Christmas is coming!

Holiday season is in full swing and so far we have enjoyed the Christmas parade, Christmas tree hunting, and visiting Holiday Lights.  We loved watching Zachary earn his white and yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do.  I have watched Zack in class, but you can't hear anything with the door shut.  His teacher, Master Lee, is such an incredible teacher.  You could see how the kids responded to him as he praised, taught, and congratulated them.  I am so glad that Zack wanted to join as I think it has done great things for his confidence.

Today was our first snowday and we had a great day.  We all enjoyed time outside and had a rousing snowball fight, with both boys having incredibly good aim.  A small but quite adorable snowman was built (thanks Aunt Louise for the snowman kit all those years ago) and hot chocolate was enjoyed by all.  We ended the night with decorating a gingerbread train and making snickerdoodles; a relaxing day it was not:)  But, a very fun one none the less.

I love watching how Zack and Alex grow and change.  Alex is so taken by the wonder of the season and jumps with excitement at every commercial and Christmas special.  He races to every destination and copies everything that Zack does, telling me he's a big boy.  Zack on the other hand, has the swagger that I dare say he was born with.  He still love his Star Wars, but AC/DC is up there as well.  We are going to a school play next week where Zachary is the lead-Scrooge.  The British accent is alive and well in our home and Zack is practicing his lines like a pro.  Though he is cool 5th grader by day, I look forward to our bedtime ritual of Zack and I reading our bedtime books to Alex.  Special times.                                                                  

It was a great fall!

It seems so hard to believe that the end of fall is here and Christmas is around the corner!  We have been a busy family these last few months and are looking forward to slowing down a little.  Fall was filled with lots of fun things.  We visited Westpoint and enjoyed a great concert given by the Marine Corps Band. The Baldwins went apple picking at Bowman's and played lots of Nerf guns at the fire house.  I was busy with our local adoption group, AFCR, going to workshops, helping at at the Adoption Fair at the Marriot, and enjoying brunch with my sons and other familes formed by adoption.  It is so great to see our kids laugh and play together, and funny to hear them compare birthplaces, making it sound boring if someone was born in the USA;)
Alex has returned to day care and is loving life.  He enjoys spending time with Cheryl and all of his friends.  Every day in the car I ask him how his day was, and Alex's reply is usually, "I had fun at Cheryl's today Mommy."  He is learning his colors, can count, and knows his ABC's!  Every day is an adventure with Alex, and his goal is to be as mischevious along the way as possible.  The sun continues to rise and set with Zack, and Alex has even convinced him to join us when reading our bedtime stories. 

Zachary has had a great return to school and is an A student.  He has begun playing the trombone and loves it.  I am pleasantly surprised that he sounds so good already.  Tae Kwon Do is a new activity for Zack as well, and he loves showing us what Master Lee has taught him.  His band, The Burnin' Rockers continue to thrive, and we have had many weekends of practice and a couple "concerts" thrown into the mix as well.  My son the rocker;) 

Halloween came and went, with a very busy (and soggy) night.  The boys trick or treated in the rain with a friend and their cousins Emily, Kara, and Morgan.  After collecting the loot, all of the kids were in the boys' clothes as everyone was completely soaked.  The next week we had an assembly to attend as Zachary was named a student of good character.  He was so proud of himself, as we were of him.  

Thanksgiving is next week and my class has already cooked 71 pounds of turkey and prepped 10 bags of stuffing for our 12th annual Thanksgiving dinner.  Having my own Thanksgivning dinner on Thursday should be a breeze;)  Happy Thanksgiving everyone:)

Two questions: Who's three??????? and Was Emily that bored???????

No, Emily was just that exhausted. My sweet niece was an active participant in Alex's birthday party and just couldn't party any more.
My baby turned three today! It doesn't seem possible that Alex is so big, and growing into a little man. Alex is his own person, and he has such a big personality. Whatever he does, he does it with gusto (even if we don't want him to;). Nothing is out of bounds for him, Don caught him putting his foot into the sink tonight because it was dirty (mind you he climbed up the bathroom sink to get there). He is my daredevil.
Some days I just look at Alex and Zack and wonder what the future will bring. Adoption will give us a lifetime of surprises and I am thinking that Alex will be full of them.
Toodles!

