Christmas

What a wonderful, busy, fun-filled Christmas we had. This last week has certainly been a busy one. Erik's mom and dad arrived on the 20th and his sister and family on the 21st...and ever since, we have been on-the-go! Here is just a brief re-cap of our week:

Monday evening we had a mini piano recital performed by Connor, here at our house. He had his piano recital the week before but because Papa and Gramma were not in town to see him then, we decided to have him perform at home while they were here. His piano teacher joined us and accompanied him on piano as he sang "All is Well" and also played while he read the Christmas story. Connor played Angels Voices, Sonatina in C Major and a rag time version of Jingle Bells. We also had a little sing-along of some of our favorite Christmas songs. We had such a nice evening with family and friends and I'm thinking this could be a new Christmas tradition.

We saw The Blindside again. We normally don't see a movie twice in the theatres but Erik's family hadn't seen it and since it was such a great movie, we didn't mind going again.

We made lots of lefse!! Sooo good. And the boys made cookies with Papa.

Had an awesome Christmas Eve Eve Service at church (our church had service Wed. and Thur. night).

Got lots of shopping done, did some bowling, took many bike rides around the neighborhoods, played many games of Sorry and so much more.

Christmas Day we had the kids do their stockings after they woke up, had a yummy breakfast then opened some fun gifts. Connor got a new camera and already has taken many pictures and videos. Carter too got a camera/video camera (a very simple version) and has taken some very interesting photos...such as a strangers shoe, a handicap sign, garbage can and many more. I love it! For Carly, it was all about her baby. She got a new baby doll, doll bed and a stroller for baby. She also got a grocery cart with lots of food for it. She loves it and pushes it all over the house!! She even puts her baby doll in the seat. Too cute! Later that afternoon we headed over to Tim and Tanya's to spend time with ALL the family. The guys and kids did the annual jumping in the pool. This year the temp was 48!! Our day was full of fun but the best part was being with family! That is what I enjoy the most!!

I think I covered most of it. It's hard to believe that Christmas is over and we are just a few days away from 2010. What a year we have had and so thankful for all the Lord has done!

Will post pictures soon.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Riding in Style

On Monday, Carter got the ride of his life....a limo ride! A few months ago he had a fundraiser at school and every student who sold a certain amount of items won a limo ride to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch. We knew this would be so fun for Carter so we made sure he met that goal. As you see in the picture, his face says it all.

Thanksgiving and More

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend! We spent Thanksgiving day with family at Tim and Tanya's this year. Tim and Tanya did the turkey and for that, I am so thankful. We had a fun time being with family and sharing what we are thankful for! The excitement for the day was when the sweet potatoes caught fire. What a scene that caused and just thinking about it still makes me laugh (we weren't laughing at the time though).

Friday I was able to get some shopping in with Audrey and found some great deals. Gotta love that. However, I am no where close to having my Chirstmas shopping done.

Saturday we went with Phil and Audrey to see the movie The Blind Side.....and LOVED it! What a great movie. Afterwards we walked across the street and got some coffee and a doughnut at Krispy Kremes. Oh yum! Nothing like a fresh hot doughnut with a cup of coffee! Later that evening we all met up and saw the lights at Glendale Glitter. It was fun to see all the Christmas decorations and even more fun to see Carly enjoy all the lights. It was a full day of fun!!

And now for a tid-bit of other info....

My brother and sister-in-law celebrated their wedding anniversary earlier this month and as I was thinking of that date, it reminded me of a date we celebrate...or maybe I should say a date that brought a lot of change to our family. It was ten years ago this month that our family packed up our house, said goodbye to all our family and friends in Washington and moved here to sunny and HOT Arizona. I find it so hard to believe that we've been here that long. Moving here was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I never thought I would raise my family anywhere but in Washington, where I still call my home. It seems strange that our kids will consider Az. as their home. But as hard as it was leaving, I knew that the Lord was clearly leading us here and even though I didn't understand, I had to trust Him! Our ways are not always His ways. I see now, as I look back on the last ten years, there have been many blessings that we have received in our lives had we not moved here to Arizona. One being......Carly.

