Ohio Day Two

Day two in Ohio started by going to Church with Grandpa, Cousin June and U Roger and A Nancy. After church we headed back to R and N's house. While we were waiting for lunch Uncle Roger got out one of his John Deer. I'd say he took the kids for a ride, however he let them steer so I am not sure who was driving who?


They both had a great time. They took turns for at least an hour before lunch. Uncle Roger is very patient!

Then he took them to the garden to get some corn for lunch. They thought picking the corn was pretty neat. They got very excited when they realized what was under the husks.

They quickly tired of helping shuck the corn so off to the barn they went leaving Uncle Roger high and dry to shuck the corn himself. They played basketball and rode big wheels for a while then it was time to go for another ride! Pierson was a little dismayed that Maylin got the first ride!

But his turn came soon. They both chased every bird in the yard. I am not sure how I feel about that. :0 :)

Soon it was Maylin's turn again. Pierson did a great job trying to be patient. But you can tell by his posture that he wanted Maylin to hurry back. Way in the distance there is a tiny black spot which is Maylin and Uncle Roger... can you find them? They are between the tree and the flag pole.

Off to the races with cousins Colt and Jordan!!

It was a hot day and they all needed a little pick-me-up!

"Jordan, wheawr awe you?"

Colt I have a little secret for you... aka I am going to blow in your ear.

Then it was time for Uncle Roger to pull our the big John Deer! And they were off!

The rest of the day was celebrated by more Aunts and Uncles and cousins coming to pay us all a visit... Somehow I didn't have my camera out to capture the festivities.

It was great to see everyone and catch up with the Shultz clan! We miss you already!

Ohio Day One

As the kids say last weekend we went on a "yong, yong, yong, yoooooonng dwive to see gweat Gwampa ga-Shultz-a". We were very thankful for my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Roger for letting us stay with them for a few nights. It was great to see and spend time with our Ohio family.
We got there pretty around 9:00 Friday night so there wasn't much to do then except chat for a little while and then head for bed.
When we woke up Saturday morning Maylin decided she would take her spot in Uncle Roger's chair and read the paper for a bit. :)

She looks so tiny. I just love the spunk this little girl has!
For lunch we went to my cousin June's carry out store for a great lunch!

Maylin and Pierson were thoroughly enjoying their pizza. I had a great BLT sub... yummy! Mom had a 'walking taco'. A small bag of Frito's with your normal taco toppings. Pretty delicious.

Pierson enjoyed sitting between Great Grandpa Shultz and his Great Uncle Roger. What a fun lunch!!!

Maylin particularly loved the desert! And what better than sitting on cousin June's lap to do so. What a mess this little girl is inside and out! :) I wouldn't have her any other way.

After lunch we stopped by Grandpa's house/farm. I wanted the kids to experience a taste of the memories I have of playing on the farm. (Minus being chased by bull's and slinging moss all over themselves, popping tar bubbles and much much more!) Grandpa, at age 92, took the kids on a walking tour to the pond and over the creek to the tree house. It was a 95 degree day that left all of us hot and sweaty, but Grandpa took it like a Champ! He is utterly amazing! I hope I am as strong and agile as he is at 92.

The kids each took turns walking with him and holding his hand. He has such a strong yet gentle demeanor which gives a comfort and peaceful feeling to anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him.

Maylin was the first to cross the infamous Telephone pole bridge with a little assistance. If this bridge could talk it would be laughing at how many times we almost fell off of it, how many times we got trapped by the cows on either side of it, and how much slimy moss from the creek had been caked on it. We used to spend hours back there. Only occasionally did we need Grandpa to come with the truck to rescue us from the bulls. :) Those were the times we got in trouble. :)

Grandpa had better balance than any of us crossing this bridge. He crossed it like he does it every day.

The next stop was the tree house which was built "after my time". It was built for the great grand children. Maylin was checking out the inside before going in. She didn't spend much time in there. "A Yot of Bugs" she said.

Pierson was pleased with his ladder climbing abilities. He didn't care for the bugs either. :)

This makes my heart happy. Pierson was so curious about Grandpa. He spent a lot of time just looking at him. Then he would look at me and smile as if to say "I love Great Grandpa Shultz".

One of the many fields of Queen Ann's Lace which Grandpa says are just wild carrots.

For those of you who have been following the blog for a while you know about my failed attempts to dye 'Queen Ann's Lace'. I have memories of Grandma picking the beautiful white "weeds" and dying them by putting food coloring in the water they were sitting in. This failure has haunted me for months. I still can't imagine why it doesn't work.

What I didn't remember about the process was just how much "Queen Ann's Lace" there was in Ohio. There were fields of it and many of the roads were densely lined with these dainty white flowers. There they were, just mocking me. Waving in the breeze as if to say, "Ha Ha Ha, you failed!" :) I was torn between admiration of their beauty and disgust at my inability to recreate Grandma's dying techniques. :)

Finally we came back around to road in front of the house. We stopped for a while to look over the bridge and look for crawdads. There were a lot of them and they were pretty big. Probably about 3-4 inches in length. Grandpa said the creek had been empty of wild life for a while so it was good to see them coming back. He said they would come first then the fish and snakes and turtles would be back. I am not sure about how I feel about the snake part of it. We used to play in that creek for hours as kids trying to catch crawdads without getting pinched. Pretty sure I didn't have snakes on the mind then!

