What's sharing???

Amy and Alex came over to join us for lunch today. Graham enjoyed having his friend over and was anxious to show her all of his toys. That's right, he was happy to show his toys to her, but sharing was a bit more difficult. Sharing at this age is so tough. He really has no concept of what that even means, after all, every single one of the toys in the house does belong to him! He's in for quite the awakening come the arrival of his little sister!

Alex is able to balance on her own and is actually very close to walking. She did get wobbly a few times and tumble over to which Graham had an adorable reaction. As you can see in the following pictures, he would grab her and gently coax her back into a standing position by saying "Up! Up! Up!" It was so cute to watch as he really wanted her to be up on her feet just like he was!

No, he's not pulling down her pants, he's 'helping' her stand up

"Up! Up! Up!"

Morning at the zoo...

Today we had the opportunity to visit with our friends Tiffiny and Liv and we decided to visit the zoo. The animals and scenery keep the kids entertained as they take it all in from the comforts of their strollers leaving time for the moms to catch up...it's a win win situation! The weather was sunny and crisp, nearly perfect for a fall day!

Tiffiny snapped this picture on our way home for the day...we had two very tired kids who needed naps asap!

Completely unrelated to catching up with our friends, but still noteworthy, at least in our world, is the fact that not once today, did Graham throw a single piece of food! He actually ate three meals today and used good manners each time! That probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but it made me so happy! Not once today did I have to use my line of "Because you threw your ____(insert just about any food related item or utensil here) your meal is over. Sad!" Definitely celebration worthy!

Fall is in the air...

This weekend we were up in Spooner so Jeff could help my Dad remove the dock from the lake. It's always kind of sad when this time of year rolls around because it means we say good-bye to the boat for the season. I think fall has officially arrived in the midwest-the leaves are already changing, it was cold enough to need a jacket, and hot chocolate was our drink of choice. It won't be too long before we'll be wearing boots up at the lake!

I'm apologizing in advance for the lack of description in this entry...like usual, Graham had a difficult time sleeping in Spooner which makes for a very tired Mommy and Daddy. So, I'll leave our readers with a few pictures, so I can get some much needed sleep!

'Driving' with Daddy after we had pizza

Tired Boys!

Freedom in the giant driveway!

The return of 'Amma' and 'Ampa'

My parents returned safely from their vacation last night and Graham was thrilled to say the least. He was in the car when I picked them up from the airport and he went BONKERS when he saw them waiting at the curb with their luggage. If he wasn't strapped securely into his car seat, I'm pretty sure he would have jumped from the car long before it stopped. I barely got a 'hello' from my mom before she jumped into the backseat with Graham where they were both wearing matching giant grins. Apparently they both missed each other....a lot! Graham actually held his 'Amma's' hand very tightly nearly the entire way home! Graham also had a treat for his Grandpa. While they were gone I worked very hard with Graham so he could actually call his Grandpa by name when they returned. Well, when he saw my Dad he did say 'Ampa' so I would consider that a success! Understandably, due to serious jet lag, our visit yesterday was a quick one and Graham was not too happy to watch his Grandparents leave our house with his climbing apparatus aka Millie, their very big dog.

This morning, when I went to get Graham out of his crib for the day he smiled at me and immediately began asking for his 'Amma'. I'm so thankful I didn't have to tell him that she was on an airplane for the millionth time! Lucky for us, she was up bright and early thanks to jet lag and was prepared for our early morning phone call and subsequent visit. We spent the morning catching up and running errands together. It's funny how simple errands can be fun with good company-I'm so lucky to have my Mom! When it came time to head home and let Graham have a nap, he was so upset in the car that he cried himself to sleep as he called out for his 'Amma'...it was sooo sad! He did wake up in a good mood though so at least I'm still a little bit cool in his eyes! :)

It's a small world...

Today Graham and I met up for lunch with some new friends, Kelly and her sweet little girl, Maddie. Kelly and her family used to live in North Carolina and it was there that they became friends with some of our St. Olaf friends. They very recently transferred to Minneapolis for a job at General Mills and that's where the connections began. Our husbands both earned MBA's and were offered jobs at General Mills and Kelly and I are lucky enough to both be full-time moms. We've got a lot in common and it was fun to get to know both of them today. I hope I didn't scare her too badly with the horrors of a typical Minnesota winter!