Also, this month, we once again went through the process to update our home study for our China adoption. It has been 3 years since our paper work arrived in China. Wow! When we started the process (back in Jan of '06) we were told that once we have our LID (log in date) it would take about 8-9 months for a referral. Well, obviously not. But....even though the wait is long, God is good and I know we will travel to get our little girl on His timing...so we wait.

Well, we say good-bye to November and welcome December. My favorite time of year!

Thanksgiving Day






Ready to see the lights at Glendale Glitter

Tim, Tanya and family

Phil, Audrey and family

The crazy guys!

All the cousins .....but Henry

18 Months!

Connor's Birthday

Surprise!

I love to surprise people! For Connor's 13th birthday we surprised him good...but was it ever hard to keep quiet. We actually had two surprises for him. His birthday was on Tuesday and the hard part was that he wouldn't get his surprise til Wed. On Wed. he best friend, Jacob, flew in to town from Idaho. Jacob turned 13 the week before. His mom and I met in our Labor and Birth class and have been best friends ever since. The boys don't get to see each other too often now that we live in different states, but when they do get together they just pick up right where they left off. Jacob was with me when we picked up Connor from school Wed afternoon. Connor got in the car and saw Jacob and just stared at him for a minute like he couldn't believe what he was really seeing. He was so excited to have Jacob here....he said this was the best present ever! But what he didn't know was that was just part one of his surprise!! For dinner that night we had planned to meet family to celebrate together. At dinner I told Connor he has one more gift. I made a word jumbo puzzle for him to solve and once solved it told him what his gift was. He was going to Disneyland. Now Carter did not know any of this either so he was just as surprised as Connor was! Oh what fun!!!

So, Thursday morning we loaded up the car and headed off for Disneyland. We had 3 days of fun just ahead of us. Of course this was Carly's first time going and I wondered how she would do on the rides and meeting the characters. The first ride we took her on was the Toy Story ride. She LOVED it. She sat there and giggled as she pointed to everything she could see. Her new word for the day was "ride". She caught on real fast what this was all about. She was a great trooper! The boys had a great time, as well as mom and dad, and by the end of each day our feet were tired!

I know Connor loved going to Disneyland but what made it all the more fun and special was to have his buddy with him. We are so glad Jacob was able to join us. Now we just need to plan for our next trip! (maybe Carter's 13th birthday.....)

Happy Birthday Connor!

We now have a teenager in the house! Today Connor turns 13. Sometimes the memories are still so fresh that it feels like just the other day we were walking to our hospital room ready to have this baby and excited to meet him, and yet it seems so long ago that he said his first word or took his first step. We are so proud of Connor and who he is today. He is a young man who has a heart for the Lord and longs to learn more of Him. We thank the Lord for Connor and pray that he will continue to grow in His love.

October Already?

Where does the time go? I can't believe we are almost half way through October. Every year October seems to creep up on me. I'm guessing because the weather here is still toasty....in the 90's and in no way does it feel like fall or look like it. I really miss the changing of colors and the cooler, stormy weather that October brings. However, even though it's still a bit warm, I am enjoying the cooler mornings and evenings here. I know it won't be too long and I'll be pulling out my sweatshirt. :)

Carly turned 17 months today. Wow! She is changing so much and so fast. She says everything....half of it though you just can't understand. And whoever says that the terrible two's start at two...wrong! She has certainly shown us some good meltdowns. We do get a good chuckle out of it half the time because it is soo fake and she can turn it off so fast!

I hope to be better about taking pictures in the weeks ahead. Oh...Connor's birthday is coming up and I can guarantee you there will be some fun pictures!! Stay tuned....

Connor's hair for spirit week (if you only knew what it took to hold that hair up)

Go Crusaders!

I love this time of year....football season! Connor had his first game on Friday and I am proud to report that his team won...30-6. Whoo-hoo! Now that he is a 7th grader he is on the school Jr. High team. He has a great team of guys (not sure "boys" is the cool way to refer to them as) and the coaches are awesome Godly men. They aren't only learning about how to play ball, but what it means to be respectful, to live with integrity and how to be men of God. We look forward to each game and know this will be a fun season!

Trying to keep cool in the triple digit temp!

