Proud to be an American!

Two posts in one day!!!
Well I always enjoy telling people that I have an Egyptian brother-in-law, but now he is an American! Mohamed filled out his papers (which were many and took hours), paid his fees (not cheap!), and passed the test (he studied a lot and probably knows more than most people born in America). So today he went to the Federal Courthouse in KC, MO and took his Oath of Citizenship. As a 4th grade teacher I was so excited to go and see this process so that I could tell my students about it. So I trekked downtown excitedly carrying my video camera and digital camera (which Mohamed kept making fun of me for). It was such a great experience and really made me feel so proud to live in a country that accepts people from all over the world, giving them freedom they may not have had before. There were 60 people from 28 different countries that became citizens during this ceremony! I know that our country isn't perfect, but it is a place that gives so many opportunities to so many people that may not have ever had them!
Mohamed has told me how grateful he is to become an American citizen because he feels this country has given him so much. He even got registered to vote today and is excited to be able to be part of such an exciting election year!
Below is a picture of the courtroom and a picture of Mohamed with his mom and certificate of citizenship.

Boy vs. Girl

So I have been told that I need to post more. Since this is all very new still and I am no pro, I am keeping it basic at this point. I decided to write about how different my babies are.
Liam is just his own kid and such a boy. He does his thing and is usually just happy hanging out and playing by himself. He has taken to playing baseball too. This consists of taking a long item that looks like it could be a bat and some ball then just running. There usually is no hitting involved, maybe some swinging of the "bat" but no hitting. I think he may like a T-Ball set! Oh and he is getting a bit tricky. The other day he said something about candy corn so I said "do you want candy corn?" trying to figure out what he said for sure, to which he replied, "Okay, Mommy"! It was like he tricked me into agreeing to get him some treats!
Now Lainey, I am discovering, is a total girl. She loves to carry around stuffed animals and blankets. Over the weekend Liam found an old necklace of mine from Hawaii that was tucked away in a drawer. When Lainey realized what he had she wanted it. So Joe found another necklace from a hippy costume that he doubled up and put around her neck. She just loved it and didn't even pull at it. She just walked around like she was big stuff with that necklace. The next day the necklaces came out again and she wore both of them around for the rest of the day. When we were outside later I took some pictures of her with them on. Then somehow I managed to get Liam to sit down next to her (usually he is too busy running, playing, and doing his thing). So here they are. Liam with his dirty, chalky (he loves sidewalk chalk) face and Lainey with her necklaces! They are just so cute, I can't get enough of them!

Grandpa O'Dell

So, here is my first official blog and I guess it's a sad one. My Grandpa O'Dell (my mom's dad) passed away on Wednesday. He was 82 years old and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about a year ago. He really struggled with having this disease and actually didn't believe the doctors at first. He really did tell them they were wrong! He went into a nursing home in April and never got to go home. For the past couple of months it got really bad really fast. It was hard for my mom and her sisters to watch him go, but I know he is happier now that he is with my grandma again.
My mom and I were talking the other day about how watching someone die is almost like watching a baby being born. Don't get me wrong, it's much happier to watch a baby being born, but they both remind you that there is something bigger and better than any of us can imagine.
I promise the next time I do this it will be a happy sweet one about my babies!