Team Raymond

February2 2011

2011-02-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Years eve:
Sherry misses her family this eve,her family is celebrating Chinese New Years which is a huge holiday in China. Lots of parties,food and guests and gifts. She has given the kids and grandkids red envelopes with Chinese Yuen in it to put under their pillows,they are to sleep all night on it to bring good luck for the entire year to come. This is really fun.
Also,this is the eve of Zakary's 6th birthday. He has not been feeling well,we are waiting for both a strep culture and an influenza culture to come back,both negative we hope, He is running fever and feels poopy. He also we think is working on cutting 6 yr molars which is really making his mouth swollen and very sore.
Each year on His birthday,as i do the same on laurels birthdays i think of what their birth moms must be thinking and feeling about this time of the year. This year,being New Years eve in China especially i wonder what she is thinking,what was she feeling and thinking 6 yrs ago this eve,wondering what tomorrow was going to bring her,an event that would change her life but how?? she didnt realize until it happened. I think of her alot and think she was so brave to do what she did,both He and laurels birth moms. I am greatful to them both and thank them daily for allowing us to raise and love their children that they were not able to care for.
Happy Chinese New Years to you alll...and happy 6th birthday to Zakary,the eve before the big day.
I will post pics tomorrow for his birthday. We will be having a bday party this weekend and then will post then as well.

February 2011

2011-02-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Big daughter Katy has been VERY VERY ill in the hospital for the past week with a positive influenza A. THen she had a "hyper immune reactionj" meaning that all her individual organs seperatly,rather than together were fighting to fight her flu,unfortunatly all it was doing was making her sicker. Her spleen was enlarged,her liver in fected,her platelletes had dropped,she was really really sick.
She jjust got home yesterday and although is much better than hse was,she is NOT truly well. She is VERY weak,tired and aches all over,she says it feels as if she had been kicked by a horse on steroids. She will be off work for some time until she is truly better.

Zakary hears again!

2011-01-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

January 25 2011

Zakary has been struggling with hearing loss again for some time now,His hearing test showed flat eardrums,no movement at all which means very little true hearing. Alot of muffled sounds and prob a very difficult time with back ground noise. The regular ENT doc had no OR time,for months and months and the wonderful DR who repaired his palatte so beautifully has left the Kaiser sysytem and moved to Floroda so he wasnt avail.
At the very last minture yesterday,some one had cancelled their OR for this am,we got the call to bring him in for a pre op,and surgery in the am...we did just that...
He did very well this am,he is resting now upstairs and though some scar tissue the doc had to cut through he did very well and hardely needed much anesthesia at all,which made the entire process eaiser of course. THey all commented on what a relaxed and laid back kid he was and that he didint even need the verced prior to the roll to the OR,he just went with the doc and off they went....
He will go back to school in the am and to TAE KWON DO for his stripe test tomorrow.

2011 Update

2011-01-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

january 25 2011
So we brought in the New Years,the kids went back to school and all is well,we have had no illness or injury,we have all ben very lucky and well.
Laurel was invited and has accepted a position on the competition team at the gym,She legally can not comptet till she is 7yrs old but is strong and a valuable and training part of the team. The coach is thrilled to have her....Infact,she asked if we'd go back to China for another daughter or two,said we would have ourselves and AMAZING gymnastics team. lol lol
Zak is moving onward and upward in Tae Kwon Do....Earning more belts and stripes and learning such amazing discipline and life skills. We are all loving it.
Sherry is doing well in school and has been accepted to a private high school in Connecticut for next year. She will go home at the end of this school year and return to the US to start school there in the fall. We will miss having her here but she is ALWAYS welcome to come here when she cant go home,for holidays and so on.
I have taken a part time job with the exchange agency that we got Sherry through,i am a local representative and am doing student placement and supervision for the time the students are here.

Dec 26 2010

2010-12-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Here are all the pictures i promised you before. All in one big wad. lol sorry about that but you can probobly figure out what is what.
Hope you all had anawesome Christmas,we did but i am TIRED!!! and have to go back to work tomorrow.

December 2010

2010-12-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

Ohhh my Goodness December has been a very busy month,Gym team Christmas parties,Tae Kwon Do Christmas parties,school parties,friend and neighbor parties and my oldest daughtest 26th birthday!! and its not even Chirstmas eve yet.
I will have many pictures to post as soon as i get a few minutes to get them all downloaded and posted but at least wanted to get the journal past done so that there was something to read.
Big Events of december...,....
Laurel and mom marched in the Benicia Christmaas parade for her gymnastics team,always alot of fun.
Laurel has been personally invited to join the next group of of gymnasts along with the class she already is in. This group is called "tops" and thats just exactly what it is made up of,the "top" of the girls,for their strength,their ability and their skills. She is one of if not the youngst in the group and this will add yet another 2 hrs per week at the gym for her,She will start this after new years.
Zakary just lasst night earned yet again another belt in Tae kwon do,this time,the orange/purple belt. We are very proud of both of oour little ones.
Sherry took a very important test this month as well,to test her english and help in her acceptance to private school her in the US for the remainder of her high school years. She has applied to several,most i do believe on the east coast. BRRRRR....
I will post pics soon....and then there will be Christmas.
Happy Holidays to you all and to your families as well....May they all be happy and peaceful!

Monterey Acquarium November 2010

2010-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

WE took a one night overnight trip to the Monterey Acquarium this past week while i have been on vacation. it was a quick trip but was alot of fun. Saw alot of neat things and the kids really enjoyed them selves. So did we.

Kindergarten Thanksgiving. 2010(Zakary)

2010-11-25T20:02:00.001-08:00

zakary's Kindergarten class celebrated Thanksgiving the week before the holiday by making "stone Soup" each child brought something to toss in and then they had some other yummy thanksgiving goodies for their snack. They had all made either Indian or Pilgram hats to wear while eating snack. Dad was there,it looked like they were having a great time.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T19:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.....
We had a very nice day today. Friends and family joined us for thanksgiving meal,Sherrys first thanksgiving and amazed by the turkey,the size and the cooking process ate and ate and enjoyed every bit of it.
We hope that you all had a wonderful day today as we did,family and friends alike.
Kids are watching some holiday kids movies before bed this eve and Sherry is going to bed,she will be up and at the early bird sales with my daughter in law Destiny VERY early in the morning!

