Happy Thanksgiving 2008

In front of Jonathan Borofsky's "Hammering Man"

Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, TX

Before I got married, I imagined holidays would be about continuing family traditions. However, the most important thing I have learned over the past four years is that all families are unique and rather than try to recreate my own childhood, maybe it's time to let traditions come alive in new forms, perhaps creating some new ones. After all, our family was formed in a "non-traditional" way, so why should we stick to convention?

Thanksgiving is one of those times what creating tradition becomes especially important. Since we don't have any family in the area, we usually wait until the last minute to make plans, usually in the form of getting ourselves invited to someone's house or hosting an impromptu Thanksgiving feast for other Thanksgiving "orphans." Even though I don't very much care for this holiday, Thanksgiving is one of those times of the year where we can mark milestones and think about how much we have changed and grown during the past year. This realization, along with my weakness for craft foam, inspired me to make the cheesy, yet cute, Family Turkey:

Yes, I know it doesn't look like much now. But the plan is to add the kid's hands every year to mark how much they have grown. And since Veronica can write her own name now, it's especially meaningful to have her write it on her hand this year.

I wish you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your turkey, football, and any other traditions that you have. And if you're so inclined, start another one.

I Signed The Petition for Preemies!

Quick update

I took at hiatus from blogging, but after some friendly nudging from a couple of friends, I came back. Truth is, the longer you wait between blog posts, the harder it is to come back. So much went on and it was hard for me to summarize it in one post.

So here's the gist:

• We are all doing well.
• Over the summer, D.J. finally got his citizenship papers, marking an end to a very long journey. All the legal work regarding the adoption is over and we can finally breathe.
• We took a road trip this summer and drove through Oklahoma, Tenesee, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I got a speeding ticket in Illinois.
• Erek continues his job with the Federal government. I now teach two anthropology classes.
• Veronica celebrated her 4th birthday in style (see slideshow)
• Kids still attend the same preschool: Veronica 5 days, D.J. 3 days.
• Veronica loves soccer, dance, and gymnastics. She also says she wants to play the violin.
• D.J. started gymnastics as well. His favorite things are swinging on the bar and jumping in the foam pit.

I will try and continue the updates. Now that I think about it, I miss blogging.

Messiah Lutheran Trike-a-Thon

Halloween Summary

Veronica's Birthday - September 8, 2008

Borowski Summer Road Trip 08

Family Day/Citizenship Ceremony

Independence Day 08

Summer's Here!!

As you many have noticed, I am addicted to making Photobucket slideshows. I especially like making remixes so I can add cheesy music and cool transitions. Below is my latest creation - in honor of the beginning of summer, I have created a slideshow that celebrates having fun at the pool. Enjoy!

Summer Fun Slideshow

Happy Mother's Day!

Erek and the kids really made this past Sunday wonderful! It started with Veronica and D.J. "cooking" me a tasty breakfast of cereal and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was the best breakfast ever! We then spent the morning at the the church nursery, as it was our week to watch the little ones while their parents were at mass. It was a little chaotic, but we managed to get most of the kids to color Mother's Day cards.

We then headed to Dinosaur Valley State Park, which is home to "some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world." We spent most of the time splashing in the Paluxy River. Even Maggie, who usually avoids bodies of water, seemed to enjoy it when Erek threw her in.

Check out our slideshow below!

Mother's Day at Dinosaur Valley State Park

Donnie and Marie? The Carpenters? Jonas Brothers? No, it's Veronica and D.J.

Veronica and D.J. are trying to be the next great sibling music act. Their repertoire includes hits like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Amee" (They are still obsessed with this Pure Prairie League Song).

Austin trip with Aunt Kara

Easter Montage

A hunting we will go...

Last weekend, our homeowner's association put on their annual egg hunt. It was a success and both kiddos came home with a bucketful of eggs. Check out the decor on their Easter buckets, by the way. Decorating plastic buckets for Easter is fast becoming a Borowski family tradition (that and using the same buckets for the sandbox and pool during the summer - we love multi-use stuff!)

Ready to go

Veronica and her loot

D.J.'s got the hang of it

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

Veronica, the Dog Whisperer

This morning, Veronica tried to get our mutt, Maggie, to sit. Here's how it went:

Veronica (in whiny voice): Maaaaggie. Sit!

Maggie unresponsive. She runs into the bedroom and under the bed.

Veronica: Mommy, Maggie won't sit.
Me: Well, that's not the way you talk to Maggie. Try again.
Veronica: Maggie, sit PLEASE.

Maggie still didn't sit. But at least Veronica has good manners.

February wrap-up

I have been wanting to create a new post for a while, but we had technical difficulties. After almost four years of faithful service, our Canon Powershot A80 could give no more. We had seen this coming - the past couple of months we had to use scotch tape to keep the thing working. While we were researching cameras and waiting for our new Canon Powershot SD1000 to come in the mail (Erek found a sweet deal online), we had to resort to a disposable camera to capture our special Kodak moments.

February may mean Valentine's Day to most people, but for us, it means Daddy's birthday (not to mention Ninang Nicole's and Tito Vlad's!!). We celebrated with a cookie cake, flax seed, and a trip to Gattitown.

Daddy, kids and cookie cake

Daddy and birthday cards

Fun in the Gattitown photo booth

I can't believe it's almost March! Wasn't it just Christmas? Seriously, it's hard to remember what month we're in, especially since DFW has such funky bipolar weather patterns. I guess the good thing about it is that once in a while we get a gorgeous day thrown in...

Sunny day at Suncreek Park

Until next time....

Tribute to Pure Prairie League

D.J.'s First Month in the Terrible/Terrific Two's

The Borowski family has survived the first month of 2008, and more imporantly, the first month of our Dong Joon being two years old! D.J. turned two on December 30, just in time to welcome the new year. We celebrated with Lolo and Lola by making cupcakes and spending the afternoon at Liberty Park in Plano.



Yes, that is a tank you see on the playground.

The following week, we had D.J.'s birthday party at The Wiggly Play Center in Frisco. I have to point out that this is the only facility of its kind in the United States. The only other Wiggly Play Center that exists as of now is in Sydney Australia. Anyway, D.J. really loves The Wiggles (it is the only television show he will watch) so was so excited to have his party there! All the children pointed their fingers, did the twist, and ate a lot of "hot potatoes"!





D.J. blew his candles out in one puff - not bad for an asthmatic!!

Speaking of D.J.'s asthma, I am happy to report that he has been doing so much better this season compared to the beginning of 2007. He has had his share of nasty viruses, but the wheezing has been minimal. He does has to use the nebulizer once a day, but we don't have to hold him down and/or put him in a straightjacket to keep his mask on anymore.

After D.J.'s birthday madness was over, Daddy went in for surgery on both feet. Yes, both feet. I'm not going to go into any details, but we're hoping that the procedure will help him be able to run, hike and boogie down the way he used to. He spent a couple of days on the couch, but he is now hobbling around wearing two very large boots. The kids enjoyed having him home and most of the time they were careful not to climb on his legs.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is having a wondeful January. Happy New Year!