Matt's Birthday

So last Monday night, we celebrated Matt's 46th birthday.
Nona cooked a feast (as usual)...broiled scallops, rice, asparagus, and brussel sprouts.
But the piece de resistance was the Sunshine cake for dessert.

Mateo has mastered candle blowing...and he always wants to help now.
I think Nona has been using those plastic flowers as accessories since Matt was Mateo's age!!

Mateo's smile just melts my heart...and his laugh warms my soul!!

Dan admires one of Matt's presents (a corded Dremel)...the cordless one he got for our wedding five years ago has finally kicked the battery bucket.

Mateo is such a big helper....the only problem is when Mama wants to save the paper...
then he might not be such a big helper!!

This coming week has lots in store for us. On Wednesday, we will start our morning at Catholic Charities having our entrance interview to begin a second adoption process officially. And at 1:30, we will be in a Marion County Courthouse seeing a judge to finalize our re-adoption of Mateo. The re-adoption accomplishes two things: we can change his name from William A. Miller (which is what all of our Guatemalan paperwork says) to Mateo William Miller, and it will allow for an Oregon Vital Statistics Birth Certificate (that lists us as parents and says he was born in Guatemala). That way when we try to sign him up for little league or something, his birth certificate will look like every other kids. We're taking friends to take pictures, so we'll try to post some on Wednesday night.

Looking forward to Boise Book Club next weekend...and cousin play time.

Hugs from Oregon, Sarah

A few more park pics

Sun in February???

So today, I cooked with my dear friend Angela Murphy for a couple of hours and made about 15 meals to put in the freezer...things like teriyaki tri-tip steak, chicken noodle soup, and parmesan chicken. Anyway, the sun was out, and the kitchen got warm, so when we finished, I asked Matt if we could go to the local park for a picnic.
As you can tell from these pictures, we did go, but we failed to imagine the impact of the shade trees which make the park so cool in the dead of summer. Well, in February, it blocks the sun which changes the temperature from about 50 degrees, to just about 40 degrees. That 10 degrees makes a huge difference!

Mateo loved the merry-go-rounds...both the horse-y version for little kids, and the big kid version. The city plans to replace the park equipment this year...which will be nice. The same metal that is hot hot hot in the summer, is cold cold cold in the winter!

Yeah, the crocuses are coming up...it makes me remember that spring is just around the corner! They reach upwards towards the sun, much like I do when it graces us with its presence. How glorious is February with sunshine!!!!!!

Mateo is perched upon one of the fabulous rock walls that Matt slaved over...and the crocus garden is at the base of our lilac bushes...which should bloom gloriously this year! What an amazing spring it will be.

Here's to hoping there is sun where you live!! Hugs, Sarah & Matt & Mateo

Annual Pilgrimage to the Sun

So each year in February, we take a trip to the sun. It was part of the deal about moving to Oregon from Boise. In Boise, the sun shines 300+ days of the year, and in Oregon, it rains like 300 days out of the year (so, not really 300, but it sure seems like it). So, by February, I have had enough and we go somewhere sunny. It is also a celebration month for us (my birthday, Valentine's day, our wedding anniversary, and Matt's birthday are all within 20 days of each other.)

The first year we were married we went to Sedona, Arizona...the second we went to Big Island, Hawaii...the third we went to Guatemala to meet Mateo for the first time...last year, we stayed close to home and went to the Beach one weekend when it was sunny. This year, we made last minute plans to head to Las Vegas.

Matt and Mateo flew down on Thursday morning, to hang out with Matt's college friend Troy Baker and his family (mom=Kristi, daughter=Morgan, son=Kyle). Matt was such good friends with them, that he was the videographer when Kristi delivered Morgan more than 13 years ago. Anyway, the gang hung out and did all that stuff (like reminiscing about the ol' days) and I flew down on Saturday afternoon. Troy scored us a room at Caesar's Palace and show tickets to see Riveria (sort of like Cirque de Soleil on Ice). Plus, they even kept Mateo on Saturday night for us.

Yesterday, we were hanging out with the family and even made dinner together. Today, we took Morgan & Kyle with us to see the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Everybody agreed that the coolest part was the touch pool, where kids with long enough arms got to touch manta rays.

LEAVE IT TO MAMA TO MISS THE GOOD SHOT...

THE TWO KIDS HAD THE RIGHT IDEA!

I am headed home tonight and the boys will come home tomorrow. Of course, Murphy's Law is that it has been wonderful weather in Oregon this week...and the rain is scheduled to return on Tuesday. Oh well...we are well sunned, no matter where it occurred.

We are now officially three holidays down in February...only one more to go. Have I told you lately how much I love Mateo's smile? He has learned to rub noses for kissing...which makes my heart melt. Hard to tell who was my bigger Valentine this year...the dada or the baby. Kind of nice to get to have two!!

Love from Las Vegas...Sarah & the boys.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

So I hear that many of you have been checking the blog to see what we would have to say about the Patriots loss last Sunday. Well, the mourning is officially over at our house. Mateo helped me make football sugar cookies...helmets and footballs. He is an expert helper...and he loves the football sprinkles.

Mateo is experiencing all five senses on a regular basis. Today he turned the baby yogurt ramekin upside down and played in it. Matt was inspired by his food art, so he shot this picture.
We have had a couple of birthdays...I turned 33 on Tuesday. Nona made a feast of crab to celebrate...topped off with a Lemon Chiffon pie. It's the kind of pie that when you are full to your eyeballs of crab, you can still make room for it. MMM...good.

Today, our goddaughter Maddie turned six. She came over to our house to make chocolate chip cookies to celebrate. Here she is scooping the "fruits of her labor"...and taste wise...
...well the smile says it all. Happy birthday to my favorite six year old god daughter.

Hugs from Silverton, Sarah