tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92160072321547063582024-02-18T22:08:17.251-08:00Life with our little water buffaloMeg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-24873746173276345722012-10-15T15:51:00.000-07:002012-10-15T16:09:14.382-07:00New blogHello all! I have created a new blog that will be for our family. All future posts will be in the new blog in anticipation of our new family member. Please join us <a href="http://ottawahoabinhseoul.blogspot.ca/">here</a>.Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-27159359113414700382012-10-13T15:22:00.001-07:002012-10-13T15:23:38.254-07:00We got the call....well email actually!!After weeks and weeks of waiting we finally got the go ahead to travel. Yesterday morning at6:30am Pat, who is a very early riser, came running up the stairs into our bedroom. I awoke to the noise of his pounding feet and of course thought something was wrong. Through one half closed eye I saw that he was pushing his cell phone towards me. Finally I realized that he was telling me that our program director had emailed us to tell us that we could travel. I guess she also is an early riser and checked her email before going for a run. She knew it was too early to call us so she emailed.<br />
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So Pat leaves next Friday and will meet Gerad Yihyun on the Monday. He will return that Friday. I am hoping he will keep the blog updated! If not I will try to.<br />
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Let the next chapter of my life, and all of our lives, begin....Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-78172386453563542482012-10-08T15:21:00.000-07:002012-10-08T15:21:27.018-07:00Still no news, but here are some picturesThe conductor:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdUYp_LwaZfQjT5GwuSY3uEb93PF_Fv3JWzv0uxIFKjAZ9xLjVswGXGq3413KDDaA3PydiLFo7Dh7BMjAqebzIWe6Ble6PPWU-7dt7LfztxVDlNVUFNVv5THx0IIr8xmDqTlYz8lSHks/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdUYp_LwaZfQjT5GwuSY3uEb93PF_Fv3JWzv0uxIFKjAZ9xLjVswGXGq3413KDDaA3PydiLFo7Dh7BMjAqebzIWe6Ble6PPWU-7dt7LfztxVDlNVUFNVv5THx0IIr8xmDqTlYz8lSHks/s320/004.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfS0HhW8MSiQUwmmjAAQs0DDcOWSM0cZ6KgGWZFe-gw0BNr0z97bQf4GJuVU-zbXD2V3DFh8O4Yc7ZyivV1pQI9h-i8UbnJUzEgYZI_DdSz6we9x6tDxefNbuYwKU1pUSLiAsAeikXTs/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfS0HhW8MSiQUwmmjAAQs0DDcOWSM0cZ6KgGWZFe-gw0BNr0z97bQf4GJuVU-zbXD2V3DFh8O4Yc7ZyivV1pQI9h-i8UbnJUzEgYZI_DdSz6we9x6tDxefNbuYwKU1pUSLiAsAeikXTs/s320/009.JPG" /></a><br />
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AdoptWalk:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGlZh8PpdywSlmhxvkM0CVd2vp0wflog2qFAMUESxIZ2fNzHKrLoUQ5cLLYCWEJqSzGeby235SrWKfLGgEVmdXj8OENYI57oPH5HDQucupbXwVt87EPXQTJ4PsGOwdsct-rtv_rttnfE/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGlZh8PpdywSlmhxvkM0CVd2vp0wflog2qFAMUESxIZ2fNzHKrLoUQ5cLLYCWEJqSzGeby235SrWKfLGgEVmdXj8OENYI57oPH5HDQucupbXwVt87EPXQTJ4PsGOwdsct-rtv_rttnfE/s320/020.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIgtOZXVbQCNPIUn9EPT5U5ZMk2vXDFJudxZU7AyZGglx3fXUywJfYJN1s8ateHJVGPOnljeMWaKVuOXeYoDsucBNi1kYoEKtqye13kuM61lyZBbxUX_AOWG_BduzfLHVrlNCjCaBakE/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIgtOZXVbQCNPIUn9EPT5U5ZMk2vXDFJudxZU7AyZGglx3fXUywJfYJN1s8ateHJVGPOnljeMWaKVuOXeYoDsucBNi1kYoEKtqye13kuM61lyZBbxUX_AOWG_BduzfLHVrlNCjCaBakE/s320/031.JPG" /></a><br />
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Tet Trung Thu lantern walk with friends:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXDbvykr5ffzUXiWGygxltj6TlHxQACT3aVtyxYkb_PEGAxhtR0BUhzz-CaWq0arDJMgj17wbSPUxPDbW-NwRBOQKtRXscv4xYqRHBFZ_aQffLOlnIyIUCQ2Rzjea3AXnC0n06bFVUzo/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXDbvykr5ffzUXiWGygxltj6TlHxQACT3aVtyxYkb_PEGAxhtR0BUhzz-CaWq0arDJMgj17wbSPUxPDbW-NwRBOQKtRXscv4xYqRHBFZ_aQffLOlnIyIUCQ2Rzjea3AXnC0n06bFVUzo/s320/032.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru38tD_eZMaCgvrheWNj7-UBlcXibfBpL9Gw6h_Yr6Xm7IzzNLuHDBPDr56PaB4-BQArjq4PwtpBfTB9o4YyFY2sO0g9J8W3Zmc1_KDGvKSWvhZEQMIms8D3NrdGhNi-Z_a_hQ_HB85k/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru38tD_eZMaCgvrheWNj7-UBlcXibfBpL9Gw6h_Yr6Xm7IzzNLuHDBPDr56PaB4-BQArjq4PwtpBfTB9o4YyFY2sO0g9J8W3Zmc1_KDGvKSWvhZEQMIms8D3NrdGhNi-Z_a_hQ_HB85k/s320/039.JPG" /></a><br />
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A fall bike ride:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oRi8CnSK-6IdF-N5ny-xsulOurWZOmHB22SzP1Sb20XFd90jnjpPf2KJKFybm6manXPWWAoxs5GCiKB2Ii06o1bad8Ase6X_kQHQM993DRVQtgiZOsFElVwfZpgGiixrPuSXoSM8iEY/s1600/fall+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oRi8CnSK-6IdF-N5ny-xsulOurWZOmHB22SzP1Sb20XFd90jnjpPf2KJKFybm6manXPWWAoxs5GCiKB2Ii06o1bad8Ase6X_kQHQM993DRVQtgiZOsFElVwfZpgGiixrPuSXoSM8iEY/s320/fall+006.JPG" /></a><br />
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Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-28299039204911552912012-09-30T19:17:00.000-07:002012-09-30T19:27:01.179-07:00Small update, AdoptWalk and TetTrung ThuWell it has been a trying couple of weeks. We're still obviously waiting for the travel call. It has been 18 weeks since referral. On Friday my cell rang and our program director was on the phone. Of course my heart started beating faster and I excitedly asked "Yes?!". Sadly it wasn't the travel call we'd been waiting for but it was an update. It seems that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) had messed up our file about a month ago (basically got it mixed up with someone else) and wouldn't issue Gerad's visa without figuring out the issue. They told our social worker in Korea that they would fix the problem then when she asked them last week they admitted they'd forgotten!!! Arggggg!!! Seriously?! Wow! So they've now stated that they are on it! And will fix the mistake ASAP. Trouble is that it is Chuseok in Korea right now (harvest festival holiday) and people won't be back at work until Thursday. Great. Oh well, at least we know what's going on and there is an end in sight.<br />
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Speaking of Chuseok, it is of course the Vietnamese equivalent today. Happy Tet Trung Thu! We had a very busy weekend with two Tet gatherings (one at Max and Vanh's and the other with the Vietnamese Community Association). We also did an AdoptWalk, with most of the money raised going to resources for public Canadian adoptions (I.e. Children's Aid Societies). It was the first in Ottawa and it was a small gathering but it was a gorgeous day so we all made he best of it! One of the sponsors was our current agency's foundation. The Children's Bridge Foundation does a lot of work both within Canada and around the world. Van's adoption agency also does incredible work in Vietnam. I am very happy that the Canadian government ensures that Canadian adoption agencies remain non-profit. This definitely seems to open the door for philanthropic work.<br />
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I was hoping to upload some photos of our weekend but didn't get around to it. Hopefully I'll get some uploaded tomorrow. Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-29909016945418411922012-09-12T14:16:00.003-07:002012-09-12T14:19:31.212-07:00Still waiting.......Starting to get a little panicky I have to admit. I know that technically we are still in the average time frame for waiting, however it is definitely frustrating that we are now at the long end or worse case scenario of the projected wait. Just when I was beginning to think that this process was smooth sailing, a time bump has emerged. What we have been told is that the SWS is working with the Canadian Embassy to issue his visa. That was the word last week (when I caved and contacted our agency to get an update). Well, it's inching towards another week gone by with no news. Boo :( I think it is a little more difficult this time around as our second little guy is older. The older he is the more difficulties he is going to have with the transition into another home. I know it's going to be horribly traumatic for him as it is but it will be even more traumatic due to his age. Van was 10.5 months old when he joined us and he had a very difficult transition. However I think his transition would have been much harder if he had have been a few months older. Poor Gerad Yihyun will be close to 17 months old when he joins us (if we get the call soon!). That is the age when separation anxiety really sets in. Poor little guy. Anyway, there is nothing we can do but be patient and wait...hurry up and wait....so challenging.<br />
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Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated...if anybody is still reading that is lol.<br />
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Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-92196163776889433602012-09-08T13:02:00.001-07:002012-09-08T15:19:03.127-07:00Water park fun with Neila and Isle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vHyZHKu-Oy-Nu75lJXZaKcHIpBI9DOXPdIoKMsIm3WgK-Sqyli-0tT6lzgo8faNCuIdHoxbo6WCeWy5rtfDjH0qhFFGkwrg4eTrVwQoeWG0_djJ-I3vPPmjID63XJaWvPgOxbHJ0WQU/s1600/labour+day+2012+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vHyZHKu-Oy-Nu75lJXZaKcHIpBI9DOXPdIoKMsIm3WgK-Sqyli-0tT6lzgo8faNCuIdHoxbo6WCeWy5rtfDjH0qhFFGkwrg4eTrVwQoeWG0_djJ-I3vPPmjID63XJaWvPgOxbHJ0WQU/s320/labour+day+2012+013.JPG" /></a><br />
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Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-67040078755249984482012-09-05T07:10:00.000-07:002012-09-05T07:10:30.042-07:00.....still waiting...urg!!Yes we are still waiting for "the call". We are now into week 14 of waiting. Gerad Yihyun will be 16 months old on September 7. Booooo :( We are definitely getting very restless at the Meg, Pat and Van household. Maybe we were being too hopeful but I think we definitely believed we would be home with him by now. As anybody who has adopted internationally knows, the wait to travel is the hardest part of the wait. You have your referral and know there is a little person in limbo. You are also in limbo as you can't tell your work exactly when you will be leaving and you can't really make any plans beyond a few days. As well you have to deal with the daily "Have you heard anything yet?" questions. I forgot how annoying that question can be. What you want to say is "You would know if we had heard anything", but you don't say that because you know that people are only being friendly and polite. They don't think "Oh, I shouldn't ask that as I am sure she has been asked 10 times today already". Why would they after all? During this wait everything is on hold although you try not to let it have that effect. Having another young child complicates matters because it is so hard to explain what is happning to a 3 year old. All he knows is that mommy and daddy have been telling him about this random little person called "little brother" who lives far away and daddy will be getting him on a plane. He probably thinks it's all a joke really lol. I am sure when we finally do get the call and tell him daddy will be leaving he'll think "yeah right, I've heard this story before and daddy never goes anywhere". <br />
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Up until a week ago I didn't really think about getting the call much. Now I am thinking about it constantly. I am checking my phone every 5 minutes in case I didn't hear it. I am also not sure what time of the day we will be getting the call. Korea is 13 hours ahead so it is currently 11:00pm there. Our agency would have the message by now I would think so my thought process is if we do not hear anything by 9am we won't be hearing anything that day. Having said that, we received our referral call at around 1pm.....this is the result of "the wait", analyzing everything! <br />
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I really hope we get "the call" this week. 2 more days....Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-9169802023441567662012-08-24T07:52:00.001-07:002012-08-24T07:52:25.793-07:00Waiting.....Up until recently I hadn't been feeling anxious about our second wait to adopt. Everything has been going as planned, no bumps, smooth sailing. Well now that I know the call to travel should be coming soon I am finally starting to get restless and impatient. We do know that the average time for the children to receive their outgoing visas is currently 12-16 weeks. We also know, according to our agency's monthly newsletter, that the last few families have waited 13 weeks. Well next week is 13 weeks! We are close people! Very close. As a result it is feeling very real now and I want to hurry up and go get him (well, Pat is going but still). This whole process had been far less stressful than Van's but I am still scared something is going to go wrong. After all we've been through the wringer in the past. Anyway, here's hoping the call comes next week!!!<br />
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On the Van front he sure is becoming more and more of a character and definitely knows what he likes and doesn't like especially now that he is able to tell us and others quite clearly now. I leave you with this little tid bit. Ah, my son.....We generally listen to alt/indie/folk rock and Van is exposed to it daily. We tried the Sharon, Lois and Bram stuff and frankly it drove us bananas and Van didn't seem to really be into it. So our selfish selves decided music is music right? And as long as he is exposed to music that's the important thing. So yesterday in the car, in anticipation of going to see Springsteen in TO tonight, Pat was playing his new CD (which he's been playing on and off for a couple of months). Pat loves Springsteen! At one point Pat decided to turn the radio on and Van got upset and said he wanted the music back on. It gets better...yesterday at nap time one of the daycare workers started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at which point Van says"Stop! I want The Boss!". She struggled to understand what he meant then said "Oh, Springsteen?!" and Van said "Yes, sing Thunder Road." hahaha! Luckily the daycare teacher loves the Boss and knew the song. He is his father's son that's for sure hehehe.Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-41214339589090818542012-08-05T17:48:00.004-07:002012-08-05T20:24:54.843-07:00Third birthday, updated pictures and the wait to travelHello, sorry it has been awhile since my last really decent post. Between my two week trip to Italy and the UK and Van's grandmother (Pat's mom) being in town I just haven't gotten around to posting. A lot has happened in the last month. First Van started his new daycare. He is doing really well there and it is obvious that we made the right decision. Just being around a lot of peers his own age has helped him. His language skills have improved as has his imaginary play. These were two things that he has struggled a bit with at times. We really lucked out getting a spot in this daycare. We have been asked a few times how we managed to get him in there as the waiting list is so long. The integration services woman assigned to us said that Van is in the creme de la creme of licensed daycares. I had no idea lol. It was just one of the places I decided to cold call. Van's diagnosis expedited him to the front of the list. If there are any readers with a child on the spectrum looking for a daycare please give Algonquin Early Learning Centre a call as you never know! Van really does love the place. He's even made a friend which is huge for an ASD kiddo. Apparently he and his friend are inseparable. <br />
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Van has had a busy couple of weeks! He turned 3 on the 21st of July. His birthday basically lasted a week as there were various celebrations. On the Saturday (the 21st) we attended the yearly pot luck pool party in Greely with other adoptive families. It is really neat to see the kids every year. They are growing fast!! After we got home we had a cake for Van and allowed him to open some presents. He did struggle a bit and became overstimulated which usually brings on stimming behaviour. We have to try and figure out ways to balance these types of events. Perhaps cake in the evening and presents the next day....things to think about. The next day we went to Max and Vanh's for their 4th birthday party. Many of the same kids from the Saturday were there so it was like a second adoption event. I just love seeing all the kids together!! Finally this past Sunday we had a little birthday party for him with a few friend's and their kids (the usual suspects that were also at his 2nd birthday). Again poor Van struggled and there are times when I wonder if he really gets anything out of these events or if we are doing it for us more than him. It is a tough one for sure. I don't know if there is a right answer. I do know that we will have traditional birthday parties for our second son so it seems we should do the same for Van. Maybe when he is older he can tell us if he wants these parties.<br />
