This photo was taken from INSIDE our house, thru the sliding glass door.
Yes, we have survived the Blizzard of 2011.  Fortunately, we were all able to stay home in our warm, cozy house.    Alex and Stefan had a good time shoveling the deck.   Stefan had a good time using his new snowblower.
All ready to shovel. Now we just have to get out the door.
Hurdling the Snow to get out.
Poor little brother. Holding his shoe, wanting to join big brother in the snow.
Here are a few of our favorite photos, taken over the last 2 months.   Enjoy.
Mr. Handsome, at his finest.
Our Drooly goof-ball
All ready to play in the snow with Cousin Bianca.
Telling Jokes to Uncle Jim
May I help you Daddy?
The boys adore their Grandpa.
I love this picture!
Grandma hugging her two favorite Grandsons.
Yes, I know.   It’s almost February, and I’m finally getting to a Christmas post.
The most important thing we’ve learned over the holidays was this:  We now have twice as many boys in our household than one year ago.   This equates to three times as many toys given as gifts.    In addition, since the boys are getting older, the number of pieces in each of these toys also increases exponentially.  In conclusion, when you visit our home, you will need to shuffle through our home, because otherwise, you may step on one of the countless loose pieces that are constantly navigating through, and around, the house.
Here are some of our favorite holiday pictures.
Attempt #898 to get the perfect Family Photo.
Grandpa and Uncle Randy helping Alex put together the PlayMobile....hee hee hee. Glad it wasn't Mommy helping with the seemingly 1000+ pieces!
Say "cheese!"
Havin a good 'ol time with Poppy.
Two Peas in a Pod.
Ready to open more presents!
Our Mr. Handsome.
……..we are so sorry Mommy and Daddy have not posted  on our blog lately, but we have been keeping them very, very busy.  Whenever they sit down, we give them a reason to get up, and chase us around, or partake in one of our games.
We have been very good boys.   Really.  We miss you, and can’t wait to see you soon.
Mommy made Split pea soup today. I like it A LOT.
Yes, it’s true…..we are finally at the end of our journey to create our family, and boy, does it feel GOOD!
We finalized Michael’s adoption today in the Court System.  He is now a US Citizen, and legally, our son.
Our judge was great.  She was engaging, and congratulated us many times.     While doing her standard process of going through the “findings” and determining if we are “fit” parents for Michael, she asked both Stefan and me for our remarks.   Well, at that point, I broke into tears.   This was not just a cracking of my voice, and watery eyes.   These were tears, streaming down my face.    I stated, “We’ve had a long journey, and we’re so happy to have Michael in our family, and to make our family complete.”
I’m not sure if she heard it thru my emotions, but Stefan, always having the right words for any occasion, stated his remark eloquently, compassionately, and deeply honest.
Here are the photos of our special day.
It's Official! After looking at this photo, and seeing how Alex is cuddled into me, I guess our normally extroverted big brother was overcome with the reality of having to share his toys the rest of his life.
Picking out a bear in the Courtroom.
Having a snack before the big Hearing.
Michelle Here.
On Thanksgiving weekend, we decided we needed to head out to our local Christmas tree farm, and experience the true meaning of Christmas….trudging thru a field, looking for that “perfect” tree for Stefan to chop down, with the boys anxiously awaiting the opportunity to hollar “Timber” as loud as possible.   Well, we did it, and had a great time.
Tree Hunting.
What's a walk in the woods without a stick?
Momma and Stick Boy
After 30 minutes of walking, we found the perfect tree!
Alex supervising Dad on the tree-cutting.
Loaded up on the 'ol mini van and ready to go.
Having lunch at the small-town restaurant.
Back at home, the tree is up!
Stefan here …
Grandparents are bathing grandkids (Alex and Michael), Michelle is planning tomorrow’s big shopping trip and I am trying to digest all that good food we ate. I thought it would be good to fight through this food coma by posting a few pictures from the day.