Baby Adiele

Carly and I had the opportunity to fly up to Washington to see our newest family member, my niece, Adiele Ann Raina C. She was born on the 13th weighing in at 8lbs 11oz. She is adorable and has head full of hair! Every time Carly would see her, she would say "baby" over and over and lean over to offer kisses. I'm so glad we were able to see baby Adiele and had a wonderful time with family and friends....just wish we could have stayed longer.

Back to School

The boys are back in school. Well, they actually started back last week..... I'm just a little behind on posting the pictures. Carter is now in the 4th grade and Connor is a 7th grader! Wow...we have a Jr. Higher. That shall make for a fun and interesting year.

A Girly Girl??

Carly loves these boots...even if they are two sizes too big. She brings them to us, lifts her leg for us to put them on, then walks around for an hour with them. Here she is in her pj's (that don't match), her belly showing (nice) and the hot pink boots!

Loves her glasses too!

Just Around the Corner

It's hard to believe that the boys start school in two weeks...our summer is almost over! It's time to start preparing for that first day back. The boys got their hair cuts, we'll have "meet the teacher" to attend and we need to do the infamous school supply shopping! These last two weeks will fly by...I'm sure!

And this is what you will find when you leave a toddler alone for 30 seconds!

A Great Day....

but with one little exception. Yesterday our day was busy running here and there and yet filled with some wonderful news.

Carter had an appointment with the orthopedic Dr. A few weeks ago at PT, his therapist discovered the curve in his spine. She brought it to our attention assuming we were aware of it, but we were not. We brought him to his pediatrician who then ordered the x-ray. The radiologist reported two curves, both at a 26 degree angle....not exactly good for a 10 year old. So basically his spine is an *S* shape. So, yesterday when we went to the Dr. we expected him to tell us Carter would need a brace.....but he didn't!! The angle of his spine is not as bad as the radiologist reported (I guess rather safe than sorry) and we don't need to do any treatment at this time. Thank you Lord! We were so happy to hear that. We will have another x-ray in 6 months and just continue to keep a close eye on it.

For some more great news....my nephew, Henry James, arrived at 10:25 am weighing in at 10 pounds 4 ounces! WOW! After Carter's Dr.s appointment we were able to stop in and visit baby, mom and dad. Mom is a bit sore but doing great and Henry is so darn cute!! He really doesn't seem like a newborn considering his size. He's just so pudgy! We're all thankful for the safe delivery and a beautiful healthy baby Henry!

Now for the exception.... Connor got his braces on and has a very sore mouth! Poor guy! It took them over 2 hours to get them on and he spent the rest of the day hanging out on the couch. He can't eat much of anything yet, except soup, and Advil just isn't helping much. I'm sure another day and he will feel better!

Here is Hannah holding her baby brother for the first time! Precious!

Our Fourth

Our day started out with dropping off Connor at his school for summer camp. There he met up with at least 100 other Jr. High kids and together they left for the cool outdoors of Williams Az...near Flagstaff. It was a bit strange for us, mom and dad, to leave him and have reality set in big time...we have a Jr. Higher!! Below I will attach a video of the camp where he is at for the week....makes me wish I was a kid again.

We then headed over to Tim and Tanya's and rather than a bbq, since it was too hot to do that, we did sub sandwiches. We did some swimming but I have to say it wasn't too refreshing since the water temp. was that of bath water. But none the less, we had fun. At dark, Tanya and I took Kaitlyn, Carter and Hannah to the park to watch the fireworks. This was Kaitlyn's first time celebrating the fourth here in America. So to see her experience the firework show was great. I had to laugh at the fact that there we sat on the grass at 8:30 pm and the temp was still a 100 degrees and we were sweat'n.....I have to say, I do miss celebrating this holiday in Washington.

Once again, I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked but here are a few.

Here is where Connor is at this week. The camp is put on by Young Life. Be sure to turn off the music below.

Busy!

That sums up our last few weeks. I can not believe June is gone. Here is just a brief re-cap....