November 2010/day at the beach

2010-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

November 2010

2010-11-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that Sherry turned 16 earlier this month.
We had a bday dinner for her with cake and all. She tells us that birthdays are not that important in China,the cake is the most important part.
Stan foundher a beautiful and delicious,yummy,not too sweet white cake with strawberry whipped cream fill and iceing. YUM YUM

October/November 2010

2010-11-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard time keeping up these days!! wonder why? with a schedule like this its a wonder i get anything done. Seems all i get done is LAUNDRY!!! and that is like forever coming!
We have had unseasonably warm weather..Stan took the kids to the beach one day last week when they were out of school and i was at work. It was beautiful.
The little kids had parent teacher conferences and they are both doing VERY well. laurel needs to work a bit on the speed of her reading. After all,she is in 1st grade. Im not sure when speed reading became an issue at age 6. She is reading very well and im not sure that it isnt more important that she read to understand and enjoy than to read so fast she can offer a speed reading class.
Zak is doing very well as well,he is everyones friend and an excellant student in Kindergarten.
Sherry,in 10th grade has gotton all A's so far and is in touch with her parents in China working on getting into a very excellant college prep high school here in America. We are not yet sure where that will be. She will go home in June,as her VISA states but then will return to wherever they choose. I think her parents are hoping that one of the California schools will pan out for her. She will live in a dorm but would certainly be nice to have her close enough to have somewhere to go for holidays and god forbid an emergency arise. We will see.
Hallowen was alot of fun but it went on way too long,like 3 full days,parties and parades and trick or treat. lol Sherry found that to be quite entertaining.
Zak just earneed his 3rd stripe on his orange belt in Tae Kwon DO. We are all very proud of him,he himself,esp proud.
Laurel has been advanced to a pre competition gym team and is now at the gym 6hrs per week working out. We are spending alot of time volunteering and working on things to bank hrs for come competition time. YIKES!!!
WE are planning to have Thanksgiving here this next week and i am on vacation all week. Its nice to just not have to hurry.
Kids are still takiong mandarin lessons,Sherry is still teaching and the kids are loving it.
Enjoy the pics and i hope i got you all caught up for now. We will post again after thanksgiving.

more princess party pics

2010-10-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

Laurel turns 6 oct 7 2010..Princess party

2010-10-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

We are just not sure where the years have gone. Laurel is 6 yrs old,i guess perhaps i thought these two children wouldnt grow up....but...i hate to say it,they are. And fast.
laurel turned 6 oct 7,we had a princess party and really had fun. She was thrilled,the girls like princess and the boys like knights. They played games,had a tea party and cake. It was yet another Success.
laurel also has been advanced to a pre competition gym team,she is extremely strong and doing amazing things for her size and age. So,along with this,comes alot mor responsibilities for the parents,volunteering to earn hours towards pay for the childs bank so that once she actaully starts competing the costs are not so horrific for us dollar wise. She was not sure about this change in classes,going from a class to a team although the class she was in she had gone as far as she could,she needed new skills so now she is at the gym 6 hrs per week,and boy by friday eve we are all done and tired,Zak still attends Tae Kwon do and is excelling wonderfully and loves it. He is the example student much of the time,he sits,practices,pays attention and really loves what he is doing. WE are so proud of both of our children.
Sherry is doing amazingly well at the high schioil here in Vallejo,she is the leadership club,the academic club and also the cross country track team. She is thinking that she would prefer to learn an insturment rather than run track in the spring. She does play the piano.
So i think that we are all caught up about now...i hope....
I will try to able to keep up better from now on....Hope you are all fine and doing well. Before you know it,its on to the holidays!!!

my three children from China

2010-10-10T17:41:00.001-07:00

October 10 2010

2010-10-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for the VERY long pause. You cant imagine,just adding one more child,and not even a little child how much busier we all have become.
Between school,Zak in Kindergarten and laurel is first grade and Sherry in 10th grade,2 diff schools,gymnastics and tae kwon do,not to mention normal high school activities and cross country track,we are running ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLll the time. Oh,not to mention,yes!! i do still work full time.
I dont even know where to go to catch up so i am going to just post some pics for you,some milestones and then try to keep up better in the future.
We are busy with mandarin class again this year although this year,our exchange student Sherry is teaching and the kids are having a really great time.

Zakary earns his Orange Belt

2010-08-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

August 2010

Zakary tested for and earned his orange belt in his Tae kwon DO class. He is doing so well and is soooooooooooooo proud of himself,not to mention how proud we are of him.
The whole experience has done him so much good,each time we write a check for something towards it,we cringe and then say "boy,but has it ever done him good" and he loves it.

Discovery Kingdom 2010

2010-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

August 2010

2010-08-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Stan took the kids to Discovery Kingdom the other day and then Stan and our frined Bob to Sherry to SF to China town,they had a nice time walking,climbing the hills and eating lunch,ohhh and shopping. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

August 18 2010 First day of school

2010-08-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Today was the big day.
So off to school everyone went,Zak awake at 5:15am ready to go learn to read and write,Sherry up at about 6:30,and laurel up somewhere in between. Laurel is NOT a morning person and she made sure we all knew it. She said she didnt want to go to school today,she said she would go tomorrow. LOL i explained that yes she would go tomorrow and the next day....oh and today as well. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...........But once she got there she was glad to see her friends and anxious to get into her 1st grade class and meet her teacher. Our good friend Bob,the retired elem teacher came for breakfast and his morning worth of "kids fix". He came with camera in hand and ready to ride with to get all the kids deposited to the right schools.
Stan took Sherry to the High School and helped her to her class,but forgot his camera. He then came home to go with me to take the little guys to school, i ALWAYS have my camera.
Sherrys firs class didnt have her name on his class list,so she called us to let us know,we sent her back to the office to talk again to the counselor. long story short,it all worked out,and she had a good day. She says the teachers all talk too fast.
Laurel loved first grade and Zak was just ecstatic with kindergarten.
We will keep you posted on all the news ans if comes up,the kids are exhausted,laurel fell asleep before dinner so Stan just carried her up to bed. Zak is on his way now,he had Tae Kwon Do class this eve.

Our Big Sister feom China arrived Aug 7 2010

2010-08-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Our exchange student from Ningbo,China arrived yesterday morning. We watched the flight site on our friday night to be sure her plane left Shanghai on time and watched it travel to us. By early Saturday morning,it had made some time and was to arrive about 20 min ahead of schedule. We got up early and drove to SFO to meet her plane. It arrived and it was about an hour thru customs until she walked up the ramp and we saw her,well she saw us,we stand out in a crowd,and of course we had exchanged pics before her arrival. The kids had made a sign to hold as well so she would see us right away.
Sherry is 15 yrs old,16 in Novemeber,an only child and very bright. We are only hoping that we can keep her stimulated in school here. She is used to going to school from 7am to 10pm and 9 am to 9 pm in the summer. We are talking no kidding around school there is China. She is just a doll,she likes the kids,the kids love her.They want to be with her every minute,lol that may get old but we are trying to keep reminding our little ones that she needs her own time too. I think once we get into a routine,school and so on things will be just fine.
We came home and the kids took her right upstairs to show her her bedroom,she wanted to get unpacked right away and she did. laurel and Zak watched with eager eyes and buddy the dog just cant get a handle on whats going on,fortunatly she isnt afraid of him but still no one like always being watched and bothered by the dog either.
Sunday,Stan got the over seas phone on our at home land line and she was able to call home and talk to her parents. That was nice and late on he took her down to get a cell phone so that she has a way to reach us here. She is very happy with her blackberry. lol
So we are tired,she is tired but has so much energy,to be 15 again,huh??
I go back to work tomorrow and dad and the three are on their own. Wednesday is high school orientation for her,Stan will go with her to that. We will keep you posted as the time goes along but wanted to let you all know that she did make it and that we are all doing well.

