The Lafler family adventures

Wordless Wednesday { Getting a haircut = a Bigby hot coco }

2012-01-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday {Playing outside = Coco & cookies inside}

2012-01-19T08:32:00.001-05:00

Three is Such a BIG number

2012-01-18T16:20:00.001-05:00

Out of my head I say. I just kept trying to not think about it. The process was taking so long and driving us crazy so I just tried not to think about it. Then one day we are told that we are number three on the waiting list. Now it is impossible not to think about it. I can't help thinking that my child is born, waiting for me half way around the world. I need to know, boy or girl, crawling or walking, coke or pepsi. Every time the phone rings the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I can't take it. I know that it is only three but my gosh it is a big three. An impatiant Daddy

More Christmas

2012-01-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

Last pic of 2011....bring on 2012 and all it has to offer!!!

A Very Spidey Christmas

2011-12-30T12:53:00.001-05:00

This Christmas was weeks full of fun. Multiple partys, looking at lights, presents with friends and lots of Holliday shows. We finished it off with a couple of great days with the Szymanskis, and lots of presents and good cheer with our families. Evan loves playing with Luke, Ella and Payten so that was a blast. We went home Christmas eve then when he woke up Santa had left him a room full of presents. He methodically tore off the wrapping paper then put on a couple of his new costumes while he played with his new toys. Firt it was sheriff woody then Spider man. It was hoprfully the last time we celebrate this holliday as the Lafler 3 and next year it will be four. A great way to finish this chapter.I would like to thank everyone who helped make this season great. Barry

Airplane Day

2011-12-19T10:58:00.003-05:00

3 years ago today we got the worst snow storm of the season and we were on our way to get our baby boy -- it was definitely a white Christmas that year. I thought we would never get there, the roads were closed and they were telling people to stay home, even my office was closed for the day. We prevailed and frankly I knew we would even if we had to drive to CA where he first landed to get him-- we were getting our boy and NO snow storm was going to stop us!!!

What a wonderful ride the last 3 years has been.....except for the sleeping of course :) HA! I cannot imagine our life without him-- he makes everyday/everything brighter and more wonderful. Happy Airplane day Evan!! We love you so and continue to love you more and more each and every day-- and I am not sure how is that even possible??

Love you!
Mom and Dad

Projects projects projects....

2011-12-18T18:16:00.002-05:00

This Christmas Evan is finally understanding all the presents wrapping, card sending/stuffing, gift shopping and all the other little extra jobs you do at christmas. In the beginning when I was trying to get this all accomplished he wanted to be my big helper..which he was and it was a blast watching him be "so big" right before my eyes...then came the catch. After all the little elf jobs were done he wanted more.....so every night on our way home the question arose what was our project tonight mommy?? I was fresh out so I hoped over to the internet and straight to Michael's for supplies. We have made ceramic christmas magnets, paper snowflakes, reindeer out of paper bags, necklaces from bells, and of course just some basic coloring. Whew!

Alfred ~ aka Santa's Scout Elf

2011-12-12T12:41:00.007-05:00

Alfred has joined the Lafler family this year in hopes to keep santa updated on Evan's behavior. I must say Alfred has been a big help!! When times get tough we default to Alfred and everything miraculously seems to fall back in line....there have been some exceptions~ but there always seems to be exceptions to rules right? This year Alfred seems to be just learning the ropes and has not gotten into much trouble like some of the other mischevious scout elves that I have seen...next year may be a different story...hee hee!!

In other news we moved another spot on the list!! Wooohoooo!! Keep those referrals coming!!

Wordless Wednesday {Another Jackson brother?}

2011-12-08T08:33:00.001-05:00

movement finally

2011-11-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

Our agency has FINALLY had some movement!!!! Wooohooooo!! Just when I thought I was going to loose it whamo!!
Just like they always say ..... when you least expect it!!! There have been 6 referrals in November ~ not all families were matched in order but when we are moving from one referral a month to six we will take what we can get!!! Barry and I estimate we are now at about spot #10....keep em comin people we would like a baby new year!!!

Wordless Wednesday {Disney overload}

2011-11-16T21:34:00.009-05:00

To be continued.................

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-02T17:31:00.004-04:00

What a great night. It was one of those amazing evenings when you just enjoy being a parent. Amy and I watched our little pirate run from door to door, arms flailing and yelling "Lets go to the next one Daddy." So much fun watching him enjoy himself that much. He was like the energizer bunny, he kept going and going and going. We ran with him with smiles on our faces and warm feelings in our hearts. I am kind of sad that it is over. Oh well, we will look forward to 2012. Thanks Jack and Kelly for hosting.

Aaaargh,

Barry

Halloween is in full swing at the Lafler's

2011-10-22T10:10:00.010-04:00

Halloween is a big deal at our house....it is my favorite holiday to celebrate. I call it the stress free, have a blast holiday. Everyone can dress up and be silly and I LOVE it!!!! I love the smell of fall as it approaches and love all the yummy Halloween treats you get to splurge on...come on who doesn't love a clump of sugar decorated in three colors and then you can say you had a vegetable for dinner.....ahhhhh I just love it!!!

Evan does not REALLY get it yet, but I am sure after this year it will be a different story...but he does get Christmas from last year so when I said let's get out the Halloween decorations he wanted the Christmas tree out. So we made a Halloween tree-- I must say his creativity looks pretty cute in the dining room.

We have also emersed ourselves in watching all the Halloween specials and Evan wants to dress up like they are on the cartoons....so below are some of he costumes he has come up with. I hope my love of Halloween is rubbing off on him!!! :)

Disney pics to come.....

Finally!!!!!!

2011-09-30T15:43:00.002-04:00

Some good friends of ours received their travel call today!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!! So excited for them they have been waiting since March to go and pick up their son! We cannot wait to meet Simon and Evan cannot wait to have a new friend to hang with!!!

Wishing them happy travels and an easy transition as they embark on the adventure of their lives!!!!

Countdown to the D!!!!

2011-09-22T09:54:00.003-04:00

We are officially at the 14 day mark!!!! I remember when we told Evan it would be 240 night nights and then we would go!!! He is so anxious and keeps asking if we are going tomorrow!! He wants to see Pocahontas, her raccoon Meeko, Malificant and a Mime-- really?? Not the Mick?? At least he is not partial to just one character :) We have been showing him different movies, beside Toy Store, for the last couple months so he was a little more versed in the characters-- well I think we have met our goal and have been given a tall order-- those characters are hard to find in Disney. Barry and I are starting to research where to find them as we speak.....

