My SweetPea

Lil D. Sweetie, Lil Man.....Sweet Pea. My Dakota. He is such a gentle, loving, caring little boy. With everything that he has gone through in his short 6 years (4 of them prior to having a true family & being bounced from house to house), it really amazes me how loving he is. He genuinely cares about people. Here are some examples:

He tells me I am cute or beautiful at least 3 times a day.
He gives random hugs & kisses constantly throughout every day.
He tells me how much he loves me all of the time.
He tells me "Mom, you know what I like about you?" with a variety of answers almost every day.
He wants to be in the room with you even if he is just sitting playing quietly.

Then there was today.

My little guy showed how very much he cares about my feelings.

He and I were chatting about something & it turned into a conversation about the cat that Brian and I had for 12 years. He was very curious about Sparky & how he died. So, I told him the story about coming home from work and finding Sparky in pain & whining. I went on to tell him that it was better for Sparky if the Dr. gave him a shot to make him sleep and not be in anymore pain. I started to tell him how I was holding Sparky & giving him kisses & hugs & Daddy and I cried & then I started to actually get choked up & tears started to flow. My little SweetPea's lips started to quiver & I noticed his eyes tearing up. He said "Mommy, are you going to cry?" I replied "Yes, sometimes it makes me sad to talk about it because Mommy & Daddy really loved Sparky". He hugged me real tight & started to whimper a little bit. I said "oh, honey...are you crying? You never even met Sparky". He replied "But Mommy...when you cry, it makes me sad & I cry too".

He really is a SweetPea. My gentle Little Man....I hope he keeps that gentle caring spirit as he grows up. :0)

Our old cat, Sparky

The Brown Family's Christmas

Well, Christmas has come & gone. Can you believe it? We hustle & bustle. We plan & save. Then, in an instant...it's over.

The past 2 Christmases have definitely been the best ones that I think Brian and I have ever experienced. There truly is nothing like seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. Seriously. NOTHING like it :) To hear the 'Is it Christmas yet?' & 'Can I open just one present?'...and then see their happy, joy filled faces on Christmas morning....it's just priceless!! The funniest is that you spend all of this money, and the one toy that they are happiest with is the one that cost $5!! This year, Dakota's screeching moment came when he opened his Incredible Hulk roaring, punching glove things. You know...the ones that you wear like boxing gloves & they make noise when you punch things, like 'you're making me angry' & 'you won't like me when I'm angry'. I seriously thought the kid was going to cry tears of joy!!! LOL :0)

We had some fun on Christmas Eve and the day before baking. Dakota & I made a Gingerbread House. That was a lot of fun! We ate a little bit along the way though :) On Christmas Eve we made some cookies to take to Grandma & Grandpa Brown's house. Dakota & Daddy rolled the dough & cut out the cookies. Dakota & I decorated them. This is something that I was happy to start as a tradition with my son last year. I hope that it will be something that he goes on to do with his children one day!

Daddy & Dakota cutting the dough

The cookies that Dakota decorated :)

Mommies Cookies

Dakota with our GingerBread House

Every Christmas Eve we go to Brian's parents house. This year was not any different :) We enjoyed our usual casual dinner....deli meats, veggie tray, my mother in-laws Tuna Mac (the best!) & for dessert.....Banana Pudding & no-bake cookies! YUMMY!!! Of course, Dakota wanted to open presents as soon as we walked in the door! Then he, along with Grandpa's help, started pressuring all of us to hurry up and eat so that we could move on to presents! LOL Dakota got his first Bible from Grandma & Grandpa Brown & a cool chair that he can use to watch TV & play video games on! He also received a remote control truck from cousin Sarah & her boyfriend Brian, & some great educational stuff from Aunt Rhonda & Uncle Robin (thanks guys!). We had a nice time afterward playing Scattergories (I think Sarah had the most fun, since she seemed to do well at it....she is VERY creative with her answers! LOL).