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In other news we received updated pictures and a video of Yihyun. What a wonderful surprise. Even more special because Grandmother was here to see them. The pictures are simply beautiful and obviously taken by a professional. The video and a few of the pictures were taken at his Dol (sometimes spelled Tol). here is a link to wiki explaining it: <br />
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_birthday_celebrations<br />
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Such a neat and beautiful tradition. We were told that Yihyun chose the mandarin symbol which means he will be a scholar. Items for scholar often include pencils or books etc. Although it would have been so nice to be able to be with him on his first birthday, I am immensely grateful that he had the opportunity to experience it in Korea. We could never have matched the celebration they had for him! He will have the pictures and video with him always!<br />
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We are still waiting to get the travel call. We believe we may get it sometime this month! After much discussion we have decided that Pat alone will travel to pick up Yihyun. I of course want to go more than anything but financially it just does not make sense, and, more importantly, we just don't think it would be a good idea to leave Van with someone without one of us being here. This is already going to be a very stressful transition for him that having a virtual stranger (his aunt but basically a stranger as she lives in another province) showing up and us leaving for a week then returning with another child we think would be too much. It was an extremely difficult decision but for our family it is the right decision. I know I will be back to Korea in the future. There is no question of that not happening. There will be many birth country visits in our future for our boys and even possibly a sabbatical involving living in both countries for a few months.<br />
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On a final note we have chosen our second son's final name (or should I say names lol). A Korean American friend of mine recommended giving him a Western first name and keeping his Korean name as his middle name. It was a difficult decision but we have taken his advice. We will call him Gerad Yihyun (then his Korean last name and our last names). The Gerad is a nod to Pat's father Gerald who passed away a number of years ago. So Gerad will have his entire Korean name as his legal name. If he wants to drop the Western names at a later date he can with little difficulty. It's always a very emotional experience changing anything with respect to adopted children. Our feeling has always been to try and preserve as much of who they were before us as possible. We already have so much control over their lives and they have no input. We have striven to reach a union of the two with both boys as that is who they will grow up to be. Their feet in two different worlds. We have a duty to ensure that their access to the world they came from is smooth and easy.<br />
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Here are pictures of Van's busy birthday week and updated pics of Gerad Yihyun.<br />
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The third annual TDH adoptive family picnic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL5vlikPLHLb9bEME_srKLFVMru85hkrrIGCIVAjZ1AIFB-7bmCn9goH6zImCMWuhFZ8g34ZH6LGwcjJy9OHtUkDuFQ5sEeqPBw3bDPBCeIHdxgywXeIirr_syy8zsK2Z2uCh8S-qonA/s1600/Europe+2012+241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOL5vlikPLHLb9bEME_srKLFVMru85hkrrIGCIVAjZ1AIFB-7bmCn9goH6zImCMWuhFZ8g34ZH6LGwcjJy9OHtUkDuFQ5sEeqPBw3bDPBCeIHdxgywXeIirr_syy8zsK2Z2uCh8S-qonA/s320/Europe+2012+241.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdU4QfdrRO8ke90O0EjrMMP2ut_9zMnhz4sa_XkPAxyqa1jKjccQNwGJy4CwrOxqF12MDgcARgCdKcymYVLxnD48e90B3ztXfwkNwjKFtakl9xqj9wfLvI1gHy0Eaeusx1cNy1S6Cp1o/s1600/Europe+2012+251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdU4QfdrRO8ke90O0EjrMMP2ut_9zMnhz4sa_XkPAxyqa1jKjccQNwGJy4CwrOxqF12MDgcARgCdKcymYVLxnD48e90B3ztXfwkNwjKFtakl9xqj9wfLvI1gHy0Eaeusx1cNy1S6Cp1o/s320/Europe+2012+251.JPG" /></a><br />
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Van's little family birthday on the actual day (Van, mommy, daddy and grandmother).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOydiYmok2NmtpszOkrwi19RPH_JwEE0ukUpHA5amg1ieyfWrwAbXC0mOPn3VQK0GVqPKzzOPHgom3LIs_1zOG-IR6_xeNWWQa74EuSwUXnUzbAWUj0rrSvgcu5HSxGm_3guGRMFNXPI/s1600/Europe+2012+260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOydiYmok2NmtpszOkrwi19RPH_JwEE0ukUpHA5amg1ieyfWrwAbXC0mOPn3VQK0GVqPKzzOPHgom3LIs_1zOG-IR6_xeNWWQa74EuSwUXnUzbAWUj0rrSvgcu5HSxGm_3guGRMFNXPI/s320/Europe+2012+260.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9eUk4UZ6nYqlAdQ-6kBztbek1Se4rLixbsTEAb7_Ar2yUU0JiQDZSnVvTWke4-4Ih2xb9kL88BSAyVJWR4x05pMqbMl2NMsxPEtloD2b7nhVN_BjexmaS4WRhH2AdIj8otjQ6wf4Gz4/s1600/Europe+2012+262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9eUk4UZ6nYqlAdQ-6kBztbek1Se4rLixbsTEAb7_Ar2yUU0JiQDZSnVvTWke4-4Ih2xb9kL88BSAyVJWR4x05pMqbMl2NMsxPEtloD2b7nhVN_BjexmaS4WRhH2AdIj8otjQ6wf4Gz4/s320/Europe+2012+262.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD7ubOxZmD15PMgkbhV1vlsXCNe6G6gJ-YutBSUvUrUV_oocAEQtPl31dI5mdL5fWt8hVHxCg_NUIVBYFkC-b96WCKAfjfARZ2eUILu8Zlo6j8O6AGTi0TRmSnMu__A9UjT2Koa8iJfM/s1600/Europe+2012+263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD7ubOxZmD15PMgkbhV1vlsXCNe6G6gJ-YutBSUvUrUV_oocAEQtPl31dI5mdL5fWt8hVHxCg_NUIVBYFkC-b96WCKAfjfARZ2eUILu8Zlo6j8O6AGTi0TRmSnMu__A9UjT2Koa8iJfM/s320/Europe+2012+263.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1Xrv80Tq8rj5XR57Esxf69bqMh5GZCvfxsZgTj8ziuJzAx3wFQLlLeA_UhyufG1muq092qRppLKB6JI3hvwHRi7qrP3biIOZAsmVby1T1JMDUSomxQ50LX4H3ots6XquGttQns9U5Lk/s1600/Europe+2012+270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1Xrv80Tq8rj5XR57Esxf69bqMh5GZCvfxsZgTj8ziuJzAx3wFQLlLeA_UhyufG1muq092qRppLKB6JI3hvwHRi7qrP3biIOZAsmVby1T1JMDUSomxQ50LX4H3ots6XquGttQns9U5Lk/s320/Europe+2012+270.JPG" /></a><br />
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Max and Vanh's 4th birthday party:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfeLF1p8imxqUjmq86umzH1yFvE_NpDhAN3rv7_WE_tf-rJzXKyQOlktUWOqenT1sQ67fXqmhq7wu0NvY2ReErBALJknxN4LJiy5-7N8MA3qPK2olz1iqQO8Z6N4Ekgbt9MGCg4MYTfU/s1600/Europe+2012+280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfeLF1p8imxqUjmq86umzH1yFvE_NpDhAN3rv7_WE_tf-rJzXKyQOlktUWOqenT1sQ67fXqmhq7wu0NvY2ReErBALJknxN4LJiy5-7N8MA3qPK2olz1iqQO8Z6N4Ekgbt9MGCg4MYTfU/s320/Europe+2012+280.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX5BbVfuw2ZSbFhOHtH-2b6w-phgxwNKgjRDVWyKmQ7Qmu7TEWkD4O4jezCq__FhC75hixVd1PlfAJ6-K4kfI2F2J-91ip01M7Fzn1GpPW_Q7_x5lbnhGPfnonO6rMeRiGaqCl6IUzmo/s1600/Europe+2012+281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyX5BbVfuw2ZSbFhOHtH-2b6w-phgxwNKgjRDVWyKmQ7Qmu7TEWkD4O4jezCq__FhC75hixVd1PlfAJ6-K4kfI2F2J-91ip01M7Fzn1GpPW_Q7_x5lbnhGPfnonO6rMeRiGaqCl6IUzmo/s320/Europe+2012+281.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X8pUxmSgifArWGVvYMDv9HbqD7wU3vF6PuN19UBO4oHk5fCJWF2E2RSYtLRRzAKDO1pkp5cO1omxxxM5heRYX6toLXZdhcRZ7egfUP0tXNwVB7wo4NJZC3IJsvErzlQxZ7PRXBFT1a8/s1600/Europe+2012+282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_X8pUxmSgifArWGVvYMDv9HbqD7wU3vF6PuN19UBO4oHk5fCJWF2E2RSYtLRRzAKDO1pkp5cO1omxxxM5heRYX6toLXZdhcRZ7egfUP0tXNwVB7wo4NJZC3IJsvErzlQxZ7PRXBFT1a8/s320/Europe+2012+282.JPG" /></a><br />
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Van's 3rd party with friends:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl9UgnoE_68l2g9_xR92JgGshv_lQkpLsY00Pvvwze7v_vqREUx4pzQ29B2bB3KS3z25BDaFycyfq3UuNn5RTTVUnc2HhZfGqUXg4chgPSBneM0NYYsvuXfYaO8ju8kZIucsduL4GL1Q/s1600/Birthday+2012+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl9UgnoE_68l2g9_xR92JgGshv_lQkpLsY00Pvvwze7v_vqREUx4pzQ29B2bB3KS3z25BDaFycyfq3UuNn5RTTVUnc2HhZfGqUXg4chgPSBneM0NYYsvuXfYaO8ju8kZIucsduL4GL1Q/s320/Birthday+2012+003.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfR_DRwdBSiyrP6Xv916lM0VK8d3QX6glwXNbH0WcPVKA4sTRaStfv8HqBZQjsTrs9qSfY6xQNVv0DO1Xt_aDEoAV3vunXMMcMC6jEDZf4GW0TBZbIeGvS6Qmk26ugpRMJUtPjWIvOjw/s1600/Birthday+2012+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfR_DRwdBSiyrP6Xv916lM0VK8d3QX6glwXNbH0WcPVKA4sTRaStfv8HqBZQjsTrs9qSfY6xQNVv0DO1Xt_aDEoAV3vunXMMcMC6jEDZf4GW0TBZbIeGvS6Qmk26ugpRMJUtPjWIvOjw/s320/Birthday+2012+001.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_svPziTkMlRjVGrVZo1tko6u9gXrUgcvEBJVUt2X9f51sI62GzFsz-LNBVJlaQnepsMBjmal9MMXFc6BeInuxSnrobj1TGH494i3lIPOFfL-Pzli222328nNkARhK4C2JzqhOu33ZR4/s1600/Birthday+2012+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_svPziTkMlRjVGrVZo1tko6u9gXrUgcvEBJVUt2X9f51sI62GzFsz-LNBVJlaQnepsMBjmal9MMXFc6BeInuxSnrobj1TGH494i3lIPOFfL-Pzli222328nNkARhK4C2JzqhOu33ZR4/s320/Birthday+2012+004.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IDsE2hZkWgjL5KIl-Bjc4b0bzAX8RUqora1eaT7jlN115WmAIu8sVYoCVRWxyAdF3H-6iHwB-OjW6EdvcLuTC8Q8FyiG2EeLNSMlu63RFMv71UxjreesqKb_16HpJEiA-pW8fGvle0M/s1600/Birthday+2012+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IDsE2hZkWgjL5KIl-Bjc4b0bzAX8RUqora1eaT7jlN115WmAIu8sVYoCVRWxyAdF3H-6iHwB-OjW6EdvcLuTC8Q8FyiG2EeLNSMlu63RFMv71UxjreesqKb_16HpJEiA-pW8fGvle0M/s320/Birthday+2012+007.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QbbMMhoaOY3vTLB4JYrV5xTze13-kGUnHdaPqlzxgwtYvv_LiWM-cJqtJb7-jtPXMB_mS85ghRBwJozR6pc-HCSHtr4VP5L66KZKWUFAQq1x0csCCBj9Q4p1bd1FrXdgSuvzxNKcYz0/s1600/Birthday+2012+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4QbbMMhoaOY3vTLB4JYrV5xTze13-kGUnHdaPqlzxgwtYvv_LiWM-cJqtJb7-jtPXMB_mS85ghRBwJozR6pc-HCSHtr4VP5L66KZKWUFAQq1x0csCCBj9Q4p1bd1FrXdgSuvzxNKcYz0/s320/Birthday+2012+011.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCQCdT3VCD6h3gbmbWE2ASDf3gyW5DpgNWG3NBs5hndRyAK6fEahPCdFs2jvPAkaRo_qnLibe-Qe-JhtWs7RvsvQAEXoqWFckxuTq8MFLUJmOnkzjoL17KqBNlodqDk-aAQsMq_h4vCg/s1600/Birthday+2012+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCQCdT3VCD6h3gbmbWE2ASDf3gyW5DpgNWG3NBs5hndRyAK6fEahPCdFs2jvPAkaRo_qnLibe-Qe-JhtWs7RvsvQAEXoqWFckxuTq8MFLUJmOnkzjoL17KqBNlodqDk-aAQsMq_h4vCg/s320/Birthday+2012+013.JPG" /></a><br />
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Hanging out with grandmother:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzbcwyqnuldcqHBmEyka00nvysYF9KimhXpmA05XonjKeK8FxcW90Q-rLbSF9U_Yh8d5y3ZrM6lw5w_hplzAjmRY27G8sOzhVQ1dX7-EVCNjXi5Dn5zf0rNXzU6NrtpBrJpmGUCa8AHI/s1600/Europe+2012+285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzbcwyqnuldcqHBmEyka00nvysYF9KimhXpmA05XonjKeK8FxcW90Q-rLbSF9U_Yh8d5y3ZrM6lw5w_hplzAjmRY27G8sOzhVQ1dX7-EVCNjXi5Dn5zf0rNXzU6NrtpBrJpmGUCa8AHI/s320/Europe+2012+285.JPG" /></a><br />
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Gerad Yihyun:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrrJrlm5xJG-y1tcpANYtJ5JiS6kHOuNA5I5gbmaSjmrcq1JQ5VTpWRYkvc97rUbTLldw_VcihTHxjMxFHesrFnsR5qB8duzBYczrTxYwKAnD0Hs_5Du0yG5yCLuSljGd2zx8-oejsCU/s1600/224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrrJrlm5xJG-y1tcpANYtJ5JiS6kHOuNA5I5gbmaSjmrcq1JQ5VTpWRYkvc97rUbTLldw_VcihTHxjMxFHesrFnsR5qB8duzBYczrTxYwKAnD0Hs_5Du0yG5yCLuSljGd2zx8-oejsCU/s320/224.JPG" /></a><br />
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<br />Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-364235115532905072012-07-05T14:48:00.002-07:002012-07-05T14:48:49.361-07:00Missing baby boyBefore becoming a family of three both Pat and I decided we wok each get a solo adventure or two. My solo adventure is a trip to Europe. I am currently sitting on a balcony just outside of Venice, Italy and thoroughly enjoying my time.....however I am seriously missing my little family. I am incredibly sad that I missed baby boy's first week in his new daycare. Pat assures me he is doing great. I have skyped twice which I think really freaks him out lol. Especially as each time I have been with a couple of friends he doesn't recognize. Poor peanut. I don't think he really understands what is happening as I am rarely away. I plan on doing. Full new post once I am home. Baby brother will be hopefully ready to join our family in August. Crazy! I send loving vibes to both my baby boys who are far from me right now. I am somewhere in between them!Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-40349409793837508762012-06-04T18:31:00.000-07:002012-06-04T18:31:01.783-07:00Van is a big brother! We got the call!!Well what a day last Thursday was!I had the day off work because I had to go to day surgery to have an IUD placed (a story for another day but man the process is painful! Needed the sedation!). It is not recommended to have any valuables there so I gave my cell phones (yes I have two, work and personal lol) to Pat. While I was waiting to get wheeled into the OR the thought that today might be the day and I don't have my phone crossed my mind. I dismissed it as too much of a coincidence as this would be the first time I wouldn't have my phone for 5 hours. I mean come on. Well when Pat picks me up a couple hours later he's looking a bit misty eyed and I'm thinking how nice, he was worried about me...but come on it was a minor (and I mean minor) procedure. Not like him to be that emotional. He was also being extra affectionate and squeezing my hand. Then we walk right past the parking machine and I wonder why. He seemed distracted. Once we get in the car he reached into his pocket and pulled out this little packet of pictures and said "I have something for you". I could just see this little smiling face as the pictures were moving towards me in slow motion (well it felt like slow motion). I knew then what was going on and I started to bawl. Then Pat started to cry and laugh and we both started to cry and laugh like maniacs. We then set about devouring the 14 pictures of our second son like kids in a candy store. It was such a different experience than with Van. Van's referral came on the heels of a failed referral so was bitter sweet. We were not able to experience the pure joy as in this case. We finally got to have the referral experience that everybody speaks of. And it was glorious! Of course there is always still going to be a bitter moment (okay, a lifetime of moments) while you process the loss experienced by the birth mother. There is great loss associated with adoption and that can never be forgotten. More on that in another post.<br />
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So without further ado please meet Yihyun, Van's little brother. He's just over a year old and our wait to travel will be from 2-4 months (the wait for a visa). It's cool to be able to post pictures right away. Another difference in the process. Indeed so far this process has been remarkably smooth with no surprises. Virtually no stress. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYnDzZUoKnic7saIzgMCtiO6-Z2UfXX8XiCmwdit_9fl6K_oU0zHpbdUVEIomahv8ndvUVAiLL2xFHz2VZ2_wOk4y0nScNswrjy6dnVdgMGrqP-eXaFWwTuVlkRxmNPQH3H32Qf1Zeu4/s1600/Yihyun11+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="221" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYnDzZUoKnic7saIzgMCtiO6-Z2UfXX8XiCmwdit_9fl6K_oU0zHpbdUVEIomahv8ndvUVAiLL2xFHz2VZ2_wOk4y0nScNswrjy6dnVdgMGrqP-eXaFWwTuVlkRxmNPQH3H32Qf1Zeu4/s320/Yihyun11+001.jpg" /></a><br />
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Finally, to make the moment even sweeter, May 31st was also Van's gotcha day. 2 years since his adoption. Happy gotcha day little man!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-7bQVupJ_zJOV1d-12aFCpgEtSfAYhf0JywCwrRVMbsMeSOU7QCbO3rS41-gkHllVPmf2t8hxC58vxUHRjuFBnETMdEbzZ3zDXFv7KMwQOzdbhTDop9JtDjvCGbrBuWQmy2kpTZ1qyA/s1600/May+2012+217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-7bQVupJ_zJOV1d-12aFCpgEtSfAYhf0JywCwrRVMbsMeSOU7QCbO3rS41-gkHllVPmf2t8hxC58vxUHRjuFBnETMdEbzZ3zDXFv7KMwQOzdbhTDop9JtDjvCGbrBuWQmy2kpTZ1qyA/s320/May+2012+217.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-18361049341157901132012-05-13T18:16:00.002-07:002012-05-13T18:16:22.326-07:00"Autismland"I am reading a great book right now called "Bad Animals: a father's accidental education in autism" by Montreal writer Joel Yanofsky. It's the sort of narrative that really appeals to me because it is realistic, raw and humorous. There is nothing flowery about it. His son is 11 and considered high functioning as well (whatever that means). What is so interesting is that I see so many of the same behaviors and quirks in Van that he describes in his son. What also hits home for me is his honesty and constant questioning as to whether he is a good or even good enough father. I think about the same thing constantly. Especially on a day like today I.e. mother's day. I am often plagued with guilty thoughts and it is reassuring to know I am not alone. I really recommend this book for anyone who is wondering what life with Van is like on a day to day basis (and me as well probably lol). It's a really unflinching look at the isolation involved with raising a child with autism. Both external and internal. I am not trying to be negative here just honest. There are moments of wonder and deep love and admiration too believe me but that's not all there is. In one of the chapters he describes a play date between his son and another boy with more severe autism and comments both doing their own "thing" happily lost in Autismland. That is Van in a nutshell much of the time. He is happily lost in Autismland. Whether at the park, in the backyard, at a play date, he is on his own in his own world. This is one of the reasons why his psychologist recommended moving him to a more structured daycare. A chance for him to be lured out of his shell perhaps amongst other things. <br />
