Gotta love my girls.......

Usually I find myself checking in on the adoption blogs and groups 2 to 3 times per week but I've been neglecting the blog world a bit recently. I'm sorry. You see my new obsession is Facebook. It's great to see so many of my blogging buds already have an account. If you haven't signed up yet you've got to check it out but beware..........it's addictive.

Rachelle is recovering and doing well. Thank you for your your thoughts and prayers. She is still not 100% but looks good, is getting out a bit and is in good spirits. Mimi was here for a little over a week and we were all spoiled. She spent a day organizing my office and did not leave a piece of laundry dirty or a plate in the sink. The girls were hooked up with bikes, a few outings and some bling. Thank you so much mommy. We miss you and are so stoked you and Tom will be here to bring in the New Year.

The girls are doing great. I'm wondering where my baby has gone. Tsebay is every bit the toddler and wants to do it "by myself". It is so bitterweet. Everything she does and says is adorable but I miss my baby. She is fiesty and is giving her sister a run for her money. K used to be able to run the show but those days are long gone. My goal is to start potty training, any tips? With K I never know what I'm going to get. It seems she is going through all the developmental stages at once. She goes from wanting me to feed her and hold her one minute to telling her sister "it's for big people" (her being one). K's big news is she is going to bed solo. Yippeeee!! For the past nine months I have put her down for nap and bedtime, many times not being able to get back up. This is a huge step and although it wasn't easy K did very well and on a good night only gets up once to have me put her back in. Like I shared in my last post, nothing about this momma thing is easy but I have come to terms with that and have just realized my life will be out of control for quite awhile. I am trying to go with the flow. So this evening when T was crying at the top of her lungs because she didn't want me to brush her hair and K was in time out peeing herself I calmly evaluated the situation and moved ahead. T's hair was quickly put in a puff, K was given a short talking to and the pee was cleaned up. Five minutes later they were both hugging me and telling me they loved me. The prior events being completely forgotten. What a ride!

Here are some pics. I think you can figure out what is going on. At least I was able to get some dishes done and no one was hurt.

The Mighty Quinns

If there is anyone out there still checking in, I apologize for not being diligent about updating this blog. It is not fair of me to keep all this cuteness to myself. I have a million and one excuses for not posting, but really there has been a bit of a vicious circle going on. I would start to post; since it's been so long I would not know where to begin; I would give up. I even started a post or two, but they never made it to publish. Hopefully, this one will.

Here's an attempt to get you up to speed.

Let me start by wishing my wonderful Momma, and Kozette and Tsebay's Mimi, a Happy Birthday. You are the best. I could not have made it through this adventure without you. Thank you for being there to listen to every little detail of the girls' days and for giving me pep talks when I need them. I have always known how many sacrifices you made for Rachelle and I, but now that I have some firsthand knowledge of the day-to-day goings on of a single mom to two -- I'm just not sure how you did it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For my momma's birthday go to: site and give to this wonderful non-profit providing water to villages in Ethiopia. Please spread the word. Be sure to check it out. It will move you and give you insight into what is happening in Africa.

Since my last post we have traveled to the East Coast and back. The girls and I traveled back alone and they did a great job. Fifteen hours traveling together is great for bonding. We were blessed to have lots of prayers coming our way and they really paid off. We sat near wonderful people on both flights. Kozette made lots of friends (as usual) and ended up on others' laps on both flights. While in the New Jersey/Philly area Kozette was baptized, we attended the Lee family reunion and lots of parties, stayed with Grandmom down the shore and visited Mimi's playground daily. It was a fun trip and confirmed my decision to move back home.

Once back on Maui, P-Dawg came to visit and we are so grateful to her for coming out, being an awesome friend and helping out. It is always nice to have an extra set of hands and someone to laugh with.

The girls have had some major changes to their daily routines. Kozette started preschool. She loves going and is even taking the bus to the babysitters two days a week. She is such a big girl. Tsebay started with a new babysitter and is flying solo three days a week. She is in loving, caring hands and I am so thankful for finding Auntie Mary. I have found two great sitters through Craig's List. Gotta love Craig.

Getting up and out the door in the morning is our greatest challenge but it gets better every week. Kozette is very opinionated with what she wants to wear, so between her wardrobe and her hair there are tears some mornings.






Both Tsebay and Kozette are doing exactly what they are supposed to for their age. Tsebay's favorite phrases are "mine" and "no" and Kozette's fav is "why?" With these three phrases you can write the script of our day:

We pass by K's school

T says: my school
K says: our school (she is using the term "our" as prompted)
T says: mine
K says: ours
T says: no
I prompt them to stop
K asks: why?
T says: no

-- and my friends, it goes on and on. You give me a subject and we will turn it into mine, no and why.

The girls are still loving to read and their language development is amazing. T opens up familiar books and retells what is happening. Her vocab is awesome and she is holding conversations. K is identifying a few letters and is starting to recognize colors and shapes. They are both super smart and it is really fun watching them grow and learn. They are loving each other (1/2 of the time) and carry on like siblings the other half. It is fun to watch the relationship blossom. We are asked every time we are out if they are twins. They are about the same size, but K definitely knows and establishes her role. If you ask her about her sister, she will describe her as a tiny baby. It's funny because T is right behind her but K knows she is the big sister.

She takes very good care of her little sis and it warms my heart to watch.

Like many of you, I am a blog stalker and have read on several blogs about life getting easier. I kept waiting for this magic moment to happen and so far it still has not. I think because of the unique nature of our situation, it will be quite a while before I am writing that it is easier. I now realize these other woman were not first-time moms, they also were not single and did not adopt two. Getting used to being a mom, dealing with adoption issues, sibling issues and doing it solo has been hard. Really, really hard. I now have resolved myself to the fact that it is the toughest thing I will ever do, and now that I am not waiting for the magic moment and am trying to live in the moment -- I am a lot happier!