Graham was very intrigued by Maddie's pink shoes and socks. Up until this point, pink has been pretty much a foreign color to him. But, little does he know, that eventually pink will be invading his little world!

Maddie was so confused about who was pushing her stroller. She could see her Mommy, so I'm sure she wondered what was going on!

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY, GRAHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I need to start this entry by admitting that it was never my intention to keep this blog going for so long. I started this online journal as a way for our friends and family to follow the progress in our adoption. I planned to stop updating it shortly after we returned home from Korea. Shortly after we returned home from Korea though, I realized that our story wasn't ending. It was actually completely the opposite, yes, we made it home safely with our son, but our journey as a family was just beginning. So, here it is, exactly one year since Graham arrived home, and the story continues...This was the scene at the airport on that wonderful evening!

Today we celebrate Graham's Gotcha Day. This is the anniversary of the day that we got Graham and Graham got us...forever and ever...after months and months of planning, longing, and hoping, and more months of clutching a photo of a baby a world away. This is the anniversary of the day that Graham became our wish come true...the day that we got to walk into our home with our son...the day we became a family. One year ago today, the three of us experienced the longest day of our lives. I mean that in the literal sense (we left Seoul at 10:00 am on September 20, and after flying for 14 hours, landed in Chicago at 10:20 am on September 20) and also the emotionally draining sense. We boarded the plane with a frightened, screaming baby, and left the plane with a frightened, screaming baby. Somewhere during that long flight, I began to have my own fear. What if Graham never accepted me as his Mother and more immediately, what if Graham never stopped crying??? Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. For those of you that met us at the airport, you know first hand that not only did Graham stop crying, but he greeted his fans with smiles and applause. It was almost as if he knew that he was home and in fact, he hasn't stopped smiling since! And about my internal fears regarding him accepting me as his Mother? Well, that was unnecessary worrying as well. Somewhere over the course of the past year, Graham learned to trust and love both his Mama and Dada. I can't pinpoint when all his changing occurred, but right before my eyes he's grown into a confident, happy, funny, smart, and affectionate little man that I'm so proud to call my son!

In honor of Graham, we thought we'd fill our day with activities that he'd enjoy. First on our list was the zoo where we met up with Halmoni and Halabeoji. Grandma and Grandpa Greer are currently floating around on a boat soaking up the Mediterranean sun so they were unfortunately not able to join us. Like usual, Graham enjoyed himself immensely as he growled at the animals...even the creatures that don't communicate with growls got a growl from our boy! After our animal filled morning, Graham was thrilled with his lunch of chicken fingers and mandarin oranges at the outdoor zoo cafe. He ate so much you'd think we never feed him!

After the zoo Graham treated himself to a 2.5 hour nap. To sleep this length of time in the afternoon is unheard of for him. I'm guessing the fresh air just tired him out, but I can naively hope that he's putting himself on a new schedule, right? The three of us had Graham's favorite meal (pasta carbonara) at home tonight, followed by a special cake for dessert. Since today was a day of celebration, I figured that a cake was a great way to add to that celebration. In honor of the journey Graham so bravely took to join his family, I put a toy airplane on the cake for him. As you can see in the following pictures, Graham decided that not only did his toy airplane "fly" but it also was the best "cake smasher" ever. I didn't have the heart to tell him "no". It was his celebration, so we played by his 19 month old rules. We did actually eat some of the cake before he demolished it though, and it was delicious!

Smash!

Two forks and a cake-what a lucky boy!

His little airplane has a face on it, and Graham was "feeding" him!

PS. I'm turning this blog into a book for Graham and today's "Happy Gotcha Day" entry, will be the last entry in his book. NO WORRIES though, the blog will continue, but an actual book can only handle so many pages! But, being that this will be the last page in his book, I invite all his fans to leave a note for him or our family. Your comments will be included in the book right along with today's entry. I think it would be nice for Graham to have an idea of all the people that have supported his family on the many different legs of our journey! Thank you!!!

Grandma Withdrawal..

My parents are currently on vacation, so today Graham and I headed to their end of the city to check on their house for them. They've been gone for over a week at this point, and Graham wakes up each morning asking for his Grandma who he calls "Amma"... I guess that's how "Grandma" comes out of a 19 month old mouth. Each day, I've been telling Graham that she went on an airplane and that she'd be back soon. The problem with that explanation is that now, each plane he sees, whether it be in a book, a toy, or high in the sky, he points at it and calls out to his Amma. I would be RICH if I got even a dollar for each time I've had to tell Graham that "Yes, Grandma went on an airplane, but she'll be back soon". As you'll see in these video's (taken while we were checking on my parent's house), I used this same line over and over and over again with him...