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Another common theme in the above book and others is the worry parents suddenly have about the future that is different than those worries of parents with typical children. Gone are the thoughts about will he play hockey or what profession will he decide to pursue. These thoughts are replaced with thoughts about whether he'll have friends, make it through school, have a girlfriend (or boyfriend), live alone? Will he be bullied or be able to ride a bus alone? Cross the road? All parents worry about their kids, we just have different worries, altered expectations.<br />
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We have made a decision about his daycare (I hope lol). We were pretty smitten with a lovely one in the Glebe but were not sure if it would offer the level of structure needed. We then contemplated a very nice and warm private school but it was a bit out of our price range (save that as a possible elementary school option). We were getting pretty overwhelmed by the whole search frankly and really needed to know we were making the right decision. Luckily I got a call back from Algonquin Early Learning Centre and went to see them. They expedited Van through their substantial waiting list and have offered us a spot for July. We think it will be a good fit as it's a teaching daycare so they have very experienced staff. We will also be getting help from Andrew Fleck's integration services. I'll be happy to have the daycare issue over with that's for sure!<br />
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No word on the second adoption. Still waiting. We're used to waiting though so the anxiety is low right now. In fact sometimes a couple of days go by without me even thinking about it. Imagine! Lol<br />
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Here are a few recent pics.<br />
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"Tea" at Neila's third birthday party:<br />
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New ride:<br />
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<br />Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-14835055548966939072012-04-26T10:02:00.000-07:002012-04-26T10:04:16.696-07:00Challenges in the community at large and finding a new daycareLast week was a challenging one. As we venture out into the world anew as the parents of a child with autism this world that seemed somewhat friendly before has suddenly become a little on the hostile side. We have already come to realize that we will need to be strong advocates for Van. Our whole view on our lives and future are beginning to shift as his future becomes the integral sun that our planets are circling intensely. Obviously parents with "typical" children focus with similar intensity on their children's future but for us it has moved into a new realm. As before we wanted what was best for him within reason, now we will sacrifice whatever we need to, to ensure that he has the absolute best, perhaps without reason. In the past two weeks we have spent copious amounts of time visiting and researching daycare facilities, researching autism and attending the Ottawa branch office of the Ontario Autism Society (where we spent two hours speaking with the family intake coordinator and browsing through their resources), and getting our ducks in a row to tackle the large list of potential resource providers. We thought the paperwork ended with the adoption process. But no, another huge mountain of paperwork awaits. Ugh.<br />
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So we have already faced what I imagine will be a lifetime of societal hurdles. Last week we were invited to attend one of the daycares we had contacted. It is a private school recommended by our psychologist. Oddly they asked us to bring Van too (oddly because normally you meet them first before dragging the child along). Well it seems they had no intention of offering him a spot. It turned into the principle painting this frightening picture to us regarding the struggles with having a child with autism and how they wouldn't want to take him as he would be disruptive to the children already there (it went on and on but that's just a sample). It was awful. We left feeling dirty somehow. I of course complained afterwards and told them to revisit their policies. I guess complaining will have to become second nature now. <br />
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The second experience was at the YMCA. We were overjoyed to discover that child minding services are provided to members while you work out. Great we thought! $5 for 2 hours, in the meantime Pat and I get to work out together. All they asked was what his name and age was. I recognize I probably should have mentioned the autism but frankly it's new for us and we were still at that point where maybe there was a tiny bit of denial (no more though I can tell you). When I went to pick him up one of the fellows working there came up to me and stated in an unfriendly tone that Van "needed to learn to listen better". He proceeded to glare at me then at Van. I then told him that Van has autism and that one of his struggles is listening. He then got angry and stated that nobody told him that. This is true, I hadn't mentioned it and I accept this was wrong but my god this is a young child. Surely they have struggled with behaviour issues before. Van is not the kind of kid who throws things or has massive tantrums. He just goes into his own world and shuts others out. His behaviour can't possibly have been the worst they've experienced but this guy made me feel like it was. Needless to say I was upset. A bit of crying and yet more complaining to management. They assure me that it was all a misunderstanding and that Van is welcome back at any time. I hope so because respite is important when you have a child, especially one with special needs. But do I trust that this guy will be patient and understanding with my son? <br />
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It is obvious there will be many future struggles that we will have to work through and that advocating for my son will become my second full time job. That's ok, he's my son. That's what I'm here for. To protect him and try and give him the best life possible. That is why we are now leaning towards another, much nicer, private school for him. Initially we were thinking only daycare but now we are beginning to assess our finances and are leaning towards some sacrifices so that we can keep him in private school for the next few years. Whatever is best for him has become our motto.<br />
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On a final note, the family intake worker at Autism Ontario said that siblings can be so very helpful to those with autism. We were worried that a sibling may not be a great addition. But we were reassured that it will be a positive thing for Van....for our future child as well I hope.Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-20373584855569276162012-04-18T17:31:00.003-07:002012-04-18T17:58:58.255-07:00Some pictures for my faithful readers :)Easter weekend involved walks in the park, playground time and an egg hunt with best friends Max and Vanh.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5YoDUD9gnh1TVDS4lD2dvSKEAsvoNvjYFT6ybbOeYFLcKnUSTRjFkxkvMbmPHGRvyFVOPEjTAeBoRxSGNShk_q5JlJ7lB5laOaqQRKnWcC9hMIZs6-nMRVbbxj0qb0U-pL6eQp6eCOY/s1600/IMG_3342.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5YoDUD9gnh1TVDS4lD2dvSKEAsvoNvjYFT6ybbOeYFLcKnUSTRjFkxkvMbmPHGRvyFVOPEjTAeBoRxSGNShk_q5JlJ7lB5laOaqQRKnWcC9hMIZs6-nMRVbbxj0qb0U-pL6eQp6eCOY/s320/IMG_3342.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732906591899446786" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGopajqZVI09ig19ffd_TC1HVsIMKcCRH-dttWrSSWd1V8P4rGTWkEAwt73NhSOv0W4h1wXNyNud2QbFHFhvFCdPyM1nF27BY0wp5SmylZqL-Ad5O3T9aB-UYbv9_f_WxYjYr3RkxrXk/s1600/IMG_3358.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGopajqZVI09ig19ffd_TC1HVsIMKcCRH-dttWrSSWd1V8P4rGTWkEAwt73NhSOv0W4h1wXNyNud2QbFHFhvFCdPyM1nF27BY0wp5SmylZqL-Ad5O3T9aB-UYbv9_f_WxYjYr3RkxrXk/s320/IMG_3358.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732906600635316178" /></a><br /><br />I love this picture. They look like they are two philosophers on a contemplative walk, or two generals discussing strategy. Vanh is obviously imparting some sage wisdom.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqAvZ4Hzo9yM-ZiRyrww-O1ukELcwOUWJX9V_qpDAOWQp-4Ss9Q2ZW7rS5FvrMLtTzX4C-3mdrzRbDmCtmpcZ_5Q2hvyID4YTz8RTwF-nvLct5NK02NFHKCGSvfWtIqTzRIHlpHOmtKw/s1600/IMG_3376.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqAvZ4Hzo9yM-ZiRyrww-O1ukELcwOUWJX9V_qpDAOWQp-4Ss9Q2ZW7rS5FvrMLtTzX4C-3mdrzRbDmCtmpcZ_5Q2hvyID4YTz8RTwF-nvLct5NK02NFHKCGSvfWtIqTzRIHlpHOmtKw/s320/IMG_3376.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732906621652436754" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedbA2rO6_cAjyn1cbj9S58aQ3fFIzfauEyUd4Hm7R1q882plF4aVy1xoiNxDsJ2EVv2uWxcL3iyyErK-L5iO5TNeAN0RauqpIRJdJE0Op-C0rhfi91OdoxtFypRcNM09FdRpO7P5WiU8/s1600/IMG_3369.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedbA2rO6_cAjyn1cbj9S58aQ3fFIzfauEyUd4Hm7R1q882plF4aVy1xoiNxDsJ2EVv2uWxcL3iyyErK-L5iO5TNeAN0RauqpIRJdJE0Op-C0rhfi91OdoxtFypRcNM09FdRpO7P5WiU8/s320/IMG_3369.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732906608501837698" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWGkmebfHAPOX6oGPPodIl78xQkCb9nf3jSbX8_u3DlGsf8uD05-DIlqY7msYzPRMQyiM3lvLsxOWYtByhEf0yS_AUFqzFRIJT62VtM0LA-vXGURtrjisBsqQSzbcfeniQxmRkMbpfFQ/s1600/IMG_3393.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWGkmebfHAPOX6oGPPodIl78xQkCb9nf3jSbX8_u3DlGsf8uD05-DIlqY7msYzPRMQyiM3lvLsxOWYtByhEf0yS_AUFqzFRIJT62VtM0LA-vXGURtrjisBsqQSzbcfeniQxmRkMbpfFQ/s320/IMG_3393.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732906633965579234" /></a><br /><br />Enjoying the spoils:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCztegTAvWOtKSFTpzXA4r16V9dBhzjM7pZLzQREDr2z54VsF4dVeHsHgZ_wyXvGfaryHvu9xTg6uz8B5GaKpYFRefMHKv09MBiUchsbdJfBaNK7VhdkFyRLvjiouXFuZtEj4v8e2hApU/s1600/IMG_3411.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCztegTAvWOtKSFTpzXA4r16V9dBhzjM7pZLzQREDr2z54VsF4dVeHsHgZ_wyXvGfaryHvu9xTg6uz8B5GaKpYFRefMHKv09MBiUchsbdJfBaNK7VhdkFyRLvjiouXFuZtEj4v8e2hApU/s320/IMG_3411.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732908384025594450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKR3294e2-OHurdZXEISie1l9WJWguC5Tqlxr0UGWsrLKd4B2QPnDM4CIvO479iTWr1yoRh2N_AObNh9vTdBfwhrxbBA3WKyvD5D94BeESkr-6l3kGXl9baQqjfqScT8OLnIssNRaals/s1600/IMG_3410.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKR3294e2-OHurdZXEISie1l9WJWguC5Tqlxr0UGWsrLKd4B2QPnDM4CIvO479iTWr1yoRh2N_AObNh9vTdBfwhrxbBA3WKyvD5D94BeESkr-6l3kGXl9baQqjfqScT8OLnIssNRaals/s320/IMG_3410.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732908396628690866" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEget_ZSmRhyphenhyphenHtbKw_gdYG2Dc0-vTrVgC0UmQ2q9IVnSjJK_7cu-m51wUSNwtIH839XQkhXVJ8z3kC8peGppUtN54EXdUdQKKFoN0GNwMMlyOjU-BdwBkdV1oXkpyPI9CcWY8GrZ9ZsyQ_I/s1600/IMG_3412.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEget_ZSmRhyphenhyphenHtbKw_gdYG2Dc0-vTrVgC0UmQ2q9IVnSjJK_7cu-m51wUSNwtIH839XQkhXVJ8z3kC8peGppUtN54EXdUdQKKFoN0GNwMMlyOjU-BdwBkdV1oXkpyPI9CcWY8GrZ9ZsyQ_I/s320/IMG_3412.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732908376424093074" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-85854906885125231952012-04-18T10:44:00.001-07:002012-04-18T10:45:29.330-07:00Is anybody still reading??I am trying to determine if anybody is still reading the blog as nobody has commented in some time. If nobody is reading then I may just close it down...<br /><br />Thanks!Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-55861246197148864022012-04-16T09:56:00.002-07:002012-04-16T10:29:39.444-07:00ASD and a new journey beginsFor the second time since starting this blog I debated the writing of a post. But again after much thought I have decided yes. Writing about this is important because the blog is "Life with our little water buffalo" and this will be a large part of that life.<br /><br />Those close to our little family have known that we have continued to struggle with aspects of Van's behaviour. After months had passed by we could no longer comfortably state that they were adoption related and would dissipate with time. So in January we decided to follow up on a referral made for us a year previous and took him in to be assessed by a child psychologist. After two months of assessing the diagnosis was made just over a week ago. Our little man has suspected high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Wow. I can't say it came as a shock as we had been doing our own periodic research of his "quirks" shall we say and this was certainly something that fit. We were not upset, actually just relieved. Relieved to know that our gut feelings had been correct, relieved to now have something to work with and work towards. <br /><br />We are now entering another phase and beginning another journey with little man. A new community awaits. He is a special little guy that's for sure. He will be a part of three communities now: Vietnamese adoption community; Korean adoption community; and the autism community. We have some work ahead of of us including moving him to a new daycare. This will be a sad move because his home daycare provider is lovely and she adores Van and he her. But he needs a more structured environment. He is also extremely intelligent and needs to have stimulation and peers. Mind you the stimulation needs to be very specific. <br /><br />There are so many things that we need to learn. I need to constantly be aware of his needs and moods (I am pretty much anyway due to instinctive parenting thus far). For instance I need to recognize that when he is continuously running around the table in the back yard it is not because he finds it fun but because he is stuck in a misfiring circuit that I need to help him out of. That when he's pointing at nothing and asking loudly "what's that" over and over that he needs me to rest my hand gently on his shoulder and tell him to relax (more circuit interruption). Or that I need to let him state certain things at certain times of the day, every day if doing so is comforting to him. Or that I have to accept that I will never be able to sit on the floor with him and play because he doesn't like that and it makes him agitated. On the other hand he is happy...just such a happy little guy when he is able to relax. Always ready with a smile that would melt your heart. When he asks for his hugs and kisses I do not care in the least if it is part of his routine. I know that he needs them when I feel his body relax against mine. He is such a special little guy and I know it's going to be a long sometimes tough journey but I wouldn't know what to do without him....I just wouldn't.....so the journey is a necessary part of being the ones given the special job of being his parents. <br /><br />So this blog will be taking yet another little twist. It will now be about Vietnamese adoption, Korean adoption and raising a child with autism. <br /><br />I will add a few pictures as soon as they've been uploaded.Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-41774557873739439222012-03-27T11:24:00.003-07:002012-03-27T11:42:07.184-07:00Swing faceI've been wanting to do this compilation for awhile lol. There are more but they are on our cell phone. So I figured one at a year old, at two and at two years and eight months(last ones are not a swing but same face) should give readers an idea haha.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMR4U11IDx3TiOi-Q8ao8HOg_o1XIyQTCkw6EttRYdUfZnV3UVwVl08Erb4njScgHDi5r84CaIylQoFo5rUZl9QdHJWfub7BkoRriikUbUl7tlFbrMaqBntiA1QEZsIinIQnpfpSuZ8w/s1600/Family+Visit+2010+082.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMR4U11IDx3TiOi-Q8ao8HOg_o1XIyQTCkw6EttRYdUfZnV3UVwVl08Erb4njScgHDi5r84CaIylQoFo5rUZl9QdHJWfub7BkoRriikUbUl7tlFbrMaqBntiA1QEZsIinIQnpfpSuZ8w/s320/Family+Visit+2010+082.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724646995974795442" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFpYM1aerhbl4SvefQAWpT4N1pYF8ONJeho6ZuuTppMoygHF3WaEooCueSgYQd8iZcehXHbiJIELcf9e163DSLt7bx99la_9XRUn_HGL11fKZnmmAlQ2Fch4a7LsTZb6u558yWLlX5xI/s1600/pool+party+036.