november in review.

We spent Veteran's Day weekend camping at Zion National Park in Utah.  The word majestic doesn't even begin to describe how gorgeous enormous rocks can be.  I could have spent hours examining the view!  I hope we get to go back at least one more time.  

One more note to add merely for memory's sake.  It was freezing.  I mean FAH-REEZING.  The kids didn't seem to mind much, as evidenced by the smiles (and silly faces) here.

They have much to learn about camping etiquette.  Peanut was allowed to pack her own backpack of fun things to bring.  She packed her pink cat Cupcake, a few books, and other expected items.  What I didn't notice in her pack before she pulled it out at 6:30am the next morning, was her tin whistle (see pictures way down below).  She is learning simple songs on it for school.  It is cute to parents to hear your five-year-old toot out "Mary had a Little Lamb" but it is not exactly the way an entire campground of sleepy people want to be awoken at that early hour.  We cut her off by "Little" with a loud shushing.   

It's funny now.

I think the moment after I post this, I'm off to hunt for ethnic colored crayons.  Peanut always draws herself and Buddy with orange skin and then Sweet P with dark brown.  Does she really see them that way?  I have no idea what color she would use if we adopted a little boy from Ghana!  :)  We need a lot more cultural diversity in our flesh-colored drawing instruments.  Makes me laugh.  

My parents were in town for a bit after a work trip to California.  I have no idea where all my pictures are from that time!  K and I took advantage of the babysitters and saw The Lion King at Mandalay Bay before the show closed on December 31.  It was spectacular!  If you have seen it, you know what I mean that the voices and costumes were captivating!

We all go to a once-a-week school day for homeschoolers called Classical Conversations.  The little two go to their own class too.

One quarter of the school year, the kids learn basic music skills by playing a tin whistle.  Peanut loves this part of class!  Maybe someday we will have someone to play the abandoned saxophone that's in our attic.  It is begging to be played again.  

As we prepared for Thanksgiving the following week, we made my mom's famous sugar cookies.

My parents flew out the Saturday before Thanksgiving at 3:00pm and then K's parents drove into Vegas a couple hours later about dinnertime.  Once again, we took full advantage of babysitters and saw another show.  It's been a long while since we had a date night, so we kind of overdid it...   Cirque de Soleil's Mystere at Treasure Island.  Fantastic show.

Then on Tuesday K's sister drove in with her family of seven.  It was a wonderfully noisy full house!  After almost ten years of living far from family, we treasure the times we have together.  

The girlies had too much fun with makeup.

Sweet P begged for more and more.

Thanksgiving dinner at the kids' table.

Pops and Buddy.  After we share dinner, it is our family's tradition to read Psalm 100 together (thank you to KTJ for sharing this tradition with us!) and then go around the table sharing one thing we are thankful for over the past year.  I especially love hearing what the little people have to say.  

The following morning as we were about to head out for a hike at Red Rock Canyon, we had a man down.  Buddy took a spill on the stairs while holding his plastic six shooter.  Unfortunately, it cut right into his face, so we were off to the ER for stitches.  He was a tough guy!      

Upon returning home he wanted to know where the guns were to get back to playing.


I love kids.

Instead, that day we went to the park to play and shoot rockets.  Then we resumed the hiking plan on Saturday morning.  Red Rock Canyon never disappoints.

One last night we took advantage of babysitters.  The oldest K and K girls are so responsible, so the parents went on a double date to Buca di Beppo and a short stroll on the Strip to see Christmas decorations.   

After all our guests left the next morning, our family decorated the house.  It is Sweet P's first Christmas at home,  so it was extra fun to decorate the tree!  She loved all the ornaments and hung a bunch in a big cluster.  

I'll share more of our Christmas as a family of five shortly.  Blessings, angela

roos n more.

Our first school field trip was at the end of October to Roos n More.  It's about an hour's drive northeast and well worth the trip.  I never would have dreamed I could see so many exotic animals in the middle of the desert of Nevada!  Vegas is full of surprises.  


Here's a photo recap of the day because, seriously, it's January 2012 and I'm posting about October 30, 2011.  I need to get a move on.   By the way, Sweet P was there too but is terrified of close proximity to any animal.  Reference this zoo post if you want proof.  


Petting a baby porcupine.

"Passing snakes" took on a whole new meaning.  You could not pay me to do this!

Did you know an armadillo looks like a small cantaloupe when it's rolled up?  God created these guys so amazingly... they fit together like puzzle pieces into a perfect sphere.  

Hello, toucan!

Meeting a sloth.

Camels and zebras too.

A very close encounter with a monkey.  Buddy had glasses on, so the monkey loved watching himself in the reflection.

The amazing bear cat.

Playing with otters.

Petting our first kangaroo and seeing a baby joey inside its pouch!  Did you know baby joeys are only the size of a jelly bean when they are born??  When we saw it, it was still only 2 or 3 inches long!

There were a couple albino kangaroos.

My favorite lemur.  Funny guy.  

The end.  

looking back.

Moments before we met Sweet P in the orphanage, we were presented a photo album from her time there.  Considering she lived there all but about three months of life, it is still not comprehensive.  Less than ten are of her before age one, by my guess.  Regardless, it's a treasure to have them.  We were given a few peeks into her first years on the planet but no where near this much into her life at the orphanage.

I spent a few minutes today scanning them from the album and wanted to share a few favorites.  I love knowing her personality and mannerisms now and seeing bits of them in these pictures from a year or two ago.  

My assumption is that this first picture is shortly after she arrived at her new home, since she arrived around three months.  The next stage of life jumps to around a year, possibly when she was placed onto the list to be adopted?  

If you know Sweet P, you know the eyes below... she makes this face when she's not happy about something.   No words necessary, it's all in those eyes!

The next two pictures make me feel so happy about her care while she waited to come home to us.  The nannies at the orphanage care so much about the children.  I can't remember if I have shared here about the nannies.  You see, we never were able to meet Sweet P's assigned nanny because she wasn't at work the day we were there.  Oh, how I wished I could have thanked her in person!  

Nannies at her orphanage do not come to work the day their assigned children go home with their forever families, so they don't have to watch with sadness to say goodbye and so the children aren't even more sad to see the nanny as they go away with "strangers."  It is a tremendously difficult - and yet incredibly selfless - thing to do to make the transition easier for everyone.  I hope and pray she had a special goodbye time with Sweet P on March 29 before she went home for the day.  

I assume her nanny and maybe a collaboration of nannies sent Sweet P with gifts as we left.  The orphanage is an extension of the Thai government and runs by its funds, so it is my guess these were purchased by individuals because of the way they were presented.  

(Sorry, crazy picture, but it's the only I could find in the dress!)

Many Thai people wear a buddha on a chain around their neck, much like Christians wear a cross.

A jade amulet necklace.  I like the trio of jade colors.  

The elephant is a royal symbol in Thailand.  This incense set is a pretty reminder of her homeland.  

I look forward to giving them to my little girl when she is older.  I hope she sees them as a dear connection to the people who loved her while she waited.  

Blessings, angela