Grandpa and Uncle Roger were pointing out the crawdads to the kids. This is the bridge that used to be covered with tar and gravel. In the summer my cousin's, sister and I would go out there and pop all of the boiling tar bubbles. One time we were covered in Tar and were afraid we would get in trouble so we snuck in the house to try to clean up with out anyone finding out. Needless to say we made a mess of the bathroom and got in a little bit of trouble with Grandma.;) From then on we were more careful not to get tar on us but it sure didn't stop us from going back. :)

Then there was the cellar door. I am not sure what it is about this door and these steps but they sure draw children to them. Luckily the door was open so the kids weren't tempted to slide down it on their bottoms. Some people might tell you that you can get splinters in your hinney that way! :0

Soon it was time to go back to Aunt Nancy's house.

be still my heart.

They were in love with Grandpa within minutes.

Of course we had to get the 4th generation in front of the Shultz sign.

That evening we were back at U Roger and A Nancy's house. 2nd cousins Colt and Jami came to wear my two out just in time for bed! What a blessing our first day was.

More about the rest of the trip to come.

One Year Referral Anniversary

Last week our family went to PF Chang's to eat diner to celebrate the one year anniversary of the kids referral. I can't believe it has been that long already when we first laid eyes on our kids pictures and got a short video of them. I'll never forget where I was that moment. It was a pleasant Wednesday evening in San Hose, Costa Rica. I was with some of my best friends on the planet on a mission trip with our church. We had gone to have dinner at the Casa` where we ate all of our meals and occasionally got to check our email. I was rushing through my emails when I saw one from Adam saying "We have a referral!" I lost my breath. My fingers were so nervous I couldn't get all the files open. The only thing I could do was put my hands to my mouth and gasp! I knew then, in my heart that these were going to be our children without even looking at them. (We had the opportunity to deny their files and wait for another referral but neither of us even batted an eye. We accepted as soon as I returned to the states.) Immediately tears started to flow. Our team leader, Clark, was sitting at a computer beside me. He had know idea what was happening to me. I nervously and excitedly said, "We have a referral!" I'll never forget Clark's reaction, he said with equal enthusiasm, "Great!... But what does that mean?" By that time all of my friends had rushed around and were helping me open all the files so I could see the videos and pictures. I was thankful for the love and support I received from my team. They will forever be apart of my family as well!

These were the first pictures we received of our babies!

My heart skipped 10 beats! For anyone who thinks for a second that the joy you feel when adopting couldn't compare to biological children... We'll I'll just say that I am sorry you will never understand how wrong you are. (Unfortunately more then a few people have suggested that to me. I just grin and bear it and understand that the love I have for my children is from God, and only He can give us the capacity to love so much and so deeply. This capacity, I now understand, is a gift from God that I treasure with every fiber of my being.)

Anyway for the less serious side of the evening... We decided to mark this day with a night out at an Asian restaurant. PF Chang's (at our house it is now referred to as the "Horse" due to the statue out front.)

Happy that we were going on a family outing, the kids were all smiles! I just love this photo.

Despite the funny smile Pierson was ecstatic when the pot of won ton soup came out. Their eyes about popped out of their head and both of them exclaimed "Shank you MaMEe, Shank you Gaggy"

I haven't seen Maylin eat this fast since we left Taiwan! And that is no exaggeration! She slurped the soup down so fast I was afraid she wasn't breathing! They both also ate Chicken LoMein at a record pace as well. The children's menu is unbelievable cheap here. So we will probably be making another go around at the "horse"!

The desert menu is a delightful one! The kids both got to pick their own because they offer small portions for a very reasonable price. Pierson gladly picked the chocolate one while Maylin picked the Strawberry. When they came I feared that the waitress wasn't going to get her hand out of the way quick enough for Pierson's liking. She almost lost a thumb! :) As you'll see the desert was everything he had hoped for!


Now that is a look of pure satisfaction! :)

Maylin ate pretty quickly too. She however, didn't leave quite as big of a mess behind. Although I am pretty sure she enjoyed hers equally as much.

On the way out the kids just had to have their picture taken with the infamous "horse" who leads the way into pure culinary delight. :)

Happy "referral" anniversary my little ones!

Giant Boots or Tiny Kids?

I don't really have words that can describe these photo's any better than they can do for themselves. I'll just say that the kids wanted to go help feed the horses but didn't want to go in the house to get their shoes... So, what does one do in this difficult situation? Well, of course go get grandma's barn boots!



These are my Silly's!

Thanks Cousin Donna for the Fun!

Thanks to some cool gifts we have been having a little extra fun in the "2 waters" (aka the pool)! Pierson and Maylin think their dolphin and turtle are the coolest thing ever. These critters grow up to 600% in the water.

Thanks Donna!!!

And Maylin is loving her bathing suit cover up! It keeps her nice and warm when she is eating her ice cream while taking a break from the water. Pierson's bathing suit is a little too big for this summer, but he is excited about wearing it next summer! (when he tried it on it just slid right off his tiny hinny! )

I am adding in a couple of extra fun pictures of some of our summer fun!

"I monkee"

"I like-a da! I funnee Mamee?"

Waving good bye for now!