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFpYM1aerhbl4SvefQAWpT4N1pYF8ONJeho6ZuuTppMoygHF3WaEooCueSgYQd8iZcehXHbiJIELcf9e163DSLt7bx99la_9XRUn_HGL11fKZnmmAlQ2Fch4a7LsTZb6u558yWLlX5xI/s320/pool+party+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724647006999959986" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduHBmL6nvCdDKAEA4lE-Bw6AYr9vBJUxWaqUevo-1f3FSq9erGMi_ZQ0zkkr-UCNGvkBZ59YxKuVeLsr27mymxgqVbFM3haqwyNUxK5iFyWilyOIafAWoUpI51-4x2vR6PzuHVc4y2mY/s1600/March+2012+002.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduHBmL6nvCdDKAEA4lE-Bw6AYr9vBJUxWaqUevo-1f3FSq9erGMi_ZQ0zkkr-UCNGvkBZ59YxKuVeLsr27mymxgqVbFM3haqwyNUxK5iFyWilyOIafAWoUpI51-4x2vR6PzuHVc4y2mY/s320/March+2012+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724647015474256770" /></a> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4IgfkBeUskCwopafyoyGxZU9BpTcy1y7gIRtBfbRK5DeCbrSLS-r448nZeQfvaXa6St9PT0gGQGJglCFuO0fu8wipfFVS-kqyw9basJsZ9uNEsEcI2DSeVFi2F9Nh8v26S2ur-ICr94/s1600/March+2012+003.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4IgfkBeUskCwopafyoyGxZU9BpTcy1y7gIRtBfbRK5DeCbrSLS-r448nZeQfvaXa6St9PT0gGQGJglCFuO0fu8wipfFVS-kqyw9basJsZ9uNEsEcI2DSeVFi2F9Nh8v26S2ur-ICr94/s320/March+2012+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724647025538584818" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-91753442042835516332012-03-27T09:33:00.007-07:002012-03-27T11:19:56.985-07:00Two posts in one month!Well I am proud of myself! This is the first time I've posted twice in the same month in, well, months! I have the intention to keep posting as often as I can for two reasons, one I would like to continue writing about our lives with Van and two because I want our second child to have a record of our wait for him/her.<br /><br />The second time around is definitely different. When we were waiting for a referral and then waiting for Van I was obsessed with blogging, obsessed with time lines and spent much of my time checking emails and staring at the phone hoping for news. I often read back over the blog BV (before Van) and remember those feelings of helplessness, excitement, frustration and anticipation. Things are so much different the second time around. Mainly because I am working and, of course, I have my sweet little man Van to keep me occupied. I am so thankful to have him as my son! Even with all of our struggles. We are so lucky! I have been reading the blogs of a few waiting parents lately and I so remember those feelings, those fears. But now the fear is that they will never become parents. I definitely recognize how absolutely lucky we are to have Van and how additionally lucky we are to be mere months away from our second. Especially at a time when international adoption, and adoption in general, is on a severe decline and many prospective parents face a possibility of a life without children. This saddens me considering there are still so many children in Canada and around the world who need a family and so many families who so desperately want to be parents.<br /><br />So back to the wait. It is so different this time around. I definitely think about the second child everyday and glance at the phone periodically but it is not with anywhere close to the amount of obsession as the first time around. I am not compulsively checking emails or checking my phone...ok well maybe a couple of times a day lol. But every so often it hits me!! We have a little person waiting to join our family. He/she has likely been born already. We could get that call tomorrow, next month or eight months from now. In some ways there is more uncertainty and in other ways it is all much more certain. Still no control though but I am okay with that this time around.<br /><br />Here are some pics of the sole performer. Someday soon he will have to share the limelight!<br /> <br />Playground at the experimental farm. Wet but he was happy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdX3SaD_QE9Inm1bgIv46tMLwx2jc3z0YzC5zV-vsWCGVlgCJzjt1kWCZQa82UWWp5KMMaCXDvsT9_56QEgPAbsGP97Z4DuD8RlU6BXG1xrY6ZghB9I9seZhc3x1-dsW5M5FMmhHygdc/s1600/March+2012+009.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdX3SaD_QE9Inm1bgIv46tMLwx2jc3z0YzC5zV-vsWCGVlgCJzjt1kWCZQa82UWWp5KMMaCXDvsT9_56QEgPAbsGP97Z4DuD8RlU6BXG1xrY6ZghB9I9seZhc3x1-dsW5M5FMmhHygdc/s320/March+2012+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724619468111597602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY-0sxRBoTKRtLStTzzvvECDoAMTLgQ2YpeTWxf9RDmxjTxUnR6djD92xz6VdPC7iTPSVRd2iP0ywkZhwKiaNXIMMs7GNealI9jAuhEkBSMqeXyzaihjK5AJ0Iil-p-SDxHq-Y_tJVHY/s1600/March+2012+003.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOY-0sxRBoTKRtLStTzzvvECDoAMTLgQ2YpeTWxf9RDmxjTxUnR6djD92xz6VdPC7iTPSVRd2iP0ywkZhwKiaNXIMMs7GNealI9jAuhEkBSMqeXyzaihjK5AJ0Iil-p-SDxHq-Y_tJVHY/s320/March+2012+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724619460174520034" /></a><br /><br /><br />We finally made the time to go and visit Auntie Manon in Hawkesbury. Being able to watch Curious George on the drive made it an enjoyable trip all around!<br /><br />The Canada geese are back! Spring is in the air (actually it was one of the summer like days with temps at +25. Strange to have summer weather with snow on the ground):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMog3X_Zn1uuvKFew9xMFpcn6MjjGnEFJ3vgf7MTezG7tkMwkbOfoss_a9GcYlK_kAMeppUbdZBNLVv2dfVYsvbb_lpKDNkcUnfWlHhZgcDyGkINJFBzSxfOHThAD5JEnZ30txDsnIic/s1600/March+2012+029.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMog3X_Zn1uuvKFew9xMFpcn6MjjGnEFJ3vgf7MTezG7tkMwkbOfoss_a9GcYlK_kAMeppUbdZBNLVv2dfVYsvbb_lpKDNkcUnfWlHhZgcDyGkINJFBzSxfOHThAD5JEnZ30txDsnIic/s320/March+2012+029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724624713098305394" /></a><br /><br />Marching after mommy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2VXeOPLonE4tXvXD1rZvEZg-rJEywmsieM3qG8dNeohd5UBWiVo5Cg9bj_GTvs5GFkurQmyWajEz37fmB7FaY_s77MxmL-cO1Jo7RRExKXPCZ14HoBXXPSSBw1d6wq_A_jQ0j1M1j74/s1600/March+2012+026.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2VXeOPLonE4tXvXD1rZvEZg-rJEywmsieM3qG8dNeohd5UBWiVo5Cg9bj_GTvs5GFkurQmyWajEz37fmB7FaY_s77MxmL-cO1Jo7RRExKXPCZ14HoBXXPSSBw1d6wq_A_jQ0j1M1j74/s320/March+2012+026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724624700718410594" /></a><br /><br />Not sure what we are looking at here but apparently it is pretty interesting: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpZrfvuELR7eYsxHR1VNI2Bn1Q4cha8amdf9l7jA5tc8IvoqfzzYk50qQN2GWoxhlkh_xtEm1zhAEJAEl9HTZ8rKsyQezKg51aaiCIIJ6UXs8XPFb5-eFJOyGAVrDJ0DsfN9ehmp9ipo/s1600/March+2012+023.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpZrfvuELR7eYsxHR1VNI2Bn1Q4cha8amdf9l7jA5tc8IvoqfzzYk50qQN2GWoxhlkh_xtEm1zhAEJAEl9HTZ8rKsyQezKg51aaiCIIJ6UXs8XPFb5-eFJOyGAVrDJ0DsfN9ehmp9ipo/s320/March+2012+023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724619492573213474" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEMTdN59Xg9qTgf_o6Ef236n5lNwkWHB9d6lo468ihD6zDPJivAaUBiCEQkFMg3PErrthAE8MLf6aJ3L9xgswDBpmzf0M_Yjpf4klflOBLMdSFZLw97R6OlgPBhLmxcTtZZiTDMTL948/s1600/March+2012+021.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEMTdN59Xg9qTgf_o6Ef236n5lNwkWHB9d6lo468ihD6zDPJivAaUBiCEQkFMg3PErrthAE8MLf6aJ3L9xgswDBpmzf0M_Yjpf4klflOBLMdSFZLw97R6OlgPBhLmxcTtZZiTDMTL948/s320/March+2012+021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724619487419255346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEtkvSexZnVw5vSDUnSm0VbLI92IB4raY9nFAbtma1QUb05sQ7uuJMAyaOks6JotBgCI5ZCApkwGfSf0cdeMiqB_q5DXNOn76pMhFdr0AeU5em8heK5vFgdj52mBcFad_ksN9nxXHRis/s1600/March+2012+018.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEtkvSexZnVw5vSDUnSm0VbLI92IB4raY9nFAbtma1QUb05sQ7uuJMAyaOks6JotBgCI5ZCApkwGfSf0cdeMiqB_q5DXNOn76pMhFdr0AeU5em8heK5vFgdj52mBcFad_ksN9nxXHRis/s320/March+2012+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724619482624959538" /></a><br /><br />By the way the hat he is wearing in the previous few pics is traditionally Korean (from Korea anyway, not sure how "traditional" it is). We went to a xmas party in December put on by the Korean adoption community association. The Korean community in Ottawa is very involved with the adoption community which is great (this is very different from our experience with the Vietnamese community). At the end of the party they were giving families these hats as well as beautiful calenders with pictures from Korea. I think Van looks super cute in his hat :)Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-49276070508262147032012-03-06T09:41:00.010-08:002012-03-06T17:43:12.687-08:00March already!Jaysus time goes by fast. I was determined to spend more time on the blog in 2012 but clearly that hasn't happened yet! I had hoped to at least get an entry once a month. So here's hoping I can manage from here on in.<br /><br />Things are trucking along as always here. The winter hasn't been as bad this year so we've been able to get out and about. We registered Van for a couple of Ottawa recreation classes as we've been trying to figure out what his likes and dislikes are as far as activities go. He doesn't really show a lot of interest in much other than his movies and Thomas the Tank Engine episodes. He also really loves the train table we got him for xmas. So we decided to test the waters on a few classes, skating and gymnastics. Well skating was a complete bust! He really struggles taking instruction when there is any distraction at all and if it is something that requires focus then it is pretty much a no go. Skating involved one of us holding him up (to the detriment of our backs lol) while he flailed his legs about. Sadly the instructor lost interest in him after the first class because he would not listen to her at all. Patience and perseverance is the name of the game when attempting to teach skills to any toddler but this is especially true with our little guy. He is also as stubborn as all get out so he was going to try and get up his way or no way lol. Eeep...sufficed to say skating will have to wait for another couple of years. Gymnastics has been slightly more successful as he can attempt things without much focus. He definitely struggles with any of the group activities and is pretty much in his own, overstimulated, world which involves a lot of looking around in a slightly agitated way. Once we move on to the individual circuit though he seems to calm and be able to focus a bit better. Apparently he is very strong according to the instructor and she has even suggested rock climbing! Hmmm, he's not a fan of heights so I'm not sure about that one lol. Plus he's only 32 months old...Anyway, we'll keep trying and I'm sure eventually he'll find his niche. The search for patient instructors is also part of the picture. Any suggestions or recommendations would be most welcome.<br /><br />February was interesting and fun as a friend of mine from the UK came to stay with us for 10 days. The interesting part was that she brought her 3 1/2 year old son Dillon. We figured we'd get an idea of how Van will be with a little brother in the house (of course Dillon is older but still). The result was not too bad at all. He can be a little aggressive with other kids (pinching and scratching mostly) and he didn't disappoint with Dillon around in his space. But he adjusted very well. One thing we did realize is that our little man needs his down time to decompress from life and the stimulus it brings. For awhile now we have been allowing him to watch a favourite show or part of a movie once he gets back from daycare. He truly needs this time to zone out and relax. It has made a big difference for him. We didn't realize how much he needed it until Dillon was here. A bouncy 3 1/2 year old who's been waiting all day to play with his buddy Van was a little overwhelming for said Van. We realized after a couple of days we'd have to make poor Dillon wait until after dinner to play. Van just needed his time to decompress. Dillon was a real trooper and so understanding. The sweetest kid. After getting Van back to his routine the aggression subsided substantially. All things to think about when we get our second!!<br /><br />On that note, our dossier is now in Korea!! It was sent over at the beginning of February. That means that technically the referral could come at any time! Wow! We've heard of families getting referrals within 2 weeks of the dossier being in Korea. The matching process there is very specific and they work hard to match the children with waiting families. They base the match on different factors including physical appearance. So the wait could be days or months. One thing is pretty certain though, our son (small chance daughter) has already been born! The matching happens when the children are over a year old. As the wait time for referral doesn't usually go past 8 months it stands to reason that we are already parents for a second time! The thought blows my mind...again... We are very excited about Van being a big brother. He loves to help any way he can so I can imagine he'll get a real kick out of helping with his little sibling :) We are pretty nervous too though as we have our routines here down to a fine science lol. It will be tough at first to juggle the needs of the second with the needs of Van. We'll figure it out though. Many families before and many families after have and will.<br /><br />Anyway, here are a few pics from the last couple of months (only meant to upload a couple but when you only blog every 2 months...):<br /><br />Tet celebration put on by the Vietnamese Embassy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe6U3kvCKn1ixQYL3jLNnSfUls-kRN6Oe0HZlZz-fLVWyOf22xgwqvN0s6JK73zkNNNdj3CBfW7c7j696PSi67zrTWj1VmuYYVMfDOuz1EmX-BL5XXvfWe4WPCiYcN1wg_tpr9msNlb0/s1600/wimter+112.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe6U3kvCKn1ixQYL3jLNnSfUls-kRN6Oe0HZlZz-fLVWyOf22xgwqvN0s6JK73zkNNNdj3CBfW7c7j696PSi67zrTWj1VmuYYVMfDOuz1EmX-BL5XXvfWe4WPCiYcN1wg_tpr9msNlb0/s320/wimter+112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716958666148241218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPsmjB98YPbagaO0BfEmMDU97bChxhX7t_tAEqUSHhDwffvRvr8wK62uWlLXyl3GS6jy1vT-g9moUy80_TadU9uUwIE06uMEPrOY_TMQ7WZBrtVSA04ni951x3nKKRP6Hak_sJJDKjus/s1600/wimter+097.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPsmjB98YPbagaO0BfEmMDU97bChxhX7t_tAEqUSHhDwffvRvr8wK62uWlLXyl3GS6jy1vT-g9moUy80_TadU9uUwIE06uMEPrOY_TMQ7WZBrtVSA04ni951x3nKKRP6Hak_sJJDKjus/s320/wimter+097.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716958656584446210" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbg5wviuhkQ_Sj18EQKNKW0RhGAR_pLT9uI7ANEKgQ4aWNaS9omLuqJqmTzHUBQ4OcpCYrrZWI1El1ggW7Hd57v0IQwmWmf_9Z36feJHLJplcl4Rzd-fGPIPi5078-1u45XsenS-6yJEo/s1600/wimter+093.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbg5wviuhkQ_Sj18EQKNKW0RhGAR_pLT9uI7ANEKgQ4aWNaS9omLuqJqmTzHUBQ4OcpCYrrZWI1El1ggW7Hd57v0IQwmWmf_9Z36feJHLJplcl4Rzd-fGPIPi5078-1u45XsenS-6yJEo/s320/wimter+093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716958629072037586" /></a><br /><br />Tet celebration put on by Samantha, Woody, Max and Vanh:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0gDMCnIQHbUWIZ2YMDDVrTzvirhOCDgFJcaZ4sXEoS-J7i_nY6klDMeyZCDEptCZbcovv3tPUUso29j0DTC7HNykwdR_oG1-Jkvyk5g3zjd28s4-nEdbvsBQjavboev1dNNDsrPYG6c/s1600/Feb+2012+012.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0gDMCnIQHbUWIZ2YMDDVrTzvirhOCDgFJcaZ4sXEoS-J7i_nY6klDMeyZCDEptCZbcovv3tPUUso29j0DTC7HNykwdR_oG1-Jkvyk5g3zjd28s4-nEdbvsBQjavboev1dNNDsrPYG6c/s320/Feb+2012+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716958683826393058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfodij2XEMv6PC2qe9038cJaRde1ENtZNKEJQjmqcHC_kR8plH33Dc7RKni4UZMrOKiHIHGp5Hn1773e_pGRgAks0DAXzUq7xvmq_VG9NjEXIdWIftc_tqpJf2mR7BlcMV4eRDLWXv3ws/s1600/Feb+2012+006.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfodij2XEMv6PC2qe9038cJaRde1ENtZNKEJQjmqcHC_kR8plH33Dc7RKni4UZMrOKiHIHGp5Hn1773e_pGRgAks0DAXzUq7xvmq_VG9NjEXIdWIftc_tqpJf2mR7BlcMV4eRDLWXv3ws/s320/Feb+2012+006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716958677743238706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvHVF-yd591SUNq-PhNvLIcZIQ0O9ytBRJik4wJj8wGVoaV9BMj1THsZPaLvfyIfMd8gJgEhsLFex8SLHQZgUjWyLpSRjKFxeYn1eyZfRLDWTRguv0nI5Q8kkRLX7EevVhVT20UaQITU/s1600/Feb+2012+013.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvHVF-yd591SUNq-PhNvLIcZIQ0O9ytBRJik4wJj8wGVoaV9BMj1THsZPaLvfyIfMd8gJgEhsLFex8SLHQZgUjWyLpSRjKFxeYn1eyZfRLDWTRguv0nI5Q8kkRLX7EevVhVT20UaQITU/s320/Feb+2012+013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716961077865726498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKiM7Zk8z0b9rOUq_bw_CbnWsjuhYcEoRfTzRt5Zz3QOF1bPrKOcgWVZ9lp_oTek1LC9cEdmfP2TJfb_9aII-5Ec_ADjJQ4HZjML89wXkAb5iLLEUfFDEXnGPb6CiqYgNMXyhnZsiA2o/s1600/Feb+2012+021.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKiM7Zk8z0b9rOUq_bw_CbnWsjuhYcEoRfTzRt5Zz3QOF1bPrKOcgWVZ9lp_oTek1LC9cEdmfP2TJfb_9aII-5Ec_ADjJQ4HZjML89wXkAb5iLLEUfFDEXnGPb6CiqYgNMXyhnZsiA2o/s320/Feb+2012+021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716961088516195378" /></a><br /><br />Fun with Dillon:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jT_sscl6cCqqTy6l-55Rsi1nxniy8elG3ED30kAlEIR5C5WC-NPxsMn-Dskap4DaaeJ0AQdpByKUOdqL1sYfKMG4PJvT8530mk_r2F7quo8NNGxF-Den7JWFBL-sEblynSvloMbYDhI/s1600/Feb+2012+038.