Our Life in Recent Photos

Gabriel and Julian both did a great job in our church's annual musical. Rachel got to try out her first bikini during our heat wave. She kept poking her tummy with her finger and giggling.
On Jeff's birthday (May 25th) Pastor Overton guided us through Rachel's baptism. Baptizing a toddler is not an easy feat. But Pastor Overton remained patient and kind even when Rachel pulled his ear piece out of his ear. Rachel wore an off white, satin, traditional Chinese, dress we had bought for her in China.
Rachel still won't let anyone but mom or dad hold her. Cousin Elyse got in some snuggle time when Rachel was very unconscious.
Rachel running on the beach after the baptism.

She's Officially Ours

Third in line for the throne,

she's officially in her forever home.

Rachel had her "day in court". Judge Coleman led us through all the legal stuff with humor and patience and lollipops for everyone. We had a small celebration at a local park to celebrate Rachel's official welcoming. It was such a relief to have all the paperwork done... signed, sealed and delivered. BIG SIGH!

Photos: Our family with Judge Coleman, Rachel's Good Luck Dragon cupcake cake (Rachel's sitting on the ground behind it) and Rachel playing in the sand box with her friend XuXu (also recently adopted from China).

Presenting... Julian as "Baby Bear"

Julian had the wonderful opportunity to play the role of Baby Bear in his kindergarten play. He is very proud of his efforts and we're certain he'll soon be up for an Oscar.

Fun in the Sun

We've recently had some bouts of very hot weather. It was a little sampling of summer. All 3 kids love water play and Rachel got a chance to model some of her swimwear. Notice that Rachel's popsicle is on the ground under the bench... uh, oh.

Rachel's Words

New parents are always so anxious to have their babies start talking. Just remember "new parents", once they start talking they never stop (and most of their communication is spent ordering you around). Rachel is learning and producing words at a rapid pace. She used to sign everything but now she prefers to let herself be heard. We miss her hand signs (she was so cute when she'd be using her little hands to convey something to us). But we know other little girls and we know how they LOVE to talk- even when they're the only ones listening. So "good bye" hand signs and "hello" constant chatter.

Rachel's words to date:
Mama
Dada
Juju
cheese
yea
no
more
bubbles
apple
moon
wah-wah (water)
nanana (banana)
go
Ramah (grandma)
dip dip
Elmo
hat
shoe
rock
noodle
hot
hi
bye
wow
ice
bah bah (bottle)
keys
ow
cracker
flower
mouse
meow
ball
no poo poo (even when she clearly reeks)

Video For You to Enjoy

Colette received a video camera for her birthday. We spent her birthday camping with friends. So here's our first attempt to add a video to our blog. Enjoy... Rachel as Tweety Bird with big brother encouraging her performance.

Happy Spring!

Rachel had been carrying her Easter basket around all week. She just kept putting empty plastic eggs in and out of it. We found eggs in shoes, pots and pans and trashcans all week long. Needless to say she was thrilled to wake up Easter morning and actually find good stuff in her basket. We celebrated Easter at church then Grandma J's house for the big egg hunt and brunch then home for long naps then to the pool for pizza dinner (it was hot here). We are all still recovering from our Sunday.

Cousin Colin brought over Smudge the bunny for some extra Easter pets.

We made a great attempt to get all the cousins to smile at the same time for the annual photo with Grandma.

Start Your Engines...

The boys had a great time at the YMCA Pinewood Derby. Even though no one in our clan placed this year, Gabe and Julian were happy they got to bring home a display stand. Our only setback occurred when Hazel the beagle chewed up their cars just after their first paint application. The YMCA gave us replacement kits and they rushed to complete them in time. Rachel preferred to sit on the tracks instead of quietly watching the races. Jeff was more involved this year and seemed to take his Nation Chief duties very seriously. It was a fun morning.

Ode to Food...

Our adoption social worker asked us for some photos of Rachel doing the things she likes best. We agreed that her favorite past time is eating. Our theory on her "love of food" is... the food in China was so bland that now she savors food with flavor and even some spice. She ate teaspoon after teaspoon of salsa at a restaurant the other night. Her favorites are: noodles with marinara, salmon, cheerios, yogurt, carrots, barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese and Sunchips. It took many repeated attempts to get her to eat dairy products but now she loves yogurt and string cheese and they don't seem to effect her digestive system anymore. So here are some photos of our little gal doing what she likes best...