Graham's day at school...

Graham had school this morning and he did a fantastic job! Sharing is a completely foreign concept for toddlers, especially when they're 'only' children, but Graham did a fantastic job today! Not only did he take turns and share toys, but he followed the teachers directions, patiently waited his turn to wash his hands (last week he decided he didn't want to wait and moved himself to the front of the line), and politely asked for more oranges during snack time by using the appropriate sign. I was one proud Mommy!

I do have one funny school story to share...at the beginning of each class, we all sit in a circle for a few songs. "The Wheels on the Bus" is a favorite of most kids this age, and today Graham REALLY got into it. During the phrase "The babies on the bus go up and down, up and down, up and down"....Graham would throw his hands into the air and scream "Up Up Up" when we did the motion for the babies going up. Of course when he realized that we were all watching him really "feel" the music, he began to clap for himself!

Since I forgot my camera on Graham's first day last week, here are a few pictures from today.

Graham and his girls...notice his good friend Abby to his right

Using polite manners at snack time...again, notice his good friend Abby to his left

I have a feeling my child was the ringleader for this activity. The little sink is quite the novelty, and I'm pretty sure Graham pushed the bathroom door open, thus allowing he and his little friends free reign of the soap and water. They had quite the system going. Evie, the little girl with the pink bow in her hair, was pumping liquid soap into all their hands, and Abby (to Graham's left) was controlling the water. Judging by the position of Will (the blond boy) I'm convinced he was acting as the lookout. Then there's Graham...I think he was just enjoying himself!

It's officially been a year...

Exactly one year ago, September 17, 2007, we were united with our son for the first time in Korea. Time is such a funny thing. At times it feels like hardly any time has passed since that hot, sticky day in Seoul when Graham's foster mother handed him to me with tears in her eyes and yet at other times, it feels like we've always been together as a family. I will never forgot how nervous Jeff and I were that morning. How do you prepare yourself to meet your child and thank the woman who lovingly took care of him for the first eight months of his life? When we arrived at the agency, we had a few pieces of last minute paperwork to take care of. We had to produce our own passports as proof of our identity and sign a few documents. Although these last details probably took no longer than 15 minutes, it felt like an ETERNITY!!! Each time I heard a baby I wondered if that was Graham.

We were then shown into a room with a comfortable black leather couch (I remember all the details!) and lots of toys. We were told to make ourselves comfortable and that our son would be arriving shortly. I got comfortable on the couch and Jeff got to work setting up the video camera and not more than two minutes later the door opened and in came our boy! His foster mother walked right up to me and immediately placed him in my arms. Since Jeff was trying to capture these first precious moments on film, I got the first cuddle! I think both Graham and I were a bit stunned and we just stared at each other. Was it really possible that in my arms was the little boy I had fallen in love with through written description and a few pictures? Those few minutes were by far some of the most intense, emotional, and amazing of my entire life. I get choked up just thinking about it. This picture was taken just seconds after Graham was in my arms for the first time

The first time Jeff held Graham...you can see Graham's wonderful foster mother in the background

Picnic in the park

We enjoyed another unusually warm fall day so we decided that a picnic dinner would be a nice way to spend the evening. We know it won't be long before the snow is flying, so we're taking advantage of every bit of nice weather we get! I didn't feel like packing up a cooler full of containers and utensils tonight, so creating a picnic meal for a toddler was rather challenging. Graham has recently started to eat the occasional sandwich (toast is always great, but two pieces of bread stuck together often throws him off) so I decided that tonight would be the night for his first tuna fish sandwich. He loved it! Actually that's probably an understatement, he inhaled it and was still doing the sign for "more" long after it was gone!

Enjoying his gourmet picnic meal!

After dinner, we took advantage of the open areas and let Graham run wild. We chased him, he chased us, then while he was running he was also looking up at an airplane, and he fell...that was the end of running around. After Graham finished up with running around like wild, he and Jeff spent some time exploring the shore of Starring Lake. It was such a great way to spend a beautiful evening!

The happiest little guy in the neighborhood...