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jT_sscl6cCqqTy6l-55Rsi1nxniy8elG3ED30kAlEIR5C5WC-NPxsMn-Dskap4DaaeJ0AQdpByKUOdqL1sYfKMG4PJvT8530mk_r2F7quo8NNGxF-Den7JWFBL-sEblynSvloMbYDhI/s320/Feb+2012+038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716961089408641250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W5cLmaB70_vP-wZjSjuDfXrsTqE0-lUArLSq2hDSn1Z8mjduob1SJTbKFFGp7I-nPqBfkRUr9ytZ6IbYLn9DMA2YG5wF01JbjaL3jsYJRJs946cqXLw_J4errwljOFbds0hy1lqBnbw/s1600/Feb+2012+093.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7W5cLmaB70_vP-wZjSjuDfXrsTqE0-lUArLSq2hDSn1Z8mjduob1SJTbKFFGp7I-nPqBfkRUr9ytZ6IbYLn9DMA2YG5wF01JbjaL3jsYJRJs946cqXLw_J4errwljOFbds0hy1lqBnbw/s320/Feb+2012+093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716961108561701122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekgjsx2JbzRlZMosfUTJPhi00UWWWyUJXqHlCDfkC1kIHrAcIGZBgkpjv0mwGWCBuzrdGJzDRXYEd0DYq562vnNwnrmD0dxkuxpvEbObcv1lreYgH0jKCKL7_eAbi4a0h903vCtwef5s/s1600/Feb+2012+078.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekgjsx2JbzRlZMosfUTJPhi00UWWWyUJXqHlCDfkC1kIHrAcIGZBgkpjv0mwGWCBuzrdGJzDRXYEd0DYq562vnNwnrmD0dxkuxpvEbObcv1lreYgH0jKCKL7_eAbi4a0h903vCtwef5s/s320/Feb+2012+078.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716961100690948866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGaK_Roq8c9u8JOoNf99SiGaYcYNxZCpMKnt_O3nEF40G8HDPsnAawEnk5L_6nAqDHHTWmq3UrY3LUhuo62OUcZPN1sQz2YgZ850VA6EJxdkZL6AnV0IkWHd1Izphyt-Lj-mcko_cPAg/s1600/Feb+2012+099.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGaK_Roq8c9u8JOoNf99SiGaYcYNxZCpMKnt_O3nEF40G8HDPsnAawEnk5L_6nAqDHHTWmq3UrY3LUhuo62OUcZPN1sQz2YgZ850VA6EJxdkZL6AnV0IkWHd1Izphyt-Lj-mcko_cPAg/s320/Feb+2012+099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716963242380943362" /></a><br /><br />Claire and Dillon...and Chibi:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21LkgMFWgZEseDMMT1qFGUnKDctjjQ68pS8hyphenhyphentIRJr7lJaPKDLEo7iVC4fdCKdB17YZAHcerqMxkFuJhQX4JLNirvrON-1XFxrPkhlPorusW1tLgLuwVT_28lvuEgcsPLgCKN7ke0cQM/s1600/Feb+2012+102.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21LkgMFWgZEseDMMT1qFGUnKDctjjQ68pS8hyphenhyphentIRJr7lJaPKDLEo7iVC4fdCKdB17YZAHcerqMxkFuJhQX4JLNirvrON-1XFxrPkhlPorusW1tLgLuwVT_28lvuEgcsPLgCKN7ke0cQM/s320/Feb+2012+102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716963251486124242" /></a><br /><br />Buds for life :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsIaozemFzIXL49TTCkLadKTL8c3r0Ylr6EH5ylp3zfDw3IpDuoYKQYLrCmqtOj5E1rQaQotpgdNNjiiYJeBU0e8QQUV22nNi1WVgI49ZNvWBI6jAMtqFqrjejCnfs7pSPEZypfsNcm8/s1600/Feb+2012+104.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsIaozemFzIXL49TTCkLadKTL8c3r0Ylr6EH5ylp3zfDw3IpDuoYKQYLrCmqtOj5E1rQaQotpgdNNjiiYJeBU0e8QQUV22nNi1WVgI49ZNvWBI6jAMtqFqrjejCnfs7pSPEZypfsNcm8/s320/Feb+2012+104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716963259113635650" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-9024956847952960772011-12-30T12:47:00.000-08:002011-12-30T14:11:32.774-08:00Happy Holidays!Wow I am just not very good at keeping the blog updated! It was so much easier when I wasn't working but now I just can't seem to find a good time to do it. I know that a lot of overseas friends and family check to keep tabs on our little family. I am so sorry I am not better at keeping things more current. Anyhoo, lets move on with this blog entry and hope 2012 will be a bit more fruitful in the blog category.<br /><br />A few little updates to pass on. After having our name change application sent back to us twice for corrections it finally went through. Van now officially has our last names. The final piece of the puzzle so to speak. The other update is that our dossier will be sent to South Korea in late January. That means we will likely be referral ready in March or April. Wow! It hasn't really sunk in yet. There have been a few changes to the program. We have been asked to change our homestudy to indicate that we will be open to a child up to 2 years old with possible minor, correctable special needs. As much as every waiting adoptive parent/parents hope for a child as young as possible (for attachment and bonding reasons) we are just happy to be given a second opportunity to adopt. No adoption program is without its challenges these days and we know we are very lucky to be a short wait away from welcoming our second child. Many prospective adoptive parents have been waiting years for their first! <br /><br />So Christmas was...um...interesting. Van was pretty excited in the weeks leading up to the main event. But the 4 days of holiday? Not so much. They were challenging days let me tell you! He was not a happy camper with the change to his schedule and had no interest in his toys for much of the time. Add to that a challenging phase he is going through (fighting us on everything) and sufficed to say I was happy to get back to work. Maybe next year ;)<br /><br />Here are some pictures of the happier moments lol: <br /><br />A family pic for our Korea dossier:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k2f2xgyWSZPBlqWwkMVnOEaEjnl67_50jkg1uC_73iQpzilJwQsp7eyvF5xg0FGWO1JDfaOVHpWffioehOLTOyXoiodYnh6GIfBC87xLz8pcH_-IiFzw5JE2ieWlPZS1tm_OrZCcVbY/s1600/December+2011+004.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k2f2xgyWSZPBlqWwkMVnOEaEjnl67_50jkg1uC_73iQpzilJwQsp7eyvF5xg0FGWO1JDfaOVHpWffioehOLTOyXoiodYnh6GIfBC87xLz8pcH_-IiFzw5JE2ieWlPZS1tm_OrZCcVbY/s320/December+2011+004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692029668070782594" /></a><br /><br />Decorating the tree:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sDdKFrQN_6u-7sBIz2jAJdA82A_pHSm8cT2kdjvBf3vlS8cg5mtzL3Ck_fpufKzR2owQ0qlkdvj-31NDfUo6SJt3URPwDqzkYep2gQzjFqgQFN3F4z8D_2gR-ZueboE6SROWrsE64RY/s1600/December+2011+015.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sDdKFrQN_6u-7sBIz2jAJdA82A_pHSm8cT2kdjvBf3vlS8cg5mtzL3Ck_fpufKzR2owQ0qlkdvj-31NDfUo6SJt3URPwDqzkYep2gQzjFqgQFN3F4z8D_2gR-ZueboE6SROWrsE64RY/s320/December+2011+015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692029707326559138" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2cfAuPTC7pDbAonA0yo8RWFgtuy9dAfZxgSDAa4g7TmxB1xB2pDZj5ZlaFhN3eikdYO5mAjI6s2UFmmYDOox9DcpI-ylTmr1iM6vuKsJ-mlya_F8-Ita3YOdkSWhhHreflHh61lONM4/s1600/December+2011+014.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2cfAuPTC7pDbAonA0yo8RWFgtuy9dAfZxgSDAa4g7TmxB1xB2pDZj5ZlaFhN3eikdYO5mAjI6s2UFmmYDOox9DcpI-ylTmr1iM6vuKsJ-mlya_F8-Ita3YOdkSWhhHreflHh61lONM4/s320/December+2011+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692029689692339346" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbpQjuYHhMInzdAKAEr6BxQUDrmenpW75TmETILIWqMEapRtF5MsPWLWme8TBy5JBAS6JOGFwgqqYsWAL_wycoHacm-v_NHtkDIVksaPl-JxTY9t7tkIh3mswq72KmW42sKIt69Zwid0/s1600/December+2011+009.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbpQjuYHhMInzdAKAEr6BxQUDrmenpW75TmETILIWqMEapRtF5MsPWLWme8TBy5JBAS6JOGFwgqqYsWAL_wycoHacm-v_NHtkDIVksaPl-JxTY9t7tkIh3mswq72KmW42sKIt69Zwid0/s320/December+2011+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692029677140592530" /></a><br /><br />Our second annual xmas World Junior Hockey Championships family photo, Go Canada! bring home the gold!: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Jt50Sl5lfyDjwj6BCqHZI8PkdKTjshI0wU4V2Jg-KOHyJNZCROco3CXRo1rGsfkuETnE-1VZO7oztykmB8PAxYrXKxcHO_8FbnvFXvljAHaeb0xxOA8MJY1JJdVp8bsJdDXRB0tHYNI/s1600/December+2011+028.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Jt50Sl5lfyDjwj6BCqHZI8PkdKTjshI0wU4V2Jg-KOHyJNZCROco3CXRo1rGsfkuETnE-1VZO7oztykmB8PAxYrXKxcHO_8FbnvFXvljAHaeb0xxOA8MJY1JJdVp8bsJdDXRB0tHYNI/s320/December+2011+028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692029712122582978" /></a><br /><br />Posing:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nJE_WgFh9PLiSpvyJ09E2nECnC2Qk8jMSL_RWPxcrVjsvZ8ES7iDXS46YQN4pyegPd_hZwmyAfvKZLSVC83fQ8luLNBPd8eGxelri_zc68EMALmqqYlMxJScmSrDzy24W0sw5bkq3lQ/s1600/December+2011+038.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nJE_WgFh9PLiSpvyJ09E2nECnC2Qk8jMSL_RWPxcrVjsvZ8ES7iDXS46YQN4pyegPd_hZwmyAfvKZLSVC83fQ8luLNBPd8eGxelri_zc68EMALmqqYlMxJScmSrDzy24W0sw5bkq3lQ/s320/December+2011+038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692032818380126194" /></a><br /><br />Putting cookies and milk out for Santa:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5f9yeDUOlXlMfKp6ZC4NGk-lQieb11HD1EtfCWaiOEL8IX5-bHTGBUCLk3yY8jGVbKFIxiAAtDT0GHSFzI3R1eYmftGlDP6ch8H49zEcucZpugDv_G1F88JDp5HTStgAM4epfLFhq1w/s1600/xmas+005.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5f9yeDUOlXlMfKp6ZC4NGk-lQieb11HD1EtfCWaiOEL8IX5-bHTGBUCLk3yY8jGVbKFIxiAAtDT0GHSFzI3R1eYmftGlDP6ch8H49zEcucZpugDv_G1F88JDp5HTStgAM4epfLFhq1w/s320/xmas+005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692032824062841202" /></a><br /><br />looking at the empty stocking soon to be filled:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHppVwPCuzOthY9glszWYnqD2DlQFt0c3qbsshyBUrxTbyaEgAK_n3ppLS4-g1vnl3JZCEcfB6cyQsBDweWk9uqUj5onBCv-mjSiNlOa-Rv5n73-AVTtx8ncWscQzoYmuOGgfEB7-MI7g/s1600/xmas+009.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHppVwPCuzOthY9glszWYnqD2DlQFt0c3qbsshyBUrxTbyaEgAK_n3ppLS4-g1vnl3JZCEcfB6cyQsBDweWk9uqUj5onBCv-mjSiNlOa-Rv5n73-AVTtx8ncWscQzoYmuOGgfEB7-MI7g/s320/xmas+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692032833582241122" /></a><br /><br />Waiting to be ravaged:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZQJvXWPcgf5W7oukj-zpd9xh5w5WJjv6rDV7-qFCYvLVGznUrbGLdnIM3a9Ram_ctHM8YpRXw2wvAd1-klQ2hfPbGSyfiGuWI2wgIoMcsqqKz9EtTln8ZEQXtD34UmVTN5Q4LuwGq3c/s1600/xmas+014.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZQJvXWPcgf5W7oukj-zpd9xh5w5WJjv6rDV7-qFCYvLVGznUrbGLdnIM3a9Ram_ctHM8YpRXw2wvAd1-klQ2hfPbGSyfiGuWI2wgIoMcsqqKz9EtTln8ZEQXtD34UmVTN5Q4LuwGq3c/s320/xmas+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692032849262219666" /></a><br /><br />Opening presents:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUxCdpkBTYTdNdYhLftCXOU_tojfQqsGdIkZHXdFoXq8CbNZG86DJ8yVtmuLwPVz5F_FKb03aIvmDlI9r7dCWYKbR3yckG8u1GG_gFykpGRp9MmZm5IBQtUODDNkc3dVEooXp-uGZXAQ/s1600/xmas+023.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUxCdpkBTYTdNdYhLftCXOU_tojfQqsGdIkZHXdFoXq8CbNZG86DJ8yVtmuLwPVz5F_FKb03aIvmDlI9r7dCWYKbR3yckG8u1GG_gFykpGRp9MmZm5IBQtUODDNkc3dVEooXp-uGZXAQ/s320/xmas+023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692034904058226386" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISCxTLCmof0NHczHPJgR0x8XfccSwVx0_7SgkyDhyphenhyphenf8aKyvVjKb_QczCcOq_S4J7vLiQEbi5ei12BXFDxsB9nqCBvfPMrmZpnb11OMI98RZs6Gcj1x8LX_iKG9IjUc2Zgl0Y_DlnoVdw/s1600/xmas+021.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISCxTLCmof0NHczHPJgR0x8XfccSwVx0_7SgkyDhyphenhyphenf8aKyvVjKb_QczCcOq_S4J7vLiQEbi5ei12BXFDxsB9nqCBvfPMrmZpnb11OMI98RZs6Gcj1x8LX_iKG9IjUc2Zgl0Y_DlnoVdw/s320/xmas+021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692032859776758978" /></a><br /><br />The big present:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd8gnWe5YdfP0RlLTI_s8CRpxqb-NmVi8lbasQ6vGA_E_l3KwfYYGpkdRXCtOc6YzDriRRV77aubn_yIUCtadA3CW5kvDLZdCnilJR2ZeH-m6doMcRIUotB8_oXo5-yMfZ4aCTuDjbJk/s1600/xmas+034.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd8gnWe5YdfP0RlLTI_s8CRpxqb-NmVi8lbasQ6vGA_E_l3KwfYYGpkdRXCtOc6YzDriRRV77aubn_yIUCtadA3CW5kvDLZdCnilJR2ZeH-m6doMcRIUotB8_oXo5-yMfZ4aCTuDjbJk/s320/xmas+034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692047221440648162" /></a><br /><br />Is it over yet??:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqkQEBfXsAkCsQ1wozqa0B-ag9q8n4BwCnEPvVq_ioGHrKiRdwfYSO_iuonU-ppmvtvv9zhyphenhyphenVrTEQAYZMX2DcoFtSfHmJXirLRc_EtyjSJsXmnvsCnVI8X4EbFv6pYqYyEIRjEOWMFSU/s1600/xmas+033.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqkQEBfXsAkCsQ1wozqa0B-ag9q8n4BwCnEPvVq_ioGHrKiRdwfYSO_iuonU-ppmvtvv9zhyphenhyphenVrTEQAYZMX2DcoFtSfHmJXirLRc_EtyjSJsXmnvsCnVI8X4EbFv6pYqYyEIRjEOWMFSU/s320/xmas+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692034918721753826" /></a><br /><br />Pat and I inadvertently got each other Leafs' jerseys after being together for years. We are both rabid Leafs fans. What are the chances we would get each other sweaters the same year? lol: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLyeXIUdG2DJ1EZ-X6F4Sp9XQhxPzDKo-V4welP7BznS4L_wvl28r9ct3OMWWTjF-J6CnNRcHvRi6r7iJZROuPWAjxITRhRPJkT_NvAUTRsYb1HDPAUpMX5_2nHQuuZlInpD8wDkXklM/s1600/xmas+028.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLyeXIUdG2DJ1EZ-X6F4Sp9XQhxPzDKo-V4welP7BznS4L_wvl28r9ct3OMWWTjF-J6CnNRcHvRi6r7iJZROuPWAjxITRhRPJkT_NvAUTRsYb1HDPAUpMX5_2nHQuuZlInpD8wDkXklM/s320/xmas+028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692034909781544370" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-32279131195372662582011-11-12T09:36:00.000-08:002011-11-12T17:54:59.564-08:00November...ack!Wow! It seems like blogging once a month is going to be the norm around here. I never realized how time consuming it was until I started working fill time. I guess when I was home every day I had plenty of time to keep things updated. Now I have to choose between Van's afternoon nap or some other time when I am usually very tired.<br /><br />Things are going pretty well around here. I've been working at my new job for about 6 weeks now and am feeling pretty good about practicing again. I already have quite a growing client base and have been in court a few times. I am hopeful it won't take me too long to hit my stride. Van is great as usual. His words are coming on more and more everyday and his personality is really blossoming. He is a real little boy now! He knows what he likes and doesn't like but he's relatively low on the drama king scale so when it's something he doesn't like he'll just tell you rather than kicking off in a meltdown or tantrum. He really is a pretty easy going little guy. He likes to play with his cars and trucks and especially LOVES Thomas the Tank Engine. Anything Thomas makes Van a happy dude. He also loves books. I think forcing him to look at books when he was younger has paid off lol. Another little milestone (which makes mommy particularly happy) is that he has finally started developing an interest in and attachment to stuffed toys. He now has 3 that he likes to sleep with. Again, we diligently put these 3 toys in his crib every night only to find them on the floor every morning. Then about a month ago he started asking for them (Tigger, teddy and bunny) and they were no longer ending up on the floor. Another indoctrination success story :)<br /><br />An update on our second adoption? Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork!! I forgot how much paperwork was involved in adoption. We have gotten it all together for our SW so she can complete our homestudy. Then she will pass the HS to our agency to look over before it's gets sent to the Ontario ministry for approval. Once approved it will be sent to Korea! That will likely be in December or January. Then we will be referral ready by March in all likelihood. Wow it's crazy to think this time next year we could already be home with Van's little brother or sister!!<br /><br />Here are a few pics of the little man.<br /><br />It's fall:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfWrC3WB2UTQ6N4VxEFY0zxkjW55duxhkLx-vSiZS5Dfg6_pmavyoD8AwBdV8adsAR5K8ZHsSFPvX3QTJ2w8qPLN1PJkZQfTOzSIHR0KrPBBKhIGf2E42T8Oe18N4mL_jBlmQBGsseLI/s1600/Fall+2011+003.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfWrC3WB2UTQ6N4VxEFY0zxkjW55duxhkLx-vSiZS5Dfg6_pmavyoD8AwBdV8adsAR5K8ZHsSFPvX3QTJ2w8qPLN1PJkZQfTOzSIHR0KrPBBKhIGf2E42T8Oe18N4mL_jBlmQBGsseLI/s320/Fall+2011+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674285510102541234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_cXjQHEKFEdnFypGoHs5JzAkn564Cg7PhaZnChQ1W4PC6OROtt4EQyLDCq_A3vtfWTaaw89yngCN1DLDBN-Htjo7ybZrJfJkxtz-sDUpHCA98FhtZ30Z3CIwuuvgT2jOYPhVfif61mQ/s1600/Fall+2011+004.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_cXjQHEKFEdnFypGoHs5JzAkn564Cg7PhaZnChQ1W4PC6OROtt4EQyLDCq_A3vtfWTaaw89yngCN1DLDBN-Htjo7ybZrJfJkxtz-sDUpHCA98FhtZ30Z3CIwuuvgT2jOYPhVfif61mQ/s320/Fall+2011+004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674285515449207250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqS_XUCDXUXQlPwJWEB42tN0-yLl2qmFVmUbuRcO28KmT1Kf2-2R9e43ib3JLWIsLDOsdbdWVSKCkE9lQ4B7_djfJz7EdlrEi6Kj6uluo21PKYu3urvhTediXrsni5a4uvWK9Csjjb70/s1600/Fall+2011+052.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqS_XUCDXUXQlPwJWEB42tN0-yLl2qmFVmUbuRcO28KmT1Kf2-2R9e43ib3JLWIsLDOsdbdWVSKCkE9lQ4B7_djfJz7EdlrEi6Kj6uluo21PKYu3urvhTediXrsni5a4uvWK9Csjjb70/s320/Fall+2011+052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674286923832933682" /></a><br /><br />Halloween<br /><br />Chibi the super devil dog:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwUx_BA0Dr70LnLjEqAE5N5dzgpoHQAgcsoyadY3DzFlCQ0w1Aarvr94mvMrgTdantJ4eh1sX4Efn-qeyN-JdlLJKpA-zh7lfz8I03b6Rgz-bO03dsEIFntGTCsrGj6gZ2h5-XZBSEYA/s1600/Fall+2011+040.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwUx_BA0Dr70LnLjEqAE5N5dzgpoHQAgcsoyadY3DzFlCQ0w1Aarvr94mvMrgTdantJ4eh1sX4Efn-qeyN-JdlLJKpA-zh7lfz8I03b6Rgz-bO03dsEIFntGTCsrGj6gZ2h5-XZBSEYA/s320/Fall+2011+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674286913913584450" /></a><br /><br />The frog prince:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmsqdjDptt4ApcAIJwXtOb4qSpkufQOXvO6BtZU7js3I_EIwloPEf49HRZg9sw0931jjxUCOc3axJMjHZrGR-IyItKiTbTmMJqrBGziSc874iie5Oveb2nJFeLIqcRy35KcPM8pPvOV4/s1600/Fall+2011+005.