Dakota driving his new Truck

Christmas Day my parents came over for a little while. It was nice to spend some time with them! They brought Dakota a couple of things too...my mom made Dakota (and the other grand-kids) afgans & pillows. Here is a pic of Dakota cuddling up with Grandma. He loves his new blanket & has been cuddling up with it on his new chair all weekend! :)

Cuddling with Grandma Smith

Kisses & hugs for Grandpa

It was a great Christmas! The only gift that was not well received.....the cold that Brian ended up with on Christmas Day and is trying to get rid of. :( Poor guy. We were going to go to the Rec Center & do some things over the weekend, but he has not been well all weekend long. Back to work he goes tomorrow....but hopefully he will feel better for the long weekend that he has off over New Years!! Feel Better Honey!

Fun Family Times

In spite of feeling yucky this past weekend, I was able to have some quality times with my favorite fellas!

Friday brought a pretty significant snow fall...our 1st real one this year. That meant shoveling (not so fun)..and playing in the snow (YAY!). Dakota was loving every minute of it! I tell you, for being the only child in our family, he really has lots of fun! He is so crazy funny too! He says some things that totally crack us up! He was playing in the heap of snow that was created by Brian & I shoveling...when we hear him say something like "working makes perfection!" LOLOL It's funny when he says stuff that is smart, humorous, and witty. It's when he repeats stuff that an adult might have said in his/her weaker moments that makes you not so proud.....like this whopper that he came into the kitchen with this morning.... "Mom, I can't get the d*mn clamp!". WHAT?! He was trying to play his VTech Learning game & couldn't get it to work right! Of course I called Brian & told him what the little dude just said....he laughed his head off, which made me laugh. But, of course, Dakota received a long lecture & time out for that one!

Ok, so I veered off track a bit...

We had a lot of fun (not shoveling, but the playing part). Champ got into it too. He has always LOVED the snow. It perks the 10 yr old old man right up! He loves to catch snow balls & eat them :0) Here are some of my favorite pictures from Friday....

This is my favorite....Kisses from my Sweet-Pea!

Champy....such a sweet old boy!

Brian is having waaaaaay too much fun here!

Champ is waiting to pounce on the big snowball!

Our little helper.....5 seconds later, he said he was done helpin.

Having fun in the snow :)

Look at the SNOW!!!


Saturday I wasn't feeling all that great, but the boys really wanted to go to the Rec Center...so I went with them. I didn't do a whole lot...just sat in the Hot Tub for a while & took pics while they played. I am so glad that we purchased the membership this year! It is a great way to spend family time & get out and exercise & have fun!

Here are some pics...

Look at the snow outside behind us? Sooo cool!

Dakota jumping to Daddy

Brian & Dakota having fun in the Lazy River

This is the Rec Center Pool Area!! :0)

Jesus "List"

I had a really great moment with Dakota this morning. We were doing our morning devotions when he mentioned "Mom, I'm still on Santa's nice list right?".

Then it struck me....what a great opportunity to share about Jesus' "List".

I told Dakota, that yes, he was still on Santa's nice list...but there is even a better list to be on. Jesus' List! He had a puzzled look on his face. I told him that once you believe in Jesus, that He was born, lived & died, & "came back to life?" he shouted! Yes, and came back to life....if you believe & ask Him to come into your heart, He will add you to his 'List'. His list is called the Book of Life! "Really? COOL!", was his reply. I went on to tell him that the great thing about Jesus' list, is once you are on it, you NEVER will get wiped off of it!! I told him how with Santa's list, if you are bad, he puts you on the naughty list, right? "yeah, the naughty list", he said with a sigh. I told him that with Jesus, all you have to do is pray and ask Him for Forgiveness when you do something bad. THAT'S IT! You don't lose your spot on Jesus List!

I am so thankful for this moment that the Lord gave me to share Him with my son. I look forward to the day that he asks Jesus to come into his heart.

Which list would you rather be on?

Visit to Santa

So, Saturday morning we got up & went to breakfast & then traveled over to that crazy, people frenzy, lines lines & more lines, hustle & bustle, good luck finding a parking spot, ...oh yeah and there's Santa, place.....THE MALL! What were we thinking? Did we not know that it is only 2 weeks away from Christmas??? We had already gotten Lil D's shopping done. That was pretty easy. We were going to the mall to shop for one another....