Graham and I spent most of the morning hanging out at the park. Graham was very entertained by the geese, or "eese" as he calls them. He was having a great time playing in the shoreline exploring the tall grass when all of a sudden I heard something rustle in front of us and by the time I figured out where the noise was coming from all I saw was a very long, skinny, ugly tail sneak back into the weeds. That was enough excitement for me and we (I) decided it was time to amuse ourselves at the playground instead.

Watching the geese, pre - ugly tail sighting

I don't think the following pictures need much explanation. I think Graham's contagious smile says it all! This is one kid who loves life!

Our growing boy...

We decided this weekend that Graham needed new shoes. We're just about done with sandal weather around here, and I figured it was time to get his feet measured to make sure he would be wearing the proper size. My favorite place to buy children's shoes happens to be at an outlet mall so off we went. I still can't believe I braved the outlet mall with two boys who hate shopping on a rainy Saturday! It's a good thing we went when we did or I'm afraid Graham's shoes would have stunted his foot growth! :) I'm too embarrassed to admit what size shoe he was wearing when we walked into the store, but I will say that when he ran out, he was the proud owner of two new pairs...both size 7W! Needless to say, we'll be back in just a few months to have him measured again.

The ONLY restaurant at the outlet mall is Burger King so that's where we had our lunch. Here is King Graham kissing his new dinosaur. This toy came in his mac&cheese kids meal...who would have thought that Burger King would have pasta on their menu?

Graham loves to drag Annie around the house on her leash. Unfortunately, Annie tires of that game pretty quickly so we attached Graham's stuffed dog to Annie's leash as an alternative. It's amazing how long he entertained himself with this game!

Just a cute picture of Graham playing with his absolutely favorite, most prized possession in the world...his blanket!

I have no pictures to go along with the following event, but this evening we joined Jeff's parents for a wonderful dinner in celebration of Chuseok, a three day Korean holiday. Graham unfortunately chose not to eat his food, but instead yelled for the ice cubes that he could see in our glasses. I have no idea why he likes ice so much! He was all smiles though when he was allowed out of the high chair to run free and play with a set of giant lego blocks. With the help of Halabeoji, Graham was able to build multiple buildings taller than himself! Thanks for a great dinner, everything was delicious!

I can't not mention what was going on a year ago...actually as I write this, Jeff and I were probably about 7 hours into our 14 hour flight on our journey to Seoul....we left Minneapolis early in the morning for Chicago. We unfortunately left Minneapolis late, then circled Chicago for quite a while because of heavy winds. The poor woman next to me was throwing up from the turbulence and I myself felt like I wanted to throw up as I continually watched the minute hand on my watch...we were landing REALLY late and there was no way we were going to miss that flight to Seoul. We ran off the plane, navigated the maze of an airport called O'Hare and made it to our gate just as they were boarding...talk about cutting it close! I had time to snap two quick pictures of the plane for an older Graham, and onto the plane we went. The plane was great-Jeff loved the movie choices and video game options and I loved the chex mix complements of Sara. What can I say, I'm a nervous eater! But, every time I eat chex mix now, I think of flying to get our sweet boy! Although Jeff was able to completely relax and even sleep, my mind was racing too fast to focus on any one thing for more than a moment. I was still in disbelief that this was really happening. Our multiple year journey to parenthood was ending and soon we'd be with our first child. I still get goosebumps when I remember how I felt sitting on that plane. I remember every single detail-my seat number, what I ate, the cover of the magazines in the seat pocket, the smells, the sounds...I never want to forget that nervous anticipation that forced me to focus on those details. Most of all though, I never want to forget the look on Jeff's face as we landed in Korea. At that moment, there were more tears shed by me (are you surprised :) ?? ) and he grabbed my hand. This was REALLY happening!!!!

Our little athlete...

We joined Jeff for lunch at work today. I had to laugh because although it's been a while since we've dined at General Mills, as soon as we pulled into the parking ramp Graham began asking for his Dada! Graham surprised both Jeff and I by eating heaping spoonfuls of vegetable risotto for lunch. And the best part was, he didn't spit out a single vegetable! Well, I have to be honest, he did spit out one bite but it was only because he saw tater tots on the next table and thought they looked better than he peas. I'm hoping his willingness to eat those healthy vegetables are a sign that his pickiness is coming to an end, but I can be honest with myself and guess that his great meal was due to being completely distracted by something going on outside. We were sitting at the window and there was a group of people playing with footballs. In between bites, Graham would exclaim "Ball!" very loudly. Maybe in the future, Jeff should play football in the backyard while I fill Graham's mouth with peas! After lunch, we headed outside so Graham could get a closer look at the activity on the lawn. Apparently, it was some sort of Friday afternoon de-stressing activity which was perfect for our amazing fall day!