We cannot wait and are so excited to come home with LOTS of family memories, pictures and stories! It won't be long now!!!!

Corn dog baby??

2011-09-16T14:48:00.002-04:00

This morning I get a call from my Ms Meme (daycare) she has an "Evan story" for me. She is pregnant with her second child and this week she told the kids that she had a baby in her belly. On Wednesday after going to the fair on Tuesday night Evan told Meme he had a baby in his belly while lifting up his shirt to show her. Ms Meme thought she was really clever when she told him he did not have a baby, but he did have a corn dog from the night before in his belly.

WELL....as the story goes as she takes her vitamin this morning Evan asked what she was doing and she replied taking a vitamin for my baby. Evan's quick response was I need a vitamin for my corn dog. Now who is the smart one??? OH MY GOODNESS are we in trouble........just when you think you have outsmarted the three year old..... :)

This is Killing Me

2011-09-12T17:30:00.004-04:00

I do not know what the problem is, but I have had enough. It seems like every time we talk to our social worker the adoption gets pushed back another six months. Why? We keep asking questions and it feels like nobody will give us a straight answer. I know something is wrong. I feel it in my heart. I just feel like we are being left in the dark on purpose. Please, please, please quit leaving us wondering. It feels like we are back on that nasty roller coaster of fertility treatments again. I can tell you from experience, that tests what you are made of. Amy and I are being tested right now. We are starting to be concerned if family expansion number two will happen at all. That is killing us. Enough is enough, I want the truth.

Barry

Wordless Wednesday {Hangin with my dad in my pj's}

2011-08-24T19:22:00.005-04:00

Beach Vacation

2011-08-17T10:49:00.024-04:00

This year cousins from Detroit called and asked if we wanted to vacation with them this year....of course we were in. The next step?? Where to go?? Andrea already had a plan...a beach vacation!!!! A beach vacation is not really our thing so for me it would be a jump out of my comfort zone so I was in!!! I mostly like to be pushed from my comfort zone if I feel like I can control it ( I am pretty sure I am crazy) anyway.....we had a BLAST!!!! Here are the pictures to prove it.....

Our first order of business was meeting for lunch before finding our beach cottage.

Yes this picture is blurry because the boys were in a fury to get buckets of water to fill the hole :) Entertained them for hours :)

The boy cousins!! They are the very bestest of friends!!!

A crazy game of uno attack :)

The supervisors.....(not sure what they are supervising :) HA!)

The Lafler Fam

Evan and I in front of Big Red

Night night sun

Cheers to Lake MACATAWA and to doing it again next year!!!!

Beating the summer sizzle

2011-08-08T21:49:00.006-04:00

Evan and his new besty Lexi

2011-07-25T22:18:00.003-04:00

When Evan first came home I think he was very overwhelmed by our huge doggies....it took 2 yrs but I think Lexi has finally grown on him. Lexi loved Evan from the start and was always trying to be by him but Evan would hit her, push her, pull her ears you name it to get her to go away - she would not move no matter how much he abused her. This day was an aahhaa moment for him--- he snuggled right up with her to have his snack. I love to see him grow and learn ~ this day he learned how awesome a doggie can be.... such unconditional love!!!

Solar System

2011-07-14T12:25:00.005-04:00

Months ago I purchased just some generic flash cards for a dollar. One pack was of the solar system, others were letters, numbers, etc.... Evan really like the Solar System pack so we would "play cards" - that consists of me telling Evan what was on the card, him repeating it and then placing it in a line across our living room. Once he would lay them out we would go back over them and SOMETIMES he could tell me on his own what the card was. Of course I was very impressed until this past weekend when he blew us out of the water....

Evan and I were playing cards while Barry and I were having a conversation about something (trying to multitask :)) so I was half paying attention-- yes that part may be an excuse - when I handed Evan a picture of Uranus and told him it was Mercury. He took one step away to go to lay out his card then took a step straight back, "No it not mama" is what I hear.....I am thinking what is he talking about??? Then he says "It Uanus" (the r is silent of course :))....HOLY COW!!!!! I could not believe it!!! He was definitely holding me to task-- he was in fact right and I was wrong.....that is what I get for multi tasking :) Barry commented with " Better dot your i's and cross your t's when you are talking to him" :) As I looked at Barry and said "did that just happen??" CRAZY!!!

He can recite his ABC's, and count to 20. WOW!!! Does time fly!!! Hopefully I will still be a little smarter and wiser when he is 16 and trying to outsmart me :)

So proud of you Evan you continue to amaze us daily!!!!

Funky Fun Friday

2011-07-11T22:04:00.006-04:00

Friday when I arrived to pick Evan up I walked in to find him on Me Me's counter with the biggest grin on his face anxious to show me this.....

Yes, those are Evan's little toes painted pink :) Me Me's sister was over and they were doing pedicures...apparently Evan thought he needed one?? I thought Barry was going to loose his mind when he got home and noticed the pink toes.

Me Me got a special request when Barry dropped Evan off this morning.......no fingernails Me Me :)

Wordless Wednesday {Spiddy Sense}

2011-07-06T21:53:00.003-04:00

Belated Wordless Wednesday {Evan bonding with his great uncle Jeff }

2011-06-30T08:47:00.007-04:00

Ty Ty's wedding

2011-06-28T12:41:00.005-04:00

This weekend our second oldest nephew was married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. We were so thankful to play such a big role in his big day...Barry got to stand up as a groomsman and Evan as the ring bearer. How many uncles can say they were asked to stand up in their nephews weddings???...in Barry's case he has been asked twice and was over the moon both times.

Evan made it down the aisle both at rehearsal and the actual wedding-- we were all so proud. He escorted his little Iowa cousin (Aslyn) down the aisle with him. As they were walking Aslyn started speeding up a bit and Evan had to tell her "whoa" ...so stinking cute!!!! They of course were the cutest couple there.....except for the bride and groom!! :)

Here are some pics from the big day......

Word on the street.....