First mistake was that we decided to go to the larger mall in our area because it has all of these extra cool stores that the smaller one doesn't. Well, larger mall = more people = long lines = frustration. The first thing that we decided to do was go and visit Santa. We hadn't taken Dakota last year, so we wanted to do it. Well, we saw the loooooong line & thought maybe we shouldn't...but of course by then Dakota saw Santa & was hopping up & down with joy. So, in the line we went! An HOUR and a HALF later....we were up to see the Fat ole Jolly guy! Dakota was sooooo excited & we were sooooo happy to finally be up there! The first thing that Dakota said to him was "Are you the REAL Santa?" They talked for a minute & Dakota told him that he wanted a trampoline (hmmmm...better start thinking of a story to tell him about why Santa couldn't bring one!). He also told him that he wanted a bicycle & more 'special' presents! LOL Of course, he gave the HUGEST smile ever for the picture! He was one happy little camper!! :)

After visiting Santa, Brian took Lil D & we split up to shop. Well, after about a half hour we both were frustrated with the really nice large mall with all of the speciality stores. Neither of us could find what we were looking for. So.....we drove home, hopped into our separate cars & went on our way. I went to the smaller mall that I was more familiar with and what do you know.....NO LINE for Santa!!!! Good grief! It figures, right?

I got everything that I wanted for Brian...and, I must say, I was pretty happy about it! I thought that they were things that he really could use for once & would enjoy! Then....Sunday Brian and I were watching TV and out of the blew, he mentions that his work ordered him a really nice picture of the Detroit Skyline for his office. OH NO!!!! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!!! Yep...I was not happy. See, Brian can be a pain in the hiney to buy for because he always buys everything for himself whenever he wants it. So, when you want to buy something for him, it is nearly impossible! I had remembered him mentioning that he needed to get a nice Detroit picture for his new office. I searched & searched & found one!! I was soooo proud that I had finally found something that he would LOVE and could use! Then he drops the bomb... :0( Do you know that I was so frustrated, I actually shed a tear? LOLOL I think he felt genuinely bad. He must've told me a dozen times how good of a gift it was & how he thought it was cool. He's going to still keep it...he'll just have 2 in his office. The REALLY nice one...and the one that I got him. LOLOL

Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

Video Message From Santa

Ok, so I received an email this morning from Disney Family.com. They have a neat little thing where you can upload your childs picture and name & then they will create a video message from Santa stating if he/she is on the 'Nice List' or not!!

I did this for Lil D & he LOVED it! He was jumping up and down with excitement saying that he couldn't believe Santa put him on the nice list (neither can I! LOLOL).

Here it is....

http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/44979-brown492/

"H" is for Home Schooling!

Well, we started the new Home School Curriculum today & it really seems like it will be great!! Here are some positives about our day...

* It is a Bible based curriculum, so we started the day with a little devotional & prayer. What an awesome way to start the morning!!

* We are starting at the first lesson, but my little man is further along since he was in Public School for 3 months!

* We accomplished 3 lessons from his Language Arts book & 2 from the Math!

* Dakota really seemed to enjoy it & it kept his interest!

* They have a great Teacher's aide with it, so it makes it real easy to follow & teach!

* Love the Lesson Plans!

* My Scrapbooking supplies came in handy for a quick, last minute craft for recognizing his address.

* We got started late because Mommy did not sleep well last night....and it was OK!! :)

* We were still completely done with school by 1:15pm!!!!

Not Me! Monday

I did Not almost freak out at the site of Dakota almost puking up cabbage soup at a restaurant on Friday night!

I did NOT get a little spooked out while watching a Ghost Hunters episode with Brian...nope, not me!

I did not think that the brand new $7 flavored Christmas coffee that I bought & then tried out on Saturday morning was absolutely AWFUL!

I did NOT panic while getting ready for Brian's Christmas party & think "Oh crap...he is going to leave without me just like Ray did on Everybody Loves Raymond because at 4:30 my butt is not going to be in the seat" Didn't even think that at all!!

I did not think that Brian's O.C.D. was shining brightly at his work party. :) (Love you honey!)

I absolutely positively did NOT boogey the night away, at Brian's work party, to the point of swollen feet & achey knees....No Way!!

I did NOT appreciate one bit the fact that my mother in law came over to watch Lil D so that Brian and I could go to the party ... our first date night since August. Did I mention how much I do NOT love her? (You're the best Mom Brown!)