Nothing much is happening with the house. We are averaging a showing every two weeks but there have been no bites. I know there are people out there who are impacted by this current financial crisis much worse than us, but it would be nice to be able to get off this island. I know we are fortunate to be stuck in paradise, but the girls need their MiMi and Pop Pop.

Congratulations to my BFF, Michelle (Kozette's Godmother), her husband Domenick (Tsebay's Godfather)and little Dom, on the birth of Chase Michael. Chase is doing well, but arrived 6 weeks early, so please keep him in your prayers.

Please also pray for my sister, Rachelle. She will be traveling to Oahu this Thursday for surgery. My mom will be coming out to be with her while in the hospital and will be here for a week or so after to make sure Rachelle has some Momma TLS while recovering. We can't wait to see you, MiMi and know that Rachelle is doing well.

LIFE

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.
-John Lennon






We leave for the East Coast on Wednesday and are looking forward to catching up with family and friends. I am most looking forward to being there and having the flight over and done with. The girls are very loud these days and are big screamers when things don't go their way or their demands aren't met fast enough. It should be a very interesting trip. Please pray I don't lose my mind.

When we return to Maui in July Kozette will start preschool and Tsebay will be going out to a sitter a few days a week. I am not ready to give up the control but like it or not, it's time. They are ready to be around other children and are getting a bit bored around the house. They are both getting so big, so beautiful and are so, so smart. They amaze me daily. Kozette is counting to 10, beginning to identify colors and speaking in full sentences. Tsebay keeps up with her big sister. She is doing so many things I could not imagine her doing at this age if it weren't for her big sissy.

The big news is that my house is up for sale. I know the timing is terrible but life doesn't always line up with the value of the dollar. I am ready to leave this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean so the girls can have a relationship with their grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles. It will also be really nice have the help. These little cuties keep me on my toes. Maui will always be here but these special years will not. If you know anyone looking for an awesome place on the North Shore with rental potential send them my way.

Tsebay and I celebrated our one year becoming a family on the 15th. What a year it has been! I have been blessed.

Mimi & Great Grandma in Maui.Happy Mothers' Day All

Happy Mother's Day Maria ~~ Mimi Here

I hope you have a wonderful FIRST Mother's Day ~
Kozette and Tsebay asked me to tell you that you are THE BESTEST!

Hope you enjoy the following two slide shows ~ What a trip we had..
Thanks much and SEE YOU SOON!

Love Momma/Mimi

Long awaited reunion pics

Mimi is coming and we've been tagged!!!

Mimi is coming has been the mantra around our house for the last several weeks and tomorrow is the big day. My mom and grandmom will arrive at 2:30. I am so excited to have 4 generations together. They will be here for Kozette's third bithday. I am trying to keep the festivities simple but it is difficult to not go overboard. Anyone who knows me knows I love a party!

The girls were tagged by the Devine Miss Zoe over at Drew and Carrie's blog. Here is a bit of scoop about the Quinn girls.

Names

K still calls herself Aiyaya. This one might stick. Tefessae, our wonderful driver in Ethiopia emailed me and told me it is a term of endearment in Ethiopia.

T has many nicknames. T-Dawg, Boo Boo, Boo Boo Booinski, Boo Boo Magoo. She has also taken to calling herself Aiyaya from time to time.


Sports

T is getting around rather quickly these days. She loves to hold balls and can spot one from a mile away.

K is a baller. She can dribble with both hands and her coach/babysitter, Ange, has high hopes for her basketball career. T can even dribble with one hand behind her back.

Men

K is a fan. She loves men. We have finally gotten to a point where she does not just run up and jump into their arms. We had a few embarrassing moments especially in the airport on our way home from Ethiopia.

T takes a while to warm up but has a few favs. Pop pop is number one of course.

Music

T loves to drum. She will drum on anything. She also has a few little diddies she sings. Happy Birthday to mommy is my favorite. My birthday was a month ago but she still sings to me daily.

K is a big fan of dancing. She likes to sing while I dance and then we switch. Do we know how to have fun or what?

Family

K loves her little sister and smothers her with affection, even when she is not up for it. She likes to feed her and always makes sure her needs are met.

T looks up to her big sissy and imitates her. This morning K coughed so T coughed. She also attempts to keep up verbally and is doing very well.

Technology

T is all about the cell phone. She will turn anything into a cell phone, a cracker, a toy, a piece of paper. She will say hello and when I ask her who it is, it's always Mimi or Pop Pop.

K likes the lap top. She will sit and ask to look at the babies. She is already a blogger. Recently she found an old calculator and she makes believe it is her computer. She puts it in her bag and tells me she is going to work.

Animals

K likes to chase the cats and try to kiss them. She doesn't understand why they won't stay still.

T is a big fan of our neighbor's dog. She is very in tune to the barking and gets so excited saying "doggie, doggie, doggie".

Food

T can't get enough of it. This girl can eat and eat and eat. The other night she got up in the middle of the night and got in bed with K and I. As we were both dozing off (I thought), she said mommy as sweet as can be. When I said yes she said eat. This little lady has food on the brain 24/7.

K is getting more adventerous with food but her favorites are still oatmeal and cheerios.

Hair

K is very eager to have puffs. She point to pictures and really tries to get enough hair together to make it happen.

T still struggles with the wash, so does her momma. I'm surpried the neighbors don't call the cops she screams so loud.

Mom

K is a loyal momma's girl. Affection is 24/7. She still needs momma to sleep. We're working on that one.


T has forgiven me for totally disrupting our perfect little lives. She gives lots of kisses but they are always on her terms.

I tag Malia's mom.