40th Birthday Luau

To celebrate me getting old, we had a backyard Luau (keeping me young ;). There was a charming group of 25. We had a delightful time with good music, great food, and fun games. Even some Hula lessons.

Invitation Poem...

They say that 40 is fabulous, so she really shouldn’t feel old
To reinsure, come join Dianne, and put this date on hold
Coconut is white, and Kiwi is green
Come do the hula and limbo like a queen.
Wear your Hawaiian shirts or hula skirts and we'll provide the leis.
Look your best in island clothes and win a little prize, who knows,
but keep your eyes upon the clock so that you'll not be late
to see Dianne turn 40, as she accepts her fate.

Food will be served this night, so please keep this in mind.
No need to bring a gift, just your presence will be fine,
but if your one for funny gifts, bring one for good measure
for us to laugh as Dianne cries will be our greatest pleasure.
Kindly find a sitter, if you can’t, we’ll enjoy the litter.

It’s a Hawaiian Luau celebrating Dianne’s 40th Birthday.
Friday, August 10 @ 6:00 p.m.
Paul & Dianne’s Home, poolside-
Dress in your Luau best, and bring a beach chair to rest
Bring your suit if you dare, for nighttime swimming, no one will stare

Man, I must be loved. What a fun party, everyone had a great time. I was told by many how nice my friends are. They are the best! Thanks a lot for the Centrum Silver, Pain Reliever, and Energy drink Karma & Joyce- it might come in handy, and for the denture adhesive and laxative tablets mom, someday I won't be laughing at this :) A party I'll never forget. Thanks everyone who came and joined in celebrating my 40th B-day!! You made it very special and a fun celebration!

Happy one year anniversary...

Happy Gotcha Day!

Thrilled to have there own candle on their cake

I'll never forget the day, one year ago from now. The best birthday ever. The day we held, hugged, and comforted our little girls for the first time. Although we were happy before, life is even better now. Sophie and Sage have made our family complete. The time has gone by fast, but I can't imagine our family without them.
S & S have been such a joy! We have thoroughly enjoyed hearing their giggles and seeing their face light up with each new experience. They love deeply and have bonded tight. When I go to put them down after holding them, they hold on as tight as they can and sweetly say "I'm not done!" They love their big brothers and have marvelous times with them.

Yes, they are curious, playful, active little girls that like to climb on anything that looks interesting, can you blame them? Because they have each other, they've held on to their Cantonese language a little longer. They speak mainly English now, with a touch of Cantonese, and probably some twin language mixed in. That doesn't stop them from communicating, if they don't know the right words, they will pantomime to get their point across (so cute). They have also overcome many fears and have learned to trust. ~they will never be left again

These girls are survivors! I will never know about their first 3 years of life, but they definitely know how to love and are very confidant, happy, playful girls.

So today marks my 40th Birthday- ouch! It came quick. My children make turning 40 fine and S & S keep me young, and some days wear me out, I mean keep me in shape :) I love you Sophie and Sage!!

Grandma and Sage

Sophie and Grandpa


Playing jacks with mom

Sunday Stroll...

Sophie in blue, Sage in pink

Just what the doctor ordered...

After a week of sickness and long work hours, this was just what we needed. Nick (poor kid) wasn't feeling 100% yet, so he relaxed in the boat. The rest of us were feeling much better. First, Trevor got up on ski's- first time ever. I was so proud of him! He got scared a few years back and didn't want to ski again (must let go of the rope:). He improved by leaps and bounds today and was so pleased with himself. Then, Josh was so used to skiing, it took him awhile to get up on the wakeboard, but he didn't give up. He was determined and kept at it until he figured it out. After that, he got up easily each time and learned quickly how to turn once your up, way different then slalom skiing. Way to go boys!

Bummer, the battery on my camera died after wakeboarding, so I didn't get many pics of Sophie and Sage. They cheered their brothers on and had fun riding in the tube with Josh, wish I could share those smiles. They didn't like the water splashing their face, but no complaints. Then they enjoyed jumping off the dock & playing at the beach. They made large sand pyramids with motes- which they were very proud of- asking me to protect their pyramid while they got more water for the mote ;). Fun day at the lake!

FFFF Cheesy Grins...