2011-06-15T15:20:00.002-04:00

Word on the street is that we are now in the #10 position on "the list"...could it be??? Fingers crossed that it will not be long now!!! We have been asking Evan if he would like a brother or sister and his answer consistently is a brother.....only time will tell Evan.....

Memorial Day Fun

2011-06-12T09:59:00.013-04:00

Started with a parade......

A little hanging out on the lawn being a prince......

Having a hot dog with dad.......

Hanging out making memories with Uncle DJ......

What a great day!!!

Wordless Wednesday { Friends are the family you choose}

2011-05-18T21:46:00.003-04:00

Unchained Heart

2011-05-11T13:52:00.002-04:00

Last night Amy, Evan and I were laying in bed watching American Idol. We do this almost every night, but last night was a little different. One of the contestants was singing a soft version of unchained melody then after a few words I realized it was not a solo but a duet. Not with another contestant but with my son. He was laying on the bed holding his sippy with two hands singing Unchained Melody. Oh my gosh was it adorable, it was like Amy and I weren't even there. He just layed there and sang along, often the right words. Amy and I just looked at each other and smiled, he may be the cutest thing ever. Evan's Unchained Melody Unchained our Hearts. Ladies and gentlemen your 2027 American Idol Evan William Lafler.

Son that had perfect pitch,
Daddy

The Infamous Treehouse

2011-05-09T21:49:00.004-04:00

Last fall Evan's daycare providers husband decided to build a treehouse. I am not talking about a cute little 4 walled thing with a junkie roof sitting somewhere near tree, I am talking about a complete octagon, full windows, curtains and a shingled roof about 10 feet in the air. It is truely amazing, even by adult standards and according to Evan it is the coolest thing ever. He is constantly trying to build one, sleep in one, find one, etc.

A couple of weeks ago Me Me (daycare person) showed up with this perfect T-shirt.....

I love the must eat worms part :)

Wordless Wednesday {Farmer Evan}

2011-05-04T21:46:00.003-04:00

156........

2011-05-03T21:56:00.003-04:00

......days until Disney

Wordy Wednesday {Rebels}

2011-04-27T21:50:00.008-04:00

A couple weeks before Easter we decided to take Evan to see the Easter Bunny, on our way there we called the DeBeer's to see if they wanted to meet us. Once we all arrived at the mall we found out we were one day too early...really?? The Easter bunny does not sit there the whole month?? Santa is at the mall 2 months before Christmas... as I have learned many lessons being a mom here was another one ....always call before you promise your three year old so as to not later tell them .. "sorry buddy the bunny is not here tonight " :(

The boys (the big ones :)) decided they were going to get their picture taken anyway so they slipped underneath the ropes...setting a fine example for the little boys :)...to take the pic!!! What rebels they are!!! When the kids get older and are caught in the act so to speak we will not have to look far to see who they learned it from :)

I have to admit the pic is pretty darn cute of the trouble makers and what a fun memory :)

Wordless Wednesday {Turtles}

2011-04-20T21:22:00.001-04:00

The weekend update

2011-04-17T15:20:00.002-04:00

This weekend we got an email from our social worker that in her best guess we are 17 or 18 on the "list"!!!!!!!!!! What great news and wonderful way to start the weekend!!! Maybe it will only be 3-4 months until a referral instead of 8!!! WOOO HOOO!!!! We are sooo excited and ready!!!!

Wordy Wednesday {Batman}

2011-04-13T21:24:00.008-04:00

We took Evan to his 3 yr physical on March 28th.... as they are working their way through the "interview" questions they come to ...can he say his name?? I say "oh yes" with confidence like that is a dumb question, of course he can... so they ask....what is your name buddy?? Clear as day Evan says....Batman :0 WHAT????

I wanted to laugh so hard, but the nurse did not seem amused so I acted shocked and did the buddy you know your name, tell the nurse your name...and then silence from Evan. So I guess that is that... his name is now Batman.....and here is the proof. :)

That doctor's appt will forever be etched in my memory and next time I will not be so confident :)

Update

2011-04-07T21:56:00.001-04:00

I just logged on to see what is happening in adoption world to find out that they are matching families in July 09!!! Our homestudy date is December 09!! WOOOHOOO!!! We were told we would be waiting until December 2011, but now it looks like they are about 4 months ahead of schedule!!! Trying not to get my hopes up but at least things are starting to move along a little!

Wordless Wednesday {Watch out Rocky there is a new boxer in town}

2011-04-06T19:47:00.003-04:00

Amazing....

2011-04-02T09:30:00.005-04:00

What do you get when you cross 13 adoptive mommies with a need in their children's birth country???

.........
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The HOLT agency in Korea was in need of rice cereal and desitin so I contacted a few friends to see if they were willing to help send a box or two to Korea. They all jumped on board and then to our absolute delight it exploded!!! We had so much stuff we had to call in reinforcements to get it all to Korea!! Asking for help on the forums lead us to some more adoptive moms and instant new friends :)

We celebrated by getting together to "pack it up" :) People drove from all over ...Hillsdale, Jackson, South Haven, and Grand Rapids to meet-- it was awesome!! It was so great having so many of us with the same story in the same room.

Adoptive parents have this incredible connection that can not be described. Everyone is so open, loving, honest and their willingness to help each other is like no other. It was an absolute wonderful evening chatting with everyone, looking at pictures and just being together. Some new friendships were definitely formed.

I cannot leave this post without giving a shout out to our lovely friend in Tennessee ,who could not be here with us to pack :(, but is willing to take it to Korea when she and her family travel to get their son/brother. Thanks so much for helping us complete our journey of the donation drive.

Thanks again to all you amazing mommies who made this all possible- my hat goes off to you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Son!!!

2011-03-25T09:12:00.009-04:00

Dear Evan,

Today you are three!! What an amazing boy you have already become in your three years of life ~ you are growing up so fast right before our eyes!!! Daddy and I are so excited and thankful to be celebrating with you today, for today is the day that you were born into to this big world and chosen for us!

Just when we think our cup is overflowing with love for you -- you fill that cup with more!!! You surprise us daily with your full sentences :) your ability to build Cinderella's castle out of anything :) your hugs and kisses :) you can brush your teeth all by yourself, sleeping in your big boy bed, going potty on the big boy potty (and of course closing the lid and flushing :)) I could go on and on and on.... you are absolutely amazing and only three!!!

