I used to say to myself -- where have all the updates gone?  It seems like once families returned from Russia that it wasn't long before the time between posts became longer and longer.  Now,  I know -- work sure does take it out of you, so by the time you get home at night it is dinner, baths, story/bedtime, and then a little mind-numbing vegetation before I hit the sack myself.  When the weekend comes,  it is laundry, grocery shopping, church and then it's Monday again.  Could my life be more mundane?

Actually,  there are many, many updates to give you with regards to Nicolas.  I am going to take this quiet time before the house starts moving to tell you a little about what's going on in the Wilson house.

• Do you remember my post Becca, Becca, Becca?  Tori and Nicolas' cousin Rebecca is in town this week staying with us.  Tori is infatuated with Becca and thinks that she too is 17 years old!  Last weekend, we all went to Chesapeake Beach Water Park after church.  They have a lazy river, swim pool, slides for the kids and the tall sides too.  It was a lot of stimulation for Nicolas.  I could get him to enjoy the lazy river if he just looked at me, and he actually took a nap among all the craziness.  Tori of course loved it because it was one more opportunity to be Ariel!
• Appointment with International Adoption Doctor (IA).  Before going back to work,  we had our second visit with the IA doctor.  She once again performed some tests to determine how Nicolas was progressing.  He has made great strides in his language and she calculated his language skills at about a 24 month level.  This was great consider that at our last visit he was at about 15 months.  So, in 6-8 weeks,  his language jumped 9 months!  She also tested his cognitive development.  His gains were not as large in this area but still progress is being made.  When we went in June, his developmental quotient was 55 and at our last visit he was at 58.  With speech therapy and concentrated pre-school, she thinks we might see a little more gain, so she wasn't able to tell us his projected growth, yet.  I think all the progress is wonderful!  We will see the IA doctor again in October for another update on his development
• IEP.  I had my first IEP meeting with the school.  The special education department in our county has been so wonderful.  When I went in for the meeting,  the speech therapist even made me cry telling me how she had been thinking about us and what we have done for Nicolas.  She couldn't imagine what his life would have been like without us (ok, so I'm crying now just thinking about it).  They have placed Nicolas in a pre-school program that will allow his to be in a class with a pre-school teacher and a speech therapist.  He will attend the pre-school 5 days a week for 2 hours and receive speech therapy 2-3 times a week.  Some more great news is that the county also provides transportation, so they will pick Nicolas up from daycare and take him to pre-school and then return him to daycare for lunch, nap and playtime.  I really think this is going to be the best of both worlds for Nicolas.
• I wanted to tell you a little more about Nicolas' words.  So he learned to say "Tori" and it is the cutest thing to hear him say.  He will look around and say "where's Tori?"  and he will call "Tori" up the stairs.  People always ask me how they are getting along.  I will say -- typical siblings.  They love each other to death -- and they hate each other!  Honestly,  they cannot get enough of each other.  Nicolas does everything that Tori does and Tori just loves having a shadow.  That is until he wants to play tea party or play with the dolls.  Then, all bets are off, but Tori sure loves to play cars and trucks with him -- see what I mean about a love/hate relationship!

That should just about get you up to date for now.  Sorry for the long post but so much to get you caught up on!

Ok,  I know that there are many, many readers out there.  I see your numbers on my counter everyday.  So,  I am asking a favor of all my blog readers.  I need you to VOTE.  Not for the president but for a piece of the 2.5 million dollars that AmExpress is donating to organizations, and FRAXA is one of the organizations.  You do not even have to be an AMEX member to vote.  Here's the site to vote:  http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/PUPSKI

If you have been reading the blog,  you know that Nicolas was diagnosed with Fragile X back in July.

A little about Fragile X and the project

• More than 1.1 million children and adults worldwide – 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females -- suffer from Fragile X, the most common known inherited cause of intellectual impairment and autism. Fragile X can cause seizures, mental retardation, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. An additional 1 billion people around the world are carriers of this devastating disorder – most without knowing it.
• Studies of Fragile X and autism have been galvanized by families and loved ones of the disabled. Clinical trials of new treatments are ongoing. But we have not yet found effective treatments or the cure, and children are waiting. The need for more funding for Fragile X research is urgent. More broadly, this project will show parents of disabled, suffering children everywhere that they are not helpless: by banding and working together, parents can find a cure.

I added a widget to the side of the blog so you can easily vote.  Please, send this to your e-mail distribution lists.  You receive those annoying chain emails all the time,  now send a message to your distro list and help change the lives of many, many children.

If you have a blog and you read my blog,  please, post information about this -- it is so critical!!!!

It was 16 years ago on 8/8 that happily ever after began.  Yes, it was on that day that my prince charming swept me off my feet and gave me that magical kiss that began our journey into this enchanted land called Wilson World.

Happy Anniversary sweetie.  I love you even more today than I did back then.

