Gearing up...

Joe is getting his last minute snooze on before his first trick or treat. Mama is rearing to go - daddy is ready and we have a plan. Does anyone else feel like this? Trying to get to everyone's house and see everyone, yikes! We love it and love to see the reactions.
Joe has a cute little outfit on too from my friend Kathy D at work. His shirt says Mommy's Little Monster and it lights up...gotta run, sounds like he's awake!!

Halloween Sneak Peek

So, we got out our costume and bucket today to practice for tomorrow. Yes, we practice. With the absence of older siblings, or much TV we practice. So, I told Sam to bring me the bucket and say Trick or Treat. It worked. Then Thanks - Yes check. We tried again later and he said Please - Ok, that works too. Then he says, I am going to share my candy with all my friends. Hmmmmm, we will see about that one.

Blog Book -ordered!

Thanks to my good friend Laura (aka computer whiz), I ordered my Blog book this morning. It was so easy...can't wait to get it. It will have the first year of The Graber Gab. So glad to document our lives in this way for our boys! The site is Blog 2 Blook...I forgot the link...email me if questions!

Blog Book

Has anyone made a blog book? Please email me at danandashley10@yahoo.com if you've had success. I tried Blurb.com but they don't support blogspot, at least from what I can tell!
Thanks
Ashley

Learning from Grass??

The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
-R. Fulgrum

Hmmmmm...good thought. I was actually looking for a different quote, but came across this one and decided it was all too true! Anyway we had fun (well, Joe not so much, he wanted to be held) tilling the soil and planting grass seed in a small patch of our yard one night a couple of weeks ago....low and behold it grew. What sweet reward and fun with family.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Yep, Daddy loved it. We had a great birthday celebration last night! Will and Jill and the kids came over and Miss MonteLee joined us too! We had a great time! We made homemade pizza, ate salsa and chips, and had cake and ice cream. All some of Dan's favorites. Sunday we are going to eat a Red Lobster with Dan's family to top off his birthday celebration!

Congrats Amanda and Todd

Mr. and Mrs. Todd Wilcher

If this is not the coolest thing this side of Vegas...We saw our friends Amanda and Todd exchange their wedding vows LIVE via the internet, tonight!!!! It was so neat that I had to take a pic. They are in Las Vegas, but I felt like I was there.
Congrats Manda and Todd the Fox, the Grabers are so happy for you!

A birthday surprise

Do you think daddy will like this birthday surprise?




Made with love by your boys (with a little help from mama).
We love you, daddy.

Tagged - 8 things

I was tagged to give 8 answers to the following questions:

8 things that happenend yesterday.

1. I made $5 for packing my husband's lunch (it's a deal we've made, instead of eating out!)
2. I went back to bed to snuggle with my two boys
3. I made my coffee too weak, so I threw it out
4. We went on a walk
5. I got a kiss from Sam and Joe
6. We went to the farm
7. I did something nice for someone special to me
8. I read books to the boys

Favorite Places to Eat.
1. LoneStar
2. At home, standing at the bar with family across from me
3. Dairy Master
4. Mi Pueblo
5. Cheesecake Factory
6. Bravo
7. Ruth Chris (although I've only had it once...)
8. Bobe's

Favorite TV shows
1. Anything HGTV
2. Word World
3. Jon and Kate + 8
4. Law and Order
5. Adoption Stories
6. House
Ok, that was pushing it, not a big TV watcher.

Things I look forward to
1. Heaven
2. Seeing my mom and dad again
3. The smell of my boys clean after a bath
4. Loogootee WB
5. Joe's first steps
6. The holidays
7. Our next family vacation
8. 15 more days off with my boys!

Things on my wish list
1. My boys to play well together
2. An organized house
3. Working part time
4. A healther-skinnier me
5. More dedicated, regular devotion time (I'm working on this!)
6. A landscaper
7. God's protection over my family
8. Being better at computers!!

I tag the first 8 people to read this post!

2 years, 2 more kids

As soon as we got home with Joe, my friend Melissa said we have to go to the Evansville Zoo again! We went 2 years ago-it was a cold rainy day, and Melissa was 6&1/2 months pregnant, but we had a blast! It was so fun to share mommyhood with her! Yesterday was no different times 4!

Mama and her boys-eyeing the camel!