We love you beyond words!!! Happy Birthday Evan and "cheers" to many more!!!

Love
Mommy and Daddy

Freedom!!!!

2011-03-21T15:47:00.002-04:00

Sleeping in the big boy bed has gone off without too many hitches :) Evan has done incredibly well considering all the sleeping issues he has- I think it helped to create a whole new routine. We are so incredibly proud of him , but even though we are so proud we are so sad that he is growing up SOOO fast. It seems like he just came home to us to complete our family of three.

He has stayed in his big boy bed and has not gotten out...until yesterday!!!! We are doing some remodeling and as I walked down the hall towards his bedroom while he was napping I see the door knob wiggle with a little voice behind the door, because he cannot fully reach the knob, "oh no" I am guessing he was saying that because he could not turn the knob :) Oh my goodness was it the cutest thing ever!!!

So he has found freedom!!! This week at bedtime should be an adventure!!!!!

Happy St Patty's Day

2011-03-17T21:29:00.002-04:00

Wordy Wendesday

2011-03-16T21:14:00.005-04:00

Evan has always had sleeping problems-- it takes him, on average, about 30-45 minutes to just fall asleep. He wakes up frequently throughout the night-- not every night but alot of them. Sometimes we can just restart his music and other nights he needs to come to bed with us because he had had a bad dream or something (last night was one of those nights :( ) So you can imagine our utter dismay when last week while relaxing before bedtime he fell asleep in our bed and the TV was even on to boot... I am sure he will not be fans of us taking this picture when we display it at his high school graduation. :) LOL!! He does have the cutest little booty ever :)

Big Boy Bed

2011-03-14T08:33:00.003-04:00

So we finally made the leap!! Evan slept his first night in his big boy bed last night!! Ms Me-me's husband (daycare) built a treehouse for the kids last fall and ever since then Evan has had to have a blanket over the top of his crib so he could sleep in the treehouse. :)(the things kids think of :))

Because Evan already has sleeping problems and he does NOT under any circumstance like change or a tweek in his routine changing beds created what I felt to be a huge problem ~ what were we going to do if he could not have a treehouse anymore?? More sleepless nights?? I kept trying to tell myself that I thought potty training was a huge undertaking, but we have survived :)

I had been thinking about this for months, but when our social worker came a couple of weeks ago she gave us a glimmer of hope of a referral so I decided I really needed to focus and come up with a plan. If we did get a referral Evan was already into a routine and would not feel slighted by a new baby.... I went online to look for a bed tent-- found a Toy Story one for $16.00-- SCORE!!! AND Evan loves it -- it is his "new" treehouse!!!

Disclaimer: it has only been one night, but last night he only tried to venture out twice :) I hope this transition can go as smoothly as the potty training, Evan always surpirses us ! :)

Congrats Evan-- mom and dad are so proud of you!!! You are just getting so big :)

Wear it With Pride

2011-03-06T16:37:00.003-05:00

That's it. It's all over now. The Land of the free and The home of the brave has a new citizen. He will some day change the world. Well at least my world. Ok he has already done that. I am so happy for him, he may not know it yet but now he is a citizen of the greatest country in the world. He will be free to make his own choices and live a free life. I hope that someday he will be the same patriot that Amy and I are and wear his love for this country on his sleeve. Wear it with pride son, wear it with pride.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, United States of America citizen, Evan William Lafler

Congatulations Son

Love,
Mom and Dad

Can I get a Wooohoooo??

2011-02-27T21:42:00.005-05:00

Just a little pick us up this weekend....word from our agency that they are now matching mid May of 09.....FINALLY a light at the end of this very looonnng tunnel!!!
We have scheduled our homesudy inspection renewal for this Friday -- I am looking forward to finding out any additional information that our social worker can provide as far as a better timeline. Fingers crossed that her original estimate was incorrect and we will have a match this fall!!!!! I cannot wait!!!! We had friends bring home their new little one this past weekend, friends in Jackson waiting to travel to get their little man, another group of friends waiting for their first one with a homestudy date in Sept., and our dear friends who have the same homestudy date as us!!! This is going to be a fun year of babies!!!!! BRING ON THE BABIES!!!!!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday {Clowning around}

2011-02-23T21:56:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday {Do gangster's wear buzz lightyear gear??}

2011-02-16T21:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines day from......

2011-02-14T22:14:00.005-05:00

......THE LOVE BANDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Love Bandit in disguise plotting out his next move :)

We love you little bandit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sy!!!!!!!

2011-02-05T09:07:00.005-05:00

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Love~evan

Happy Birthday Sy~ We all love you very much!!! Have a fun day today!!! Enjoy your cake and candles :)
xoxoxo
UB, AA and Evan

Wordless Wednesday {oranges make even stitches feel better :)}

2011-02-02T10:22:00.003-05:00

1st's

2011-01-31T15:26:00.003-05:00

** We have survived our first week of potty training!!!! Evan went the whole weekend with only one accident~ could it be?? We are sooo proud of him and releaved all at the same time. We were totally prepared that this potty thing would take a couple of month's, but Evan has surprised us once again!! Maybe the ease of the potty training is the make-up for all that lost sleep!:)

** Our first stitches are officially out!! The ped's doc said we are lucky because the cut went parellel with his eye so the scar will not show much at all :):):) Of course Evan was a trooper again this morning when the doc was taking them out!

** Our first major appliance breakage since we moved to the new house, it has been 9 years after all. Our washer started leaking out the bottom on Friday night just before company was to arrive! Big fun!! We have a brand new washer on it's way to the house on Thursday.

** First batch of kimchi and chop chay for the New Year was whipped up this weekend and shared with the family :)It was yummy!!!!

** First visit of the year from Detroit cousins~ even though we had a minor detour to prompt care with one of the cousins~ everyone seemed to have a blast!! Including us adult's who indulged in a couple of bottles of wine and played Michael Jackson on the WII - that was a sight to behold! :0

Stitches

2011-01-26T12:12:00.002-05:00

Well, it finally happened......the first stitches. Is it bad to say that I am glad it is over with?? I think when you are raising a boy you anticipate things like stitches, broken arms, legs, etc. so when I got the call this morning from Me Me that she was sure Evan needed stitches I was not surprised, scared but not surprised. Our little dude was loving on their doggy and something startled the dog and he hopped up and caught his nail under Evan's eye. OUCH! Me Me said Evan never even cried-- WOW!!!!!

