Halloween!

We've been busy over the past few weeks, enjoying the beautiful Oregon fall weather and getting ready for Halloween. We visited Heiser's Pumpkin Patch and the kids got to ride at the front of the mule-drawn wagon down to get the pumpkins, which they were thrilled with. We've been reading the Little House books, so Aidan was especially interested in the size of the wagon and the speed (or lack thereof), as he imagined traveling across the country in it. He and Bridget also got to shoot the pumpkin cannon, which was a big honor. Bridget wasn't particularly impressed but Aidan was stoked (as were all the men in the family who secretly wished they got to do it.) On Halloween we went to Cole's football game at Linfield and then did a little trick-or-treating before heading to my parents for a little party. We ate great food and enjoyed the company of good friends and family. Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Zinabu Czarnecki the Zebra!

Aidan (Snake Eyes), Bridget (the princess) and their friend Jeremiah (the Clone Trooper)

Zinabu at Cole's football game on Halloween

Pumpkin patch hay ride!

Aidan off to find the perfect pumpkin . . .

Daddy and Zbu watching the pumpkin cannons

Massive Picture Post

We've had a busy summer, full of family gatherings, trips to Chapters and hanging out at the park. Here are a few snapshots of the past few months . . .

All three, tired from jumping on Aunt Courtney's bed

They can always talk Tim into reading to them at Chapters . . .


Grandma and Zbu

"Camping" with Grandpa in the tent

Grandpa and Bridgey

Aunt Courtney and The Bu


Bridget being Bridget

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McMinnville CityFaire was a fun Saturday at the park with police cars and fire trucks, free ice cream and hot dogs, and balloons. Afterwards we went to Uncle Cole's first football game of the year. It was about 95 degrees but we found some shade for the kids and had a great time.

Bridget and Aidan in a police car at CityFaire

Ice cream is good!


Zbu didn't enjoy the hat or the bright sun at CityFaire
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We had a great family picnic with Cole's girlfriend Lindsey's family to end the summer . . .

Aunt Lisby and The Bu

Uncle Cole, the coach


Uncle Cole and Lindsey


Aunt Holly and Grandma, drinking "tea" that Bridget made them

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Aidan got to go to "football camp" at Linfield with Uncle Cole in August

Running through the dummies

Getting a drink from the fountain thing was the coolest part!
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Stefan's family came over for a barbecue when Aunt Beth was in town . . .

Bridgey and Aunt Beth

Zbu finds her hilarious . . .

Aunt Mary finding blackberries with Bridget in the backyard

Have you ever seen a bigger ham for the camera?

Loving his Omi

Bridget and Poppop
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Stefan and Aidan had a "guys day out" where they went out to breakfast, to Evergreen Air Museum and then to see the new Ice Age.

Apparently ski masks are necessary when going out to a man's breakfast.

Future fighter pilot

That night they camped out in the yard, something Aidan had wanted to do all summer.

Pictures!

Click here to see some of our recent family photos, taken by Heather Espana of Espana Photography. We are so happy with the way they turned out! Her website is www.espanaphotography.com if you want to check out some of her other work!

We're still here!

Zinabu and his buddy from the care center at the Holt Picnic!

Aidan loves his baby brother

He really is this happy most of the time!

A pesto pasta fan . . .

Big 3 year old!

I know I've been terrible about keeping this thing updated but we're still here and doing well. Zinabu has 8 teeth - 6 of which he got in the first 6 weeks we were home! That made for long sleepless nights and zombie-like parents but things got better a few weeks ago. We moved him down into Bridget's room last week and so far he's been sleeping really well there. We loved having him in our room for attachment purposes but he had grown out of the co-sleeper and was able to pull himself to a sit in it, which wasn't safe. Stefan converted part of Bridget's built-in closet to a crib, which I think is really cute, and we should be able to convert the railing to something lower in the future for a toddler bed. Bridget really never used that part of her closet so it was really a better use of the space.

Zinabu is amazingly healthy and happy. He loves being around people and we feel like he's attached well to us so far. When we walk into the room he lights up, and if he's being held by someone else he squirms and cries for us. He is very content unless he's hungry and we constantly have people commenting on how "chill" he is. Bridget and Aidan are huge fans and

Bridget turned three on July 14th and is very proud of it :-) She loves pink, princesses, ballet, and anything else remotely girly. There was a point when Bridget was really young where I made a point of telling people that she was not going to be "girly" - she would be a strong, independent girl with a mind of her own. Somehow Bridgey has managed to be strong (willed), independent, with a mind of her own (that she loves to speak to anyone nearby) and yet a completely girly-girl.

Aidan will be 6 in September and our big focus right now is on getting ourselves ready for homeschooling! I'm using a curriculum called Oak Meadow that uses Waldorf methods, which I'm really excited about. Waldorf is an educational philosophy that emphasizes interdisciplinary teaching, incorporating the natural world into all aspects of education, focusing on the arts rather than just including them, and allowing children to develop as individuals. It's really an ideal curriculum for homeschooling but I'm definitely learning about it as I go, because it's not a "traditional" way of doing things.

Our days will be composed of stories and songs, nature walks, painting and drawing, and cooking, knitting, and playing the recorder. Lots of fun, but right now I'm in the midst of figuring out a basic schedule for our weeks (I'll continue working 2 days a week) and writing some stories that will help teach math concepts. The best part about this is that Aidan is really excited about it and that makes it all worth it. It's also something that Bridget can participate in 90% of the time so that should make things easier. We'll just try to do most things while Zinabu is napping!

"Orphan" Movie

Warner Brothers is releasing a movie called "Orphan" that really upsets me. It's basically a horror movie about a little girl who is adopted and turns out to be possessed or something. Many people have already complained about the movie and our adoption agency posted a statement on their blog that I've copied below. You can click on the link to sign a petition against the movie but even if you don't want to do that, I would encourage you to think about the connotations that these stereotypes have for adopted kids and what you can do to change things.

Here is Holt's statement:

We at Holt International want to inform our constituents about a movie entitled “Orphan” scheduled to be released in July by Warner Brothers. We are concerned about media depictions that demean or degrade children. We are especially alarmed about the movie’s negative portrayal of adoption and children in need of families.

As adults we have a responsibility to speak out and advocate on behalf of our children. Many people have already contacted Warner Brothers with their concerns, and at least two groups have developed petitions to respectfully protest the messaging of this movie. One group, Orphans Deserve Better, has developed a website to mobilize efforts against the film. Please review their petition’s information and include your voice among those who are making it clear you do not support the movie “Orphan.”

Warner Brothers has already responded to initial protests about the movie and made efforts to remove some the offensive language from the movie’s original trailer. In response to pressure from adoptive parents and other concerned individuals, Warner Brothers has removed the line: “It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own,” from recently released trailers. However, it remains unclear whether or not the line was removed from the movie.

Now we have three ...

Pictures

The first meeting - I was a wreck!

He smiled when he saw us on the second day - we almost got it on camera!

Stefan and Z on the first day

Tummy time!

Traditional dancers

Cows in the road - there were sooo many herds of animals that wandered into the road when we drove through rural areas.

Coffee ceremony

Papyrus canoe on the Nile

Wild coffee!