From our family to yours...

Merry Christmas!!!

'tis the season...

to be BUSY!!  A few of the latest happenings at our house...

 My biggest boy turned 18.  And yes, it is surreal to think I have a child who is eighteen!

Logan's soccer team took second place in a tournament over Thanksgiving weekend!

Sarah was a cute "Frosty the Snowman" in her dance recital!

Jason (my baby boy) turned seven!!!

The Elf on the Shelf arrived at our house (we're newbies to this tradition).  Here he is, lifting some weights.

How cute is this pup?  (Doesn't she look like she posed for this?)  This is my parents new St. Bernard pup, Heidi.  We are babysitting her for a few weeks.  Don't let her innocent face fool you.  Ha!

And, despite my good intentions of having a professional family portrait done this year, I ended up snapping some shots of the kids in front of an old Sinclair gas station.  (P.S. The kids really weren't as happy as they might appear for this photo shoot.)

Four years!

Four years ago today, we met our daughter for the first time in Beijing, China (see New Day Foster Home).  She was 19 months old.  

And from the very beginning, little Miss Sarah was a spunky, outgoing, sometimes loud, and very BUSY toddler.

I must admit that her persistence and activity level have sometimes been a challenge...

but these personality traits have served her very well.  Sarah has definitely "grabbed life by the horns" in every possible way!!

 She was a very early talker...

and always likes to have a good time.  :)

It has been a joy to watch her grow...

 and charm everyone around her!! 

We cannot imagine life without our sweet girl. 

 She keeps all of us hopping, even her big brothers!  

And now she is a kindergartner!   Sarah, we love you to the moon and back!!  Happy Family Day, Sarah Pie!  :)

Fall happenings

My apologies, this post is going to be long, rambling, and random!  That's what happens when you play catch up!  Doesn't my baby boy look grown up in this picture?   Anyway, we've been trying to spend as much time outside as we can.  The fall weather has been beautiful.

Had to throw in a picture of Sarah's cute sweater...

and our cute beagle, Sunny.   Just so you know, we love our beagle.  She is the sweetest dog.  I would highly recommend a beagle as a great family dog.  :)

Logan turned eleven (!) this month and had a great time with friends at a place with lots of trampolines.

And lastly, we scored BIG on our local online classified.  This is definitely not the type of toy we would normally buy.  Lots of fun, but way too pricy.  I happened to run across it online just minutes after it was posted-- CHEAP.  We thought about saving it for Christmas, but it's definitely an outside kind of toy, and not great in the snow!   

Blurry, but you get the idea.  :)   The three "littles" have loved it (and it wears them out, too)! 

Happy fall!  :)  

still here...

Yep, still here.  It's been far too long since I've updated, but life seems to be stuck on fast forward lately.  School has started, and we are all adjusting. 

This year's line up:  Logan-5th grade, Jason (he was unhappy in pic, but loves school!)-1st grade, Evan-sophomore, Sarah-kindergartner, Justin-senior

And just in case you missed that, we have a senior and a kindergartner this year!  Perfect timing!  :)

And now, for some comic relief... This picture demands an explanation, no?   On Sunday I stayed home from church with Jason, who was not feeling well.  Hubby got Sarah up and got her ready.  (Need I say more? ha ha) This was the fashion forward "Daddy do" she sported for the entire congregation.   Awesome, right?  I didn't see this masterpiece until they got home around noon.    Ah, well... at least he tried, right?  Heh.  :)

worth the time

Do you have N*tflix? I'm not trying to be a walking billboard for them, but N*tflix has some great documentaries/movies about adoption and Chinese life and culture. We've only had it for about a month, but I've enjoyed some great films that are well worth your time.   Here are some of my favorites:

Please Vote for Me: This enlightening documentary captures all the action as three Chinese third-graders vie for the position of Class Monitor in a democratic election (this was fascinating to watch on so many levels-- and as a teacher I've always wanted a sneak peek into a Chinese classroom).

Last Train Home:   Lixin Fan follows a Chinese couple who left their rural village for work in the city, leaving their children to be raised by grandparents. (the scenes of the very crowded train stations were unbelievable)

Daughter from Danang: This 2002 documentary follows a woman who reunites with her Vietnamese birth mother after being separated from family and flown to America in 1975.  (heartwrenching, bittersweet-- and didn't end how I expected it to.  Still thinking about this one.)

Up the Yangtze:  When the Three Gorges Dam makes life hard for the Yu family, daughter Yu Shui must take a job aboard a cruise ship, where she enters into a dizzying microcosm of modern China. Meanwhile, her parents face the rising waters of the Yangtze.  

Mao's Last Dancer:  Peasant villager Li Cunxin studies ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China's greatest dancers 

China's Lost Girls:  Accompanied by her team from her travel show, "National Geographic's Ultimate Explorer," reporter Lisa Ling flies off to China with American parents set to adopt baby girls, the casualties of the country's long-standing one-child policy. In hewing to this strict rule, families wind up aborting, abandoning or hiding their daughters, many of whom end up in the United States, brought by couples longing for children.

Together:  A young boy, Xiao Chun (Tang Yun), proves to be a massive talent when it comes to the violin, so his father (Liu Peigi) helps him find the best teacher in Beijing, far away from their hometown. There, Xiao Chun meets a nightclub worker with a heart of gold and finds true friendship.

These are just a few I've enjoyed recently.  Word to the wise--preview them before watching any as a family.  Some content may be upsetting/inappropriate for children for various reasons.  If you've seen any of these or have other movies to recommend, I'd love to hear from you!

Bison, Bears, and Elk (oh my!)

I've been a very lazy blogger lately... seems like summer has been pretty busy so far.  We went to Yellowstone last week and had a good time.  I hadn't been there since I was very young, and hubby had never gone, so we figured it was time. 

Old Faithful is still very faithful, and it was fun to see the many, many geysers and hot springs in the area.

I must admit I was a little nervous about how the kids would do at Yellowstone, especially the little ones.  There is a lot of walking and car riding involved (read, potentially high "whine" factors), but everyone did pretty well for the most part. 

There were only a few moments of sheer exhaustion from one of our teens on the trail (the boardwalk is tough hiking, ha ha)

We also saw quite a few animals.  The bison were fun to watch.

This guy was right by the side of the road, so we got an up close and personal view. 

And this guy (Mr. Personality) stopped in the middle of the road for about ten minutes for photo ops.

We were very lucky to also see a bear in the wild.  Not exactly close up pictures, but he was on the other side of the Yellowstone River and I don't have a great telephoto lens.  It was still amazing.

We also went to a wildlife rescue center in West Yellowstone and saw wolves and bears up close. 

Overall, it was a really fun trip and we would like to go back and explore more of the park another time.

I'm linking up to Sunday Snapshot-- these were just taken with my Canon point and shoot, but I have a "fancy" Canon, and hope I will get some more motivation/tips to use it more regularly (and not always shoot on auto!)