"big sister from China"

2010-07-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

We will be hosting a high school student from China this school year,she is from Ningbo China and will be in the 10th grade. She is very smart and speaks english quite well and of course mandarin. We are hooping that she can help us,well the kids with their mandarin and we can help her with her english. This of course is the goal,for her to improve on her English. She will arrive here Aug 7 in the eve,have a full day High school orientation and then all three kids will start school on the 18th. WE are exchanging email with our student and her mom and e are learning alot about her before she gets here. Her mom teaches Kindergarten in China and her father a manager of a large chemical company. We will keep you all posted as we get closer and of course thru her year here as she is a member of our family. The kids cant wait to meet their "big sister from China" and neither can we.

swim lessons July 2010

2010-07-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

We are keepin these kids busy this summer...Laurel has had to be off from Gymnastics for about 3 weeks following her hernia surgery but boy the kids have been taking swim lessons for the entire month of July. They swim at the high school pool near home. They are doing well and LOVEING being in the waster. There is free swim after their class so now and then dad gets in and they all free swim together after class.

Zakary finishes Speech therapy July 2010

2010-07-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Zak has had a few speech therapists sine we got hom and has done soooooooooooooooooooooo well. He has loved his time with his last therapist,Mrs. Riden,he will miss her as he moves on to Kindergarten. We will see if he really gets one in the public school. lOL

New House JULY 2010

2010-07-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

We have moved,we are in a much bigger house now,not too far from where we were. I officially HATE stairs though.and cant imagine living in a hoise like this as i get much older. WE are hoping that this is temporary and that in a year or so we will land in yet another more appropriate house,who knows where,perhaps stil lhere in California....Perhaps not

Laurels 5th "forever family day" July 4 2010

2010-07-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

So here we have made yet another year,we can hardley believe that little miss laurel has been a part of our family physically for 5 whole years now. She was just the tiniest little thing on Jul 4 2005 when we got here and now she is still just a little thing but wow has she grown. She is the sweetest smartest sutest little butt you will ever meet and we are sure glad she is ours.
We moved the weekend of the 4th of July and didnt get to the parade in Danville as we usualky do on the 4th but we did get to Discovary Kingdom for fireworks with the Toyama family as we have done for several years now. It was warm and nice out,Stan had to work but i and the kids made our trek over there and had some dinner,rode some rides and were there to watch the fireworks after dark. Laurel says as we walked thru the crowds "are all these people here for my special day"? She has always felt that the 4th was all about her,and in a way....it is.
We love you little laurel,so glad you picked us to be your family.

A Walk in the Park Cure Kids Cancer Jubne 2010

2010-06-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

The kids and i were to raise money and do a walk in the park at discovary Kingdom,our 6 flags theme park for Kinds Cancer. The kids raised money and then laurel had her hernia surgery yesterday and really wasnt up to taking a walk in the park so Dad and zak went and had a very nice time. They were able to bring Laurel her bag with goodies,her bag lunch and her t shirt. Looks as if everyone had a really nice tiome and the weather couldnt have been nicer. They walked with Zaks Tae Kwon Do team,so that ws fun to be with some of his class mates and even his instructor and his wife walked with them as well. There had been 35,000.00 raised for this event,10,000 alaone just today. Fun to be a part of that. Thanks to all of you who donted to this great event.

June 25 2010 Laurel's Hernia Repair

2010-06-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Laurel was born with a little congenital inguinal hernia on her right side,no one discovered it until she was 5 yrs old,no pain and no problems but it cane become a problem later on if not repaired. laurel did very well in surgery but certainly was groggy the remainder of the day and all night. She is good today,reg ol tyleno is handling the pain,she didnt like the taste of the Tylenol with codeine. She is taking it easy today but i did cathch er trying to do a hand stand.

fathers day weekend June 2010

2010-06-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

We spent a long weekend this weekend up in Eureka with our friends from Oregon. The bray family have two children from china just like us,they are older parents,just like us and thier youn ger daughter and our younger son spent almost a year together in a foster home in China before we got to them. They shared a bed and became very close,just as any siblings would. This is our second visit with them,they drive from Salem Oregon To Eureka and we drive up for a long weekend. We had a wonderful time,visiting,compareing notes,surgerys since we saw them last and the kids just loved spending time together. The Bray girls are 9 and almost 6 ours are both 5.
Zak and his foster sister Lila anne just love eachother,they hold hands,share and exchange toys for keeps and cant wait to see eachother next time. Zaks biggest problen this time was that now he has 2 girls friends,one from Tae Kwon Do and Lila ann. He did tell me though that he was going to have to marry Lila Anne.

Pre school graduation june 2010

2010-06-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Zakary's pre school graduation was this morning! the parent co op pre school he has been attending does a fun and low key graduation,after all,these kids are pre schoolers. Childrens Wonderland,hand made caps and little blue capes his class of "lion cubs"wore to walk the stage. Afterwards a light lunch and cake and the the best part......play time at the park.
we now have official kindergartener and 1st grader

kiindergartern graduation June 8 2010 laurel

2010-06-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here are pics that i promised. lunch in the lunch room was fun and then the class showed us some things they had learned this year,a few songs and so forth.
The kids then walked across a red carpet from one side on the large area rug where they were kindergarteners to where the teacher sat and waited for them and a hug and to where they would then become 1st graders. It was very cute and the kids though seemed shy about the performance and one little girl)poor little thing)wouldnt walk across at all seemed to have enjoyed the fun. The kids then presented a very cute weater pail to the teacher with some plants and seeds in it and decorated on the outside with all the kids finger prints and their names on the bottom. Again, very cute and the kids were excited about presenting their teacher,Mrs. Piper(pronounced Peeper) with their gift for all her hard work this year with. the evening then neded with dinner at Pasta Pomodoro where the schools fund raiser was being held,alot of fun to walk into a VERY busy and crowded restaurant with your kids and most all the others there were friends of your kids doing the same thing. The kids wandered around the restaurant visiting other friends and their families at other tables,checking out what they were all eating and parents visiting. All in all a very busy and fun Kindergarten graduation day.

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!! last day of Kindergarten

2010-06-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

June 8 2010
Today is Laurels last day of Kindergarten. You know,when the big kids all grew up and went away,all i wanted was more little ones. WE decided to adopt Laurel and boy was she little. Im not sure,maybe i thought she would bever grow up?she'd be the little one forever? knowing really that thats not what was normal or what i wanted but as you other mothers know just what im talking about,i wanted her small for a long long time. Again,knowing how it all happens so fast,having had other children grow up way to fast but for some re4ason this came SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO fast and as such a big surprise to me.lol lol lol Waks up momma.....
So today Laurel finishes Kindergarten and becomes a first grader. She is not sure she is ready for 1st grafe,she says she really wants to be a kindergartener forever.
WE will be joining her and her class for lunch today,their last lunch as kindergarteners and then ther will be a little promotion deal in their classroom. I will posst pics later but wanted to get this posted when i had the chance.
Laurel had her school conference yesterday afternoon and Stan called me at work after and said "are you aware laurel can tell time"? i answered "no". Well,evidently she has been keeping something very valuable from us and can infact tell time. Both Stan and i laughed and i reinforeced again to dad,she is very smart and if she can keep that secret from us at age 5,wait till she is 16.