Enjoying Summer Vacation

The Baldwin boys have been busy this summer! Besides playing with friends and family, Zack is going to camp a few days a week and we have been busy vacationing in Maine and Cape Cod. Music seems to be Zack's favorite thing to do; he even sang karaoke at a restaurant in Maine (AC/DC of course). He and Kara dug up a lot of sand crabs and enjoyed going from the beach to the pool to the beach to the (you get the idea:) Alexander found his inner beach and LOVED playing in the sand. He even seemed to be surfing, though much of the time there was no water under him, only sand. I have spent most of the summer in physical therapy as I pinched discs in my back in late June. It has been slow going but I seem to on the mend. Gosh it stinks to get older.

Happy Family Day Alexander Peter

Two years ago today Don, Zack, Papa, and I went to court and Alex legally became our son. It doesn't seems like he has been our son for that long, yet it seems like forever. Alex is such a character and a fun loving boy. He is talking, running, and learning so much every day (not to mention the injuries that come all to frequently). Every day is an adventure to Alex, and currently his favorites include balls, horses, fire trucks, and of course his big brother.
Though I miss the baby days when we gave Alex bottles and rocked with him, I can't wait to see how he grows and changes.

Spring is here!

It seems like spring has finally come (though I did see the snow fly last week on my way to work). The boys are loving the nice weather and we have enjoyed spending time outdoors. Zack is playing baseball again and is FINALLY A YANKEE. He played a game on Friday and got a single, made a few good plays, and scored a run. He was happy with his performance and we had fun cheering him on. Alex yelled the whole game, it was so cute hearing him bellow "Go Zack" and "Go Yankees", looking for Zack on the field every chance he got.
Culture day for our adoption group was this past weekend and the kids had a ball. We did a lot of crafts from their birth countries and had a parade marching across the room with flag from their birth countries. We even had local Girl Scouts come and help out, which was great. It is so wonderful to see all of the kids interact and we all enjoy spending time together. The boys ran all over, and the event ended with the annual playground visit (while all of the moms picked up of course).

An Update That Is Far Overdue

Enjoying A Night At Home


Time to Decorate The Eggs!


Zachary Making The Perfect Egg


The Boys At The Batting Cages


How I Love My Boys

Ok, I know that I have been reaaaalllllyyyy bad about keeping this updated in the last few months. I am trying to be the dutiful daughter/mother and fill these four posts with what our lives have been like since Christmas and our trip to Disney. We settled into the new year and life continued as usual. The boys have grown and changed so much over the past year. It is amazing how quickly it all goes.
Zachary is wonderful, maddening, and as funny as usual. He is doing so well in school this year, getting great grades and still loving Star Wars. Somehow he has Don and I, his grandparents, and Uncle Corey looking for the latest and most valuable action figure. I would just love the money that represents all of those figures; the money that we spend on those we love;) Baseball has started and all of the craziness that comes with it. Zach is excited, and though we again are not the Yankees, Don thinks that they have a good team this year.
Alexander is getting so big and his language has really taken off. He talks so much, and loves that he can get his wants ands needs across to us. Alex asks to play with friends and family daily, also wanting firehouse visits as it seems that he has gotten "the bug". We have gone to the firehouse to play nerf guns and Alex is hiding around corners and making Marines proud everywhere. Sports balls are a favorite of Alex's and he constantly wants to be outside to play basketball and baseball; he is so cute trying to imitate his brother.
Easter has just come and the boys had a great day. Alex "got it" and followed Zach like a puppuy, looking for eggs. "No ho ho, bunny, mommy," was what I heard this morning. ALex LOVED the candy and pretty much went on a healthy food strike for the day. We went to my sister's for brunch and then to Don's grandmother's, and the boys had a ball playing with all of their cousins. I hope you enjoyed the update!

Let's Hope Spring 2009

A Night At The Batting Cages


Getting Ready For The Season


Come On, These Boys Are Adorable!


Two Future Firefighters


He Is Such A Little Devil;)

Winter 2009

Is Nap Time Really Over? Hi Holly!


The Very Best of Brothers


Movie Night With the Films


Sweet Kara


The Kids Enjoying Movie Night

Winter 2009

Relaxing at Home



Happy Birthday Papa!

Em and Alex; The Best Of Friends!