Let It Snow!

The boys (all 3 of them) had a great time at the YMCA Winter Camp. Rachel wanted to go too but we did not want to deal with a runny-nosed, cranky toddler in the snow for 3 days.

Notice Julian's bloody nostril. Apparently his nose crashed into a fellow sledder's foot.

Happy year of the rat!

Chinese New Year2008 Year of the Earth Rat February 7, 2008 - January 25, 2009

Kung Hei Fat Choi! (Happy New Year!).
The Chinese calendar is based on solar and lunar cycles and thus the new year falls on a different day of the Western solar calendar each year.
Year Ahead: The beginning of a new cycle. The Year of the Rat is fast-paced and a time of new opportunities and fresh starts.
Characteristics:People Born in the Year of the Rat are charasmatic, intelligent, quick-witted and are very social and popular.
Compatible business partners:People born in the years of the dragon, rabbit, monkey, oxen and pig.
Good Careers for Rats: writers, broadcasters, actors, advisors, counsellors, lawyers, politicians, designers, engineers, managers, directors, adminitrators, entrepreneurs, musicians, stand-up comedians, researchers, historians, race car drivers

PS Gabe had a fever. Therefore, no smile.

Photos From the Past Weeks...

Our Yard Is Covered in a Blanket of White

It was so exciting for us Southern Californians. It hailed (the biggest pieces Colette has ever seen) during dinner last night. It lasted a long time so the kids all went outside and road boogie boards down our hill. We hope there's not a lot of damage to our yard plants or local crops. But boy was it fun! The fun lasted until everyone got wet and cold then we threw all 3 kids into the tub (Hazel the Beagle refused to get bathed).

Ahhh, the sweet sounds of sleep...

Those of you who have never dealt with children with sleep issues may not fully understand our pure joy. Rachel is finally sleeping in her own bed, in her own room 8:00 p.m.- 6:00 a.m. Mom and dad could no longer stand the all night battle for the bed. A couple of weeks ago we all had colds. Rachel would snort and we would wake up. We would cough and she would wake up. Enough is enough. We decided to move her to her own space (and out of ours). We had only 2 rough nights of adjustment. But for the past week she has been doing great. If she wakes in the middle of the night, she puts herself back to sleep within 20 minutes. We think that's pretty good and Rachel seems to be more refreshed and happy in the mornings. So here's a photo of her smiling in her sleeper PJs.

Big Brother New Year's Resolutions...

We celebrated a "New York" New Year (a reasonable 9:00 p.m. our time). The boys wrote a joint resolution...

"No babies aloud but Rachel can come in if only she does not destroy our Lego creations."

Sounds like another overly ambitious resolution to us. We wish all our friends a healthy and happy new year!

Happy Holidays to All!

We have been having a busy and fun Christmas. Grandma Mary and Grandpa made the trip out here to visit and enjoy our chaotic holiday. We've been to some great parties and sat down for a chat with Santa (Rachel was not fond of Santa). The International Adoption Group party was particularly special this year with Rachel being able to spend time with some of her fellow adoptees. God bless you all as you venture into 2008!

A Visit with Cousin Jason

We took Rachel on her longest car ride since we adopted her. We all went to visit Jason at City of Hope Medical Center about 1 1/2 hours away. Rachel slept most of the time in the car. The grounds at City of Hope are beautiful with lots of space for the kids to run. Jason is on the mend and really seems to be in a good place both spiritually and physically. He enjoys feeding the tree squirrels. The photo is of Jason feeding Rachel the peanuts he keeps on hand for the squirrels... sorry squirrels. The boys liked picking apples just their size (we're still eating them). Rachel liked the putting green next to Jason's cabin.We tried not to wear Jason out so we left before dinner. We hope to have Jason home for Christmas. Keep those prayers coming.

Fall fun!

Finally our mornings have a chilly bite in the air. The kids enjoy "seeing their breath" when they head off to school. Halloween went by in a flash (especially for Captain Hook, Peter Pan and "Stinkerbell"). We had a quiet Thanksgiving with Colette's brother, Uncle Curt, and his family. Aunt Simone cooked her turkey in a brown paper bag, greased with Crisco on the inside. It tasted awesome. Rachel just toddled around while the boys played "boy stuff". Jeff wasn't too thrilled when Colette informed him that the Christmas lights go up this weekend (it's never too soon for Xmas lights according to Colette). Happy fall and almost Christmas to everyone.