Sophie & Sage proudly wearing their 2008 Beijing Olympic T's

Sage is the epitome of cheesy grins lately, here are some of my favorites


The blue swim suit pic & the dance picture are of Sophie, they can both be hams! They have contagious smiles and they keep us laughing :)

Click on Loving Lydia to see more adorable cheesy grins.

Check out my new dinette set!

We'll have some great meals on the wakeboard, don't you think? :).

We've been shopping around for a nice wood dining room table & chairs to replace the out of style one we bought in our last home (liked it then). We got nervous when we saw the girls... while cutting paper, trying to cut the edge of our table, so we decided to hold off awhile longer and keep our kid friendly, ugly dinette set for now. I must accessorize! So wakeboard it is.

Yahoo boys, here it is! They are excited to break in their new board, hope they get up- the girls love riding in the tube, but won't be long before they're jumping the wake also.

We share everything...

Sure, we share... We have successfully shared this nasty flu bug with everyone in the family. I claim to be the last one and hope it doesn't make the rounds again, I guess we must all take our turn. Sweet Sophie and Sage are taking good care of me though, feeding me pretzels in bed and getting me children's grape flavor Tylenol. I love how Sage wispers to me and closes my bedroom door so I can get some quiet rest and how Sophie keeps giving me the tylenol bottle so I can get better fast. After all, life is no fun when mom is sick and that's how mom took care of them (without the pretzels):). What good little care takers they are, it's great to see how fast they learn and how nurturing they can be.

S & S feeling much better

The boys have been very helpful and I can't thank my mom enough for the great chicken dinner she brought over tonight. (she just happened to call me today) especially because Paul has burned all week (worked early & late, partner on vacation) Send healthy wishes our way so we can enjoy a well earned day off tomorrow with dad

Our first Sparklers

Celebrating Pioneer Day

The girls first parade, they loved it! Luckily Trevor was their to show them the ropes, who to wave too to get candy and water. S & S liked the horses and the bands the best, Trevor liked the police formations on motorcycles, especially the cool one riding his bike like a surfboard :). At the carnival they enjoyed the fish pond, spin art, and the baseball throw- killer arm! Thanks Trevor for hanging out and helping your sisters.

They sat very still for the face painting, if only they would do that when I do their hair :)
Sage liked her butterfly
Sophie went for a simple red heart
Proud of their fancy bird puppets

Our city put on a great show for pioneer day. Breakfast in the park, Parade, City Idol, Kids area, Good food & Fireworks- fun for all ages. I was impressed with the cold drinking water stations they had throughout (hot day), and clean bathroom/wash stations set up all over. Well done, we had a good time.

I'm very thankful for the Pioneers who sacrificed so much for us. Nick got a small taste of this last month as he went on a Youth Trek trip with our church. He traveled on the trails pulling handcarts in the heat for 4 days. Tough on the kids, but they did well and it sure helped them appreciate what the pioneers went through and how truly blessed we are :)

We were happy to see Nick & Josh when we got home. They've been at scout camp for the week, the girls asked about them every day.

Keeping my ducks (and geese) in a row...

Sophie, Sage, and Trev had a great time feeding the ducks and geese. It was nice to get out today- poor Sophie has been sick, and this evening Sage got it- vomiting with fever. After all, they share everything:) It's just a 24 hour deal, thank goodness. I'm so glad I'm able to comfort and help them, I hate to think about them being sick without comforts of home and mom to care for them. They are definately tough girls.

Lately, I've been trying to make sure all my ducks are in a row, making sure all is well with my family. Things can get pretty crazy at times. Just like the mother duck we saw today, watching over her ducklings, giving them enough freedom but staying close by. Scaring away everything that tries to come too close that can harm her babies. Supporting and encouraging each of them along with the healthy sacrifices involved in belonging to a rather large family. I know my ducks aren't always in a row, but there is a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment when I stay on top of things and do my best as a mother and wife and all is well in the home. There are no better rewards for a mother then happy, healthy, secure, and loving children. Of course, it's a work in progress, but my family give me so much joy!

We had our 12 mth post placement appointment yesterday, time has flown! It's nice to have that over with and everything complete. We've enjoyed working with Anne, she was wonderful. The girls really liked her and she was very impressed with Sophie and Sage. She noticed how happy and smart and beautiful they are. Sophie and Sage enjoyed teasing her- they said they were 5 years old when she asked and the color Red was Blue (big grins on face) What turkeys, they are so much fun!