Pearl in the Christmas Play

Also on December 18th, Pearl played an angel in the preschool Christmas play. She was so tiny, we couldn't see her from the audience. Also pictured with Pearl is her friend Patty who goes to daycare with her as well as preschool. Patty is a year ahead of Pearl and played a Christmas tree.

More pics from 12/18/06

We had a difficult time trying to get clear photos of the girls on stage in their first dance performance; however, there were a couple clear enough to post.

December Downtown Pictures

Busy Busy Busy

Chloe and Pearl are doing great. We have all had a couple of colds already and seem to be in recovery mode for the time being. Lori's work is especially busy right now and in addition to some quick-looming deadlines, she also had to move offices. City Hall is overcrowded and they had to bring in a temporary trailer for office space. Mom is now working out of a trailer.

Thanksgiving was very nice although many family members were sick and it turned out to be a small group. December has brought lots of activities, performances, shows and parties to attend. The girls did fine with their first babysitting experience so that Mom and Dad could attend the city Christmas party.

Thursday December 14th, the whole family went to the Melodrama to see "Twas the Night Before Christmas". The girls ignored the show and spent the first act munching on massive quantities of popcorn and running circles around our table. Chloe and Pearl's friend, Gary, was also there and asked to sit with us so that he could be with Pearl. Gary's mom says that Gary wants to marry Pearl someday. Wow! It's starting already. We had fun, but Mom and Dad became exhausted trying to keep a handle on Chloe, so we left during intermission.

Monday December 18th was our big crunch day. Pearl and Chloe had their first stage performance in their dance class. They performed at the Melodrama and it was so cute to see all the little girls in their dance outfits parading around on stage. Both Pearl and Chloe did their best to stay on cue and go through the motions. Afterward, they had the opportunity to visit with Santa. While Chloe is very excited about Santa coming to her house, she wanted nothing to do with Santa in person. Pearl was more than happy to sit in Santa's lap.

Monday evening brought a second performance for Pearl. Her pre-school had a Christmas production and Pearl was an angel. We dressed her up in her prettiest red dress and Chloe pitched a fit until she could also wear her red dress too! During the entire performance, Chloe kept asking her father and mother if it was her turn yet. She wanted to go up on stage and sing Christmas songs too. Afterward, one of the other moms declared that Pearl was her granddaughter Shelby's best friend. She said that Shelby talks about Pearl every day. Funny, Pearl never mentioned Shelby. Wow! A marriage proposal and best friend after only 4 months in the US. I guess she is more popular than we anticipated. And here we thought Chloe was the social butterfly.

Happy Feet

This year we just didn't get around to arranging any professional photos of the girls to make a nice Christmas card. Finally, after receiving a wonderful card from Chloe's friend Skylar in New York, we got the urge to do something. However, it was 7:30 PM on December 17th and we were out of time, so we just decided to take some pictures of the girls in their PJs with their santa hats. Hopefully, some of these cards will actually make it to a few people before Christmas. Here is one of the pictures that didn't make the card.

More Carmel Pictures

Fun on the beach!

Short weekend in Carmel

Every year, Mom and Dad travel to Carmel around Christmas time. It is probably one of the slowest times of the year for tourists and it is beautiful. This year Chloe and Pearl joined in on the fun and we had a quick two-day roadtrip. Here are some beach scenes for your enjoyment! And yes, it was quite cold, about 52 degrees.

A Visit With Friends

Sunday we visited with our friends Marc and Carmen who live in Oxnard. Their first daughter has just left to college and now they are home with their 14 year old, Alicia, and their 4 year old, Kamille. Chloe and Pearl had a great time playing with Kamille and her toys. This was the first time Pearl met the family and she settled in quite happily. As old friends, Kamille and Chloe spent much of the day working on the car, getting the rust off and balancing the tires.

National Adoption Day Celebration

Saturday was a reunion/get together with other families created through adoption. We went to a park in Thousand Oaks and it was a very warm (almost HOT) November day. When we arrived at 11 AM, our thermometer read 87 degrees. I remembered to pack the sunscreen and the cool tops, but I forgot to pack shorts for the girls. They had a lot of fun playing in the park while us parents tried to visit and reconnect. There was even a lady there who had just returned home from China with her 18 month old daughter the day before.

The organizer, Teresa is a mom to two, son Peter and daughter Caroline. Caroline and Chloe are both Sweet Peas; that means that Teresa and I both waited together as our paperwork was being processed at the same time. We and other waiting families at the time dubbed ourselves "Sweet Peas". We still keep in touch on a message group online where we can share stories of how our kids are doing. Caroline and Chloe are just 3 months apart.

Another internet friend that we got to meet was Lori P, mother of Sami, Mose and Donnea. Sami is from China and the other two are from domestic adoptions. We belong to a different group of friends online who all share the philosophy of adoption over biology. It was our first choice when we decided to form a family. We had no desire to bring more children into the world when we knew there were plenty out there in need of a family. Our lives could not have been more fulfilled.

More Birthday pictures

Dad's 87th Birthday

November 17th was the 87th birthday of my Dad (Grandpa) Earl. He and my mother have been staying at our weekend home in Tehachapi for a few weeks now. This day turned out to be particularly special because our entire family was there. My sister Nancy, her husband Mike, and my brother David and his wife Lahatha all managed to come. It was the first time Lahatha had ever made it out for a visit. They live in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. I am sure Mom and Dad were very pleased to have all their children under one roof.

Of course Chloe and Pearl had a wonderful time being spoiled by their aunts and uncles. Lahatha is an artist and musician and she had great fun sharing her joy of music with the girls.

Halloween

The girls had a wonderful time visiting friend's houses on Halloween. We went to about 5 homes and it took all night. First, we visited their cousin Faith age 7, who was dressed in a beautiful gown and had her face painted white, with her lips painted black. I think Pearl was afraid of her at first, but they quickly warmed up once cookies were offered.

Two Days Before Halloween '06

Just for fun we took the girls downtown for a photo shoot at the Holiday Corner. There is usually a display up for each major holiday and they add to the small town charm that makes our community so special.

Fall Weekend at the Cabin

Highlights of Pearl

Taking a Break

Chloe at the Playground

Highlights of Chloe

Sliding is so much fun!

First Post-- A Day at the Cabin

This weekend we traveled to the cabin to visit with the grandparents and Lori's sister and husband, Nancy and Mike. It was a beautiful Fall day and the girls were in great spirits all day. Welcome to our new blog.