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmsqdjDptt4ApcAIJwXtOb4qSpkufQOXvO6BtZU7js3I_EIwloPEf49HRZg9sw0931jjxUCOc3axJMjHZrGR-IyItKiTbTmMJqrBGziSc874iie5Oveb2nJFeLIqcRy35KcPM8pPvOV4/s320/Fall+2011+005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674285516340797714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgon9VcQHlIGQR_Gvd4GSNqaIvuEaWlt37e4ympAknp4EJ_eF80Qqa_wfmJUbNgt2TCkNlMF7ZwrHOXWwC0anInxzvR4SAR8iAvRODxYPAX7Q0O_PEybFCTn0m2hG20BIIvXCHf2tSZI/s1600/Fall+2011+022.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgon9VcQHlIGQR_Gvd4GSNqaIvuEaWlt37e4ympAknp4EJ_eF80Qqa_wfmJUbNgt2TCkNlMF7ZwrHOXWwC0anInxzvR4SAR8iAvRODxYPAX7Q0O_PEybFCTn0m2hG20BIIvXCHf2tSZI/s320/Fall+2011+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674285531284181842" /></a><br /><br />Handing out candy:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm8KOvikWqiR0ifO9GzsDzcea3i5IQHN9Ygzphsq2p-WU9A0GRdmOpwrcnWFlHrN0njGLm3gQt0dMhe5LihiCYIsXL3GqPdHb7Tuc80fr5_4y6GEFPnMio8cv9tHrUpOh9aFcKUUKOJ8/s1600/Fall+2011+035.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvm8KOvikWqiR0ifO9GzsDzcea3i5IQHN9Ygzphsq2p-WU9A0GRdmOpwrcnWFlHrN0njGLm3gQt0dMhe5LihiCYIsXL3GqPdHb7Tuc80fr5_4y6GEFPnMio8cv9tHrUpOh9aFcKUUKOJ8/s320/Fall+2011+035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674286910749004194" /></a><br /><br />End of the night:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVycJ_iple6jluGrn2RAA5Dj7CSwgjWB2UyGsRN0LjN44Ty9kx8eC6sevvpr9RKM1kYlGq36ddg7PRjcuT54Erw_joGS98JZPgno9EMVXTjE60ZJDdPWBdFDLcOsyi_EYBz24z86Da5Q/s1600/Fall+2011+011.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVycJ_iple6jluGrn2RAA5Dj7CSwgjWB2UyGsRN0LjN44Ty9kx8eC6sevvpr9RKM1kYlGq36ddg7PRjcuT54Erw_joGS98JZPgno9EMVXTjE60ZJDdPWBdFDLcOsyi_EYBz24z86Da5Q/s320/Fall+2011+011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674285527440565586" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-84812000480032644052011-10-10T10:51:00.000-07:002011-10-21T19:58:30.009-07:00It's already October!!Holy crap it's October! Where does the time go?? Seriously?? Well, since my last post (well the post before last) I have worked the Ottawa International Animation Festival, which was great fun, and started my new job. Ah but not the job I was going to be starting. I was wooed away to work at another firm. I was certainly not expecting another offer to come my way but it is a much better situation for me. It's a downtown firm with some work at their satellite office in Renfrew. I will be practicing mostly family and hopefully some immigration/refugee work as well. They are very busy and therefore I will also be busy. Which is great. I also have my own office (with a window!).<br /><br />On the Van front, he is trucking along doing the types of things two year old's like to get up to. He is generally happy interspersed with full drama filled moments that seem to come out of nowhere. He is getting his second year molars which can cause some pretty challenging behaviour....such as a full on screaming tantrum after being removed from Chapters for purposely knocking the Thomas the Tank Engine trains on the floor. Yet on the flip side he is really becoming a little boy. He is inquisitive and has a great sense of humour. He loves to entertain. Who can resist a little body running up and down the hall screeching and laughing in delight while clutching a handful of cloth diapers. He instinctively knows this is funny. In fact he'll stop periodically, look at us and say "punny" (funny in Van speak). He is a ham that's for sure! As always, here are some pictures:<br /> <br />Fun at the park:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzteB7gbo8iqGhpgtSK6xbP0dtuDtSindUVob4HP19pnkbywuh-mZjelCv-izzfksxJPPf-mGC5C5Xzd7XN9Db9knE7ehmUne5WraDOTHIuOhtl6hbcGpvIIZu5Vpe6Atpe6Po3gq6oA4/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzteB7gbo8iqGhpgtSK6xbP0dtuDtSindUVob4HP19pnkbywuh-mZjelCv-izzfksxJPPf-mGC5C5Xzd7XN9Db9knE7ehmUne5WraDOTHIuOhtl6hbcGpvIIZu5Vpe6Atpe6Po3gq6oA4/s320/IMG_2602.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661926374255366210" /></a><br /><br />Swing face (I'm going to do a compilation my next post, seriously lol):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRFw-NXBUcJJZpzIPHDb6ulaVrNny6lWjFnqiODQ9XH8u0ggUxfs9MsNbTSlF6oXWOXrSnmd1LhE8i22xipukn4GbuM0qVA_1x-uzdzYKXF1uzhT_FhyI7WbzniVt5gQ_H7G7SLVupFg/s1600/IMG_2618.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRFw-NXBUcJJZpzIPHDb6ulaVrNny6lWjFnqiODQ9XH8u0ggUxfs9MsNbTSlF6oXWOXrSnmd1LhE8i22xipukn4GbuM0qVA_1x-uzdzYKXF1uzhT_FhyI7WbzniVt5gQ_H7G7SLVupFg/s320/IMG_2618.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661923308233392722" /></a><br /><br />Tet Trung Thu with Max, Vanh and some other friends:<br /><br />"Thomas!!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimG1NRoAQPOKnq9aV_MkYbFgoAaRcdUtRI2p6_O_-mZbU69bAapJSQW4aUMSfG7VfEGUj-O9-ar59RWdg6N6jTQfFsN5x7ACkthJYLRx4bSu03Fa8GNyAPhQv3q1Kx1HtWiv7v041ATOw/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimG1NRoAQPOKnq9aV_MkYbFgoAaRcdUtRI2p6_O_-mZbU69bAapJSQW4aUMSfG7VfEGUj-O9-ar59RWdg6N6jTQfFsN5x7ACkthJYLRx4bSu03Fa8GNyAPhQv3q1Kx1HtWiv7v041ATOw/s320/IMG_2645.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661928439093272322" /></a><br /><br />Time for cake:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwVYBNo5p9szhkSDSNc-Dfor1hE1ACApgQXanm-ASYspkhbWTydk8KBZKVa4KBYLn6PaposMZTU0H6CTLKXK0SSwsQkUy5eGGvkrQ0zIYWMGIzU9d-7T-3ar117Uzrdb_6eiqd05J-Dw/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwVYBNo5p9szhkSDSNc-Dfor1hE1ACApgQXanm-ASYspkhbWTydk8KBZKVa4KBYLn6PaposMZTU0H6CTLKXK0SSwsQkUy5eGGvkrQ0zIYWMGIzU9d-7T-3ar117Uzrdb_6eiqd05J-Dw/s320/IMG_2682.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661928450576014530" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8md8iQ3eYygXpjJ65EMXbJ5ej2zd5fkl6nWWVoD9aCHG7RcWWFUT7JBRrDwwBloidyFNvFUsHQLpKgCcsB-8BFY7sYNQD32-X8PoAvksXnxEgHWcXXvl4CMFeMmHTKGXcYStJ0A61VSI/s1600/IMG_2670.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8md8iQ3eYygXpjJ65EMXbJ5ej2zd5fkl6nWWVoD9aCHG7RcWWFUT7JBRrDwwBloidyFNvFUsHQLpKgCcsB-8BFY7sYNQD32-X8PoAvksXnxEgHWcXXvl4CMFeMmHTKGXcYStJ0A61VSI/s320/IMG_2670.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661928426557392978" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s_9Mq4-XLDKuZqOvddwPpFAGA33WUwYywyNtcpKpZjlQ1LNyiuqjzfkENWJEmnlZ395I7TFzOC_LHWm2gZA5v-7iSZ-QduKkyadgpsDAzD7ZASVquciRtlSYxcy68gh5oeqPu4H46GE/s1600/IMG_2663.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_s_9Mq4-XLDKuZqOvddwPpFAGA33WUwYywyNtcpKpZjlQ1LNyiuqjzfkENWJEmnlZ395I7TFzOC_LHWm2gZA5v-7iSZ-QduKkyadgpsDAzD7ZASVquciRtlSYxcy68gh5oeqPu4H46GE/s320/IMG_2663.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661928415686287842" /></a><br /><br />Heading out on the lantern walk to the Chinatown arch:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsvVxOMFoqQqoDwQa1qEMRt1gDWLyGhaIdo6zuWPIDjtyWHRcqOfK1JDFb89o5JV72IP5EhA0neVdeJF65aYG4RLZJtFvMSRreWaiFL3UJcIRVUgWeIAaBhrPB5_mzM29RoEgcG6RAFc/s1600/IMG_2686.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsvVxOMFoqQqoDwQa1qEMRt1gDWLyGhaIdo6zuWPIDjtyWHRcqOfK1JDFb89o5JV72IP5EhA0neVdeJF65aYG4RLZJtFvMSRreWaiFL3UJcIRVUgWeIAaBhrPB5_mzM29RoEgcG6RAFc/s320/IMG_2686.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661928457489693074" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQs0wNZnE-sGTiq4SNoltKBK27TjHPKM-IMTL2qeM6gGSixPSxZ58iCqcSUjN2aXQKAdW5fOFhzxFjFBRiI52o1zhafcCdFGXL8Hu9wbgJcM3jOw_UIZm_fvgQwdOSzknRLpRBsTa0E7E/s1600/IMG_2687.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQs0wNZnE-sGTiq4SNoltKBK27TjHPKM-IMTL2qeM6gGSixPSxZ58iCqcSUjN2aXQKAdW5fOFhzxFjFBRiI52o1zhafcCdFGXL8Hu9wbgJcM3jOw_UIZm_fvgQwdOSzknRLpRBsTa0E7E/s320/IMG_2687.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661930558214873122" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2Ip0NWsUhab97yMVYVK3OGeZP3cv2B1MyO8T5gz2dVJeGkaMox5y9lt8JpT1PZzbSCgu0yDXRMlXs1A1QIGDbufrC7M6SmBELzxQokKe_PbHCn_HHekSjPY8ZWjKZx1ySM6puUoN92M/s1600/IMG_2694.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2Ip0NWsUhab97yMVYVK3OGeZP3cv2B1MyO8T5gz2dVJeGkaMox5y9lt8JpT1PZzbSCgu0yDXRMlXs1A1QIGDbufrC7M6SmBELzxQokKe_PbHCn_HHekSjPY8ZWjKZx1ySM6puUoN92M/s320/IMG_2694.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661930566845284018" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEK82FPRNyC_Dss0-OhnuCp5G4vA4x1PHWOF-OZsQGh-9dF5g_ViblD6JOzs3XjLcMZpKbICj-gUTkDbL56jgYrx0A_dQ5Ab5H_YNhj3n9W3jYyEAhkBPy0KzuW9XcKmPETtBGDktSl3E/s1600/IMG_2714.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEK82FPRNyC_Dss0-OhnuCp5G4vA4x1PHWOF-OZsQGh-9dF5g_ViblD6JOzs3XjLcMZpKbICj-gUTkDbL56jgYrx0A_dQ5Ab5H_YNhj3n9W3jYyEAhkBPy0KzuW9XcKmPETtBGDktSl3E/s320/IMG_2714.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661933313288241906" /></a><br /><br />Rest time:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizB5FlrVeS9IDrVUDKSJnisLVv5ICpMqBYdeu-F8nGAVU5lo7Go1qBFfDOdZXsyL7WICFN5maycQQhsd0V4ZUPyUMufo4VOO0BFy1dVhF-rwmQ6pgik747eW68zFunNoOUFtncjIT3PaQ/s1600/IMG_2703.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizB5FlrVeS9IDrVUDKSJnisLVv5ICpMqBYdeu-F8nGAVU5lo7Go1qBFfDOdZXsyL7WICFN5maycQQhsd0V4ZUPyUMufo4VOO0BFy1dVhF-rwmQ6pgik747eW68zFunNoOUFtncjIT3PaQ/s320/IMG_2703.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661930590393003026" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzGe7Arq8yh9YCHIueva2JiBNuQyvqXlAEguxfknbeTjTDkie4Quhc17ZRC9v-NzTzGjF3TEOvcGB-n4L63h90LFp2k5i5JrlbLXkWUbCI0Y-V6ZuUH3eb4y1EcaE-2YXwTesLqFhE5U/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzGe7Arq8yh9YCHIueva2JiBNuQyvqXlAEguxfknbeTjTDkie4Quhc17ZRC9v-NzTzGjF3TEOvcGB-n4L63h90LFp2k5i5JrlbLXkWUbCI0Y-V6ZuUH3eb4y1EcaE-2YXwTesLqFhE5U/s320/IMG_2697.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661930575273096850" /></a><br /><br />"We're here....umm where is here?!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_qFpCy19D75xAdzJcrWXGn43LguGvzAuVlkePNO2MT3BJueLtLr-kBp38FNV6M_1KrtCl6EVPykaOtaxYvmfOXOgFf5gj8BuBaJgJYk2GJi-U4td5VaYsECKOOIiWrZZzEmA3LOUozc/s1600/IMG_2705.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_qFpCy19D75xAdzJcrWXGn43LguGvzAuVlkePNO2MT3BJueLtLr-kBp38FNV6M_1KrtCl6EVPykaOtaxYvmfOXOgFf5gj8BuBaJgJYk2GJi-U4td5VaYsECKOOIiWrZZzEmA3LOUozc/s320/IMG_2705.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661930596780370898" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvkMqU3pA23Kn4d4MiqIFkuq1WglkaNzcGOn1wtBURx9Yqr0aRVano6OZwSxPHcgrJymcvsI5PHSCr2Uhe0JjuLG0oRePwifgvVUxdu4rbnsd5KiCalmFFopeENL3SPwmMewqVc7U-wc/s1600/IMG_2722.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvkMqU3pA23Kn4d4MiqIFkuq1WglkaNzcGOn1wtBURx9Yqr0aRVano6OZwSxPHcgrJymcvsI5PHSCr2Uhe0JjuLG0oRePwifgvVUxdu4rbnsd5KiCalmFFopeENL3SPwmMewqVc7U-wc/s320/IMG_2722.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661933319965447650" /></a><br /><br />A walk on a nice fall morning:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisptC0-OIm8vk_L7ayyXzR6uWckxehIpr35_RPPV5OWkeABlJ7IoUytBEZ8qXNFsZKBH3i3I1GoxwMBSpsuSVkB_RDk0Tz6O_syDsW-Q-J3gzNfoxrzFCmy_OeBoQY3iZfXwuyyYJETKA/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisptC0-OIm8vk_L7ayyXzR6uWckxehIpr35_RPPV5OWkeABlJ7IoUytBEZ8qXNFsZKBH3i3I1GoxwMBSpsuSVkB_RDk0Tz6O_syDsW-Q-J3gzNfoxrzFCmy_OeBoQY3iZfXwuyyYJETKA/s320/IMG_2769.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661933347893179906" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmZBqPJUhoVOm_9pZ6ZBp_tj69CF5S22GztIlqD30C8FDICZty_w5ZH7KYUN62zVk-2LIvKKtSvTlUHeOX9PKzGqIyOfWpNIJiUaEqiDHe9ruJNMwz2XWtM3i_ky_MD9RO2nvVZHipKA/s1600/IMG_2771.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmZBqPJUhoVOm_9pZ6ZBp_tj69CF5S22GztIlqD30C8FDICZty_w5ZH7KYUN62zVk-2LIvKKtSvTlUHeOX9PKzGqIyOfWpNIJiUaEqiDHe9ruJNMwz2XWtM3i_ky_MD9RO2nvVZHipKA/s320/IMG_2771.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661933356688552098" /></a><br /><br />"Digga!"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-fdZ0viE865JYtT8MpVY_mqIDRgw0tsLO8BLERjj06uTu3LzhAQK0wK8TrCbT34k26KsD_DrvSxMQRHnLsS5sAH9396dZZ0TtNCLy7MvzwIP8W0T-6he5fRoLw1iAIpHaWuhyphenhyphenlQkwn0/s1600/IMG_2788.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-fdZ0viE865JYtT8MpVY_mqIDRgw0tsLO8BLERjj06uTu3LzhAQK0wK8TrCbT34k26KsD_DrvSxMQRHnLsS5sAH9396dZZ0TtNCLy7MvzwIP8W0T-6he5fRoLw1iAIpHaWuhyphenhyphenlQkwn0/s320/IMG_2788.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661935134397080946" /></a><br /><br />"Dumb uck!" (I know how it sounds lol. So if a certain word gets dropped by accident we can always pretend he is saying truck!):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-rzOJgfubIBZjk9dzECokasmgPOBClKW0dbp8o3zaM4MVyXsbzEgx4TF6dvbxAUQHiSepDhO6VBbCqmULsshClw7Nsa7mcw1nYPR9q1qukS5aN-bTAvDbjvu0R5RJAnGnDMdU8uDzBI/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-rzOJgfubIBZjk9dzECokasmgPOBClKW0dbp8o3zaM4MVyXsbzEgx4TF6dvbxAUQHiSepDhO6VBbCqmULsshClw7Nsa7mcw1nYPR9q1qukS5aN-bTAvDbjvu0R5RJAnGnDMdU8uDzBI/s320/IMG_2786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661933379545329106" /></a><br /><br />Another hockey season moment. He knows the Leafs' and Sens' logos and says "Ockey!!" quite emphatically. Our brainwashing is working hehe:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCcKDiDuImOs7VG40ZUTYZMAx6-8-Y2vkVc6jZWs7Zgif_WW-UQftZZeT7Er_TqkV4YBYpS5JKVSvJeVJiL-snAAKhLyQcoBOa80NbvukkiWL_D-y0gvQFm1Nd-pBivEiJ8HG6vcRkf0/s1600/IMG_2731.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCcKDiDuImOs7VG40ZUTYZMAx6-8-Y2vkVc6jZWs7Zgif_WW-UQftZZeT7Er_TqkV4YBYpS5JKVSvJeVJiL-snAAKhLyQcoBOa80NbvukkiWL_D-y0gvQFm1Nd-pBivEiJ8HG6vcRkf0/s320/IMG_2731.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661935140657293442" /></a><br /><br />"Cheese". I love his face. He looks like he's about to go postal haha!:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjGWkliFy19c-WKFqtmB030AMsMCRFBtnOfg4h6poiL9Kt4jt826pwUDOc6WvnEVBiYiUJn9AgO3f9h5IqKLNhYJKGErqG6aCXxaVNGj5K9sRzNzublVbpL9wQ7p4WN_mguAhv9wQeX0/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjGWkliFy19c-WKFqtmB030AMsMCRFBtnOfg4h6poiL9Kt4jt826pwUDOc6WvnEVBiYiUJn9AgO3f9h5IqKLNhYJKGErqG6aCXxaVNGj5K9sRzNzublVbpL9wQ7p4WN_mguAhv9wQeX0/s320/IMG_2735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5661935150846065778" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-4994998684231971382011-10-06T19:11:00.000-07:002011-10-06T19:13:59.931-07:00It's hockey season!!Just a picture so everyone knows we are still here! I will do a proper big post this weekend! Until then....GO LEAFS!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5GvBtgf1LIS6N1PyQBLJxfJUS4PKM5fm2g7qViCWAdHMlJIQJfM05MvhIaecbM2AQ7r_DKG-4Ke4VdNFT1EsaY_CKPWz__yj5OTNe5u_bhs0SHlCcZ0GrdFXlXAWY9GIYi782GG55mg/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5GvBtgf1LIS6N1PyQBLJxfJUS4PKM5fm2g7qViCWAdHMlJIQJfM05MvhIaecbM2AQ7r_DKG-4Ke4VdNFT1EsaY_CKPWz__yj5OTNe5u_bhs0SHlCcZ0GrdFXlXAWY9GIYi782GG55mg/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660567621826641954" /></a>Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-13747376626963764552011-08-28T17:27:00.001-07:002011-08-28T19:36:35.381-07:00Long time!Hey readers I hope you are still checking in. I'm very sorry for not updating in over a month. Its been busy busy! I have been working (yay) at the Ottawa International Animation Festival as the guest services coordinator. Booking hotels and flight for filmmakers and industry execs. Its been great to finally be out of the house doing something I enjoy. Once I am finished with the festival I am going to be joining a small law firm and will be practicing again! The firm is in the west end so we bought another car this weekend (used). Big changes lol. The final piece of big news is that we have started the adoption process again! We will likely be receiving a referral for Van's little brother or sister next year! Our second adoption will be from South Korea. We would have loved to have stayed with Vietnam but the wait would just be so long and we had an opportunity to be part of what could very well be the last year for Korean adoptions. The program has been around for over 50 years and is very organized. We are very excited about learning all about a new culture. I lived in Japan for two years a few years ago and the cultures are similar so I already feel like I have a bit of a connection. It will be so neat to have Van and his brother or sister experience and learn about each others cultures. And hey, who doesn't want to celebrate three New Year's!!! I will write about the second adoption on this blog for now. I may start a second one eventually or start a family blog. Not sure. I have some thinking to do :)
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<br />Now back to the star of this blog. Van is enjoying his summer. He is also enjoying being 2 I think. Some days he seems like such a big boy but other days he's still my little baby :) He had his second year doctor's visits and everything looks great although his family doc thinks it would be worth us taking Van to a speech therapist as he does have some delay. So we are going to pay to take him for an appointment in September. Even if it's just to get some ideas on how we can work with him.