All is well, he has four stitches and was a tropper!!! He was happy to have his orange popsicle when they were finished stitching. The doc said there will not be much of a scar because there are so many vessels in your face so it heals really well :)

What an experience......

I was going to take him back to Me Me for the day, but daddy thought he needed some extra special attention for the rest of today so they are stopping by McDonald's and then off to play batman and trains. :)

Hard work

2011-01-25T13:15:00.002-05:00

I think we have found one of the bigger challenges of being parents......POTTY TRAINING ~ EEK!! This is hard core stuff!!!! The beginning started last Friday the 21st-- our wonderful, tireless, daycare person (Me Me as Evan calls her) has just been "trying" for awhile with no success, well last week.....SUCCESS!!!!!! So we diligently tried all weekend with only two successful attempts- yesterday was a complete sham....Me Me and I decided that Evan was playing us both like fiddles- frustrating us both with absolutely no success and accidents every few minutes. :( This morning I told her we could give up and try another time-- Me Me responded with "I am not ready to give up, I want to keep trying for a few more days!!!"

Today was a new day and he has already had 3 successful attempts and no accidents!!!!! Could it be that he is FINALLY getting it??? We hope so!!!! No more diapers would be glorious, imagine our bank account! :)

Thank you Me Me for all your patience, love, and understanding-- we adults will prevail I just know it!!!!!

11 More?? Seriously??

2011-01-18T15:42:00.004-05:00

So for all of you out there that have been supporting us and following our journey.....

11 more months until a referral and then add on the 4-6 months of travel time- BOO! Not what we wanted to hear at all!!!!! Last week I think Barry's words were "I just want to curl up in the corner and cry"-- and that was exactly how we both felt-- utter disbelief I think were the words I used-- I felt like I was in a REALLY awful dream.....

But this week we decided to pick ourselves up and plan a trip to Disney-- we thought what the heck we will be waiting anyway and Evan says daily "I wanna go Didney World" SO... game on!!!!! 263 days until we are on a plane to our home away from home!!!! Mickey here we come!!!!

Wordless Wednesday {Seeing double???}

2011-01-12T21:30:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T20:44:00.016-05:00

I wanted to post about the awesome Christmas we had, but we did so many fun things and because I did not keep up posting regularly I felt overwhelmed with the "project" of blogging. Tonight I had an idea ~ why not tell our Christmas highlights with pics~ I love pics and I am not a very good storyteller/writer so here is our Christmas story told by pics........

Making Gingerbread houses with my daycare friends....

Being with cousins....

Photo for Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas present......

Being with friends......

Celebrating the magic of Santa.......

Of course there was lots of playing.....

The most important part of Christmas......being together.

Happy New Year!!!!! Bring on 2011 ~ this one is going to be a great one!!!!!!!!!

Airplane Day

2010-12-19T10:33:00.005-05:00

Today 2 years ago we were driving to Chicago in the absolute worst snow storm EVER!! But nothing was going to stop us from getting our little man!! We knew he had made it to CA, but were not sure if he would continue on to Chicago if they closed the airport--didn't matter to us we would fly to CA once everything reopened, but we were holding our man THAT DAY!!! NO MORE WAITING!!! His flight continued on so no worries.

As he was strapped onto the front of his escort and the escort (Andrew) came walking down the airport I could not believe my eyes-- he was more handsome than the pictures!!! How did we get so lucky to have him?? I will never know, but we are enjoying every single minute of it, except of course when he is having trouble sleeping :)

This is his third Dec 19th he has spent with us and as he sits happlily watching Toy Story and eating pancakes (his fav) in his dad's chair this morning I think about how fast time flies and how we are looking forward to many more Dec 19th's!! We love you to the moon and back.....

Wordless Wednesday {The two of them equals trouble with a capital T}

2010-12-08T21:52:00.003-05:00

Wordless Wednesday {My friend Lily}

2010-12-01T21:41:00.001-05:00

Let it begin.....

2010-11-29T21:50:00.014-05:00

Well, that crazy time of year is upon us again-- I cannot belive it is almost December....where in the heck did all those other months go????

We started a new family tradition this year~ for years they have been lighting up the downtown park including candy cane lane :) So we decided to attend and here is Evan at the event- can you see him?? :) In my defense he could breathe and it was absolutely freezing out~

Next was getting out the tree.... Evan had fun playing in the box that holds the tree...who needs to shop for Christmas when you have empty boxes

Hanging the ornaments...........Yes you do see about 12 ornaments on 3 branches bowing the branch so far over that you cannot even see the lights:) I kept saying another branch please and Evan would follow the directions closely and put it on one of the "other" 3 branches-- it was too cute!!!

Last but not least.....drum roll please.......THE TREE and our helpful assistant!!!

Let the Christmas chaos begin!!!!!!

Disney World 2010

2010-11-26T20:56:00.003-05:00

Where do I start??

2010-11-25T10:23:00.013-05:00

Every year when Thanksgiving approaches I do what I am sure most of the world does-- I reflect on what I have been thankful for throughout the year....well this year I am not sure I know how to begin....

I am thankful for my little Indian.......

I am thankful for a wonderful husband........

I am thankful that we can eat Alpha Bits out of an airplane while watching the Thanksgiving parade.........

I am thankful for all my current family, the son/daughter that we are waiting for, friends, bloggy friends, aunts, uncles, cousins (including a brand new one, Tess), job, health, roof over my head, WOW!!! What a year!!! :0
I cannot wait to see what is in store for the coming year and what I will be thankful for next year, but this year I am a pretty lucky mommy and wife!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Diffrence between My Son and My Boy

2010-11-22T17:42:00.003-05:00

One thing all of Lafler grandkids always knew was how much our Granpa Lafler loved us. I'm sure it was the same for all my cousins but he made me feel special. I don't remember him ever calling me Barry, he always refered to me as his boy. I always thought I was my Dad's boy and Grandpa's use of the words confused me. So one day I asked my father who's boy I was. He told me I was his son and Grandpa's boy. I accepted it but still didn't fully understand. Of course as I got older I understood what Grandpa meant but he had passed away so I couldn't tell him how special it made me feel. It has come full circle.
Almost instantly Dad and Evan had a special bond. Evan prefers to be sitting on PaPa's lap or Being held by him. Which often has Dad labeled as an Evan hog at family functions. I so enjoy watching them together. It has now passed to the next generation, Evan is my son But he is Dad's boy. Not only do I understand the diffrence between My Son and My Boy but I love it.

