2011 Christmas Video

Twelve months in under three minutes...

For some reason we can't get this to play in Full Screen mode unless we click on the YouTube button in the bottom right and watch the video on YouTube. Weird.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

Is there anything cuter than a kindergartener missing a tooth? I don't think so. This kindergartner is especially cute in his Indian costume.

We've got two traditions. We decorate our back door with "thankful" leaves and we run/walk a charity 5K.

Oh yeah, tradition number three...our Utah family comes over for dinner. My parents were here this year and it was GREAT to spend time with them!

Terrific Two!

Best Friend: Laura

Favorite Toy: Baby doll

Loves to Say: "I just joking!"

Couldn't live without: Peanut butter

How different life would be...

The other day a good friend asked, “Do you think about how different Sitota’s life would be if she hadn’t been adopted by your family?” I get this question every so often, and usually the question is followed with a comment like, “You are so good to adopt. She is so lucky.” When my friend asked me this I felt the same awkward feeling I always do.

I have come to strongly dislike the question without knowing why. I stumbled through a response, just as I always do, not being able to translate my feelings into words. That night, while rocking Sitota before bedtime, I looked at her and reflected on “the question,” wondering why it makes me uncomfortable.

Then it hit me and I started to cry. Sitota has blessed our family more that I ever thought possible. She has made us a more humble, caring and compassionate family. I have an 8-year-old who regularly donates some of her allowance to build wells in Africa. I have an 11-year-old who cried with me when I told him that things were not going well with Ethiopian adoptions, and that some orphans may never be adopted. I have children who want to donate our Disneyland savings to help starving children in Somalia. I have a family who think people with different skin color are beautiful. These examples don’t even begin to touch on how deeply our lives have been changed.

So, I finally have a verbal answer to “the question.” We are the lucky ones. And yes, I think about how different life would be if we hadn’t adopted Sitota, our lives would be different. I think about it every day, and I thank God, every night, for Sitota.

Dear Tooth Fairy

A few months ago, Dexter lost a tooth while outside on the deck. The tooth fell between the boards and under the deck. The kids searched for it for days, but never found it.

Yesterday, Dexter lost another tooth and left this note for the tooth fairy.

Halloween Fun

We've got an army man, Fred Weasley (from the Harry Potter books), a runner, a unicorn, a dinosaur and a very pretty princess.

Fred & George Weasley

My kindergartener's first Halloween parade.

My 6th grader's last Halloween party in elementary school. I helped at Truman's class party.

Carl's Visit

Carl came out for the Halloween weekend. One of the days we went for a walk in the canyon. Graham took this picture and thankfully it's not a close up so you can't see my braces and Carl's mustache (it's mustache month where Carl is working).

We had all the Utah family over on Sunday to celebrate Aunt Kathleen's birthday. The little kids spent their time playing in the leaves. The big kids (pictured below) played games and hung out.

Here's as much of the gang as I could get together for a picture. It's always great to be with family.

Fall Break

We went to a dinosaur museum and to Goblin Valley. It was a quick one night trip. We had a fantastic time.

Fall

Fall is here which means the canyon is beautiful and the apple pie is GOOD. I guess Bret's broken neck hasn't affected his appetite.

"FORE!"

Whoops, shouldn't stand too close when your buddy is swinging a golf club. Dexter's got three stitches in his forehead. He LOVES all the attention he is getting.

Three!

My little Laura is so dang cute. She turned three in August and has got a great personality. She's at an age where so much of what she says is funny. She loves to laugh and play. I love you Laura!

Yee Haw and Stuff...

I was just looking through some pictures and saw this beauty. I don't know why but I couldn't/can't stop laughing. I love that Sitota's eyes are shut because she is smiling so hard and that Laura is picking her teeth.

Maybe I'm a little silly today but this shot has me in stitches too. This girl is serious about wearing safety goggles.

The fro, says it all.

Now this picture is not very funny BUT it was taken during one of my "mom moments" (every once in a while I have a "mom moment", a moment that I want to remember forever). I asked the girls to play quietly downstairs so I could take a nap. I woke up to find these two cuties standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me to wake up so Laura could shoot her nerf gun at me. Laura's outfit was almost too much for me, dang funny.

Backyard Beauty

Over the past few years we've completely rebuilt our backyard. This is Kathleen's creation. She has designed the whole thing, getting ideas and advice from literally hundreds of magazines, blogs and professionals.

Here's the before...

During the patio construction...

During the deck reconstruction...

And after...