Daddy & Son Day

Today Mommy got a much needed break. RJ and I had a Daddy & Son day and Mommy got to stay at home and relax. I decided to take RJ to Airfield Farm and Antique Car Museum.

As you can see in the picture (or perhaps you can't) RJ got to see the Easter bunny hiding behind a chicken. He also got to see cows, sheep, pigs and ducks. Unfortunately, nothing interested him more than the buckle in his stroller.


His favorite animals were the chickens. He loved standing behind the fence and watching them run around. He was a little more timid around the larger animals but still liked petting the ponies.

He is not a big fan of sheep. I had him sitting on my knee next to one of the sheep pens and tried to get him to pet the sheep. The sheep bleated loudly right in his face; RJ began to cry. For the rest of the day we couldn't come within 10 feet of a sheep. Here's RJ's woolen nemesis:


We had a fun day and RJ slept all the way home. The End.

Happy Birthday, RJ!

Today is RJ's Birthday! We had a party for him this weekend (we limited the guest list to mostly family, so please no offense if you weren't invited). His grandma made him a bear shaped birthday cake and he just loved it - as witnessed by the picture.

Although I had many profound thoughts throughout the day, the one that struck me the most was just how lucky Beth and I are that RJ came into our lives.

We endured a lot of heartache and struggle to get to February 1, 2009. Now one year later, it's easy to say that it's all been worth it. It was easy to say that since the adoption was finalized, but it doesn't hurt to say it again. RJ is a blessing beyond blessings. In fact, Beth and I feel so blessed that we'll be re-entering the adoptive parent pool later this month.

This is one of the reasons that Beth and RJ aren't joining me full-time Dublin. We need to maintain residency in Illinois to be eligible to be in the adoption pool. So if we're doubly blessed, RJ will have a little brother or little sister sometime in the (hopefully near) future.

RJ says, "Thank you for all the presents," but it sounds more like "buh buh bah mah nuh dah"