I'm sure you can finish the rest . . . It's off to work I go.

So, Monday Aug. 4 was my first day back to work!  If you have noticed in the past few days,  I have been playing with my blog template.  I wanted something new for this new stage in life.  So, why the red and yellow lettering?  Well,  I didn't go back to work at the Naval Academy; instead,  I accepted a new position as the Assistant Director of the Counseling Center at the University of Maryland.  So, the new look is in honor of my new position! And my first day back was busy! 

My wonderful husband took the kiddos to daycare for my first day.  We started daycare last week for just a few days.  I wanted Nicolas to get accustomed to the environment.  On the second day, he had such a crying fit.  He was hitting, scratching, biting and throwing whatever he could at me.  Then I got a call around 1:30 to come get him because he was sick.  I think he made himself sick with all that crying.  I know that he will learn the routine but right now all this is out of the ordinary, and he is back in a room with 12 kids.  I am sure that it is scary for him. I know that once he realizes that I will keep coming back to pick him up that life will settle down for him just a bit.

I cannot believe how the summer has flown by.  I was listening to a Trace Adkins song on the way to work "Your gonna miss this".  It reminded me of my feelings just a few weeks ago when all I could think about was digging into work, thinking about how hard it was to care for two kids and how tired I was at the end of the day.  Now I am thinking -- it sure would be fun to take the kids to the pool!  I am so glad that I had this time off from work.  I will remember this summer for a long time.  I won't be able to take 2 1/2 months off in the summer for a long time (if ever), and having the time to spend with a 3 and 5 year old was great.

A mermaid (what else).  At least that is Tori's dream.  She is infatuated with Ariel and anything Little Mermaid.  A friend gave Tori the Little Mermaid II which she hasn't stopped watching -- honestly,  I think she's watched it at least 5 times a day since she received it last week.

So, our mommy and me day on Saturday couldn't have been more perfect!  I told Tori on Friday that I had a special day planned for her on Saturday.  She told me that it would only be perfect if she could see a mermaid.  Little did she know. . . Now,  I cannot conjure up mermaids from the sea, but I can plan a perfect trip to NYC to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway!

Yes,  Tori and I boarded a bus on Saturday morning and arrived in NYC at about 11 am.  The show was a 2pm, so I decided that we would grab a bite to eat before the show, but only one of us ate.  Tori was so excited that she wouldn't eat anything.  Then, she wanted to be at the theater as soon as they opened the doors so we were there about 45 minutes before the show started -- which was torture for everyone around us as Tori kept asking "when are we going to see Ariel?".  The show was fantastic.  In fact, when I grow up  I want to be Ursala.  I thought that her costume was awesome and she got some pretty great lines.  Tori even got 4 of the actors (Flounder, The Chef, Jetsom, and Flotsom) to sign her playbill.

Tori and I got to see Time Square, shop at the Hershey store (if you know Tori -- that is a big problem) and grab a few souvenirs too.  Now she and Nicolas have matching I lov NY shirts -- you'll have to wait for another post.  The boys got to hang out at home and Tori and I drug our tails in at almost midnight.  Boy did we have a great girls day out!

I have lived in Maryland for 8 years (can you believe it) now.  And during that time,  I have had a child for 5 years (I cannot believe that either).  So,  what I truly cannot believe is that I have never been to Port Discovery.  I mean we did live in Baltimore City for a few years and I never went.  So,  I decided that a day out of the house would do me and the kids some good, so we packed up and went to Port Discovery.  Tori LOVED it.  They have a 3 story jungle gym that she couldn't wait to climb inside.  Nicolas on the other hand,  couldn't wait until I got him out of the jungle gym.  I so wished that Slade could have gone with us because being the big kid that he is,  he would have loved it.  I told him that he will definitely have to go back with us one day.

It took Nicolas about an hour to warm up to the new environment.  We had lunch not too long after arriving.  That helped -- feed the kid and he is always a bit happier.  Then, we sat and watched Tori climb in the jungle gym for a while.  I finally got him to warm up with -- what else -- a big truck -- go figure!  So the kids got to enjoy story time, the robots, the ball pit, the water room, face painting, and the list goes on.  It really was fun -- we cannot wait to go back!

I have been just itching for a vacation.  Normally,  Slade and I would be preparing for our summer vacation, but something about 3 weeks in Russia ate up a lot of vacation time.  So,  I have been searching for the perfect mini-vacation.  I considered the beach, but I'm not sure that Nicolas is ready.  Since Disney is too far away,   we opted for the next best thing . . . you guessed it Dutch Wonderland! 

