Like sands through the hourglass...

Welcome to life with children. Time passes, priorities change, memories are played out daily and snapshots of the extrordinary mundane that populate my happy thoughts as I close my eyes at night are all that there is to record the turning of the calendar. It's been awhile since I've updated and the main reason is technology. My camera doesn't talk to my iPad, my netbook doesn't talk much at all these days and my work computer is for doing the things that pay the mortgage. The only thing that continues to talk is Corbin... incessantly. If using the TV to placate him and provide me with 15 or 20 minutes or a long hot bath's worth of silence makes me a bad mom... I can live with that. The Cat in the Hat has taught him words like "habitat" and "meteorite" all while I enjoyed some silence. My blog has been caught in never never land of never having time, never having access to the pictures yet never wanting to give up on the great tracking of history that this has become. So I'll try to combine technologies and get a quick update done on today which for posterity sake is our second Gotcha Day :)  2 years ago there was no going back. It was a day of contrasts: You left with nothing and everything all at the same time while you clung to me out of fear and excitement. As we settled into the van for the drive into Komsomolsk from Selikhino your squeals of "MACHENA!!! turned to heavy eyes of exhaustion and you slept in my arms. That was my favorite memory 2 years ago and today, I covered your eyes as I walked you into the garage to surprise you with a new big boy bike. In your excitement in pointing out that it has a Maple Leaf on the front and a fancy new kickstand you also found time to turn on a dime with open arms to say, "Thank You Mama for my new bike. It's super awesome and I love it." I was worried that it was just a bit too big, but with tip toes delicately stretching to the ground, in a block, it was mastered... just like riding a bike.

New Bike today!

The smile I wake up to every day :) There is one less tooth in there though. It didn't come out the old fashioned way  and I was the one who needed the laughing gas. Tough little cookie managed through an abscessed tooth and a trip to the dentist before "meeting" the tooth fairy for the first time.

Happy 5th Birthday! (His cake was a crocodile which he said was FEROCIOUS!)

Cousin's Grad

Soccer mates

Great day in my life: he offered to clean up POOP! (don't mind the scrape... Evil Canevil met asphalt)

CostaRica Surfer boy

amazing sunsets everyday

Playing soccer with the local boys who came to watch the tournament

White faced monkey x2

ZipLining

We're off to a wedding in the morning so more adventures await! So glad I gotcha buddy. Today, tomorrow and always. 

Still to cover: Birth Family search. Our experience and thoughts.