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<br />Anyway, enough blather. Here are some pics of the summer.
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<br />Yearly summer party in Greely for adoptive families:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHzD29QcxGQDrUmdwxICJh0E4w7cxitMc3s0wftdh09cS0jwkYEIk1m_Kx_QAVvXNcJHU0gyJ7zQvQbyXxUcPYnBfAZfcxnEyDf7yrcFTJPU0kyG3E5QYaRVEh3XODcYPLD-FfcbRnpk/s1600/pool+party+003.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHzD29QcxGQDrUmdwxICJh0E4w7cxitMc3s0wftdh09cS0jwkYEIk1m_Kx_QAVvXNcJHU0gyJ7zQvQbyXxUcPYnBfAZfcxnEyDf7yrcFTJPU0kyG3E5QYaRVEh3XODcYPLD-FfcbRnpk/s320/pool+party+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646076017014564594" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXJF5naQDLK3X-XFqDNvqhSlYBF0lphwfylUF-eLFEYJeHSr5Ucts6rhLTKUNX3UUH_X11NE3zl7YAxTvbEhefP1CpPien6pAkQGVs0R-H96UPPlgnRF9x9opTm2zzBiSXrVwZdw4Buk/s1600/pool+party+043.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXJF5naQDLK3X-XFqDNvqhSlYBF0lphwfylUF-eLFEYJeHSr5Ucts6rhLTKUNX3UUH_X11NE3zl7YAxTvbEhefP1CpPien6pAkQGVs0R-H96UPPlgnRF9x9opTm2zzBiSXrVwZdw4Buk/s320/pool+party+043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646087536259873122" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbaDQeEh5rDieFcR7CsxzCARDsRTG-ymbJOh8_fMKaHV80ILQK-EJPG3wiCQs7gEApLaqWlS0bYZtKt4pULeqRFGdPQ5IRj_q32YaKIntePbeERfb2fV6GtvjWc3gC45AUf_CnjAiamY/s1600/pool+party+041.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbaDQeEh5rDieFcR7CsxzCARDsRTG-ymbJOh8_fMKaHV80ILQK-EJPG3wiCQs7gEApLaqWlS0bYZtKt4pULeqRFGdPQ5IRj_q32YaKIntePbeERfb2fV6GtvjWc3gC45AUf_CnjAiamY/s320/pool+party+041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646087533537855746" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1K6bHSCGPD1PIy8cIPQOh2WhuFrCA2HHv4ZQgKi3NaUYtrVdH5tsrBxtamR-mWhRUMK80djO24xUJbap25SS0aws4E72tp1SEheJXoZ6tiTI9srHVtTTK-l2SC73J7lxBWeZHS1q8aqc/s1600/pool+party+038.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1K6bHSCGPD1PIy8cIPQOh2WhuFrCA2HHv4ZQgKi3NaUYtrVdH5tsrBxtamR-mWhRUMK80djO24xUJbap25SS0aws4E72tp1SEheJXoZ6tiTI9srHVtTTK-l2SC73J7lxBWeZHS1q8aqc/s320/pool+party+038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646078808717249074" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpd005lOzYrBee_1AqOmCABDfINwkOTt-9pCQDDFoqyrccW_khOLIgUyR8oCCXQsst1vnjtsVEw0NtC5xV0EgHp5r-X5ef-Rj3sH2QNqrz72wc49zzAnL_hsy3pWYVxDxsrAgOx722p0/s1600/pool+party+036.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpd005lOzYrBee_1AqOmCABDfINwkOTt-9pCQDDFoqyrccW_khOLIgUyR8oCCXQsst1vnjtsVEw0NtC5xV0EgHp5r-X5ef-Rj3sH2QNqrz72wc49zzAnL_hsy3pWYVxDxsrAgOx722p0/s320/pool+party+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646078803002667458" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ocTRoO2lmvCkadoKghBOsxbZzfimCQC2-mIQSBvfFTdnEja5STCHc1fYHt9b8IsdJCQ_1_bvx3xEQG8ZvDuXxwkJ1gOuBqUbo4tR1u8JdphyphenhyphenViILETubHeSe7HovqOR-549ujth1lhE/s1600/pool+party+014.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ocTRoO2lmvCkadoKghBOsxbZzfimCQC2-mIQSBvfFTdnEja5STCHc1fYHt9b8IsdJCQ_1_bvx3xEQG8ZvDuXxwkJ1gOuBqUbo4tR1u8JdphyphenhyphenViILETubHeSe7HovqOR-549ujth1lhE/s320/pool+party+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646078794088686642" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHBmHp7fLu8pJKqlxNvKL1yExX0NPnNyL_p91Nk-HXff2tqK0L2n-UqJU9o6lzeFY6eGe_JfLPXUlWNurRt_x7iir0ELnRK5uyCjSeJVAY8Tu7nzubmxp3OtMJH-jHEa66IoMysx181M/s1600/pool+party+012.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHBmHp7fLu8pJKqlxNvKL1yExX0NPnNyL_p91Nk-HXff2tqK0L2n-UqJU9o6lzeFY6eGe_JfLPXUlWNurRt_x7iir0ELnRK5uyCjSeJVAY8Tu7nzubmxp3OtMJH-jHEa66IoMysx181M/s320/pool+party+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646078782427031858" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqx1om4nB5kQUzouZCu2_9c9744Z3nGChwnIA1vH8Lp8vfBhs-5xs61BGoUI6xl6Gm9Lzs3qMa8t9KauhYWV0dE1MexyfSINamFOdJsFdVbnw7fQ76Oi71idU3H0Ao6uNs6Q9PeQaR0s/s1600/pool+party+006.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqx1om4nB5kQUzouZCu2_9c9744Z3nGChwnIA1vH8Lp8vfBhs-5xs61BGoUI6xl6Gm9Lzs3qMa8t9KauhYWV0dE1MexyfSINamFOdJsFdVbnw7fQ76Oi71idU3H0Ao6uNs6Q9PeQaR0s/s320/pool+party+006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646078774431283410" /></a>
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<br />Max and Vanh's third year birthday party:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aKziJA0XISKz_148E8Z5qYOTfEciLpMTrdhphvNiLqJbSqqB41QefPjRNamg-sTEPt3wOJLoNpjz4qarDGeXIR_uUdpZ-U13JDG1HduIR7CQrdEL1QJs_g9k3J4g2A9GAKtEaiNek5A/s1600/pool+party+058.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aKziJA0XISKz_148E8Z5qYOTfEciLpMTrdhphvNiLqJbSqqB41QefPjRNamg-sTEPt3wOJLoNpjz4qarDGeXIR_uUdpZ-U13JDG1HduIR7CQrdEL1QJs_g9k3J4g2A9GAKtEaiNek5A/s320/pool+party+058.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646087559322988386" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0CXg2ej1Qtf4X32dzyCtwFoU7lSEHwp7htEqQ8rmsnsoeXCbtFKMUBNYTxhSWdPAL4-hT3SOFc-_BwtfX8IOQuExCa84P-N0AoPKrucGqtvggxJqGXiJ145Kh6waC4agM757T0CNJJc/s1600/pool+party+067.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0CXg2ej1Qtf4X32dzyCtwFoU7lSEHwp7htEqQ8rmsnsoeXCbtFKMUBNYTxhSWdPAL4-hT3SOFc-_BwtfX8IOQuExCa84P-N0AoPKrucGqtvggxJqGXiJ145Kh6waC4agM757T0CNJJc/s320/pool+party+067.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646092218632552930" /></a>
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<br />Enjoying his big birthday present (not quite able to push the pedals fully yet):
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMI01MEvipMtqBpZLRfG7wc3nVCIUYsnBohc_b8mRNfkAwzrj5-vlaLOBTtpYd3vaXaIBbcgP5flWOyiz9KiCoekTrC2D6L5I9vVZyjlirx-EM00Q9uA4R2fQCZFhIbwYZ_o6CZh2Yk0o/s1600/pool+party+047.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMI01MEvipMtqBpZLRfG7wc3nVCIUYsnBohc_b8mRNfkAwzrj5-vlaLOBTtpYd3vaXaIBbcgP5flWOyiz9KiCoekTrC2D6L5I9vVZyjlirx-EM00Q9uA4R2fQCZFhIbwYZ_o6CZh2Yk0o/s320/pool+party+047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646087546403357314" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7h2mggms3_uWJ2ya15D00lqI_wPmG7adxwG6qnBAMeZWAH8cFceXWXSpXZiEyyam1DARRvM3dvUUrZygGX95Bg9Pmx3Hpbp-9ozISfmYMeIm8g_1LC_Lgvi2N2xDTTyBU4tmF2C-dTw/s1600/pool+party+049.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7h2mggms3_uWJ2ya15D00lqI_wPmG7adxwG6qnBAMeZWAH8cFceXWXSpXZiEyyam1DARRvM3dvUUrZygGX95Bg9Pmx3Hpbp-9ozISfmYMeIm8g_1LC_Lgvi2N2xDTTyBU4tmF2C-dTw/s320/pool+party+049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646087552921692002" /></a>
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<br />Science and Technology Museum:
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3wCqa8LQIfEIsSLH5Z_Z5v4apgjm7f8rf3p16_fMqFhdOT4I74-IYbqExeCehUHX6ZnPYXykxEcCKvGCJ2xOFcNe0otR8pVvFyIgSOw2gRcQrptFEKI58YSSHwQ2bveegyeK0BiLlQc/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3wCqa8LQIfEIsSLH5Z_Z5v4apgjm7f8rf3p16_fMqFhdOT4I74-IYbqExeCehUHX6ZnPYXykxEcCKvGCJ2xOFcNe0otR8pVvFyIgSOw2gRcQrptFEKI58YSSHwQ2bveegyeK0BiLlQc/s320/IMG_2433.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646092238311133778" /></a>
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<br />Parliament Hill:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybrQrJa5IV1n80RBSYE2OhONbVIKgOzbktUkhXmR4fh2y4JhvTo8bhnhNspfQvEjMnVjErbgVLvvijadRZCIpigSNk0omjcYtbQdlqu_mlTnrWO3eFkqeK02nlSDDOS3s_V5BKPRNtZg/s1600/IMG_2445.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybrQrJa5IV1n80RBSYE2OhONbVIKgOzbktUkhXmR4fh2y4JhvTo8bhnhNspfQvEjMnVjErbgVLvvijadRZCIpigSNk0omjcYtbQdlqu_mlTnrWO3eFkqeK02nlSDDOS3s_V5BKPRNtZg/s320/IMG_2445.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646095190284982818" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs8GijwmK2udgwsZi8OF3GuHugCEeUaaigdk_uxy0cRF_n6HmBc5s9JiECaxQOEizfXQwZAPFRSnQVz-otJ-MN8-HYEP4QMXh5YimfOK6pO1IbdmkKWJAtG3TpBWd5dGrbDsy0v-eqx8/s1600/IMG_2451.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs8GijwmK2udgwsZi8OF3GuHugCEeUaaigdk_uxy0cRF_n6HmBc5s9JiECaxQOEizfXQwZAPFRSnQVz-otJ-MN8-HYEP4QMXh5YimfOK6pO1IbdmkKWJAtG3TpBWd5dGrbDsy0v-eqx8/s320/IMG_2451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646095198208913346" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo0O2KTm4SND6W2HcE3xlK94OmS7TSzucx4wa2gdBYsuJ5WvBCcs-3Yh7SeZby_vkqXpO4LykfmCeU6YFNfi3ohjAnphmTod-Vug5jewehPyN_4mB34JMFQt096y1CSgEGH-w9M1l4pE/s1600/IMG_2452.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo0O2KTm4SND6W2HcE3xlK94OmS7TSzucx4wa2gdBYsuJ5WvBCcs-3Yh7SeZby_vkqXpO4LykfmCeU6YFNfi3ohjAnphmTod-Vug5jewehPyN_4mB34JMFQt096y1CSgEGH-w9M1l4pE/s320/IMG_2452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646095206917702498" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolSJYDYZThk3n6xFV_zUqhAxTCiPJUFhseYZDMjPnHHkw-7GqH2E3ib9mN7VRZ2atrrcy4G4RNqJOb4x8Zs8e7ithfWMdHknwoXWF-cb0aXuoHoHhrPmmBSLt5eKF_Tr1aH5sWZ8GONw/s1600/IMG_2442.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolSJYDYZThk3n6xFV_zUqhAxTCiPJUFhseYZDMjPnHHkw-7GqH2E3ib9mN7VRZ2atrrcy4G4RNqJOb4x8Zs8e7ithfWMdHknwoXWF-cb0aXuoHoHhrPmmBSLt5eKF_Tr1aH5sWZ8GONw/s320/IMG_2442.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646092250654497538" /></a>
<br />
<br />A boy and his dog:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OR8ZVGrIQU1rViBNfG0BBzdQZO-9dB5c89m7Ifwacxf8s0CU-yHiExUwIFe9wcxx7hU5kiZs5-i_eObDjqEQh9uvZYiarTkmHqk9dwiNRDpxxitgzHmJccu_wSlG-T46mudhrHF2G1c/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OR8ZVGrIQU1rViBNfG0BBzdQZO-9dB5c89m7Ifwacxf8s0CU-yHiExUwIFe9wcxx7hU5kiZs5-i_eObDjqEQh9uvZYiarTkmHqk9dwiNRDpxxitgzHmJccu_wSlG-T46mudhrHF2G1c/s320/IMG_2499.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646095215444862098" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvHBmQ7rTWbqgKKaSZNB1Xh7-_EQQR3UBnvOwwOYowhfa9P2oFSD5TaeL92az60qMIXPjvUMLIlTNlCcZlJ1chUa9Dg9uBf9p-28Btfe-4usPqg-lrksu4jP4BoZred415Oa-C3TAw0Q/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvHBmQ7rTWbqgKKaSZNB1Xh7-_EQQR3UBnvOwwOYowhfa9P2oFSD5TaeL92az60qMIXPjvUMLIlTNlCcZlJ1chUa9Dg9uBf9p-28Btfe-4usPqg-lrksu4jP4BoZred415Oa-C3TAw0Q/s320/IMG_2507.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646095225839030066" /></a>
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<br />A mom and her son:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhMWM0Wtb7SStRLfFhtmt9QWYtbDfO6XHvM6MkUzVtrAGT1U3bw6KhgvBv7CL1xzpIGp378qey1AZjk_tnjUPF_cwFBQUed6BlNpQq2DfmKjNwRVtCKt7CTeNEJ5r0I9Heh4xVRSHqss/s1600/IMG_2525.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhMWM0Wtb7SStRLfFhtmt9QWYtbDfO6XHvM6MkUzVtrAGT1U3bw6KhgvBv7CL1xzpIGp378qey1AZjk_tnjUPF_cwFBQUed6BlNpQq2DfmKjNwRVtCKt7CTeNEJ5r0I9Heh4xVRSHqss/s320/IMG_2525.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646097496333538018" /></a>
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<br />Summer playdate fun with Max and Vanh:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0C72YIVsQvKLERLZ1Qd3yFp8Jm8H9TCwsMKv7lAVB915t_CvVT-I-uC0v0c2HdwYFXKJuIOb5vvG75iGVemkTor4t8g8FR9ztb4M_8uO-53OHb3pnywJe6RURvUEEJPadFmsX1gGwEeU/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0C72YIVsQvKLERLZ1Qd3yFp8Jm8H9TCwsMKv7lAVB915t_CvVT-I-uC0v0c2HdwYFXKJuIOb5vvG75iGVemkTor4t8g8FR9ztb4M_8uO-53OHb3pnywJe6RURvUEEJPadFmsX1gGwEeU/s320/IMG_2570.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646097512300090194" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GRsPQB72JMNgez7MXsIzjtOEWP1g_6lTRP1q7Fdb1Slrz9cjgxBnyufSwjJ2bquVTY8Zoh9l72PWeL3CFtct8gP66n44LwqT0LsOR1K6D6gnMwIY94qmctfWpoaLlf0KhkVfjxRvS_g/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GRsPQB72JMNgez7MXsIzjtOEWP1g_6lTRP1q7Fdb1Slrz9cjgxBnyufSwjJ2bquVTY8Zoh9l72PWeL3CFtct8gP66n44LwqT0LsOR1K6D6gnMwIY94qmctfWpoaLlf0KhkVfjxRvS_g/s320/IMG_2567.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646097502011857602" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFE8u2cinU3RKtKhn8vMX8WkCiRfECZ3yhX4wXos1MBI4bPesni11sfkNHAzMph7mv54YoNvi3nRiAXnvfeFNc035mdjPSbrwMZlOkP3HRbsckohijgV-Hf1zgajqe-D7jSU9gKepxJk/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFE8u2cinU3RKtKhn8vMX8WkCiRfECZ3yhX4wXos1MBI4bPesni11sfkNHAzMph7mv54YoNvi3nRiAXnvfeFNc035mdjPSbrwMZlOkP3HRbsckohijgV-Hf1zgajqe-D7jSU9gKepxJk/s320/IMG_2537.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646097519277015234" /></a>