Well, if you don't live in the PA/MD area, and even if you do, you might know know what Dutch Wonderland is just one big amusement park geared for children under 8 -- which is just perfect for my kids.  In fact, Tori could ride any ride in the park.  And, when you purchase tickets to the park,  they allow you to "preview" the park for 3 hours before closing.  We left home on Friday afternoon,  checked into a hotel, and then headed straight for the park.  On Friday night,  there were not too many people in the park so there were no lines and Tori had a blast.  Then, on Saturday, we spent the entire day at the park.  They even have a water park, so we cooled our heals a bit in the splash park.  We really had a blast as a family, and the kids were so tired when we got back to the hotel that they just dropped on both nights.

Nicolas did well at the park.  I think the preview day really helped him.  He wasn't too sure about all the rides.  He mostly preferred the slow moving, let me take this all in, rides. I think his favorite ride was the monster trucks, in fact, he liked it so much, he wouldn't even look at me.  He didn't like the turtle ride (tilt-a-whirl) too much but we all enjoyed it and his reaction!  It took him about an hour to warm up at the water park, but he finally decided that it might not be too bad and then we couldn't get him off of the kid slide.

So many pictures -- I opted for a slide show for your viewing enjoyment. . .

Yum -- Ice Cream socials.  They're the best aren't they?  I mean a room filled with all you can eat ice cream -- who could ask for more?  Well that is exactly what the Wilson's got to experience on Sunday night.  Can you believe that Nicolas and Tori both ate enough ice cream that they didn't want any more? 

Also,  I found out when we arrived that there was actually an ice cream contest (we had missed church on Sunday morning because of our mini-vacation --  I'll tell you all about it in the next post).  I had no idea there would be a contest. I'm always up for cooking contests.  So, if you are interested in the 2nd place ice cream recipe from the Bowie Church of Christ Ice Cream Social  -- well then, just keep reading.  Now, if you want the first place recipe -- I guess you will just have to hunt Ellen Baker down and ask her for that winning strawberry ice cream recipe!

Praline Almond Fudge Ice Cream

Recipe courtesy of the Rival Cream Maker instruction book!

• 2 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1/4 c. and 3 1/2 TBSP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 1/4 c. milk
• 5 eggs
• 5 c. whipping cream
• 2 1/2 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 c. silvered almonds (the recipe actually calls for 2 1/2 c. but I think it is too much)
• 3 TBSP butter
• 1 1/4 c. chocolate fudge topping

Combine brown sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly (do not let the milk boil!).  Gradually stir about 2 c. of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs (1 c. at a time so as to not cook the eggs -- the purpose is to heat the eggs up so that when they are added to the hot mixture,  they will not boil like in egg drop soup).  Add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.  Cook 1 minute; remove from heat.  Refrigerate 2 hours. 

Combine whipping cream and vanilla in large bowl;  add chilled mixture, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.  Saute almonds in butter over low heat about 5 minutes.  Stir into ice cream.  Add to ice cream maker and let it do it's magic (about 40 minutes).

Once the ice cream is complete,  swirl chocolate fudge topping through ice cream after.  Easiest to transfer to another bowl to add the fudge topping.

Enjoy!

Well,  I am a bit behind in the recipes again.  Honestly,  I have been cooking dinner the last few weeks but not really pleasure cooking.  One reason is that it is just too hot to think about being in the kitchen. I also think I am just overwhelmed at everything that must get done at the moment.  I have a huge deadline for the dissertation today, so you can expect this post to be very short.  I have also been trying to prepare Tori's clothes (yes, I still have 0-3 month clothes) for a local Wee-Sale.  I think it is time to rid myself of all these rubbermade containers of girls clothes.

This week,  I chose another pie to share.  I have this recipe laying around the house, so I haven't really been creatively thinking about a wonderful pie to post -- it was just east and so is the recipe -- so enjoy.

Lemonade Pie

• 1 package sugar-free lemon jello
• 1 package cream cheese (you can use the reduced-fat kind in order to lower a few calories)
• 1 3/4 tsp crystal light lemonade
• 1 graham cracker crust
• whipped cream

Prepare the jello according to the package directions.  Refrigerate until almost set.  Transfer to a blender and add the cream cheese and crystal light.  Mix until smooth.  Pour the mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate 5-6 hours (I would pop in the the refrigerator overnight). Add whipped cream (you can either add a layer of whipped cream on top or just add a dollop to each slice if you are watching your girly figure!

Can you believe that I have been blogging for a year now?  When I started this whole process,  I thought that I might treat this like my exercise program (on and off again), but I am proud to say that I have been a faithful blogger for a whole year now!

This time last year,  we had just submitted our dossier and chose our region.  Our agency was awaiting accreditation, and we were not sure when a referral would come.  I had convinced Slade that we needed to take a vacation and we were making plans for our trip to Mexico.

I also read in one of my July postings that I was making a resolution to lose 25 lbs by January.  Well it has been a year and how much weight have I lost -- 0.  I guess that I need to make that July resolution again. 

You know what they say -- the more things change, the more they stay the same!