Graham would have thrown the ball into the lake had Jeff not been right there to stop him.

He did NOT want to give the ball back!

Going for a touchdown!

Ok, because I'm sentimental about dates and anniversaries I have to note what happened exactly a year ago today....our TRAVEL CALL!!!! After being up extremely late reading the night before, I was having a very lazy morning at home when the phone rang. I saw on caller ID that it was CHS, but I was afraid to let myself believe this could actually be "the call". When I answered the phone I heard Jill, our country coordinator, tell me that she had good news. She then went on to say those words that were absolute music to my ears. She said "Melissa, go get your boy!!" I don't have any clue what I said to her or if I was just trying to stifle my crying (yes, there was a lot of crying these few days) but at some point she asked me several times if I was ok. Was I ok? To say I was just ok, was a complete understatement! I was elated, excited, in complete disbelief, and my mind was already racing with what I had to do to get to Seoul as soon as possible. I immediately got off the phone with Jill and called Jeff. It was early in the morning and when Jeff answered the phone at work I was crying. The poor guy must have thought my tears were just a continuation from the night before rather than tears of joy. Eventually, I was able to tell him he needed to come home because we were going to Korea! After wrapping things up at work, Jeff arrived home later that morning and I was able to announce that we were leaving in less than 48 hours! The next two days were a blur of packing and organizing and just trying to breath...

The first day of school and the start of a trip down memory lane...

Today was Graham's first day of school and I have to apologize up front as I have no pictures of him in his classroom-this Mommy forgot her camera at home! Graham marched right in and immediately made himself at home. He got right down to business playing in the giant play house and "grilling" some meat on the patio. It's fun for me to watch Graham's "spunkiness" and observe how comfortable he is just diving into new situations. There really isn't much that scares him! 30 minutes into the class, the Mommies go into an adjoining room for discussion time with a parent educator and the kiddo's remain in the playroom with their own teachers. The door between the rooms remains open and the kids are allowed to come and go as the please. I really expected Graham to join the adults but he didn't. He came racing in once and at first I thought he was upset. Then, he placed on my lap a toy train and a bottle of bubbles. I reached down to take them and he immediately took them away from me, started laughing, and went back to play. I guess he just wanted to show me which toys he thought were cool for the day! I'm so proud of him and how much he's come out of his shell! Since I don't have any pictures of him at school, I thought I'd include a few from the rest of our low key day.

Grandpa Greer gave Graham this old keyboard for him to play with. Graham climbed up on the couch with it and began to type for quite a while. I sat down next to him and he pulled the keyboard away. I guess he had some urgent business to wrap up!

I thought Halmoni and Halabeoji would especially appreciate this photo-after dinner the boys played the piano!

On a completely different note, I need to warn our readers that today starts a trip down memory lane for our family and over the next few days, I'll be writing a lot about what was happening a year ago. This blog will eventually be turned into a book for Graham, so this journey into the past is just as much for him in the future, as it is for all his fans. Only because a year has passed, am I completely able to admit this and now laugh about it, but exactly one year ago tonight, I was a complete emotional mess. One year ago, I sat on the couch sobbing my eyes out, absolutely convinced that Graham was never coming home. Poor Jeff, just sat and listened, not really knowing what to do or say. I tried to go bed, but was unable to sleep so I grabbed a book and headed to the couch so as not to wake Jeff. I distinctly remember what I was reading-a book about a family adopting a little girl from China and I distinctly remember what the chapter I was reading was titled "It's always darkest before dawn". That title seemed very fitting for my mood. I was feeling like things were very dark and I knew that eventually things had to get better, and eventually our phone would ring with that magical call, it was just a matter of when. Too bad I didn't know that it was only a matter of mere hours before that call would come and turn our world upside down...

Story Time

This morning we attended our weekly story time/play time at the library. Graham was his usual social "spunky" (to quote the librarian) self and amused himself even when the stories weren't too interesting. In his defense, the librarian working with us today was pretty bland and really needed to spice things up in order to keep a room full of active toddlers interested. Instead of paying attention, Graham spent a good chunk of time studying his belly button... The other parents thought it was adorable, but I'm not too sure what the librarian thought! :)

The many smiles of Graham!