The Brown family did NOT sleep until 10am Sunday morning....uh uh...no way!

I did NOT completely gross out while taste testing a meatball at Sam's Club. (why oh why did there have to be a piece of gristel???? WHY????)

We did NOT buy a really cool $6 DVD that displays different fireplaces..even with the noise!!! It is NOT totally cool either!!! :)

I absolutely did NOT wake up this morning cranky....me? NO WAY!


What did you "not" do this weekend?

Christmas & What Not....

I figured that I should let everyone in on why I haven't posted in a few days! I have been quite the busy little bee the past few days. We put up the Christmas Tree and decorations on Saturday (see pics below....aren't we festive?). Who agrees with me that decorating is not as fun as looking at the afterglow? I knew you were with me!! :) I think Brian and I's phrase for the day on Sunday was "man, am I sore!". Pathetic, isn't it?

If you have been reading my blogs, then you know that Brian and I have been a little frustrated with the Kindergarten class that Dakota was in. Did you see that? Did you catch it? WAS in. That's right, we took a huge step and removed Lil D from Public School. His last day was Wednesday!! We know that he will thrive on the one/one attention he will get here at home. The past 2 days, I have been winging it until the curriculum that I ordered comes in the mail (it's due in on Tuesday). He is already loving it...whenever I look over his work he always says "Mom, are you going to put a star & smiley face on it?". I also circle his very best work. His former teacher would circle the bad. Circling the good is really motivating & encouraging to him. He loves it!!

Besides worrying about being organized enough, the only thing about HomeSchooling that I was concerned with was socializing. I believe the Lord has answered a long time prayer about this as well! Most of you know that we have not been to church in about 3 years now. Well, I found a church that is both close by & looks to have many of things that we are looking for! Brian said that he is willing to try it!! So, hopefully in the next week or so we will be visiting Highland Park! I will keep you posted on that! :)

Tomorrow we will be going to Brian's work Christmas party. I am really looking forward to a night out with my man! We have not been on a 'date', so to speak, since Dakota moved in! It will be nice to get dressed up too! The party is at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions...let's hope that we have more fun at the party then we did this year watching them play! LOL

This was Daddy telling Lil D to "Chill out" LOLOL Dakota was sooooo excited!!


What Christmas is all about! :)


Our tree....simple & traditional


I thought this was soooo cute! That's our cat Joey :)


Daddy giving Dakota a little lift to put the Angel on the tree

I got this tree at Home Depot...isn't it cute?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving. It is a day to give thanks. A day to gather with family & friends, to thank the Lord for everything He has given throughout the year. This year the Lord has provided so many things for me & my family. Have there been rough times? Sure...but He has gotten us through. Tough spots? Certainly! But, our Lord has proven time and time again how Awesome & Powerful He is!!

Here are just a few things that I am thanking God for this year:

• 
  Providing my husband with a good stable job so that I was able to quit mine to stay home with our son!
• When Dakota had a scare and had to have surgery, it ended up being something considered routine, and not cancerous!!
• When Brian ended up with a virus & was un-responsive, the Lord brought him back to us & healed him!
• Dakota started Kindergarten and loves to learn!
• We were able to have some updates done on our house!
• The Lord blessed me years ago with a husband that is perfect for me!
• We celebrated our 1st anniversary of Dakota's adoption being finalized!!!

This thanksgiving, I am so very thankful that even though we don't deserve it, the Lord is always our helper, provider, healer & comforter! He is our strength when we are weak & the One that we can always count on.

Here are a few pictures from the Brown 2008 Thanksgiving. We had dinner at our place & I did all of the cooking. My mom & dad & brother & niece came over to eat with us.....hope yours was a great one!!

Brian, Mom, Dad, & brother (Mike) chatting in the Living Room


Dakota & cousin Kayla playing with the V-Tech

Me standing in front of the Feast! :)

Kayla

My Thanksgiving Fixens! ;0)

This & That

So, today I went and volunteered in Dakota's classroom. It was fun...they made Stone Soup. I must say though that volunteering in Dakota's class has gotten me thinking....

Would Lil D be better off if he was Homeschooled?

