Pumpkin Patch at the Farm...

Uncle Mike joined us

Full moon just for the occasion

Awesome old Victorian farm house

Enjoying the farm- picking pumpkins, checking out the animals, hay rides, hot cider & crisp apples. Love this time of year! The girls always go for the biggest pumpkin they can carry, and Trev found the smallest this year. Mike explained all the farm machinery to the boys, pretty cool. Anyone up for some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and roasted pumpkin seeds?

"I was a boy then"...

When Sophie saw this picture of her (blue) & Sage (white) in the orphanage, she told me matter of factly- "I was a boy in China". They crack me up, and amaze me.

Here they are with their nannies, coloring with their backpacks & goodies we sent them while waiting to bring them home.

I am soo thankful for their nannies, they are much more then caretakers. I believe they really love the children they care for and did a good job, considering the abundance of children in their care. Of course, it can never take the place of a home & a loving family.

I treasure these pictures from the orphanage...

Almost a year ago Sophie & Sage looked at these pictures for the first time, I was organizing the office and we happened to run across them. They were very interested as they studied each picture in deep thought. Then Sophie got real quiet and looked up at me and asked... why did you take so long? (crushed my heart but was glad she could talk about it) She was clearly upset and actually scolded me for not coming quicker (Mom, hurry, hurry!). I explained to her that we came as fast as we could and when we finally received the ok, we took the fastest jet plane to come get her and Sage. Now she enjoys that story and will proudly talk about it every so often. Sage also expressed her thoughts of being alone when she would ask for the same story each night- "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. When we got to the part of the boy not coming back very often and the tree was sad, she talked about her time in the orphanage and also said I took to long. The conversations were healthy and are seldom now, but I was glad they were able to open up and let me comfort them.

They play different now. As much as they like everything their brothers do- sports, rip stick, scooter, nice cars... they love to get their nails done, take care of their dolls, dance, & dress up in dresses, the fancier the better. They are turning into little ladies, but will always be full of spunk, yae!...

Sweet princesses. Sage pink, Sophie green

Celebrating 19 years...

We had a marvelous anniversary celebration. Paul was ready to treat me to a nice, romantic dinner at a favorite fancy restaurant- Carvers (sounded good and expensive), but he just started a new job a couple of weeks ago, and like most Americans, we're watching what we spend. So we went with plan B my plan and made our own Carvers restaurant at home. After S & S soccer game (way to score girls!), and dinner for them, they went down at 8 o'clock sharp. Paul fired up the grill and cooked the New York strips while I whipped up some cheesy potatoes, asparagus, and fresh fruit salad, with our favorite chocolate layered pie setting in the fridge. It was a delicious, romantic, candlelight dinner with old time favorites playing in the background... the steaks were perfect, potatoes were creamy, dessert to die for and a nice private setting with my sweetheart. Oh ya, the waiters weren't too bad themselves, they were awesome! (Josh & Trevor were so cute & willing to help, they did their part very well. They stayed inconspicuous unless we needed something then mysteriously disappeared- off to bed, thanks boys!). We really enjoyed the Anniversary Inn last year, so why not create our own- fireplace, jacuzzi, and romantic movie on the big screen. We changed into something comfortable and nestled on the loveseat for a great movie- Shadowlands, tear jerker. It was magical, just as good, if not better, had we gone out to celebrate. The only thing missing (should've planned ahead for this) was breakfast in bed the next morning, that was such a nice ending last year. But I let Paul sleep in while I got the kids off to school, since he had to work all day. Happy Anniversary hon! Looking forward to the next 19+ years with you.

19 years today...

From the day we first met
'til this one right now
I'd love you forever
this was my vow.

We were drawn together
from the very start
We became best friends
you stole my heart

You won me over
with your smile, your finesse
treated me like a lady
and even a princess

We took our time
and as our love grew
even in absence
everyone knew

No doubt about it
we were meant to be
Making the promise,
for all eternity

Now years are passing
by like days,
we've been through a lot
in so many ways.

Our family has filled
our lives with joy
sometimes crazy
with 2 girls and 3 boys

But, I love you as much
as I did before,
Could it be possible
I love you even more?

This is the day
you and I became "We"
I love you forever
Happy Anniversary.

Happy 19th Anniversary!
Thank you for being the person you are, for working so hard for your family, for the great dad you are to our children, and the wonderful husband you are to me. I love you more then ever, Di.

San Diego

Wished It...

Paul put this slideshow together for me (thanks hon, it's a treasure!). The girls are wearing the first dress they wore to church after coming home, two years ago, the dress was long then:), and this song... one of my favorites I used to play for them at bedtime...