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<br />Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9216007232154706358.post-15348242294158497312011-07-20T10:39:00.000-07:002011-07-20T13:19:44.017-07:00Birthday partyOn Sunday the 17th we hosted a little second birthday party for Van. We wanted to keep it small so as not to overwhelm him. Although I think he was a little perplexed by the people. He was also a little confused by the cake coming in with the happy birthday song. He saw me bringing in the cake and was happy to see Thomas the Tank Engine on top but then quickly got a little freaked out when we all started singing lol. All in all I think he enjoyed himself. Although for our part we were quintessentially parent brain addled about the whole thing. Not only did we forget to take a lot of pics (of the decorations for example, although there are a lot of the cake eating as you will see!) we also forgot to give out the gift bags :-O! Anyway, here are some moments Pat did manage to capture: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.trahvinh-ottawa.blogspot.com/">Vanh and Max</a>:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4pOh87GYKcWUThRhsPzPQP9CeI1Ox2TyV_PDC3Hlvm0WKTuE4_WrlyRn9KN8mh4bekAjUDpCT04KerTsqe28jR_-dg0EQIr7W7FBDKazIgM5QukC3R2xX5PRuuGuPEjOiUT6HFtbJEo/s1600/IMG_2075.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4pOh87GYKcWUThRhsPzPQP9CeI1Ox2TyV_PDC3Hlvm0WKTuE4_WrlyRn9KN8mh4bekAjUDpCT04KerTsqe28jR_-dg0EQIr7W7FBDKazIgM5QukC3R2xX5PRuuGuPEjOiUT6HFtbJEo/s320/IMG_2075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631494601068238962" /></a><br /><br />Hudson gets some love from Chibi:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKOQA29ZWkDTFBetkE5ghqLfbIw5KgAtCevQALazbCo6JnoRQzEqjlRqh3jbUmvSJYAUv9NumzV5_kJm3_yR69JYVHZil7NlOSmVKx0IebJl4y3LlsOWWMNoQMLg0XGZwdgCtGNiXawI/s1600/IMG_2080.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKOQA29ZWkDTFBetkE5ghqLfbIw5KgAtCevQALazbCo6JnoRQzEqjlRqh3jbUmvSJYAUv9NumzV5_kJm3_yR69JYVHZil7NlOSmVKx0IebJl4y3LlsOWWMNoQMLg0XGZwdgCtGNiXawI/s320/IMG_2080.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631495373738977634" /></a><br /><br />Van is wondering what Neila is doing sitting in his chair hehe:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRLRUrih9OxBmnkFfP-Ms0CpM8-KaikSm0skj1gz6DT3P1vbRczLfpBVM9UADG_SCBekdZ2IrLC4iALzsXudmQbPpkaPrRXZ_qWcQV78GzcQB-9LRVXxAb_kkDYpNx7i5WxhGI7ks0Ys/s1600/IMG_2141.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRLRUrih9OxBmnkFfP-Ms0CpM8-KaikSm0skj1gz6DT3P1vbRczLfpBVM9UADG_SCBekdZ2IrLC4iALzsXudmQbPpkaPrRXZ_qWcQV78GzcQB-9LRVXxAb_kkDYpNx7i5WxhGI7ks0Ys/s320/IMG_2141.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631507032271006690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnnV3xg-GCJ_AKEl0LRIpbJmVSz5DmUIhj6ughtteVK0eXOwpV_N3TtSppErj4SIOmvYgG1CQzncvjzGa1L6PjVcMN3oepGl9echGa7ci-Hx2Fw-BQ2hn9_sihZIAdMY7ocNzUPijDWw/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnnV3xg-GCJ_AKEl0LRIpbJmVSz5DmUIhj6ughtteVK0eXOwpV_N3TtSppErj4SIOmvYgG1CQzncvjzGa1L6PjVcMN3oepGl9echGa7ci-Hx2Fw-BQ2hn9_sihZIAdMY7ocNzUPijDWw/s320/IMG_2139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631507030462981986" /></a><br /><br />BBQ outside<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRvoAVMcrDHd92GfhomjJVzqJUPUWShsDhLz_dRc8CsNN2rKkyqfISnxImDFtCnv2Q4L59ZlWZEUk030DlxTMYVueDQ9GIamuSa6OYAgJg_7MPyGhhCHvlx-EUwzvwUVMwkYF5adKTyg/s1600/IMG_2087.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRvoAVMcrDHd92GfhomjJVzqJUPUWShsDhLz_dRc8CsNN2rKkyqfISnxImDFtCnv2Q4L59ZlWZEUk030DlxTMYVueDQ9GIamuSa6OYAgJg_7MPyGhhCHvlx-EUwzvwUVMwkYF5adKTyg/s320/IMG_2087.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631497743842201506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGos4Hx30qgxjFUsq77hu-SVPWUXL67uqD3gZ2altXnJxqVV860MDw6bH4uJ8B34UuxVoDe7V39raet1wJ1Gke0EXsNb5z52206_W366MtGsLR3P9lKjoMWXpAZD1wjN6kEZsVtUE8EMU/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGos4Hx30qgxjFUsq77hu-SVPWUXL67uqD3gZ2altXnJxqVV860MDw6bH4uJ8B34UuxVoDe7V39raet1wJ1Gke0EXsNb5z52206_W366MtGsLR3P9lKjoMWXpAZD1wjN6kEZsVtUE8EMU/s320/IMG_2086.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631497734705570546" /></a><br /><br />Cake time:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp9yGYO0W0KfRW76TzGXPH_3oQBc3-kCtIXDnWRg6Ia6vFxB0rv7hBFaIOPgt7m5tqpGfJifUxrrftoa6IjGEHLD_rMXr_mVcdgKi1FtkZ9NOp6y_ATxybes5-5vfVYSqPgaSmACVu9M/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp9yGYO0W0KfRW76TzGXPH_3oQBc3-kCtIXDnWRg6Ia6vFxB0rv7hBFaIOPgt7m5tqpGfJifUxrrftoa6IjGEHLD_rMXr_mVcdgKi1FtkZ9NOp6y_ATxybes5-5vfVYSqPgaSmACVu9M/s320/IMG_2101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631514076228735106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBrFhyphenhyphened3L4rmTDM2HVlSbS-_R6qsD5qiS2NCTi5L6ajFsFi7dtUlHRKgEZRh0PtxdZVVRoEdO7q0EkJSfAQpBeQPmWcXHC63DBaGaii1qg_Sgz3ZXseCYunH_G_yL0drPh99AQ6ex4E/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBrFhyphenhyphened3L4rmTDM2HVlSbS-_R6qsD5qiS2NCTi5L6ajFsFi7dtUlHRKgEZRh0PtxdZVVRoEdO7q0EkJSfAQpBeQPmWcXHC63DBaGaii1qg_Sgz3ZXseCYunH_G_yL0drPh99AQ6ex4E/s320/IMG_2100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631514072513782050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmIIhyrFTkwT5MWgSEUU5Ip70gNTwIakK_aW1Mik30uTH9C43uE78I-GUuXmZe5OMKyDUieNCQJGp-brY2XlVL60D9WdpYSncPgxTM5oYHI0LRXlBg1oJlie8yf2kxdrsmToLLC4DfCQ/s1600/IMG_2098.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmIIhyrFTkwT5MWgSEUU5Ip70gNTwIakK_aW1Mik30uTH9C43uE78I-GUuXmZe5OMKyDUieNCQJGp-brY2XlVL60D9WdpYSncPgxTM5oYHI0LRXlBg1oJlie8yf2kxdrsmToLLC4DfCQ/s320/IMG_2098.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631514064698245746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66X9nRqd4IxgnXXpX_iuu1As-DkJTcVB91HtaiJRpQnPpJ3cU72cQub_WuLU8UZDxf81q9BR0iO_9vwQOa_ANYog7V54ifwIfjpyJ2BsZrzt7_0rt9G-bgSpoFA8UI6_DWj6mcqrcjWE/s1600/IMG_2114.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66X9nRqd4IxgnXXpX_iuu1As-DkJTcVB91HtaiJRpQnPpJ3cU72cQub_WuLU8UZDxf81q9BR0iO_9vwQOa_ANYog7V54ifwIfjpyJ2BsZrzt7_0rt9G-bgSpoFA8UI6_DWj6mcqrcjWE/s320/IMG_2114.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631514095116764706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg3obaxjHOi0qbvcJ9Zf0hUHRrUVpRRYB6SH2H_4f-b1N7UwGTQV_jay88SGpkgw4xzA5DIIfdJeJPu8725sVfRnLPwbcSuHCBNMbEBTz1XEQZrv7NFmYIwJlxzTD8vL-D0VRfOQj6Fk/s1600/IMG_2111.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDg3obaxjHOi0qbvcJ9Zf0hUHRrUVpRRYB6SH2H_4f-b1N7UwGTQV_jay88SGpkgw4xzA5DIIfdJeJPu8725sVfRnLPwbcSuHCBNMbEBTz1XEQZrv7NFmYIwJlxzTD8vL-D0VRfOQj6Fk/s320/IMG_2111.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631514092682984050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDET32GZshYupBYUGsngA-TPpZwJVVmSieXCFAd480lsTukmRJ8KNQnA_2VMWchLAypibSzVntVX8yPWY_n2zbGHwWGSlrjPnzRNgXPYt4T9ND26srK_PNfL28F3VFhlFnKXVpAaITIIM/s1600/IMG_2126.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDET32GZshYupBYUGsngA-TPpZwJVVmSieXCFAd480lsTukmRJ8KNQnA_2VMWchLAypibSzVntVX8yPWY_n2zbGHwWGSlrjPnzRNgXPYt4T9ND26srK_PNfL28F3VFhlFnKXVpAaITIIM/s320/IMG_2126.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631516055371305922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkrpzy4RCu1-24z08UEqS18RXjwhsxRAOGhIuHyLTHiq4pPFmuBt6FXEzuMmanlo93WuJTvVCtyZKHiODzcj8PaKVfkLe0HnrSSEs12o1mBiM9lBNVBKC1I2f_zUPONQ3XGqxwIvytaQ/s1600/IMG_2118.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkrpzy4RCu1-24z08UEqS18RXjwhsxRAOGhIuHyLTHiq4pPFmuBt6FXEzuMmanlo93WuJTvVCtyZKHiODzcj8PaKVfkLe0HnrSSEs12o1mBiM9lBNVBKC1I2f_zUPONQ3XGqxwIvytaQ/s320/IMG_2118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631516043421173378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJaM79VKK_NDghQ78ExBddPdVC0a0jR_1oMFkFK23DfOjbaKQuO-XFLBklDHHIa0tsNPq7eptJEHMT6ivi0lQKHbEpbvHzlS5ODjycK6XuvCiGFvZSidoZzzAeNehDI4OtC4y_KBY8v4/s1600/IMG_2115.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJaM79VKK_NDghQ78ExBddPdVC0a0jR_1oMFkFK23DfOjbaKQuO-XFLBklDHHIa0tsNPq7eptJEHMT6ivi0lQKHbEpbvHzlS5ODjycK6XuvCiGFvZSidoZzzAeNehDI4OtC4y_KBY8v4/s320/IMG_2115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631516042027794370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sEtrDhNboUcs6lIVY5n_KHHlJJIOauvE6CA1DKEhcoc8qVD1tm5Ydb0vjhbtkv-Q0CjNg25_Npo-yqwbMIa9ZJ2QL7t6jKq1GWeN39VUDH1BoBSmgkY66sDn1jk8iO1RN2SpL1IlcOA/s1600/IMG_2130.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sEtrDhNboUcs6lIVY5n_KHHlJJIOauvE6CA1DKEhcoc8qVD1tm5Ydb0vjhbtkv-Q0CjNg25_Npo-yqwbMIa9ZJ2QL7t6jKq1GWeN39VUDH1BoBSmgkY66sDn1jk8iO1RN2SpL1IlcOA/s320/IMG_2130.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631497762643410530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9YblVqiFBa-xmmpTPyHRZjfi462NV5Ox1dOPk8Sr0zGDcasak2jryu2BW2VliZUw6r1b7KfrQinFQ_EtmfO_sCgdFRtN3j0OwqqFKMUbZWeMWRM30-K0sxvNRKTbqP73lhr6P0OrhOc/s1600/IMG_2128.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9YblVqiFBa-xmmpTPyHRZjfi462NV5Ox1dOPk8Sr0zGDcasak2jryu2BW2VliZUw6r1b7KfrQinFQ_EtmfO_sCgdFRtN3j0OwqqFKMUbZWeMWRM30-K0sxvNRKTbqP73lhr6P0OrhOc/s320/IMG_2128.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631497753725088258" /></a><br /><br />Finally, about a week ago Pat took out his Tonka truck that he had played with as a child. As you can see below Van was enraptured :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbNjuT1xqLC1oXxHefol6p9eWR5d6_dlWOAvj9g61REc703Y9KJPQdEAg03ltyeYjLElB0E7mWZauVthbRKRTN2A5P9fmfOOWPpGm2c8ilKHcigiA1Uob7uAv5xBdQt1o-1B9vb4eEII/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbNjuT1xqLC1oXxHefol6p9eWR5d6_dlWOAvj9g61REc703Y9KJPQdEAg03ltyeYjLElB0E7mWZauVthbRKRTN2A5P9fmfOOWPpGm2c8ilKHcigiA1Uob7uAv5xBdQt1o-1B9vb4eEII/s320/IMG_2038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631509638699682642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_fQskrLXRUc1_N8ddiJKUmPal5LDqkaFP1P8Z8vRFvT7r-epE_lc2ALHWNekSvHglX_rC-5EKs6Vki_9Uzbza9-mKO8clNSf1sBmsNXJ61IrXZvIGeytZjrqHf0XUF62v4jVhKGftMc/s1600/IMG_2034.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_fQskrLXRUc1_N8ddiJKUmPal5LDqkaFP1P8Z8vRFvT7r-epE_lc2ALHWNekSvHglX_rC-5EKs6Vki_9Uzbza9-mKO8clNSf1sBmsNXJ61IrXZvIGeytZjrqHf0XUF62v4jVhKGftMc/s320/IMG_2034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631509624244489650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaai93bROfGvsQck8Ki448ChWivyGhpLL6ZYu5Xv0shcz3JZa6rJ-qGX0X_hwT4xYGnr0d2OvxS2XERhwzOFk81qs2l48MdEpP5Opeg475Nfg62wr7OFfWm454btvHiGXbpDRzzBowzRI/s1600/IMG_2019.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaai93bROfGvsQck8Ki448ChWivyGhpLL6ZYu5Xv0shcz3JZa6rJ-qGX0X_hwT4xYGnr0d2OvxS2XERhwzOFk81qs2l48MdEpP5Opeg475Nfg62wr7OFfWm454btvHiGXbpDRzzBowzRI/s320/IMG_2019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631509616630765650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2UtkP7XLqfh5Kz9ncKs1QsbCnXovlA59B5zfpvoRc2lsQIUte3he3cGphz7talQAg8-14jJYtLkgEaepUqKUCEGnWAi4LXQ_yK4HanE3-8XvCZsaiLsBSMaMryvm-tjerAS6iDxR9NI/s1600/IMG_2009.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2UtkP7XLqfh5Kz9ncKs1QsbCnXovlA59B5zfpvoRc2lsQIUte3he3cGphz7talQAg8-14jJYtLkgEaepUqKUCEGnWAi4LXQ_yK4HanE3-8XvCZsaiLsBSMaMryvm-tjerAS6iDxR9NI/s320/IMG_2009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631509608403232354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r__-uV5ZXV4gD1t053OG-999T9a5zPcIUJX7HHU3EtVcraczq40gdlchsZVAC5j0SVrToXcLTEFKkvQDyORtGw0s4K3tAbpZvHJaKrN1MdOYkxy4uYUQBNTIIBH4yYwSjStgZcnQnIw/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r__-uV5ZXV4gD1t053OG-999T9a5zPcIUJX7HHU3EtVcraczq40gdlchsZVAC5j0SVrToXcLTEFKkvQDyORtGw0s4K3tAbpZvHJaKrN1MdOYkxy4uYUQBNTIIBH4yYwSjStgZcnQnIw/s320/IMG_2008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631509603176361266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX7QqpgkHU1bbe21eA9XvnnyzJlw5IkQvnAUTXGMeLz5oEmed8PsOrdgOayT6JYpcDn3Hv0ERxfOVUUQYG1jJYoL7OYevdQY9Kcq6dhaxLXk1mMwE-etXgrU4cgFp8cTitpIHTGdUuFY/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX7QqpgkHU1bbe21eA9XvnnyzJlw5IkQvnAUTXGMeLz5oEmed8PsOrdgOayT6JYpcDn3Hv0ERxfOVUUQYG1jJYoL7OYevdQY9Kcq6dhaxLXk1mMwE-etXgrU4cgFp8cTitpIHTGdUuFY/s320/IMG_2051.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631510107653792658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w79urBBgCSKiU7YXQMkEd4ZUxJdcxt4OIyairqU8P5a2bxOBRfj23qeER5DXcP8o4sdzx9MI62l68AB52aQ03Y30EymhKXsOCKoQaaNG9ELAjgu_ZS-WxCoeEPm4t8oSQHPxYOUVPvQ/s1600/IMG_2060.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w79urBBgCSKiU7YXQMkEd4ZUxJdcxt4OIyairqU8P5a2bxOBRfj23qeER5DXcP8o4sdzx9MI62l68AB52aQ03Y30EymhKXsOCKoQaaNG9ELAjgu_ZS-WxCoeEPm4t8oSQHPxYOUVPvQ/s320/IMG_2060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631510692108690514" /></a><br /><br />Van's actual birthday is tomorrow. His Ba (my mom) is arriving tonight and we have a couple of adoption gatherings this weekend so there will be more festivities over the next few days.Meg, Pat, Van and Geradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12418511996158612117noreply@blogger.com2