Francis Hugh

Freddy Rocking Out!

Deardorff Orchards

Here is a little video from our outing at the Deardorff Orchards.

The Four - McCullough Family Christmas Card Photo

Nothing like having the picture for our Christmas Card taken in the hotel lobby of the Hampton Inn we stayed at in Houston.  In any event, it turned out pretty good.

And now we are four

Francis Hugh McCullough joined our family on December 10, 2011.  He was born in Houston, TX on December 8, 2011, weighing in at 6.5 pounds and he was 18.5 inches long.  We welcomed him with our arms and hearts wide open and love him with everything we have.

I am going to give a quick run down of all the happenings over the past month.  On October 31, 2011, we were notified that a birth family in Houston choose us to be the family of their child.  We were honored and felt so blessed that we were chosen to be the family of this little boy.

We spoke to Joanna at Crossroads (our adoption agency) and she told us the good news.  She also told us that he was scheduled for a c-section in early December.  We both thought - early December!  Wow.  We only have a few weeks to get everything ready.  Our kitchen was going through a slight remodel, the baby's room was serving as tv/craft room/and closet, and we had about nothing when it came to newborn stuff.  So we got to work right away preparing the house and getting everything ready for the little guy.  We spent a lot of time talking to Freddy about the fact that he was going to be a big brother and that he was going to ride an airplane to go get him.  He was excited.  Whether it was the fact he was going to be a big brother or ride an airplane we were not sure, but we were happy he was excited.

We flew down to Houston on Saturday December 10 and arrived at our hotel around 2:00 in the afternoon.  Just like that we received a phone call saying that we were going to be placed with Francis that afternoon.  We rushed and got something to eat and put our bags in our room then we headed to the hospital.  We met the birth parents and a representative from the adoption agency in Houston at the hospital.  After spending some time with them we were united with Francis.

At the hospital we were able to feed him and hold him.  Fred kept on reminding us to be gentle with the baby. Freddy was doing great.  He wanted to be involved in holding Francis and holding the bottle.  It was real cute.  He is going to be a great big brother.

Our first couple of days have been great with the little guy.  Lots of cuddling, holding, feeding and sleeping.  So all in all, that is a good thing.

Fred says after all this I need a snack!

We are extremely happy and excited that our family is now four.  We are looking forward to all the memories we will make and to one day getting a good night sleep!

Notre Dame

It was Awesome!

Going to a home football at Notre Dame is an experience in itself and I am happy to have experienced it with my Dad.  Unlike sporting events in Minnesota where you show up right at the first pitch or just before kickoff, a football game a Notre Dame is a day long event.

We arrived at campus around 10:00, the game started at 3:30.  Campus was already buzzing.  The tailgate lot where we parked was already filling up with cars and the early party crowd.  These were full fledged tailgate parties.  They had stocked bars, grills, food warmers, lounging chairs, flat screen tvs, satellite, and lots of food.  It was really something else.

Tailgating at ND

We spent most of the morning walking around campus and checking things out.  The campus was beautiful - a mix of old and new, traditional and non.

Touchdown Jesus

Joe and Joe

We did go to a tailgate party with Bob Higgins, the guy who was able to get us tickets.  He had a nice set up with food and drinks.  It was nice to have a beer with him and thank him for making the trip happen.

Before we made it to our seats we stood outside the stadium and watched the band march in.  Everyone lined the street coming into the stadium and cheered as they marched into the tunnel.

We made it to our seats with a few minutes before kickoff.  The stadium is sweet.  The bottom ring was built back in 1930, this is the area we sat in.  The upper ring was added on later, but you cannot tell unless you are inside and under the stadium.  We had good seats - corner of the end zone about 40 rows up.  The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud that we could see, and 80 degrees.  Before the game a Stealth Bomber flew overhead.  Those are something else. 

Notre Dame played great.  They ended up winning 59-33.  They were doing whatever they wanted to on offense.  Defense was a bit suspect. They did give up a lot of points and yards. When you score 59 points it is pretty hard to lose.  

What a site!

Scoreboard!!!

At our seats

It was a great experience watching a game in such a storied stadium.  The fans, the atmosphere, and the football were one of a kind. 

After the game they have mass at the Basilica on campus.  They also have mass a many of the dorms.  We went to the Basilica.  It is a beautiful church.  It was about 75% ND and 25% Air Force - and 100% Catholic.  

After Mass we headed back to Chicago.  

Can't wait to go back to South Bend!

Gotcha Day

We can't believe it has been a year since we were united with our little guy.  We can remember September 27, 2010 like it was yesterday.  What an amazing day it was for our family and it has forever changed our lives.  Being a parent is one amazing thing.  Our outlook on life has changed for the better.  Having Fred as our son is truly a blessing.

Then:

Now:

Notre Dame

The Notre Dame tickets are in hand! 