Cherry's anyone??? Brentwood may 2010

2010-05-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today we went early and spent the morning Cherry picking with some friends of ours. We had Kate and Isaiah along as well. It was very warm and very sunny and they planting that this farm does is a special European planting which allows much of the cherrys to grow close to the ground so that even little ones can pick right off the tree. There were several different types of cherry's and we came home with 14lbs of Cherries. We think we have enough to share as well as make pies. Stan is going to do the pitting while i do the baking.

A stripe for Zak's yellow belt May 26 2010

2010-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

This eve was strip testing at Tae Kwon Do. Zak was nervous,he rushes thru his forms cuz he says "everyone is looking at me". so this eve,he took a power nap in the car on the way to class,after all,it takes about 11 mint to get from home to class. Gave him a bit of coaching,"just slow down,pretend we are not looking at you and concentrate." He did all of the above and did an awesome job of earning the first stripe on his yellow belt. His yellow belt is his second belt so far,he worked thru his white belt and three stripes,now the yellow belt,one stripe and two to go before the next belt. He is so amazingly proud of himself when he accomplishes this. He just holds his belt,smiles at the stripe and wow's himself. He is quite something.

forever family day may 21 2010

2010-05-21T21:22:00.001-07:00

ok so now my blogger is doing weird things....please excuse the double pictures? not sure how/why that happened....and then it didnt add the one picture. lol well....at least they are cute kids.Here is the last picture.

"Forever Family Day" May 21 2010

2010-05-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the 3rd anniversary of Zakary physically joining our family. 3 yrs ago today we were in Guangzhou,China. It was so very hot and even more humid. The weather was black skied and rain. We were dripping with humidity and drenched with rain.
We went late in the afternoon to the Civil Affairs office and there he was. He was not so sure about it all,a bit like a deer in headlights but he has grown and bloomed since then like you cant even imagine. Zak has done so much since he has been with us,its so hard to believe that its only been 3 yrs and at the same time seems like he has always been a physical part of our family.
I have posted pics of the same basic pose with zak starting from the day we got him,a tiny little weak and pale child to what we have now.....A big and strong and sturdy 5 yr old.
We are so happy that Zak is a paart of our fam,ily,he is loved by all. Enjoy the pics

"spring Fling" gymnastics

2010-05-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Laurels gymnastic "spring Fling" was last eve,always alot of fun and so fun to see how all the kids have improved over just one year. laurels class did a very cute little number and then she won 4th place in the rec competition. We were not aware of this until last night. She was allowed to pick a nice prize,she with some verbal coaching from dad picked an hour long private session with one of the VERY top notch coaches there at the gym. She should enjoy that. WE were just cringing when they set out the 6ft long,bright pink practice beam signed by some olympic gymnast. We were releaved when another little girl choose it and mom and daad had to call grandpa to come get it in his truck. get the visual??? BIG!!!!!!!!!!

Laurel was also diagnosed with a congenital inguinal hernia and will have it repaired the end of June. She was born with it but we never had any indication till recently when wwe took her to the doc and was then referred to the surgeon. This will not affect her gymnastics at all except for a 2 week break after surgery.

May trip to the farm with pre school

2010-05-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Zaks pre school class,and Dad took a neat trip to a very neat farm near here a week or so ago. This is one place that even we had NOT been so it was a real treat. I cant wait to go and take laurel.
I have attached some pics to share. They had a lovely day.

they are doing what in the bathroom????

2010-05-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

May 2010
Chris and Destiny have been bringing thei blue pit bull dog over to play with Buddy recently,they have such a fun time and buddy just wears Dodger out. Its fun to watchand gives them each someone new to play with. Laurel and Zak enjoy chaseing them around the back yard.
The bugs were coming out so we all came in, the boys disappeared, realized they were both in the bathroom,together. Some laughing,some noise and then they were out. My 2 boys were in their having a pee fight at the toilet. Now doesnt that just sound like a boy thing to do???? well.............yes it is but you must remeber that only one of my boys is a boy....and 5 yrs old,the other boy is almost 31 yrs old. my oldest and my youngest,the two boys of the family. My grown son with a wife and child of his own shareing a pee fight in the bathroom with his youngest sibling of 5yrs. we all laughed so hard. Siblings,just goes to show you no matter who or what or just how old,boys will be boys and siblings are forever. LOL LOL LOL

bee's as well

2010-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

i forgot to mention in the last post that we discovered a huge bee hive going on on the telephone pole out in front of our house. ugh.... the kids are fascinated,as kids tend to be and i am scared to deasth one or both will get stung. We gotta figure out something to do for that so that we dont have any disasters.

April 29 2010 Butterflys are ready to fly!

2010-04-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

This am the butterflies are ready to fly on their own. All 5 survived the cacoon,the crysallis,the dog and two 5 yr olds. So this am,with laurel is tears,aas she was not wanting to give up her butterflies we took them out onto the front porch and let them go. They sat for a bit,i am sure a bit shocked by the whole experience and then off they went. laurel did get over the grief and Zak was fine the entire time. We talked about not wanting them to live their whole short life in acage,they needed to go fly and meet friends and so on. So away they went and off laurel went to school. She did make us promise that we would get some more to raise and let go. It was really a fun thing to do.

Daddy turns 65!!

2010-04-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Goodness gracious!! where have the years gone? Dad turned 65 today,April 28. We were busy as usual,school,activities and Zak not feeling great still kept us sorta close to home but we did take dad for a favorite Chinese lunch after we picked up laurel from school. We were advised that he had to have fish and noodles,good luck and longevity,as you know those Chinese are big into longevity. The deal is though that you have to eat fish and leave a piece on the plate,which will then brung more to you throughout the next year. The fish was so tasty that Stan could barely stand to leave any but he did,a very small piece.

Zakary loves his sister soooooooo much

2010-04-24T17:12:00.001-07:00

As i was cleaning off a shelf,i came across this made by Zakary in November 2009. I just had to post it. These 2 are so very close,they mean the world to eachother and although they are normal siblings for sure,fight like siblings,argue like siblings,play like siblings,bottom line.....We are so lucky to have them and they aare so lucky to have eachother.

Baby Kate turns 1 april 2010

2010-04-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Baby kate turned 1 on April 23 but we celebrated today,the 24th with a bday oarty at her house with friends and family. So hard to believe that this little one,so sick and helpless at birth has become such a big,smart and healthy girl. And sooooooooooo cute.

Earth Day at Vallejo Charter school

2010-04-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today was the Vallejo Charter School Earth Day celebration. Laurel's Kindergarten class plantede a tree in the school garden. each child got to help dig the hole to place the Dogwood tree into. Their were other activities that the kids could do including pulling up their own carrots from the school veggie garden,washing,eating and putting the stems into the school compost pile. It was a great day,the sun was out and all the kids and families were there.

April 24 2010

2010-04-24T16:58:00.001-07:00

Just a nnote that our 5 little crysalis are now 5 butterfly and flying all over their cage. What a fun thing to watch,so neat to watch them come out of their Crysalis and now be a fluttering all over.

