. I am so glad. Hes a special guy. I cannot wait to see how he develops. I have every intention of spending a lot of time with both Jayden and Javari over the years. I feel sooooo freakin blessed to have them in my life. Elanee and Vayda feel just the same way.

Trevor

This is Angelica's boyfriend, Trevor.
We got to know Trevor over the weekend while he stayed with us.

What a unique and wonderful human being this young man is. I was very impressed with his love for Angelica and the boys and his respect for our family.

Hes a deep thinker, a kind person and a talented artist and musician.

He really enjoyed the nature here and totally got into splitting wood with Jody. :)

It was a true pleasure meeting him and we all look forward to seeing him again soon.

Elanee gets a Tattoo!

Elanee is home from California for a 9 day visit. She got here the day before her 18th B-day.
For the first few days of her visit I had to drag her around to do things like get her teeth cleaned, eye brows waxed, new glasses, shoes, shorts, etc bought.We spent alot of time in the car those first few days. Anyway- I offered a tattoo and she jumped on it. After all she is 18 now! She had to sign her own waver for goodness sake.
She chose this beautiful 9pt star to represent her love of the Baha'i Faith.
Awesome. It turned out beautiful. She loves it.

(Vaydas head nearly exploded when she saw it. She is DYING for a tattoo so I suppose we will be doing this again in March of 2012...lol)