On October 8 Joe and his Dad are heading down to South Bend to watch Notre Dame take on Air Force.  The plan was last year for Joe, Bob, John, and Joe Sr., to travel to Note Dame to watch the ND and Utah game.  We all pitched in to get Dad tickets for his 60 birthday.  The game was set for Nov 13, which was a Saturday.  That day also just happened to be the day when we were coming back from Colombia.  Obviously I could not make it.  We were shocked to see Joe's dad and John at the airport the night of the 13, because they should have been enjoying an evening in South Bend.  Minnesota weather is a tricking thing.  On Nov 12 and 13 there just happened to be an early snowstorm and their plan to Chicago was canceled so they missed the game!  We felt really bad for them.  In any event we are going to our 'make-up' game this year.  More to come! 

And the wait starts again.

As of August 22, 2011, we are a waiting family again.  This time a family of three waiting to be a family of four. 

McCullough Family Vacation

In July we packed up the car and topper, yes we filled a topper, and headed to the great north woods of Wisconsin to a cabin.  It was our first family vacation and for the most part it went pretty well. 

We rented a cabin near Siren, WI, that was actually a really nice place.  The only thing it was missing was ac.  During a normal summer in that part of the country an ac is not needed.  However, the summer of 2011 was not normal.  It was hot and humid.  At one point the dew point in the Twin Cities was hiring that the dew point in the Amazon.  Back to our Cabin.  It was humid and hot.  In fact it was so humid in the cabin that everything had a damp feeling to it.  It made it hard to sleep.  During the day we were outside most of the time so we did not have to deal with the humidity during the day light hours.  Each room had about three fans blowing. 

We had a lot of fun running around outside, fishing, playing in the water, and we even took Fred on his first boat ride (paddle boat).  He did fine, but I would not recommend taking a two year old out on a boat for more than 15-20 minutes.  They get a bit squirmy and there is really no place to go.  Fishing, lots of sunnies, one bass, and a perch (nice work Hazel).  We just fished off the dock and the sunnies ate up our worms. 

One day we and the Eidens (they joined us for two nights) decided to head into Siren to have a picnic and swim at their public beach. When we left the cabin it was sunny and about 80.  A perfect day for a day at the beach.  When we arrived at the beach we looked to the northwest and saw a very large black wall of clouds heading our way.  We thought it would pass to the north of us.  It did not.  We decided to wait it out in the picnic shelter and let me tell it sure did come down hard and the wind was something else.  The picnic shelter did not keep us dry.  We could barely see fifty yards in front of us.  At one point lightning struck the lake and there was the loudest clap of thunder we have ever heard.  It was an experience! 

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Singing in the Sun

Here is Fred putting on a performance out in the back yard. 

Spring (or lack thereof) 2011

Hello everyone.  It has been a few months since we last made a post.  We apologize for that, but I guess you can say we have been busy this spring and our hard drive on our nine month old HP decided it wanted to fry out on us!  We do have another computer to use, but we equate our desk top to those old computers that were used in the 1980's that kids would play Oregon Trail on.  In any event, the past spring was busy, fun, firsts, and changes.  Once the snow melted, which seemed like it was sometime a few weeks ago, we were able to get outside and let Fred stretch his legs.  It was a long winter being couped up in the house so it was very welcoming for everyone once we were able to get outside on a consistent basis.  Fred really enjoys running around from the front to the back and exploring everything the yard has to offer.  Other than playing outside Fred continued his gym glass, every Thursday, up until the second week of June.  He really developed a lot during the year at gym. He has become a pro, for a toddler, at the balance beam.  He can do a somersault, wheel barrel, jump, play with a parachute, and many other things.  We really enjoyed the class at the Little Gym and will be sending him back next fall. 

Lisa and I were lucky enough to go to the Twins game with Peg and Pet on opening weekend at Target field.  It was a bit windy and cold (I am talking of the game not april - june), but we had a good time.  We love going to walk around at Target field and check out the view points of the field from different sections and areas of the stadium.  Our seats were upper deck behind home plate, they were fine, and the game was fun.  They played Oakland and lost 5-3, that is pretty much how it went for the Twins for the first few months.

A view from our seats.

Fred had is first hair cut - we took off all those lovely curls!  He did  great for Cricket - his 'stylist.'  He cried a bit at first, but after a few minutes he was all good. He just sat there and let Cricket do her thing.  It is funny who much a hair cut can make a little kid look so much older.  I mean he went from 21 months to at least 25 months in a hour.

"But I love my curls!"

Bye-bye curls.

Looking Good!

We went to Easter mass at OLP and then headed over to Joe's parents house for an Easter dinner and Easter egg hunt.  This year there was a joint Easter egg hunt with Joe's parents neighbors, which brings on more competition, but also more eggs to be found.  So we go Fred all geared up with his Easter basket and nice Sunday outfit and sent him off in the backyard in search of Easter eggs.  There was a pause.  He needed a little coaching from us before he really go moving.  He ran around with the other kids in search of all the eggs in the backyards until he say the swing set over at Angela's house (neighbors).  Easter egg hunt was now over.  But he had a good time while it lasted and a great time swinging and going down the slide. 


"You want me to do what with this basket?"