Big hugs,
Barry

It's 4'oclock somewhere......

2010-11-19T08:37:00.005-05:00

Since Evan came home we have had endless trouble with him sleeping. We bought the books, tried suggestions from others, read articles on line, got advice from the suppernanny and literally sat and cried hoping it would make us feel better (which in the end did not). :)

So can you please tell me why 4:00 am seems like a good time to wake up in the morning?? It seems like such a good idea at 4:00 am to "just put him in bed with us" because then we can get our last two hours of sleep before heading off to work. I get so excited at first because Evan snuggles his little body next to mine and I think I never thought I could love someone this much even though I am frustrated because it is 4 AM. But then I realize oh crap my kidneys cannot take it anymore-- the kicking in my back is endless and why not Barry??? Why does it have to be me???

To all of you parents out there that have children that will sleep anywhere at anytime ......I am sooooo jealous!!! And next time you are up at 4:00 in the AM think of us -- getting the coco milk and going back to sleep with cutest little tiny feet in our kidneys....

Loving the leaves

2010-11-11T21:41:00.001-05:00

Journey through October

2010-11-02T21:38:00.035-04:00

Where did October go???? WOW!!! Cannot believe we are approaching Thanksgiving and we have hardly posted our October fun!! Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday ever~ I love the no pressure attitude of Halloween-- it is all about having fun and being a little crazy!!! Because I am not a very good writer I thought I would post our Halloween festivities with pics!! Pics are also one of my favorite things so add that to Hallloween and this is going to be one AWESOME post!!! :):) Hope everyone enjoys!!!!!

Gull Meadow Farms with the Kalamazoo Korea Families

Pumpkin patch

Every year we do a pumpkin carve with our nieces and nephews. This year we decided to do something different and do a murder mystery game-- we assigned everyone a character and told them they could only get things from their house and could not go out an buy an elaborate costume. Thought that would be a little challenging for them, but not our creative relatives-- they did wonderful and stayed in character throughout the game-- it was a total blast!!!!

The Zoo Boo

Trunk or treating at a local cider mill

Checking out the loot

Enjoying their loot

Halloween night

Wordless Wednesday { The Bat/Unicorn Hat ~ it really is Halloween :)}

2010-10-20T21:21:00.005-04:00

Sister?

2010-10-19T09:07:00.002-04:00

Last night driving home from daycare Evan started talking about two little guys at daycare that are brothers, so I saw an opportunity to talk about our new little one that we are waiting for......

I said "Do you want a brother or sister??" of course thinking he would say brother, but he said sister???? What???? and then a couple of minutes later he said "I want sister" I am positive he has no idea what a sister means for him :) but it was adorable anyway!!

Do you think that has any pull in Korea???? I can just tell Korea, but Evan requested a sister and do you not want to make kids happy??? :)

When You Wish upon a Star

2010-10-18T16:56:00.003-04:00

When you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are. Everything your heart desires will come to you. Well mostly anyway. A couple of weeks ago we made a lot of our dreams come true by taking Evan on his first trip to Disney World. The Disney magic was different than we were used to but in a lot of ways it was better. It's always great to feel the magic for ourselves but to watch our son enjoy Mickeys House as much as we do was more than our hearts could take. He didn't just like it, he loved it and as a father I'm learning that I enjoy his pleasure more than mine. He would cry when we left the park or when we walked by one of his favorite attractions and we did not go on it. When it got dark he would would start saying "fun fire works with daddy." Which of course melted my heart. He really enjoyed the shows and kept referring to "The American Idol Experience" as the show. He had lunch with Handy Manny and in my eyes his meeting Mickey and Minnie was the greatest moment of year two of his life.

The best thing of all was spending nine days together as a family. That was the most time we have been together since Evan got home almost two years ago. We bonded as a family on a whole other level. Now that's magic in my book.

When you wish upon a star, you get nine days in a row with your family and you get to bond with your son like never before. Yeah, I guess your dreams do come true.

Thanks Disney and thanks wife, you were great again.

Daddy the fun fireworks guy,
Barry

World Cup?????

2010-10-12T20:30:00.009-04:00

It's official!!! Evan is enrolled in his first sport~ we signed him up for a local soccer program called "Micro Kickers". His group has 2-3 year olds and the class is suppose to teach them self-esteem and a few soccer fundamentals. It is only a six week class and not in consecutive order and only 45 minutes a session. B and I thought we could handle that because they require parent interaction and if it is not consecutive weeks our bodies will recover. :) I am sure the parent interaction it to keep them all under control - hee! hee!! I cannot wait!!! B and I are going to take turns being the parental interaction, but as B quickly pointed out the other parent will be there to watch. I think he was worried he may miss out on his boy if I am the parental control that day.

So tonight, to gear up, we went outside to "kick" the ball around~ as you can see there were very few kicks. :) What a crack up this is going to be!!!! I told Barry that the two of us better start working on our drills so we are in "game shape" ~ he just laughed at me and I still cannot imagine why????..... :)

Below are a few pictures of our "kicking" adventure tonight~

Sitting on the ball??? Is that allowed????

Hey! No hands or suckers in soccer

Here is the world cup kick

Sneak Peek

2010-10-04T22:04:00.004-04:00

I will write more later, but I wanted to post a couple of pics from our trip~ we had an absolute blast!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday {Bring on the Florida sunshine}

2010-09-22T21:35:00.002-04:00

"Fun, Fair, Sy"

2010-09-21T12:11:00.008-04:00

So enough of the Debbie Downer posts.....we did do something fun last week~

We went to the fair with the Debriere's!!!! We have not gone in years but thought it would be fun for Evan and Sy to see all the animals and besides who does not love the wonderful greasy fair food??