Graham and I spent a wonderful morning at the zoo today. We couldn't have asked for better weather and we practically had the entire place to ourselves! When we arrived about 10:00, I counted maybe 20 cars in the parking lot. The lack of crowds is always a welcomed treat at the zoo because it allows Graham and his stroller a front row seat to every exhibit!

No trip to the zoo is complete without a visit with the goats...this goat was a bit pushy and wanted Graham's water. Graham understandably didn't want to share his water and began to growl at the goat. We've repeatedly worked on the idea that goats don't growl, but for some reason, in Graham's world, they do.

I've realized that Graham has many different smiles that he shares for different occasions. All equally cute and charming, I have learned how to "read" them and predict what might be coming...

The "I'm plotting to do something" smile..

The "You're making me wear a bib against my will, so I'm not going to chew my food, but instead show you what's inside my mouth" smile...


The "I'm happy with my lunch" smile...

The "You think I'm eating, but I'm going to spit it all out in about 2 seconds" smile...

The "Light up the room" typical Graham smile

How do I find these people?

Here's my random story of the day...I was at the post office this morning waiting in a line a mile long to mail a package. We waited so long that I actually went back to the car to get the stroller so Graham could be contained :) After patiently waiting in the stroller for 15 minutes, the post office decorations were no longer entertaining to him and he began to play with his shoes. He took them off, tossed them to the floor, I put them back on him, and this game repeated itself over and over. I grew tired of retrieving Graham's shoe so I began to tell him that he wasn't supposed to take his shoe off anymore. Well, off his shoe came again and sure enough he tossed it. The woman in front of me turned around and kindly asked what my son's name was. I told her his name was Graham and she smiled. Then, she got down on Graham's level and began to VERY LOUDLY scold him saying over and over again "Graham-do not take your shoe off. Graham, listen to your Mom!" I was shocked and told her to stop disciplining my son! What gives her the right to yell at my child? I really wanted to let her know that tossing his shoe after I asked him not to do so was hardly worth yelling about. After all, he was entertaining himself and as a bonus he wasn't using his very loud "outside" voice. I have met more random characters since I've become a Mom....how do I find these people? Or maybe, I should be asking, how do these people find me?

In honor of our random morning, here are a few random pictures of Graham playing outside this afternoon

We're still working on the whole bubble thing. Graham still thinks he needs to put the entire wand into his mouth to produce the bubbles. So far, it hasn't been too successful for him...

Taking a break with his prized clubs

Graham got into his wagon and immediately threw every single toy into the grass. He got right down to business working on the buckle. He's obsessed with buckles-carseats, strollers, booster chairs, wagons, baby carriers, if it's got a buckle, he loves it!

Future Ole Class of 2029???

Yesterday morning was our first class of "Toddler Time". The format of this class is a lot like our Thursday ECFE class, except this one is run by our adoption agency, Children's Home. As Graham grows up, it's important for him to know kids who also have families that were formed in the same way that his was and this class is a great way for us to make those type of connections.

Graham and his friend Liv working on a puzzle together

Yesterday afternoon we ventured down to Northfield for the "Defeat of Jesse James Days". As Ole's this was always a big social event (remember-it is a small town!) and we were excited to bring Graham down for his first time. We met up with Amy, Dave, and Alex (who was also experiencing Jesse James Day's for the first time) for a walk around campus before we headed into the actual carnival. Both kids were very amused by the crazy rides throwing people into the air. Luckily, neither one is old enough to ask because I have a feeling neither one of the Mom's would have said yes. I just can't say I'd feel safe allowing my child to ride a giant metal contraption fastened to the ground with wheels and a rope...

The boys and future class of 2029 and 2030 Ole's outside the "Pause". Together Jeff and Dave were in charge of the finances for this on campus student hangout.


Each time we visit campus, we take Graham's picture on one of the giant chairs. He sure is getting big!

Our family

No trip to Jesse James Day's would be complete without a visit with a real, authentic carnie. I think he thought we were nuts when we asked him to pose behind the strollers...what can I say, we have no shame!

Today, Graham decided that it was a good idea to wake up at 5 am! With such an early start to the day, we went out for breakfast and finished all of our errands by 10. Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent being very, very lazy. Sometimes, you just need a day of nothing to recharge.