Fred and Potter

We all, other than chichi, participated in the First Annual FANA 5k at Phalen Park in St Paul.  We were surprised at how nice Phalen Park is.  It was our first time going there.  The run/walk went real well.  There was a great turn out and it was one of the nicest days of spring.  Lisa, Fred and Roman walked it and Joe and Mario ran it.  We wish we would have rested Mario instead of running him, because a week or so later we found out he had a slight tear in his ACL.  He has been in pain ever since, but we are seeing improvement in him. No more playing tennis ball for the little guy until he is fully healed, which could be later this fall.  Poor guy. 

The day after the FANA 5k was Mother's Day.  Fred and Joe were all ready to give Lisa the special day that she deserved and then Fred decided to make it real special.  He got sick!  Poor little guy and poor Lisa!  We had plans for a nice breakfast after we went to mass and then a nice relaxing day for Lisa.  It did not turn out that way. Instead we took care of a sick little boy. The good thing is there will be many more Mother's Days for Lisa to get spoiled! 


Joe and the dogs before the run.

 Fred at the finish line.

Over Memorial Day weekend we went with the Eiden's to their cabin in Eden Valley, MN.  What a perfect location from the cities. Just about an hour and half.  It was real nice to get away for a few days and enjoy the great outdoors.  The weather was descent one nice day and one raining day.  We had a good time just relaxing and hanging with our good friends. 

 All of us out to dinner.

 Lisa in a deep thought.

We had our annual Memorial Day BBQ and once again the weather cooperated for us.  All our Minnesota family was able to join us - we are still holding out for the Sabo's to join us one of these years!  We do have to say the food this year was especially good.  Compliments to the Chef. 

I think Fred a real good time playing with his cousins and friends.  We sure do like it when other kids are around for him to play with.

Fred and Joe took a day to head to the Minnesota Zoo.  The zoo is such a nice place to walk around at and Fred really enjoys getting out of his stroller and running all over the place.  He really loves the animals and being able to walk around and be independent!

 "He is much bigger than Chichi."

Once June rolled around things sure did fly by.  We all stayed real busy.  Lisa took a few continuing education classes, Joe worked and played softball, Fred just played and enjoyed life!  Fred was able to spend a few days with Joe's mom and Lisa's dad and Jonelle while Lisa was busy at class.  Once Lisa was out of school her and Fred needed to find activities to keep the days going, this was not a problem.  They normally play with Oliver and Hazel a few times a week, go to the park, play outside, go to the pool or head to the zoo.  Time sure does go by fast when there is so much to do. 

"Lets go Roman!"

Father's Day weekend ended up working out a lot better than Mother's Day.  Fred was healthy the entire weekend!  This years Father's Day weekend fell on Joe's birthday so it was a celebrate Joe weekend.  Everything turned out just perfect.  He was thrilled to hang out with Lisa and Fred for a few days and also spend some time with his family.  We all had a lot of fun together.  Lisa took Joe out for some BBQ on his birthday - you can't go wrong with a little BBQ.  Also that weekend we went to the Twins game with Fred.  He did great and last until the 7th inning.   We thought we were going to get rained out but it turned out to be  a great night.  There were a few rain drops and the start of the game, but it ended up being a nice night.

Tony Olivia was nice enough to take a picture with us.

A few family photos

 It is real loud in hear!

Outside of Target field.

 On Father's Day we went over to Joe's parents house for a little food and fun.  The kids really had a good time running around.  We really don't realize how great it is to have sidewalks in a neighborhood.  They all just ran up and down the sidewalk like it was the greatest thing.  Fun times.

Pops and the grand kids

 Family photo.

 Nona and Pops and the grand kids.



All in all the last few months have been great.  We have really enjoyed our time watching Fred grow right before our eyes.  It is pretty crazy on how fast he picks up on things and how quickly he learns new things.  We never know what the day is going to bring us.  Fred has picked up on a lot of words and he now is repeating the things we say.  It us fun listening to him have a conversation.  There will be a bunch of toddler talk and a few words here and there.  The funny part is his facial expressions during it.  He is so serious and concentrating on telling us something.  He also is does a real good job of picking up on routines, habits and processes.  It is funny to watch.  He still really likes apple sauce and hot dogs.  He really likes BBQ pork chops, french fries, orange juice, fish sticks and anything else that someone other than his mom and dad give him to eat.  He really enjoys playing with is Thomas the Train toys and his car collection.  He also loves to be read stories.  He loves just being outside and playing in the pool.  Names he knows:  Mom, Dad, Peg, Pat, Ollie, Hazie, Nona and Pops (Joe's parents), Boppa (Lisa's Dad), Anya, Emmy, Chichi, Mario, Roman, Bob, Paul (Father Paul), and Joe (Jovanny).  I am sure he will pick up on other's soon. 

Other than our time with Fred, lets see.  Lisa finished off another school year at OLP.  She also is taking a quilting class this summer.  We all can't wait to see the final project.  Joe started a new job at RBC Wealth Management.  He is now advising high net worth clients with their Estate, Tax and Wealth Transfer planning.  This job is a much better fit for Joe.  We also started the process to adopt another child.  We are real excited about having a sibling for Freddy and another child.  We are very early in the process, which means we still have a few years, but you never know it could be sooner!

 That is all for now.  Joe, Lisa, Fred, Roman, Mario and Chichi.