Time Keeps On Ticking………………

Well, here we are, waiting for Nolan to join us. I guess he’s going to come when he gets good and ready and not when it’s convenient for anyone. I’m guessing that he’s going to be a pretty independent little guy anyway. My guess is that he’ll be much more active and demand a lot more attention than Avery did. I’m ready to give him all the attention that he’ll need as I’m sure both Melissa and Gavin are. We just want him to hurry up and come out so we can finally meet him! I’m really excited to see Avery with him since she’s been “hugging and kissing” baby Lonan (aka Nolan) for a long time now. She doesn’t have a clue as to what is about to happen but I know that she’ll be a very good big sister. Melissa’s pregnancy hasn’t been quite as easy this time around. Nolan likes to move around a LOT more than Avery did so Melissa hasn’t been sleeping very good but manages to sneak a few naps in with Avery now and then these days. I’m hoping that by the time I write my next blog, it’ll be full of pictures of our newest family member!

Next week will also mark the one year mark for one of the greatest loves of our lives to join our family, Petros Bekele Engelhardt! I still think about all of the people who loved and supported our family during the time when Dan and Tiffany were waiting to bring Petros home. It was a time in our lives that I will never forget. It seems like he’s been with us forever and I guess in some ways, he really has. Petros is so handsome, smart, sensitive and loving. I cannot think of another child his age that is as caring as Petros. I love him so much! Dan and Tiffany celebrated their Family Day yesterday, which was the 1 year anniversary of the day they met Petros, by taking him out for dinner. They went to a Mexican restaurant since they know that Petros loves spicy food. We’ll all be taking a trip to Funtown to celebrate. I’m sure he’ll love that! I also look forward to seeing Petros with Nolan. He says that he doesn’t want to hold him but I’m sure that will change as soon as he comes to the hospital to see him.

This past week/weekend........

was a pretty good one! On Thursday night, I went to see a play, "Always, Patsy Cline" with the Tuesday Night Supper Club girls (TNSC). While it wasn't as good as the same play that I'd seen in Austin, we still had a good time.

Petros visited his new preschool that he'll be going to in Portland on Thursday and loved it! He even participated in "Show and Tell" and showed everyone his watch. All of the kids loved it and said that they also wanted a watch. That made him feel pretty important! He'll start preschool on September 8th. He'll go 3 days one week and 2 the next. That should work out great for Tiffany's work schedule. Daddy will be dropping him off on his way to work in the morning and will be picking him up at night (that's IF Tiffany can stand to get out of work and not go pick him up herself!!)

On Saturday, Melissa, Avery and I went to the Carter's outlet to "make sure we hadn't missed anything for Nolan"......... That's always fun! When we ask Avery "Who goes shopping?" She says: "Nana, Mommy and Avery!". She's got that one down pat! The shirt she's wearing below was one of our purchases. CUTE! We enjoyed just hanging out at the house for the rest of the day and were surprised to see the sun pop out around 4:00. We took advantage and jumped in the pool.

I'm pretty impressed with Avery's knowledge of Beatles songs. Melissa sings verses to "In My Life" and Avery can finish the song all the way through! A girl after my own heart! She's a lot like her mother.....loves to sing. I remember when Melissa was growing up and on our endless rides from Naples to Portland and back home again, she'd sing the whole way......loudly! It's interesting to see how things come back around...LOL - I have a feeling that this one will too!

Danny and I went to dinner and then to a movie on Saturday night. That's pretty rare these days for us. We're hoping to plan a long weekend after Nolan comes to get away. Our 29th anniversary will be coming up in September so that's probably a perfect excuse.

We had a really good day on Sunday. I watched Petros for the afternoon while Tiff worked and Dan did his Big Brother duties. It was a gorgeous day! After lunch, Petros and I played in the pool for almost 4 hours!! (Nana got burned to a crisp!!)

Petros learned to swim under water without plugging his nose which was a pretty big deal for him. He also likes it when Daddy or Papa throw him up high in the pool and he goes under water........AH! my nerves!! He's come a LONG way since last year......check him out!

We ended the the weekend with an impromptu barbecue of hamburgers, hot dogs as well as salads and desserts. Dan, Tiffany, Petros, Gavin, Melissa, Avery, Felipe, Marcella, Sofia and Danny's parents joined us.

I had a really great weekend! I want more like these!

The countdown begins...........I'm getting soooo excited!

Our Summer (so far)

So far, it’s been a pretty wet and soggy summer. I’m really hoping that things start drying up. We’ve had a few good days to swim in the pool but haven’t been able to enjoy it as much as we have in the past. Petros has become a little fish this year. He enjoys being thrown and going under water. He knows that this makes Nana a little nervous and he yells to me to watch his new trick while his Daddy throws him and I have a small heart attack! Avery has graduated from the kiddy pool up on the side of the pool to jumping in (holding our hands) while being very careful not to get her face wet. This is pretty good progress for her since she didn’t want anything to do with the pool at the beginning of the summer. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that it was under 70 degrees!

We held a baby shower on June 14th for Melissa. We had a great turn out and the kids all had a great time watching and “helping” Melissa open the gifts. Melissa and Gavin received a lot of very nice gifts for Nolan. Avery was more interested in stealing strawberries from the food table that day!
Dan and Petros surprised Danny with tickets to a Red Sox game on Father’s Day! Despite a little rain, they had a really great time. They went to Addis Red Sea (an Ethiopian restaurant) for dinner. Petros can never get enough!!

We went to Storyland a few weeks ago and had a great time. I really wanted us to all go as a family because I had never taken my own kids. I’m not sure why since it was less than an hour away from the house that they grew up in. I’m sure it had to do with finances back then. The kids had so much fun! Petros was his usual dare devil self and Avery even went on a few of the rides even though Mommy thought she might be too little.

Dan, Tiffany and Petros went to Franklin Pierce College in Massachusetts this past weekend for an Ethiopian Culture Camp. They all had a fantastic time and said that it was a life changing experience for them. This is second of course to their trip to Ethiopia last year. I plan on going with them next year and am looking forward to it. I will also be tagging along when they go back to Ethiopia to bring a new sister home for Petros. Maybe next year??!!

We are eagerly waiting for the arrival of Mr. Nolan Rand Stone! It will be fun to have a new baby join our family. I look forward to seeing how Avery and Petros will react when they meet him. I’m sure Avery will be a great big sister and a big help to Mommy and Daddy. Melissa and Gavin are all ready for his arrival.

Wow!! We've really had a busy summer so far..............

I've decided to start blogging again so that my family and I will be able to look back at the memories from the past. What a great thing to be able to leave behind for future generations of my family to look back on one day, so they know who I am and what kind of person I was. The views on my blog are simply, my own. Whether people agree or disagree is not important to me. This blog belongs to me and it's a place that I will continue to share times in my life that mean something to me and will hopefully one day, mean something to my family.
Since joining the Facebook world, I've let my blog fall to the wayside. I much prefer this these days but of course I'll still maintain Facebook contact with everyone.
I've also decided to make it my own blog instead of both Danny & I. He likes to read it but quite honestly, I'm the only one writing it anyway!
My goal will be to write something once a week. Even if it's short. Let's see if I can keep this up!!