Barry and Sarah enjoying their heart attack on a stick-- a candy bar with a coating and then deep fried...ewww!! Seth and I had a caramel apple and decided we were much more healthy people :)

Sy and Evan enjoying their cotton candy

I think Evan had fun because all he could say when I picked him up from daycare last week was "Go, fun, fair, Sy" ~ those two boys have the most awesome connection- they seem to not care about one another when they are together, but then when Evan is away from Sy that is who he wants to be with. He talks about Sy more than the daycare boys he is with 8 hours a day :) TOO Cute!!! We love ya Sy! And you too Uncle Seth and Aunt Sarah!!! We had a great time at the fair!!!!

I Stand before You with a Heavy Heart

2010-09-15T15:03:00.003-04:00

What an odd time it is. Just a few days ago I was excited about and looking forward to taking my family to "The Happiest Place on Earth." That's right, the house that Walt built. It will be Evans first time seeing Disney World and Amy and I look forward to watching every smile that crosses his adorable face. Disney is Amy and my happy place and we hope it is the same for Evan. A few days ago that was all I was thinking about.

Monday my wife called me at work to tell me she had spoken with our social worker. We had been expecting a baby match in the November area and I was hoping all was on track. Instead she told me that things in Korea had slowed down a lot and we should not expect to hear baby news for many, many months. At first it was not a big deal, I just thought I would enjoy Evan by himself for a little longer. Then it hit me. The air went out of my lungs, the feeling left my fingers and it felt like I had a 1,000 lb weight was on my chest. The family we had been working toward could no longer exist. With the new timeline on baby two I will be too old to adopt again from Korea. I was not ready for that information and am struggling to come to grips with it. Now where do we go? Man has life thrown the Lafler clan some curve balls.

I am still looking forward to taking the boy to Disney, but as a father wanting to expand his family I stand before you with a heavy heart.

Thanks,
Barry

Patience

2010-09-10T14:12:00.003-04:00

Dear patience,

Hello! How are you?? Me not so good.... I need you right now and you have left the building. I am feeling so anxious about the "extra" wait time to get matched with our child. I do understand that everything happens for a reason and that things will happen in perfect timing, Evan is evidence of that, but I cannot wait any longer!!! I want to see the newest member of our family!! I want to hold that new little one in my arms!! I want to see their daddy look at them with those loving eyes!! Need I say more??

I need you back desperately before I go crazy!!!

Signed,
Crazy Waiting Mom

Wordless Wednesday { "mommy couch"}

2010-09-01T22:15:00.002-04:00

Cliche

2010-08-30T10:20:00.005-04:00

"Enjoy it while you can, it goes by so fast! "

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that~ but last night while I was rocking my little guy to sleep I could not help but reflect on that old cliche a bit. I was sitting there thinking, as Evan was fast asleep and had been for awhile, when his entire body used to be the size of my torso and now his body stretches to my knees. I remember when he could not say momma or daddy, or when he could not even ask for milk and now he asks for "cocoa milk":)

I stopped to think about how I have been wishing away this terrible two stage, and how I should not be doing that~ but it is hard when you are getting hit, bite and head butted on a daily basis :) I think we have more bruises than Evan :)

I was thinking about how hard it is going to be to send him to school for the first time, what it is going to be like when he starts driving, going away to college, or meeting his "one" to marry.

So today, let me to remind you, as I have been reminding myself lately, pause for a moment and take it in because it goes by way too fast........

Wordless Wednesday {I love the 80's}

2010-08-18T21:16:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday {Hanger art}

2010-08-11T22:00:00.003-04:00

Dreaming

2010-08-05T14:29:00.004-04:00

I am one of those people who believe that things happen for a reason and there are signals all around leading you in right direction. Sometimes just even a subtle reminder that you have chosen the road that was meant for you to travel.

That all being said, last night I had a dream that a little girl was dropped off at our mailbox, at little scary because our road is fairly busy, but I took it as a "sign" none the less. But what could it be a "sign" for.....

Our referral coming soon??
Our referral is going to be a girl??
Our birthmom has conceived and/or has delivered??
Am I getting very anxious and want to see our child's little face??

Who knows...but I want to remember this day and that wonderful dream!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday {Backward Knuckles}

2010-08-04T19:10:00.002-04:00

Happy 40th to my Hubby!

2010-08-02T08:54:00.003-04:00

Today Barry turns 40-- it is hard to believe that we have been together for 18 years now and are approaching the point of being together at almost half his age. :)

You are an awesome husband, great dad, caring son and brother, wonderful friend to so many and I cannot wait to share a gazillion more birthdays together.

Happy Birthday B, hope this year brings better luck!!!

Love~
Wee and Evan

How a Pirate Looks at 40

2010-07-31T22:08:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Amy asked me how I wanted to spend my 40th birthday and if I wanted a big party. I told her no, we have a lot going on and we would not have time for anything. I then told her that what would have been cool would be to get together with Kyle, Rodney, Dj and Seth. All I would like is to have some drinks and sing Buffet "How a pirate looks at 40." In usual fashion my wife made it happen. It was a great night that could not have been much more perfect than it was. I want to thank everyone involved for making my 40th so great.

Sing us a song piano man

Yes I am a pirate, 200 years to late

Wordless Wednesday {Diaper+shorts+pull-up = fashion statement}

2010-07-28T22:05:00.003-04:00

Wordless Wednesday {Swimming pools $25000.00, Popsicles $2.00, time spent with BFF eating popsicles by swimming pool, PRICELESS}

2010-07-21T21:48:00.006-04:00

Belated Wordless Wednesday {Daddy and Evan}

2010-07-15T21:42:00.003-04:00

Wisconsin

2010-07-12T17:12:00.014-04:00

This weekend we packed it up and headed to Wisconsin . My cousin Jabe was getting married to Brie and we (Barry and I) were both asked to stand up for them. We stayed at a hotel that had a little outside water attraction- it was perfect for Evan and my niece Kanley. We had lunch at a place called Moosejaw - it is a brewery and had a great lemongrass beer DELICIOUS :) oh and the food was good too! :)

The wedding was very nice~ my favorite part was during Jabe and Brie's vows the wind kicked up-- my Aunt passed away before she could see Jabe get married and she LOVED wind. Right after the wind blew-- and let me tell you it was hot on Saturday and absolutely no wind until that moment-- butterflies were released. That was probably the coolest thing I have ever seen at a wedding. They were married in a meadow so butterflies went everywhere and were landing on all the surrounding flowers-- Gorgeous!!! The reception called for lots of drinks and cutting a rug!! Good times!!