Just look at the smile. Joe, the poor guy, spent a lot of the day in the stroller. We are certain he was thinking, what are these crazy people up to anyway! Didn't make a fuss and was the last one to fall asleep on the way home!

Sam and Kyleigh on watching the camel. We did see alot of animals, but our kids were way to cute to waste photos on animals! Our favorite was the baby jaguar.

The zoo was set up for boo at the zoo, so a lot of halloween all around. This spider web was a hit with the kids. It was one of the last things we did, they loved it!

Kyleigh will be 4 in December, and Breanna will be 2!

Melissa and her girls.

Flashback-Oct 2006 - Sam and Kyleigh and the friendly giraffe!

We walked all the way around this animals cage to get this picture. It walked to the other side, but we had to have it, so we went around again---then I cut it's head off. Think it is the same giraffe?

Flashback - Oct 2006 - 2 kids lighter...Sam and Kyleigh

The stairsteps- Kyleigh, Sam, Breanna, and Joe - think these kids will be in trouble some day????

We had so much fun. The zoo was not busy at all so the kids were out of the strollers most of the day. We loved spending time with Melissa and the girls. Sam told daddy about every animal he saw last night at supper. Zoo day, hooray!

Visitors from Illinois!!

Sam and Chase (think they were up to something???)

My friend Laura and her precious boys Chase and Peyton - Little Peyton man is so fast I couldn't get a photo of him in action!

Mama's little man - getting a snack...

We had a great visit today from the Rabers (Raber Rewind) in Illinois! Dan and I have known Matt all of our lives and met Laura during our adoption process for Sam. They were also adopting from Guate at the time! Sam and Chase are exactly 1 month apart in age. It was fun to see them together. Peyton is such a cutie, too, loved seeing him check out all the new toys. Joe tagged along most of the morning. Laura and I had a great visit, catching up on the latest of the boys and she helped me a ton with my computer. Thanks Laura and the boys for making time to see us on your visit home! Best wishes on the new home search...

A surprise at daybreak

What started as a peaceful night last night turned stormy and ended like to perfect calm after a storm...wanna hear more? OK, so I won't try my hand as an author, I will go back to work as a pharmacist after my blissful time as a SAHM is over.

The events unfolded like this: we went to church, then to a youth party at a wonderful couple's home. The party was a lot of fun and we played a guessing game with all the other youth. We laughed so hard, it felt good. Dan and I had to cut the evening short and we left at 9:30 to put the kids to bed.
Both kids went to sleep like a dream...and slept until 2:30am; Sam struggles with bloody noses and this one came out of nowhere. He began blood curly screams at this time, I don't blame him, I am sure they are scary, hurt?, etc. Not long after Joe and Dan were awake, too. The only thing that would calm him last night was Thomas the Train (imagine that). Dan took him to watch for a few minutes and I calmed Joe. Well, kinda, he was wide awake. So, we laid down in Sam's bed together. Joe was sound asleep by the time Sam came back to bed and he wanted to lay in bed with me...dan moved Joe to his crib and we settled in once again. This lasted a while, but not all night, he woke up again and wanted to go with Dad...I took him over.

{Why do I tell you this entire story, I think because it is hard to appreciate the end results until you've heard the whole story. Also, I don't really need any lectures about our sleeping habits -this was an odd night!}

Sam lays with Dan for awhile, and then turns to him and says:
Sam:Dad
Dan: Yes, Sam.
Sam: You are making that noise again....
Dan: Laughs at himself and Sam and says, "I roll over Sam, so I don't make that noise"
-score a victory for mama's side, someone else finally heard that sound!

Then, I woke up this morning and to get Sam out of bed because I heard him calling. He reached up for me to pick him up and gave me a kiss. I melted. It was a bad night, but it all went away in that one kiss that certainly felt like a thank you straight from the Master himself! Think it ends there?

I am reading a devotional called 101 Ways to Be a Great Mom. Lesson for today, #17 - Be Full of surprises. To quote the book: Every morning, the sun rises, But how it is going to rise - painting morning clouds raspberry red or perhaps behind a fog - is a surprise. That's just the way God works. He's consistent in what really matters, yet often unpredictable in his ways....it goes on more.