What has gotten me thinking is that he seems to really have a lot of play time at his school. He also watches a lot of videos. Now, I am not against having a recess or an educational video here and there...but his seem excessive. Last week when I was there, they watched 2 videos back to back! One was a Leap Frog Letter Factory...which is educational (we actually have it at home) & the other was some Fox & the Hound social learning video. I'm thinking that these are things that they can watch at home....and they do!! The other day that I volunteered last week, they had play time for like an hour! Again, I am not against a short recess...but an hour? He is only there for 3 hours every day! In my opinion, these kids should be learning the whole time! If he were going full day, then I can see having recess & a lunch. But, he has play time, sometimes videos, and a snack time...all in 3 hours time. That doesn't leave very much time for learning, in my opinion.

His teacher is new to teaching Kindergarten. She was a Middle School teacher prior to this. She is a cool person, but can be picky & short with the kids too. She doesn't seem to be a very organized person either. For instance, when the kids have the video hour...her and the other Kindergarten class teacher are planning. Shouldn't they be doing that before or after school?? Maybe if they did, they wouldn't have to throw the video on. It makes me think that maybe they are throwing videos in or having play time so that they can get stuff done. Today, they did a short activity where they were supposed to take letters that they cut out & paste them onto a rectangler piece of construction paper. Easy enough, right? Well, not planned well. The letters didn't fit onto the construction paper...they were too large. So, the kids ended up just writing (in pencil) "Happy Thanksgiving" instead.

Maybe I am being picky...I don't know. But, it's definitely gotten Brian and I thinking. I am going to look into the whole Homeschooling thing & also Virtual School (just heard of that one today!).

I started a new Yahoo Group this week for Christian Adoptive Mom's or Mom's to be! I really wanted some place to be able to share with others that believe the same as I do & also have adoption in common! So far we have 13 ladies...not too shabby, eh? I truly hope that it will be a place to share our adoption experiences, encourage others who are just starting out on the adoption road, pray for one another, talk about our lives & families! If you have or are adopting and are interested in joining, just let me know & I'll be happy to send you an invite! :)

I am looking forward to having a couple of days off with my family. It will be nice to have Brian home for a few days & just enjoy some relaxation. We are having Thanksgiving dinner here at our place. My parents & brother & niece are coming over. Should be a good time. I haven't made a full Thanksgiving dinner in a few years...it will be challenging! LOL On Friday we are putting up the Christmas tree & decorations....CAN'T WAIT! I love seeing the Holiday's through my son's eyes...it really is magical!

I Love Cake!

Mom is great....gives us the chocolate cake! :) (You have to had seen the old Bill Cosby Himself clip to really appreciate that line!) Yesterday was Family Day! I made the cake that Mr. Man so specifically requested....Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Frosting, White Letters, & our family drawn on top! Dunkin Hines....Yum! Simple, yet Classic! It turned out pretty well, if I should say so myself! Here is a picture.....

Here is Lil D licking the mixing spoon! :)

The Finished Product! YUMMY!



The best part of family day was at the end when we were tucking in Dakota. He wanted to talk....so we did! We talked about several things, but the thing that makes me smile is when he told us why he loves us both.... Mom - "Because she takes care of me when I'm sick" Dad - "wrestles with me!". When I asked him today why we celebrated yesterday, his reply was "Because you got me and you adopted me because you loved me & I want to stay here forever. Now we're a FAMILY!" :0) I love that he truly GETS IT!

Today I am doing laundry & I set my menu for Thanksgiving. We are having my parents & brother & niece over.

Here's the Menu:

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Corn
Macaroni & Cheese (the real good kind that you bake in the oven!)
HomeMade Cranberry Sauce
Rolls/Butter
Pumpkin Pie
Apple or some other kind of pie
Veggie Tray

Hopefully everyone will like it! Now I need to make my grocery list!

Ok, I will end today with a totally random picture of my dog Champ. We were watching a movie the other night & Dakota got off of his little couch thing & sat with me. After a few minutes, this is what we saw.....

How cute is he???!!!!

Family Day

November 19, 2007 - Family Day

On Wednesday, one year ago Brian, Dakota & I officially became a family!