5 little crysallis

2010-04-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

WE have 5 little crysallis who have just gone into their little home/farm cage where they will sit/hang carefully we hope until they open up and turn into beautiful butterflies. We are hoping that they will stay where they are to stay until the day they are to hatch. Its really been fun to watch the caterpillar(sp?) then turn into their crysallis and now they are just hanging around waiting.

April 18 2101 2.5 days following graft surgery

2010-04-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

This morning Zakary woke up feeling good but by far with the worst swelling so far. He is in good spirits and happy and wanting to active but is tireing fairly easily. He was busy out in the yard with dad this am getting the side yard ready for corn and sun flowers,he and laurel played outdoors alot of the am and then he even wanted to go to Mandarin class. We are staying clse to home of course and eating soft but he is for sure getting braver,this eve was laasagne. I even was able to carefully brush huis teeth this afternoon after his bath. He did complain this am one time that his mouth hurt alot but didnt mask for medicine or give me any real indication of just how badley it hurt. he didnt want stay in or not eat and he was in a very good mood. So a bit of Tylenol again is all i have had to give him.

gymnastics rec team competition April 17 2010

2010-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today Laurel participated in her first Gymnastics competition. It was a very low key competition for the kids not yet but nearing the competition level. laurel did very well,there were 4 diff events and she placed 1st in the vault and 2nd in the bars,beam and the floor routine. SHe had alot of fun. She has been taking gymnastics for about 2 years now and has reallky done well,excelled quickly and LOVES to be at the gym. We are very very proud of her.

day after Graft surgery April 17 2010

2010-04-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

Zak slept all night but was up early due to the tooth fairy arrival and pay off of the 2 surgically removed teeth. He has done amazingly well. He feels well and has not complained at all of any pain this am at all. He seems to have a tad bit more swelling this am but still not alot and no bruising at all. He went with me to see laurel's first gymnastic competition where she won 1st place in the vault and 2nd place in the bars,beam and floor routine. I will post about that later with some pics after dad gets those downloaded.
Zak and Laurel are just kinda keeping low this afternoon,the weather in awesome but we are still protection the face from all normal 5 yr old injury which is rather nerve wracking i gotta admit.

graft surgery is over April 16 2010

2010-04-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I am going to make this sweet and short for now. We are about an hoour late in getting into the OR this am but the versed made this pleasant and humorous for us all. Infact,he ws so floppy from the versed that they had to tie him to the wheel chair to get him to the OR,he was way too floppy and heavy for anyone to carry this time. 2 hrs later,alot of stitches,some swelling,not tons so far,not alot of pain,alotta blood and minus 2 teeth,Zak was back in recovery waking up gently,unlike last time and sipping apple juice. He feels pretty good,tired of course but doesnt complain of pain at the moment. He seems a bit tender and is puting ice on his cheel for the day and eve in hopes the swelling wont become bad. We will see what the am brings. We are all home now and he is laying quietly in front of the tv watching a new Bakkugan movie. I will update more later and we progress. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes, Zak is doing fine again. He certainly does take all his little quirkiness in stride and we love him for that.

Easter 2010

2010-04-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

ha ha ha ha i truly dont have much to report about Easter. I POURED rain and we still picniced outdoors with Grama and the kids hunted eggs. Only the die hards showed up for the outdoor picnic,we truly thought they would have the usual picnic event at the church due to the rain but when we got there and there was NOONE there,we went to the usual home,and there were those crazy Episcopalians standing around outdoors eating. So we just joined in. The kids ran and hunted for eggs and we came home. We were wet although it was not too cold. We came home,got dry,all of us got on our pj's and watched tv all afternoon.

Zak was cleared for his surgery and we are all set to go Friday am,we are to be at the hospital at 9:30 am,surgery about 10:30-11 and then about 2 hrs in the OR,and then whatever it takes in recovery and then home we go. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and i will keep everyone posted as we progress that day. thanks

April 2010 Easter

2010-04-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yes!! dont worry!! i WILL post and send pics of Easter tomorrow.....
We are expecting some cloudy cool weather and even possible rain so we will see what becomes of the day but we WILL keep you posted. The kids have been counting the days till Easeter

April 2010

2010-04-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just a note to let you all know that we are preparing for Zakary's next surgery. He will have a bone graft where they will put some synthetic bone where his open cleft on the right side is. This will help fill things in and make his adult teeth a better experience. This coming week he and i will spend most of Thursday at the hospital for several different pre op appts,the surgeon,the pediatrician the anesthesiologist and so on. Then Friday the 16th we will go doen for the big day.
The surgery will take a couple and half hours we were told with a recovery period of a couple weeks where he will need to be sorta kept slow,no real physical activity that could cause him to get his mouth hit,soft foods like after his palate repair so i will have a week off work with him after the surgery. THis is and in and out surgery,unlike that palate so we should be home that afternoon/eve and recoopertaion at home. I have taken a few pics of his mouth now,the little mouth that we love so much,we have grown so accustomed to since we brought him home. He will have a new smile that i will post pics of after the surgery and i will post throughout the process of preparing and recovery. Keep him in your thoughts the next few weeks as he will do well but will need some encouragement. Thanks to all you friends and family.

Bakkuagn city 2010

2010-03-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Zak has an obcession with those crazy Bakkugan toiys,the magnetic things that open up with magnet contact? he built a city with his wooden blocks and put the Bakkugans in it

march 2010

2010-03-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Poor baby kate has had a bad ear infection in one ear and actually perforated an eardrum in the other ear. She has had a hard week so Thursday Zak and I drove up early to get her and give the usual day care provider a day off. We had a great day with Baby Kate and fortunatly she seems to be feeling much better,at least for nana she was.

Laurel got an EXCELLANT report card

2010-03-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

March 2010
Laurel's kindergarten report card came home this week and BOY OH BOY are we PROUD of her!!! she did SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO well. She listyens so very well and does awesome work. We are so thrilled with her progress.
We did receive a letter from the school nurse stating that there was an optometrist who came to check the kids eyes and they found Laurel to have astigmatism,so we wil have her checked again next week and keep you posted on the outcome. Glasses? as we were always concened about...How will she hold them on her little nose with no nose bridge? Not sure about that. Will keep you posted.