• Gramma from Washington came to visit for a week and we had a lot fun.
• Carly got her first Build-A-Bear.
• We saw the movie Up...and loved it!
• Had ortho appt. for Connor and will be getting round two of braces in the next few weeks.
• Had a couple dr. appts. for Carter. One appt. downtown at Children's and the other appt. with his pediatrician to discuss his scoliosis...which we'll be seeing an orthopedic soon for that.
• Carter had a fun full week of Vacation Bible School
• Got to see my sweet friend, Monica, who I grew up with and who I haven't seen in years (and really wish we had a picture taken together).
• Swimming at Aunt Tanya's
• Celebrated a wonderful Father's Day.
• Erik went to New York and was back with-in 24 hrs...as well as Houston...and is now in Seattle.
• Attended a wedding
• Friday Fun Movie
• Piano lessons, Carter's therapy ....and more!

I can't believe that during this time, I only managed to get one picture. I just couldn't seem to remember my camera.

And a little update on Carly.....she is talking so much. She will say...*all done*, *hi*, *more* (usually only pertaining to food), *Hannah* (her cousin), will tell you what the dogs says, and a lot of jibber jabber which we can't understand. She can sign *more* but prefers to say it since she can get our attention much quicker that way, *please* which she uses a lot....for just about everything she wants, and *drink*. She is walking great now and is all over the house! No more formula or bottles. She does great with sippie cup and is even using a straw. And have I mentioned that this girl can eat! She will eat whatever we are eating. If we go out, I just share with Carly! She has such a great personality and is very social. I am amazed to see the differences between her and my boys when they were at this stage of life. I love seeing her grow and learn each day!

Now we head into July and I'm sure the time will fly.....and I better have my camera handy!

Our Road Trip

These are a Few of My Favorite Things....I Miss!

Vacation

We are back! We had a wonderful time traveling up to the Washington coast. We did a lot of driving but enjoyed every minute of it. The kids did awesome too! Our first stop.... San Francisco. This was the first time any of us had seen SF. We stayed one night and had fun experiencing the steep hills, seeing the trolley cars and driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. From there we made our way up the coast and stayed a night in Seaside, OR. We loved it there!! We already have plans to spend a week there next summer. While there, the boys rode the bumper cars. That was funny! Carter was all over the place. I sure hope he improves a little on his sense of direction before he gets behind the wheel of a real car! On Sunday we headed up to Ocean Shores, WA. There we spent the day with Erik's dad, mom, his sister and family. We hung out on the beach all day and had our favorite for lunch, fish-n-chips! We really miss good seafood! His family was only able to stay for the day since the boys had to return to school on Monday but our boys we sooo happy to have spent time with their cousins. Monday morning my brother, Marty, and nephew, Kyle, came and stayed with us for two nights. We spent the next couple of days, flying kites, eating more fish-n-chips, sitting in the hot tub, building huge bon fires, making smores, drinking yummy mocha's, building sand castles, playing putt-putt golf and just enjoying our time away. We loved every minute of being in Ocean Shores and thoroughly enjoyed our time with family. From Ocean Shores, we made our back home. We were so happy to get into our own beds, and yet we already miss family, the cooler weather, the water, the hills, and the greenery!

I have a lot of pictures to share so check back soon for that!

School Is Out!

Whoo-hoo! That is all I have to say!

She Is Walking

Erik claimed that last week ON Carly's birthday, he saw Carly take two steps. Connor claimed he saw the same thing the following day. Well, since I did not see it happen, then I say it didn't count! :) On Sunday, during her party, Carly showed off to everyone...and this time I saw it. It's official. She took a total of 12 steps! Of course, every time she would start to walk I did not have my camera ready. Then, after everyone was gone, I caught her on camera. Check it out...

The Party

Sunday we celebrated Carly's birthday. What a great time! One gift she received was a ride-on train that makes a lot of noise. She loves it! She pushes it everywhere. She enjoyed her cake and really did not make too big of a mess. It was a fun day with family and friends

Monday was her Dr. appointment for her one year check up. She weighs 23 lbs 7 oz and is 30 1/2 in. tall. I really thought she would be closer to 24 pounds since she has not had baby food for several weeks and eats every kind of people food we put in her mouth.....and a lot of it. She is definitely not a picky eater!

This first year has gone by way too fast!

Carly's First Year