An Early New Years Eve

Decided to celebrate the new year with the girls on Friday.  Took our chances in being able to get a table at Carmine's (our favorite restaurant) and luckily were able to get in.  Enjoyed the food and family time.  Shortly after dinner we were going to go to the blossom of lights but once again the line was huge so we decided to catch a movie and saw Hugo.  It was a very good movie and one we recommend.  Really enjoyed just spending time with the family though.  I sure love them all.

 

Christmas Day 2011

It took Santa a while to show up at our house because Kailei was waking up about every two hours in order to see if he had come.  Finally, he was able to slip in and leave us some nice presents under the tree.  The girls woke up about 7:30am which wasn't too bad for Mom and Dad.  They opened their presents and were grateful for all that they got.  I think what I loved most was how kind the girls were to each other.  (see video below)

After presents are over, we quickly get dressed and head over to Grammy's house for the best breakfast ever.  I actually suggested at one point of moving the Christmas breakfast to another day so Grammy doesn't have to cook all day but the resounding "NO!" from everyone lead me to believe this is a tradition not to be messed with.  So we ate, opened more presents and ate some more.  Grammy's meals were delicious and the kids were spoiled as usual (actually, we all were).  We missed having Kevin and his family but they were in our hearts.  I'm bummed that my camera battery died so I only have a couple of pictures but trust me that good times were had by all.

What a Good Lookin' Couple

Christmas Eve

This year we headed out to Kiowa for Christmas Eve mass as Nic was a scheduled to be a greeter at church.  We all managed to get a seat which was a bonus this time of year.  The mass well done and soon after we went to Tracie's house for some party grub.  We have our traditional finger foods and enjoy eating a lot. 

Wildlights

Met up with the Wyman crew to view the wildlights.  It was cold so the walk was quick but the kids had a good time.  We watched The Grinch on the big imax screen and enjoyed the holiday atmosphere.

Caught!

If you don't watch Nala closely, she often gets into trouble.  She particularly likes food so when Kailei left her mac n' cheese on the table, Nala took full advantage.

Cookie Day

And yet another tradition that can't be overlooked is Cookie Day.  I can't even remember how long Lynn and I have been doing this but we have it down to a science.  That said, we still look forward to the day when Keara and Kailei run the show.  We made caramel corn, sugar cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, split seconds, snickerdoodles, fudge, dipped pretzels, rice krispie treats and mice and reindeer cookies.  Always more than we need but we enjoy sharing.

Family Dinner

Well, it would not be Christmas without our annual family dinner out.  The gang got together and went to Olive Garden this year.  As usual it was a great time and fun to be out together.  Why we only do it once a year is beyond me but guess I'll take what I can get.

Kailei-ism's

(at the cookie counter)
"Tell him what you want to order Kailei. "
"Hold on Mom, I'm thinking of my speech."

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So my extremely stubborn 7 yr old daughter (so stubborn that her apologies are in sign language which is huge for her) got mad tonight and when she went to apologize to me she put on pink sunglasses so she didn't have to look at me directly. It was sooo hard to take her seriously.

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I was telling Zeb that I had captured some of Kailei's recent performances on video so he could watch them later.  Kailei quickly piped in, "I'm better in 3-D though."

MWCC Playdate

Enjoyed the company of Lynn Merwin and her family today.  Also had a few other children to share in the fun as well.  So nice not to have to go to work so us moms had tea and got caught up on life and the kids did come crafts, played, and decorated cupcakes.  It was a great way to spend a Monday.

The Nutcracker

Purchased tickets to the new theatre in Parker that recently opened and we went to see The Nutcracker.  It was done by a local ballet company with kids playing all the roles. The girls were very excited to go.  Personally, I prefer jazz or better yet a musical with words but who wouldn't love the seeing the excitement on the girls faces as they watched the performance.  You would have thought we were at a rock concert because when it was over the girls had many of the the dances sign their autographs on the program.  It was too cute. 

Our friends the Wymans were also there so we enjoyed sharing the experience with them.  Their kids are even bigger Nutcracker fans.  We all went out of pizza after which provided bonus fun.

Kailei's JCCC Program

Kailei has been in Chinese since September so today we got to go into the classroom and hear a little of what they are doing.  I'm always so impressed to hear her language skills.  I hope she continues to enjoy learning Chinese.

Our Big Date!