In the adoption world, families usually celebrate what a lot of them refer to as 'Gotcha Day' each year, just like you would a child's birthday. Brian is not real keen on the term 'Gotcha Day', so we decided to ask Dakota what he would like to call it. His answer (loudly while throwing his arms up in the air & a HUGE smile on his face) was "FAMILY DAY!" So, 'Family Day' it is! :0)

Brian and I talked tonight & I was saying that I wanted to make a tradition of what we will do every year to celebrate this special day. Well, we decided that we will have Dakota's favorite meal which is also the first dinner that he had with us.....Chicken Tender/Nuggets & french fries :) The only difference is that it won't be at 'McDonald's House' (that's what he used to call it! LOL)...I will make the dinner here at home. I will also make a cake for him too...his favorite...chocolate. He is so cute.... I just asked him (just to double check) what his favorite cake was. His answer was "chocolate cake with chocolate frosting & white letters. One upper case letter & then lower case ones...you know, to spell my name" :0) So...that's it! Guess I will be heading to the store tomorrow for some Dunkin Hines & french fries!

Blogging

Ok....I did it. I started a blog. What now? What the heck would anyone be interested in hearing about? Hmmmmm....let's see. Where to begin?

Dakota is 6 years old now. Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday that he was 4, which is the age he was when we met. However, it seems like he has always been here. Strange, but true! Yet, I find that I get sad sometimes wishing that we had him from day one. I get sad that I missed his first smile, first tooth, first crawl. But at the same time, I feel incredibly blessed for the time that we have had him! He is such a light in a sometimes rough & tumble world. He is sunshine to us! He started Kindergarten and seems to like it. Although, he does have some rough days, he is progressing. Do you know that when the teacher tested the kids a couple of weeks ago for Conferences, he acted like he didn't know what came after the number 19? Little stinker can count a lot higher than that!!! I, of course, explained to his teacher that he does know how to count to 25 and past that! He just gets in these moods where he doesn't want to tell you what he knows. When Brian and I questioned him why he didn't count for the teacher, his reply was "I didn't want her to know it". Stinker. He is so cute though! :) Right now, the poor baby is sick with Strep Throat. He came home from school Wednesday and said that his 'brain' hurt. Then the fever started & went to 103 over night. In the morning he had the sore throat. He couldn't even keep soft foods like jello, applesauce, juice, or his meds down yesterday! Today is a new day though! His last fever was at 4am! It is now 6pm and he hasn't had one all day! He is keeping the chicken broth, popsicle, jello & juice down and is doing & looking soooo much better! Best of all, he is wanting to get out of bed & play :) I miss the huge amount of cuddling that was going on yesterday though! ;0) heehee!

Brian is doing well. He still is loving his job as Human Resource Manager at a Utility Company Downtown. It is highly stressful, but he enjoys the work. It can be really difficult on him sometimes though...especially having to terminate someone. Last month he gave us a huge scare when he ended up in the E/R after a root canal. At one point in the hospital, we couldn't wake him!! Talk about scary!!! Turns out he had a bacterial infection that was transmitted during the procedure! I am so very thankful that he got better quickly! I am very thankful for the husband that God chose for me. He is such a good husband & father. He is at the grocery store as I type this picking me up a few things...and of course, a toy for our Lil Man who is sick. ;0)

As for me, I am enjoying being a Stay at Home Mom. I like being here for Dakota when he gets home from school! I have even started to volunteer in his classroom! I absolutely love it! Next year when Dakota starts to go to school all day, I will be going back to work part-time. I hope to find something working at a school, or in medical billing at home. I have a year to find something, so we will see!

We just got a few things done on the house! I am soooo excited to have it all done & not have to deal with the contractors anymore! LOL It looks like a brand new home from the outside! We got new vinyl siding, gutters & doors! Then on the inside, we got new carpet in the living room, wood laminant in the kitchen, a new kitchen table, new bedroom furniture, and a new HD Flat Screen and stand. It really looks nice! I am including before and after pics so that you can see :) Now, I will be working on painting.....the garage doors, fence, & the living room, kitchen, bathroom, & our bedroom. Not sure what colors yet for the inside, but it will be fun choosing!

That's it for now. Until next time....these are.....

Dawn's Days!

Kitchen Floor & Table Before...

Kitchen After :)


Living Room Before....

Living Room After....

Old Door Before...

Siding Before....

Siding & Doors After :)

Siding & Doors - Rear of House