I thank Paul often for saying "yes" to this adoption. Mainly, I thank my Heavenly Father for sending these precious girls to our home. I have no doubt this was meant to be. I wished for them, prayed for them, rollercoastered for them, and went over the moon for them. It was worth it all. My heart goes out to those waiting in the adoption process, hopefully things will speed up now that the Olympics are over, hoping and praying! Here are some of my favorite pics since the video can't be in their book

Soccer Stars...

My computer's on the fritz :(. I sat down to do a quick summer catch up post and all my pictures were gone, yikes! We are re-doing our computer. Luckily, it's all backed up but it may be awhile before I have access to everything. With no editing programs I can't even crop or lighten a photo, so don't mind these raw pics. This is Sophie's & Sage's first soccer game, they are loving it ...

Determination

Ready to play, where's the rest of our team?

Sidelines, taking a breather

Ms Diane one of their Kindergarten teachers and her husband came to watch Sophie and Sage play.

The girls were thrilled to have Ms Diane come and watch their game. She is such a good and supportive teacher. I'm so glad S & S have her. Thanks for the cheering section Diane!

It's pretty funny watching soccer at this age. The field is small and the nets are big, and the kids flock like magnets to the ball. It's so cute to watch. Sophie and Sage aren't intimidated at all, even with all the boys on the team, they get right in there, sometimes tumbling over each other. The first game Sophie made 6 goals and Sage 2, all in the wrong net. They were playing against a hard team and said it was too hard to make it in the other net. They were so proud of themselves :). We practiced more this week and today their second game, they made goals in the right net. Way to go my soccer girls!

Yearly adoption BBQ

The best swing ever! It was soo tall & rotated in a large circle, even had a line to get on. Sophie in brown, Sage in pink

Quickly put on our suits to cool off in the fountain wading pool

Hanging out with T and others at the pond

We fed the ducks

Dad took some awesome pictures of the flowers, isn't he good?

New friends. They were so cute and fun, they spent most of their time w/ S & S.

Cindy awesome founder of group

A blast with old friends- cute Becca

Endless smiles. Can't wait 'til next year!

What I've been up too, without my girls...

I miss my girls so much while they're in kindergarten, but I'm taking advantage of the few hours I have each day to get some things done and relax (well, eventually I'll relax). I've been asked what I'm going to do with my time?...

I have a lot to do before it's really "my time", but I'm getting there and working on all the stuff that has been neglected these past two years. The last time my home was spic and span clean was before China, oh yes, and the time we almost put our house on the market, about 6 mts ago, feeling we'd outgrown this house. If you need a few hints why my house got neglected, their names start with S. As much as I like a nice clean home, it was well worth overlooking a few things to spend time with my kids. Of course they do chores, but my biggest wish over the summer was a weekly cleaning lady (I had one hired right before Pauls accident, then canceled due to upcoming medical bills) "Cleaning the house while children are in it is like shoveling your walks in the middle of a snow storm". Now, I have time to get everything back in order. I've almost filled the recycle bin already and you should see my "to file" pile. So far, I've cleaned out our office/craft room, made a cozy homework nook for the kids, defrosted our garage freezer, cleaned and organized our upstairs office area, and balanced the checkbook (hadn't been done for a few months, good thing it balanced!)... Not a lot of fun, but it's so nice to get done! I volunteer at the kids school each Friday (something I haven't been able to do lately, Trevor and the girls love it) and continue my weekly outings to the temple with my hon while the girls spend some special time with Grandma B., thanks mom! I'm able to prepare better meals, and I finally read "Twilight", yae! It won't be long before I get all the big projects out of the way, and can enjoy some down time while the kids are in school- reading, blogging, art or photography classes, occasional lunch w/ friends, while keeping up with my family ... Can't wait!

Now, for a kindergarten update. Sophie and Sage have eased real well into kindergarten, I worried at first, for nothing thank goodness. They are blessed with a fabulous teacher, learning, doing good work, and making nice friends. They are definitely loved at this school, their brothers and brothers friends all watch over them, and this is the first time I've had a teachers' aid offer to babysit anytime. The kids in their class are great and gather to play with S & S when I drop them off. There's a good speech therapist at the school, but their teacher thinks it isn't necessary, just effects of ESL (English as a second language). He can understand them pretty well and we both think their language will improve a great deal this year . I am thankful that they've taken this next step so well, and I'm so grateful for the wonderful people in their lives that have made each new step great for them, it makes me proud of the community I live in, of course I expect no less. Sophie and Sage are resilient, full of life, sweet, happy girls.

Saying Good-Bye :(

We love Lindsay!

Boys having fun!

Making friends

But here are our best friends! Swinging with Rollarblades?

Good-Bye Danny & Lindsay, for now, so glad you spent your last day with us. It was so fun!... Hope to see you real soon, we miss you already.

Enjoy CA, work hard so you can be our dentist someday Danny :)