I have no pictures of this occasion but wanted to make sure it is documented so I can blackmail my husband when needed.  We had a big date scheduled for today.  Kids are staying the night at Grammy's house so we have the whole afternoon and evening to ourselves.  We got all dolled up as we were to attend the theatre and then do dinner after.  Things were great as we headed downtown to see West Side Story.  I was thrilled to have some alone time with my hubby but as we sat in line to park the car Zeb's phone rang.  It was his work calling and they needed him to take care of some items.  Knowing he would not be able to focus on the show and that duty called, it was decided he would go home.  So Zeb dropped me off at the curb and I saw West Side Story by myself.  It was probably the best show I have seen in years and he missed it, and I was alone, and I looked fancy and it was a bummer.

Zeb did redeem himself a little by taking care of business in time to meet our dinner reservation at The Broker.  We used to go to this restaurant a great deal but have chosen other places the last few years.  It has wonderful atmosphere and I did enjoy having dinner with my handsome husband.

That said, he won't get the chance to live down ditching me.  :)

Kailei's Holiday Program

Unsure if it was really a holiday program but the 2nd graders at Kailei's school put on a program today. It was very cute.  They have been studying various countries around the world for the past few weeks and so their program took us on a journey of music and facts.  The kids were adorable and the program was very well done.  I enjoyed myself a great deal and was glad I took off work to be there.  Unfortunately Zeb and I had to divide and conquer so he want to Keara's party in the afternoon. After the program, the students returned to their room for a small holiday party.    

Kailei's First Confession

So today Kailei made her first confession today.  We are so proud of her but the journey wasn't easy.  Poor thing has been terrified every since she learned what she had to do.  I think she just doesn't want to admit any wrongdoing on her part.  She was great about memorizing her prayers and she dutifully did her workbook so I thought it would go OK but not so.

Prior to her class meeting today she spent 40 minutes in Daddy's arms crying.  She rallied for a little while in class and we had a pizza party with her classmates prior to the advent service.

It was a short service and all was going well.  We rapidly got in line in order to avoid the long waits and then the tears came again.  The line was long so I popped in first.  When I came out I attempted to send Kailei in.  She was not having it.  She was scared and crying and just beside herself.  Meanwhile everyone is watching us and trying to talk her in there.  I did tell her that she did not have to do it now and so did the priest.  We wanted her to be ready but that didn't seem to cut it either.  I let someone else go and told her we were going to go ahead and leave and we would come back another time.  When that person came out, she decided to go inside.  I was shocked but I think she just wanted to get it done too.

She came out and did her penance but was still unsure about the whole thing.  She commented that, "If you didn't make me do it Mom, I would have never done it."  She has also told us that she is OK with doing it once a year but no more than that.

Well, it is done and she is very relieved to know her first communion only involves saying "Amen."

The Davison Christmas

We had the Davison Christmas today. Merle and Phyllis drove up for the festivities. A soup and sandwich spread was enjoyed by all. The kids had a great time as usual and were grateful for the gifts they received. Merle is looking better and the best gift for us all is that he is feeling well right now.

Anticipation in Hong Kong

(Zeb was cleaning recently and came across this.  He wrote it in China when we were adopting Kailei.  I had not seen it and he recently shared it with me.)

Nine July, two thousand five, Hong Kong.

Anticipation, though not for a show

Busy streets, people, autos, shops and carts

Interesting Asian take on Italian cuisine.

Bamboo scaffolding supporting steel and concrete

Neon lights illuminate and draw the eye

Shops stay open late, attracting crowds

Street market sells an eclectic mix

Several blocks of tiny, mobile stores

So many deals, but no cheap sneakers

And no size thirteen or XL

The harbor beckons, something is going to happen

A strange thrill

My hand on Jackie Chan's stone handprint

A buzz is building here

Crowd is gathering along the water

Looking across the bay

Lasers and fireworks, choreographed

Colored lights reflect off rippled waters

Firework smoke haloing building towers against an overcast night.

Photos and video don't do it justice

Head back to the hotel.

Still anticipating.

MWCC Holiday Celebration

Got together with the Mom's with Children from China (MWCC) group this pas Friday night.  We had our annual holiday gathering.  We were minus two families this year who we missed dearly but hope to have them next year.  As usual we ate, we crafted, we talked, and we watched the annual slide show I put together.  I'm going to insert it below but because of copyright issues, the music is stripped out of it.  Trust me, the music adds a lot but you will be able to see the adventures we had this year.  We are truly grateful to have such good friends in our life.

Getting in the Spirit

Keara's Choir Concert

Every Thursday morning this school year Keara has been getting up a little earlier to attend choir practice.  She really enjoys it and we got the chance to see the results of all her efforts on Thursday night.  We just loved the whole concert.  I'm sure we will be hearing and seeing more of Keara in choir. Way to go Keara!  We are so proud of you!