Barry loved this car with the Moose :)

Evan

Kanley

Barry and I at the reception

4th of July = Busy, Busy Busy

2010-07-05T21:49:00.011-04:00

So the 4th started out with a bang! We decided earlier in the week we were going to move Evan across the hall to his big boy room to get ready for the new little one's arrival. I want to get Evan situated well before the new little one comes home so he does not feel slighted in any way ~ Evan is definitely not a go with the flow kind of a kid he needs a routine so I know it is going to take some time for the transition. Here are some of the remodeling pics along with the finished product.

Barry and I were up until 10:30 (late for us) on Saturday night putting on the finishing touches so once Sunday morning rolled around we were ready for a much needed break....so off to the pool!!! This was Evan's first time at the pool and he did not care for it at all-- hard to believe that there will come a time when we are going to have to put up fight to get him to come out~

Looking at the wa-ber

Then, off to the other parents for BBQ ribs and our traditional 4th of July pic. I must admit the pic idea came from a great friend of mine, a tradition that she started with her family years ago, and I loved the idea so now we look forward to it every year.

Today topped it off with a sick baby boy-- temperature of 103.1.

Whew!!!! What a crazy weekend-- hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable 4th!!!

Disney or Bust

2010-07-01T22:43:00.005-04:00

It is official.....Evan will be taking his parents on his first Disney trip the end of September. We are so excited to be taking him and of course we have been pushing the Mick since the day he came home :) He can officially say "Mickey" now, making the parents so very proud.

As most of you know, Barry and I are HUGE Disney freaks which began on our honeymoon. Since our honeymoon, we have made the trip at least once a year sometimes twice, 12 more times. :) I think out of pure excitement, Barry ordered a planning video that Disney puts out every year with helpful hints and every night Evan requests the "movie", it is basically a 20 minute flip through of all the parks in Disney, but he watches the whole thing intently and says "wow" throughout the video. We really hope he enjoys it and it will be our last big trip as a family of three!!!!

80 more days (but who is counting???) :)I wonder if the Mick is ready for the crazy Lafler crew!!! :)

Wordless Wednesday {Do donkey's drink coco milk????}

2010-06-30T21:51:00.005-04:00

Bond, James Bond

2010-06-24T21:01:00.003-04:00

Some good friends of ours are getting married and have requested that Evan be their ring bearer. I am not sure they know what they are getting into with such a request, but we were honored to accept the challenge. I guess in thinking about it, does it really matter if Evan can make it down the aisle?? He will be a handsome little guy no matter what trick he pulls out of his bag.

Tonight I wanted to try on the tux because we are about a month away from the big day and I was worried it may need to be altered. Evan was in a great mood tonight so we went for it and tried it on.......he loves it!!! :) He did not want to take it off!! :) Of course we did a photo shoot and thought I would share some pics. As I was taking pics instead of telling Evan to say cheese Barry kept coaxing him to say "I am Bond, James Bond" and then Evan would crack up laughing at him. Such fun!

Wordless Wednesday {Peek}

2010-06-23T21:17:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday {My first bubble bath}

2010-06-16T19:34:00.002-04:00

He's My best good Friend

2010-06-14T17:34:00.009-04:00

My best friend is and always will be my wife. She has a piece of my heart that no one else can touch. That is something that will never change. Something else that will never change is my best good friend Dan. If I cannot see or talk to him for the next five years he will still hold the same spot in my life that he does today. It has been that way for a long time and the events that took place on April, 23 2010 only strengthened the bond between us.

When the Opthamologist in Oxford told my Wife and I we had to go to E.R. right away Dan and Andrea told us that they would take care of Evan and to just go. We both thought we would be there for an hour, get some drugs and leave. As the time went by, and the news got worse it was good to know that my son was being taken care of by them. That was one less thing to worry about and we were finding out that we had some stuff to worry about. After being told that I would be spending the night, Amy and I decided that she had to go back to help with the boy. I knew it had to happen but I didn't want her to leave. She had been my eyes and strength all day and I needed her with me.

Dan relieved Amy that night and brought me some food so she could go back to Evan. After eating, I told him to go home. He fought me. We argued about it for a while then he got a little nasty with me and said "look, I'm spending the night here and right now there is nothing you can do about it." Unfortunately, he was right. My response was a not so tough "look I have to go to sleep, I don't know when they will get me for my MRI." He then told me "Well then I will just read you football magazines until you go to sleep". After about an hour, he got out his little duffel bag and pulled out the pillow and blanket he brought from home and laid it on the floor to go to sleep on. He awoke whenever my vitals were taken or I had to go to the bathroom to be sure I was OK. He stayed until my release the next day.

I tried not to let him know how scared I was but I'm sure he could see it in my fuzzy eyes. I have never feared for my families future or where my place in it will be, but that day and night I sure did. Having him with me made it a little better. I hope everyone has someone like that in thier life, but I doubt it. He is one of a kind. Dan is my cousin by blood and my brother in my heart. I am so glad my brother was there to see me through that night.

Thank you Dan for loving me enough to sacrifice your own comfort so I could have a little
Your best good friend,
Barry

Wordless Wednesday {Love of Legos}

2010-06-09T21:08:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday {Landscaper or Dog Whisperer?}

2010-05-26T22:35:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday {Holy mask Batman}

2010-05-19T19:20:00.003-04:00

Wisconsin Family Shout Out

2010-05-16T12:43:00.006-04:00

Next weekend my mom and I are headed to Wisconsin for a bridal shower for my future cousin Brie. This morning I was thinking that I better go armed with new pics of Evan in his Wisconsin gear for two reasons:
1. I want WI to know that we are always thinking of them even though it is a whole lot of red in our strickly GO BLUE household :)
2. To let great uncle Jeff know Evan's WI gear is getting too small and will probably not be able to wear it much longer....hint, hint. ;)

Here are some of the pics that I will be taking~

This little rocking chair started with me, was passed to my bro, then to my cousin in WI and now back to Evan-- before long I will need to pass it to my niece and then they can pass it back once baby #2 is ready for it - what a great family heirloom.