Future city & home!

We are visiting Salt Lake City to meet our future church and school family and check out our new city and home. They are all wonderful and beautiful!

SLC is in a valley so we are surrounded by mountains. Yesterday we went to the zoo with a former classmate of Justin and me. She has two boys and a baby girl and Coen fits right in the middle of the boys age-wise. He had a blast.

Justin had a blast watching the church's softball team play and hang out after the game. (I did as well.) The team members were very personable and had a fun time laughing and joking around. Coen, once again, found friends and Hallie slept the whole time in my Moby wrap. (The game began after her normal bedtime.)

Now, not to make anyone jealous, but Hallie has been sleeping 8-11 hour stretches at night. She is just the best! :)

Buster enjoys having a doggy friend here (Maizey) and a fenced-in backyard. He has been running or sleeping most of the time.

Here are some photos!
























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Superheroes

Superhero Coen can, obviously fly since he has a cape. Superhero Baby Katie has a (hanger) mask so she can breathe underwater and rescue people. Super Vilskis!



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Alert!

Halina is very alert and getting so strong and big!














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Coen tucks in Hallie

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Morning Snuggles!

In the mornings, Coen waits for the green 7 (7:00 on his multi-colored digital clock) and then comes in to greet Halina and me. When Hallie wakes up, we usually have some snuggle time. It's so cute and they are both equally excited to see each other.






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Hallie's Nap Song

Hallie heard this song on Spotify radio and started to fall asleep. The song switched and she woke up. So we listened to it on repeat for and hour, and when I couldn't take it anymore, I changed it to yet another soothing, vocals song. She immediately woke up. Thanks, Bruno....


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Warning: may eventually cause embarrassment

This is her "working on a diaper" face!


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Snuggly Siblings

A little snuggle session from this morning!

Droolery

Coen just yelled out, "Look, mama! Hallie has some droolery (rhymes with jewelry)! She will get teeth soon!"


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Justin v. Coen

4ish-year-old Justin


4ish-year-old Coen



4ish-year-old Veronica


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Wisconsin fun!

We took a lovely trip to Wisconsin a couple weeks ago to visit lots of family. We had a blast, but unfortunately everyone got sick. Except me. Yay...(sarcastic).
Here are some fun photos!

Auntie Kelly and Hallie chatting


Halina and Gramma Cookie


The boys!


Cousins Seth (5 months) and Hallie (2 months)!


Isaac and Coen really took their time with menu decisions.





We escaped the sickies with Aunt Jessica to knode park in Whitefish Bay.


Ticketed out on the way to the airport to fly home.


Happy airplane girl!


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One Month Appointment

One month! Tall and the doctor commented on her long legs and her large noggin. Lots of brains and beauty already :) She even smiled for him and convinced him that her smiles weren't accidental (come on, Doc).



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Log choppers

Yesterday the guys chopped wood to use in our little fire pit in the coming months. We used it once and had some delicious s'mores!

Coen helped Justin by sitting on the logs while Justin used a saws-all to chop up the wood.







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Eastertime

Today is the day before Easter and we did fun stuff. Justin and Coen washed our car and Coen got to do an underwater egg hunt at a city pool.

Here are the egg-hunting boys! Coen got the underwater and floating ones. So well-rounded :)





There was also face painting! Coen was exhausted and so we didn't stay for the other crafts.

Hallie was pretty exhausted, too, from eating, filling her diaper, and growing. With some smiling thrown in there...





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In the hospital

Being in the hospital for Halina's birth was an incredible experience. And I decided I'd rather be in labor than helping from the other side. I now feel ever-so-slightly sympathetic for Justin during my labor and delivery. Very slightly :) it's hard to watch and not really be able to help.

Erica was induced on Thursday afternoon/evening and Hallie came early Saturday morning. To the zombie movie on late night TV that was playing. We had some amazing nurses and doctors and two hospital staff that mostly made us want to rip our hair out. University Hospital is a teaching hospital connected with the University of Colorado so it was a wide variety.

Erica was amazing and brave and strong and I found out that I missed out on fentynol! (I have no idea how to spell it.)

We stayed until Monday morning, which was fine because Sunday brought a big snow storm! Leaving the hospital was easy because I was ready to be home, but also bittersweet because Erica and I had a nice time. (Minus 16-24 hours or so in there...) We stayed in the same room, watched some awesome movies, and ate the most delicious hospital food ever. No sarcasm. Omelets, shrimp
Scampi, herb-crusted salmon, build-your-own burger, you name it! We showed the hospital staff how an adoption can be a joyful experience, even if there will be heartache at some points.

It was so strange to be home with Hallie and not Erica. Every time I introduced someone to Halina I wanted to tell them all about Erica. Which usually would make me tear up. Sometimes I tried but usually people avoid talking about the adoption process and Hallie's birth parents. We, however, feel so blessed that we CAN talk about her birth parents and we have wonderful (and comical) memories to share. I'll share some of the memories with you all. But not all. There are things about which I must not speak (right, Erica? :) )

Love to everyone!!

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Daily life video

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=YItWSHAqqQ0&sns=fb&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYItWSHAqqQ0%26sns%3Dfb


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The coloring monster!

Coen sat (wow!) and colored (ooooh!) for 20 minutes (astonishment!)!

He did an excellent job and he thinks he's ready for preschool next year.






Colored March 2013 - 3 years 8 months



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Another Chapter

Well, I have been a big slacker. Obviously. And these posts will not be in chronological order. They will also vary in length depending upon whether I am using my iPhone or "real" computer.

We have a new addition to the family! And she's not a pet or livestock (as our precious additions have been) :)



Halina "Hallie" June Vilski was born Februrary 23, 2013 at 3:16 AM, measured 19" and weighed 7 1/2 pounds. She is beautiful, calm, and a content baby.

Hallie came to us through her amazing birth mother, Erica. We love and miss Erica so much (she went home a week after Hallie was born) and we hope to see her again soon. We communicate via text and email and occasional Skype.

God has really led us down a long path that I can't say was pothole-free, but if it's His will, Hallie will be ours forever after our early September court date!

Coen is SUCH a loving big brother. He has been waiting for his own baby for quite a while and he kisses her constantly. He calls her "a little peanut" and talks about how sweet and cute she is. Still, after a month. (Phew!)


I am recommitting to this blog in order to journal Coen and Halina's childhoods, share more private and personal details of the adoption process, and show God's hand in our lives even during frustrating and trying times. Did you know that lavender acts as a de-stresser? :)

Love from our family of four! More random excerpts of life, past and present, to come soon.


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