Denmark finally!! Febuary 2010

2010-03-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

The second part of our really big trip was to Denmark. After a few days back east in Delaware after the really big storm we traveeled on to Hammberg Germany where we landed and rented a car. We drove to our friends home in Denmark,about a 2 hr drive from Germany.
We met these friends actually before we went to China to adopt Zak,we met on line in one or two of the adoption groups and then actually met in person in Guangzhou. Their son Davie is from Donguan as is Zakary. Davis was 5 yrs old earely December so he is right in between laurel and Zak age wise.
We stayed with their family at their lovely home and ate Annettes wonderful cooking. We enjoyed looking around,the kids enjoyed eachothers company and we loved the snow.
The family who adopted Zaks one of Zaks foster sisters also lives in Denmark only to discover that the two families are friends from before the adoptions. We took a lovely drive out into the country and visited their family one day. What a wonderful trip. Their daughter is a bit over a year older than Zak and they since then also have another younger daughter from China as well. They aer the nicest of fam,ilies ans were so nice to have us into their home to meet them,the kids and have a lovely lunch. We had a great time and wished we had had a lot longer but thats the way it goes. We are hoping that our friends the Van Burens will come and visit us in the future,a year or two perhaps.
The kids were great travellers. Poor zak,he is physically an awesome traveller,he just puts on his back pack,pulls a pull on and troops right along but he sure doesnt like to be away from home for too long. He had a couple very hard nights,not to mention the 9 hr time change. Nights were long.
We returned home and had well over a week of tough jet lag,dont recall nearly this much trouble coming home from China,perhaps it was cuz i wasnt right back to work.
For the most part we are all back and to normal,whatever normal is for us. Laurel says she is ready to go visit Sister Deirdre,Zak says "not me,i will stay home with mom" I think we are home now for a bit but we certainly did have a great time.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!!!!

2010-03-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

March 3 2010
Zakary earned his yellow belt in TAE KWON DO!!! he did all his routines,AND recired the school oath(perfectly i might add) AND broke the board in half with his foot(and didnt break any toes at all). He was so very proud of himself as we all are of him. OK>>>>>>>> i cried. I cant believe how far he has come,the confidence level alone he has gained is just tremenous.... We went for Chinese dinner and then came home and fell into bed.
Laurel will be competing in a gymnastic competition mext month as well. She has the chance to earn ribbons as well. Posts of that and pics to follow.
For now!!! Zak and hi9s yellow belt

"we went on a really big trip" Feb 2010

2010-02-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

We made our annual trip to Delaware in between the horrible storms of Feb 2010.
Not sure how we made it anywhere or home for that matter but we did.
We flew to Stan's sisters home in Delaware for their annual Nascar Daytona 500 party and visit with our wonderful friends the Schulte's. Their daughter was adopted from the same orphanage that laurel was,so we travelled with them and have gotton very close to them and look forward to our visit with them each year. Only prob is that each year we come home wishing that we lived closer and could spend more time together than we can. The kids played in the snow at their home and we ordered Philly Cheese steak Sandwhichs to celebrate Chinese New Years. The kids had a blast and the parents of course always have memories to bring back and new adventures to share with eachother since the last visit a year ago.
Ric,savannah's daddy played outdoors with the kids in the snow for quite some time,he had piled snow to make a slope for the kids to fly down on their sled right off the back deck of their house. There was snow like you cant even imagine,esp if you are from California. After our few day visit to Delaware,we head off to Germany and then to Denmark where we stayed with and visited a family that we met in China the second trip who's son is from the same orphanage that Zak is from. We had a wonderful time and also the oppurtunity to meet the family who adopted one of Zak's foster sisters who know lives in Denmark. We know have met both the families who have Zak's foster sisters. I will elaborate on that more later as well as pics. For now,just the Delaware pics will be posted.

Zakary's bday party at Pre school

2010-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

As i was downloading pictures from our trip to Delaware and to Denmark just a couple weeks ago i ran across some pics from zaks bday at his pre school. I baked cupcakes and they sang Happy Birthday. Stan said he had some incredible smiles when all his class sang to him. He just had such a fun and special day.
While we are on the subject of pre school,Zak will start at a new pre school this next week. The pre school he has been attending has been the program thaat he has gone to with dad since he got home from China. A wonderful program and he and dad had a great time. They will miss going together but he is moving on to the pre school that laurel went to the few months prior to starting Kindergarten. It is a parent Co-Op but not a parent participation so he will be going on his own three mornings a week. This will go till school is out and then he will start Kindergarten in August as did laurel this past year.
Enjoy the pics for now and as the jet lag gets better,we are all really struggling this week since we got back i will sit and do some journalling and pic posting. We had an awesome trip but it was tireing and alot of work.

"I didnt think skateboarding was this hard" Zaks bday party

2010-02-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

WE celebrated Zaks 5th bday with a party at the Lawrence Hall of Science at Cal Berkeley. I have many very fond memories of hrs on end at the LHS going to workshops and taking classes as a child,so when we found that they now do birthday parties i was excited to try one out.
The kids had a 45 min workshop/class on Marble Track making. Each 2-3 kids worked together and built a track for a marble to roll down and land into a basket. The teacher heloed some and of course parents heloped as well. Everyone seemed to have had a great time. Theme? Super Heros....and i do mean super heros.
Zak got alot of fun new gifts,including a skateboard and protective gear. Our good friends the Pollingers felt that he just had to have one since their 4 yr old daughter(quite the little spark plug) LOVES hers and is quite good at rideing it. She evens pops it up and under her arm. LOL LOL LOL SO we are working on balance,mid eve while Zak was practicing he says "mommy,i didnt think skateboarding was this hard" lol we laughed,laurel took it and showed us a "trick" she squatted down on it and held it while she did a foreward roll. LOL. We had a great day,another birthday party success story and another year for Zakary. I cant believe now that both the "twozies" are now Five "fivezies".

Happy 5th Birthday Zakary!

2010-02-03T06:34:00.001-08:00

Zakary is 5 yrs old today!!! where did the time go?
i will have pics to post later on. Zak will have a bday party at school this am and a real live bday party this weekend but wanted to post again the day~~~ and pics will follow.

3 Stripes for Zakary

2010-01-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

January 26 2010
Zakary is still enjoying his tae Kwon Do class,he goes twice a week and really loves that he is working on his body and getting strong.
This eve,Dad had dropped him off and gone with Laurel to run some reeands. WHen he returned,Zak was staring out the window smiking from ear to ear holding his TKD belt with YES!! his third stripe. He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy and proud of himself. He knows the school pledge(which is quite qordy and very long)and can participate with that all on his own. He is i do believe the youngest in the class,if not the youngest the next to the youngest,most of the kids are more schooll age. WE are thrilled with his progress,next testing time he will be working towards his yellow belt.

Winter Festival Levenworth Wa,jan 2010

2010-01-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

Last week we flew to Seattle Wa and rented a car to drive over the pass to Levenworth where Stans cousins live. easch year that weekend they have their winter festival,fireworks,activities down town and alot of snow.
The kids had a great time playing in the snow outside the house,it snowed quite hard one night and we woke to the lights of the snow plow trucks. FUN.
We arrived home to this tremendous storm here in California,flying into Sacramento saved us many delays from our understanding. We had a great time.

wooops!!! missed a good gym shot!

2010-01-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

January 2010

2010-01-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

Zakary is becoming quite the artist. he loves to paint,draw and does quite well.
he really enjoys his paint eisle(SP?)
also have added just some other cute pics to update you,enjoy!
Happy New Year to you all.
WE are off to Levenworth WA next weekend to play in the snow with Cousin Frank,Janeen,Julie and enjoy some cold!!! we will update and post pics from that later on

January 2010

2010-01-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

Here are some new pics from Laurels gym class,she was off for vacation for two weeks and couldnt wait to get back to work.