Before the pics I wanted to share a few of the many things Michelle and I are thankful for:
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Michelle's Four Turkeys
Alex and his Turkey Cookie
Michael and his T-Cookie
It was a fun-filled holiday with two kiddos running around in costumes. This was the first year that Alex really “got” Halloween. He embraced the costume as a means to candy. He thoroughly enjoyed handing out candy to fellow Trick or Treaters. Michael, who goes with the flow was in top form as Superman. He did a great job using his super power devices to charm our neighbors out of their candy.
Hurry up and take the picture. We have things to do!
My 3 boys.
Getting some nourishment before the big candy-collecting event.
Waving Goodbye, and enroute to get some good loot.
Superman flying over tall buildings in a single leap.
Some of the cutest kids on the planet having fun at the annual Halloween party.
Did you know Superman is a Thomas fan?
It's scary how much Alex likes music. Here, he's a rock star and a 4 wheel drivin kiddo.
We got to see the Hoopers again--Yeah!
Stefan here.
Alex and Michael had their first karaoke experience this morning at Kids in the Rotunda. What a great way to entertain the boys this morning. Each Saturday the Madison Overture Center hosts music events for kids. Today’s theme was Kids Karaoke. A live band, The Gomers, play along as kids sang their favorite tunes while providing some comic relief for the parents. A great time was had by all. Alex even attempted to practice his skills as a crooner belting out Itsy Bits’y Spider. The the following are a few video clips from this morning as well as an older clip of Alex saying hello to Grandpa.  Â
Get well soon Grandpa!   Alex has big plans with you.
Michelle here.
OK….lesson learned today.   Never ask your child if he wants to do something, unless you want to do it as well.    We were having a great time in the audience of the kids karaoke.   I asked Alex, “do you want to sing on stage?” …..thinking that he would, of course, just like his mother, say “NO”.   Well.   Mother was wrong.   He said “yes”.   I asked, “what do you want to sing?”.   He said, “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”  “OK, I thought…..How do I get out of this one?”.   Well, no luck getting out of it.   So both Alex and I made our karaoke debut.    Alex experienced stage freight as well, so it makes for a cute video.      Another funny side note:  Before we left our house for the “concert”, Alex wanted to bring his guitar so he could “play” the guitar while he watched the music.   So we said “yes”.   Little did we know it would make for a cute prop for his karaoke performance.
Alex and Michael Care Ride-1 from swahe on Vimeo.
Alex on Stage from swahe on Vimeo.
Car Ride-2 from swahe on Vimeo.
Hello Grandpa-1 from swahe on Vimeo.
Michelle Here.
First—I feel the need to update you on our family happenings.    This last month has been a roller coaster of a month.   To sum it all up:  My father was diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer.    He had major surgery last week, which lasted 8 hours, and two surgeons,  and he’s recovering at the hospital.   It’s been a long 8 weeks or so, with the never-ending pre-surgery testing, and all the uncertainty of his prognosis.   Well, that was the deal.   For me, this is the first time I have been faced, square in the eyes, with a major sickness of someone I so deeply love.  I have been shuffling between his hospital (3 hours away) and home.  He has a large mountain to climb, and he’s on his way.   If you’re the praying-type, please pray.   If you’re the positive energy-type, please send it by the bucketful.   We need it. Here’s a link to his type of cancer.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BileDuctCancer/DetailedGuide/index
On a more happy note, we have confirmed that Michael’s Foster mother is viewing our blog….yeah!   We are so very happy, because that means that both Alex’s and Michael’s foster mothers are able to see photos of the boys.
So….here’s a whole bunch of photos, well, because I’m behind in my blogging, and I have a month’s worth to give you! Â Â Â I feel at least a little productive, sitting in his hospital room.
Grandpa with M. and A. at the Farm.
Riding the tractor with Granpa at the farm.
Feeding the pigs at the farm. I love how Michael has his hand on Grandpa.
Playing a little ditty for Mommy.
Michael taking lessons on bicycle riding.
My little boy is growing so quickly!
Having a snack.
Giddy Up Mr. Moose
Partners in Crime. Get rice from pantry. Get pan from cupboard. Proceed to "cook" lunch.
Playin with a new toy.