The verse is what really struck me.
Surprise us with love at daybreak: then we'll skip and dance all the day long.
Psalm 90:14

Thanks Sam, for suprising me with love at daybreak.
Mama

Grandpa Great's

Joe - October 2008 - Age 14 months

Sam - October 2006 - Age 9 months

Joe and Sam - October 2008 - Blessings by Grandpa Great's Pump

Some would say Great-Grandpa's house (me before Dan), but some how Grandpa-Greats sounds just right. We stopped by here today and had left-overs for lunch. They were yummy (thanks Aunt Judy). Everything is better at Grandpa Great's. The cold pop out of the porch fridge, the chips that are always on the counter, food from grandma's old dishes, tea from their mugs, the Times-Herald and even farm magazines are fun to read. We got the high chair out of Grandpa's closet and Joe loved his first visit to Grandpa-Great's house. I snapped a few pics in front of the well and remembered I had some of Sam in the very same spot.
The only thing that would have made the visit a little sweeter would have been Grandma Great. Days like today I miss her so much my heart aches. Grandma great was just that-plain great. Always glad to see you, always had time to chat, make a bite to eat. She would greet us at the porch door saying, "Come in, come in, come in..."
I can only hope to hear her say that when I make it to heaven one day.

1st combine ride

Daddy is farming today so we loaded up after a nice visit from Aunt Kia and headed to the farm. Sam was so excited, he got ready in a hurry. We drove out and daddy was driving the combine thru the cornfield. Sam could watch for hours, but he really wanted a ride. Mama drove right up the combine and we all piled in. Sam was amazed, looking out the front window at the corn stalks and then the back window as the hopper filled up with corn. His favorite was when we unloaded into a wagon and the auger arm came out.
And Joe loved it too. He approached it a little more serious. He studied every component in the cab and rode very content. So content he feel asleep! We loved taking our picture with Great Uncle Eddie and Grandpa, too. Thanks daddy for a fun combine ride.

Cornies and bath toys

Whoever called them cornies??? We were blessed by receiving the blessing basket from a fellow church member. This basket is passed from one family to the next for any occasion you choose, or no occasion at all! We received it when Sam came home, so were surprised to receive it again. What an honor. It was filled with goodies, including - cheetos, cheese puffs, or cornies as my son calls them! We loved them.

Joe getting him some of that cornie flavor...

And bathtime was made a bundle of fun today because grandma got Sam and new basketball goal for the tub. It was a hit, grandma! Thanks

Scrumptious face

Looks bad, but Joe didn't seem to mind. No giggle, no cry, just blinked and went on...good little brother.

Party for Peg

We had a party Sat nite for my Aunt Peggy who will be going back in to have her hip replaced. She has had such a go around over the past 1&1/2 years, the first attempt at a replacement was at Easter time 2007. Her spirit has remained strong though, and we are praying this attempt is successful! Big family, fun party!

Great neices: Jaelyn, Brittany and Abbie

My stinkin-cute nephew Drew

Joe's girls (all his age...) Ava, Ella, and Landry

Sam and Drew holding hands. They are finally starting to play together well!

Aunt Polly (Aunt Peggy's twin) and Joe. Polly wore a pink barrette in the side of her hair from the time that we were waiting on pink until Joe was safe here in the US. I didn't even know until we were home and Polly came to Joe's homecoming party and said, Well, guess I can take this out (the barrette) so neat. Thanks Polly!

My neice Morgan (the baby magnet) and Joe

My brother Will and cousin's son Corbin picking on Corbin's dad. Seriously this kid is soooo cute, along with his older sister Kendall. Their mama Stacy and I grew up together (we were born 2 days apart).

My niece Blake and Sam. Sam always has fun with these kids.

What a beauty - my niece Jaelyn. She is a big kindergartner this year...

Always Welcome

We love to visit grandma's house. The best part is that we are always welcome. Somehow there is always something to do, and enough food to go around. I hope my house can be this way someday. I remember Dan's grandma's houses both being this way. And come to think of it, my grandmas too. Anyway on Saturday we weren't feeling the best as I had mentioned, grandma called and Dan told her we would not come for Sunday lunch. We figured if we made it to church, that would be enough. Well as it turns out we didn't make it for church. By the time noon rolled around, we wished to get out of the house. To grandmas we headed and had a nice lunch with grandpa-great, uncle larry and grandma and grandpa. The boys ate well and we headed out the the yard to swing, see grandmas coxcomb flowers in the garden, and play a little ball. Thanks for always making us feel welcome. We won't soon forget Joe's first of many trips to grandma and grandpas.