January 2010

2010-01-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

So many of you know that we have had some very positive changes with the new year at our house. We have been working very hard on the kids,esp Zakary, going to bed with his sister,alone without mom having to lie down with them each and every night.
Laurel was always a very good sleeper from the day we got home with her,in her crib and no probs but poor little Zak was another story,older at adoption,more abandonments and more time to know what was going on and he just couldnt detach at bedtime to go to sleep with out help.
So,i have to admit that i am using cash to get this to work,as a job would be described,i have talked about how the harder the job,the more reward,or pay and since this is a very hard job for Zak money at least to start seemed the best way to work it. Long story short, almost a whole week now,they go in,lay down,i sit on the couch where he can hear me and even see me if he needs to. The first night or two he got up,just came to the door to be sure that i was still here and went back to get into bed. First night,he woke and came to get into bed with us about 3 am,no big deal and much improvement. Now they go to sleep,hasnt needed to get up to actually see me and has slept alllllllllllllll night in his bed,some nights he and laurel have shared their big bed and some they have slept in their own beds(same room).
Its been cold here as well so they have some really funny outfits to wear at bed time.

the new kitchen and a picnic with the babies dec 2009

2010-01-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

It is just really so awesome to have two kids the same exact age. yes!! it is tough at time,yes its frustrating at atime but all in all,it is amazing and awesome.
We are so lucky also that zakary and laurel are such great frineds,the jut love eachother and its nice now that they are in school seperatly as well as sports seperatly so they have their own thing at the same time share so much together.
they are both totally enjoying the new kitchen that Santa brought for laurel,its so great cuz they both play together for long long periods of time and have so much fun.
here they have prepared and now are having a HUGE picnic with their babies,the table is set with alllllllllllll sorts of food and they are enjoying it all.

christmas 2009

2009-12-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

another awesome christmas. and i have to say...for the first time in my entire career of being a mommy,thats say 30 years,for the very first time,my kids said "we got everything that we wanted" wow!!! thats a real awesome accomplishment,usually by the end of the day they are ugly and crabby and bitching that they didnt get what they wanted,poo on this and poo on that....grrrrrrr to them all. this time was different,everyone was happy. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hope you all had a great day as well....

DEC 16 2009

2009-12-17T19:09:00.001-08:00

Zakary is still taking Tae Kwon DO where Laurel has stopped and is just concentrating on her Gymnastics. Zak was so proud,he earned his second stripe for his belt last night. He has one more stripe to earn and then he will receive his yellow belt. Its so fun to watch him excell and enjoy something like that and then to be rewarded with another stripe and see how happy he is is just so wonderful.
Its nice to see that both kids have now found their activity for now,something different and not together.

pre school xmas party dec 2009

2009-12-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Zak had his pre school Christmas party and book exchange this week,it was a fun potluck meal and each child was to bring a Golden Book to exchange with a class mate.
The class then went caroling to some of the other classrooms,they had a good time.

Mandarin class

2009-12-15T19:25:00.000-08:00

Many of you know i think that we have been taking a mandarin class with several other famikies in our area. The kids and oarents meet Sunday afternoons,at someones home for an hour of energetic,difficult and fun mandarin class with teacher Emily,an amazing gal from marin county who teaches all over the area. We have just finished the first 8 weeks,will go on break and start again January. We have really been enjoying our time and its so fun to get together with the other families each week. This past week we had a pot luck dinner after the class and the kids played,it was really fun and the kids are just like siblings so its fun to watch them grow together. Some of these kids in the class are adoptees from china,some have parents who are asian and some have one parent who is asian so its a fun variety.

December 2009

2009-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

The grandkids stayed the night this past weekend,Kate is just too darn easy but she is pulling up already and crawling all over the place,she is not quite 8months old yet. She is just a doll. Isaiah is 6 and is always good for me,and is just a nightmare for mom. Katy and i believe he is not the same child that comes here and lives at her house. lol We bakes cookies and painted Christmas Sun catchers and slept all together. By morning,allllllllllllllllllllll 4 kids were in bed with Stan and i and Buddy the dog,it was quite the tight squeeze and we were most certainly the poster for the multicultural family bed,two caucasion parents,one half ugandan baby,one half mexican boy and two chinese children.....We had a good time

rainy day worms Dec 2009

2009-12-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

The kids have been waiting all summer for the rain so they can go dig in the mud and find worm pets. so finally the rain came,and it came and it came some more. they couldnt wait to get out with their shovels and buckets to search for worms.
They were disapointed that they had only foound two that afternoon but they did name them. "scoobey and Loobie" the twin worms. and ohhh jeeez what a muddy mess,the tub was mud,the kitchen floor was mud....but noy was it fun

December 14 2009/ Zak's discovered his tongue

2009-12-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

At lunch today, Zak announces "i know why peoples have tongues". Dad asks him " Why? why do people have tongues Zak"?
Zak answers "so that when you get food all over your face you can lick it off"
So next time you are sitting at your computer wondering why you have a tongue, check back here for Zaks reasoning.

Discovery Kingdom 2009

2009-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

We did our usual annual Christmas evening at Discovery Kingdom with our good frineds the Toyama's. It was very very cold but sure was alot of fun,as usual.
The kids rode rides,went sledding and played in the snow. Sat with santa and watched the tree lighting. After the fun and we were too cold to deal with any more,we all went with our parking receipt and head to Dennys for hot,less expensive food and alot of hot chocolate. Another great evening

gym christmas show 2009

2009-12-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Laurels annual gymnastic school Christmas pageant took place this past friday night.
Its always such a big deal and lot of fun. this year was much more organized and really quite pleasuable. Enjoy the pics

Thanksgiving celebrations 2009

2009-11-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at Big son Chris'and his new wife Destiny's home. Everyone was there,They did the cooking and i brought the pies,it was very low key and vey relaxed. We ate,the kids behaved and played outside after dinner till they couldnt stand up they were so tired. It was alot of fun.

Thanksgiving weekend,Sunday out with dad

2009-11-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

WE have had a beautiful weekend here,it has been very warm and full of sunshine.
This afternoon dad,the kids and Buddy the dog went for a walk,i stayed behind cleaning up and doing some bakeing. We have had the doors and windows open all day.
Tell me these two kids dont love eachother to pieces.

stop breath and think

2009-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

On this Thanksgiving day today,i want to share a bitm of wisdom with you all that my not quite 5 year old Zak shared with me this morning while he was building a castle on the new couch with pillows and such. Things kept slipping and slideing and falling and he was getting frustrated so i hear him say,quietly and to himself but loud enough that i could hear close by. "ohhh,what do i do when iam frustrated"?he says "stop breath and think". he then proceeded to do just that. i turned to look at him,after listening so that he didnt know that i could hear him and said,"where did u hear that"? he told me "blues" clues taught him that. So he did just that,and then his caslt all came together nicely. so,on this thansgiving day and every day to follow when we all get frustrated on a regular basis with our lives,families,children,jobs etc...do just that,exactly what Blue taught Zak and i bet that you will feel better.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all...Enjoy your days and make memories.
I will post some pics after our meal this evening with Chris and his wife Destiny at their home. WE are baking Organic Pumpkin pies and Apple pie to take,they are doing the rest. YAHOOOOO

pre school thanksgiving pics

2009-11-21T18:32:00.001-08:00

Here are the pics from Zak's pre school thanksgiving feast,and i must admit it was a feast. it was so fun to be off that day and be able to go and enjoy with Stan and zak.
Also a few pics from Halloween that i didnt realize were on the other camera.
Now i am downloading these pics from my new laptop so am hoping i can find and post them ok. bear with me. ha ha

Thanksgiving celebrations 2009

2009-11-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

I have a couple sets of pictures of very cute Thanksgiving festivities at the childrens classrooms but i just got a brand new lap top,so am backing up the pic from the old lap top and getting them all safe and sound and then will get these new pics downloaded onto this neat cool lap top and get them posted.

november Apple Hill trip 2009

2009-11-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well we finally got it all together and made the trip to Apple Hill that we try to make each and every year since the big kids were small. Unfortunalty,at the very last minute Stan had to work so we all went ioff without him.
There werew a total of 13 of us this year,we even got Sierra all day and a girlfriend of hers fro her neighborhood so we had a ball. The little kids head off with big brother Chris for the biggest and most popular event,the trout farm pnd for fishing. last year,it was a flop,no one caught fish,and it was just sorta a muddy mess. This year on the other hand was awesome......with in 5-6 minutes,Zak caught his first trout,it was big and healthy and looked great for dinner. Then laurel,the same,then Chris moved on to help each kid along the way to help them with their fish,each of the little guys caught 2 beautiful rainbow trout,other than bones,they were delicious for dinner. Thank goodness for Chris,he loves to fish and he loves to help the little ones as well.
We bought our holiday pies and juice,after a grand day,we head all back down the hill.Another really lovely year at Apple Hill

im so very far behind oct/nov 2009

2009-11-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

im not goig to do alotta talking here. i know its the pics you all mostly like so i will get righ to them. The kids both had halloween parties at school,laurel was a transformer and zak some character from Star Wars. where did they each get these ideas? we have NOOOOOOOOOOOOooo idea...neither have much if any exoerience with either at this point but bot wanted those characters for about the past 6 months,nor had i evermin my whole career as a mom bought store bought costumes,but these? i gotta admit were.

October 2009

2009-10-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

As many of you know,Zakary is preety well known for his funny little conversations and what we call "Zakaryisms". He and I had a cute discussion a while back. I was getting dressed and he told me he wanted "boobys"just like mine. i explained that we all had boobies,just that mine were bigger cuz i wwas a girl. I expalined that he had some things that i didnt have and that i thought he was pretty lucky to be a by and have a boy Pee Pee,he was able to stand up and pee and pee outside,etc. he thought that was pretty col after all.
Zak also discovered his cleft lip repair for the first time the other day while having the oil changed in the car with daddy. He and daddy discussed what it was and told him again how special he was to have that little piece to him that makes him so unique and who he is. He then came home to tell me "mommy,i am REALLY REALLY special" i agreed totally..... He said,"im so special cuz i have a lip and a boy pee pee"....... Thats our Zakary.

oct 2009

2009-10-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

Who is the most handsome 4 yr old there is????
and boy was he up for pics today....
laurel on the other hand was GROUCHYYYYYYYYY

October 17 2009

2009-10-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of odds and ends,the kids helping clean up the back yard,Zak esp enjoying rakeing and picking up dry grass. Grandson Isaiah,6yrs old already and yes!!!! baby Kate,almost 6 months old,enjoy the pics....

October 17 2009

2009-10-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have been having trouble for some reason posting here so now that i can do it,i am gonna try to get all caught up.
We have had quite the fun and eventful day today...... We went to the Loma Vista farm here in Vallejo where they had a fall/halloween festival going on so we were able to pick pumpkins,eat lunch,pet the animals and so on but first of all,this morning, laurel tied her shoe all by herself for the first time....There is a picture of her sitting with her tied shoes on the table for you to see below.
After the day.......we came home,the weather has been esp icky and sticky humid. Really uncomfortable,like i cant stand it. The kids went out doors to play for a bit,i went on a dog poop hunt and in the 2 flashes i took and turned my back,Zak picked up a stick and busted the window into the downstairs apartment kitchen........
I asked the boy next door "what would your dad have done if that had been you? he smiled with great pleasure,that it wasnt him this time and said "sent me to my room"

"whats this"?

2009-10-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

No one but Katys friends Josephs son,Eli who is exactly Zak's age has ever commented or asked about Zakary's lip scar. no one for the most part even notices it.
Stan and Zak were in the car waiting for laurel to be done at Kindergarten and he was looking at himself as well kids do. He asked dad as he rubbed his upper lip "whats this"? refering to his lip repair scar. Stan explained in simple terms what it was and the day went on. Later that day and then again this am he has commented on how lucky he is,we have asked him "why"? are you so lucky, he explains that he has this scar and a penis,makes him lucky. a scar cuz its his,he is a bit different and he is so handsome and a penis cuz he can pee standing up and out doors. LOL LOL what children think makes them lucky,huh?? LOL I do havwe pics of him that the orphanage gave us from when they first received him before his cleft lip was repaired that i will show him as he asks more questions, we talked about going to the hospital to have his palate repaired,he remembers that. Its really interesting to me to see how much they want to know but how little they realy want or need to know to keep them happy and content with it all. Not to mention what makes him feel so lucky.
(If he only really knew how lucky he is,his file waas ready to go back to China since no one had shown any interst in adopting him for quite some time, we talked to the agency gal JUST IN TIME,they req that they keep it a short time longer for us to reveiw and then we decided to grab him up, we are all so very lucky.....He may bever have had a family had we not found him right when we did. For this we are so greatful. Thank you thank you Sara Lange.

October 12 2009

2009-10-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Stan and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary today.
6 years ago,a warm and sunny day,out on a sailboat on the SF bay,with friends and family. The Blue Angels flying over for it was fleet week,a wonderful day for a wedding. 6 years later..........a small house in Vallejo with 2 young children from Chna who have joined us and our other grown children and grandchildren. Quite a different day,a baby sitter so we could go out for an anniversary dinner and a house full of toys rather than a quiet home with belongings that stay wher you put them.
wouldnt change a thing......not for anything.
The girls next door came to babysit,the kids love it when she comes,infact,they have fussed when we got back too soon and she has to go home.
Stan and I went to Benicia for a nice seat by the winodw,over looking the water for some sea food.

oct 2009

2009-10-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

We have had a few phone calls from Dad and Zak in N. Carolina. Yesterday they went to the beach,collected alot of sea shells,the only real reason he wanted to go on this trip at all. A wave came,knocked him down and he lost them all.
After lots of tears,he and dad went ice skating and i guess Zak just LOVED it and did very well. Dad couldnt get him off the ice after a 2.5 hr skating period. The folks at the rink wanteed to know if he would join their kids hockey team. Prob would love it BUT we live 3,000 miles away so prob wouldnt get to too many practices although we will take him skating again here of coourse,perhaps that is his sports calling? we will see.
Laurel and I are enjoying ourselves and getting some very needed rest. She has just been exhausted and has offered to take naps.and go to bed,watch some tv and go to sleep VERY early.
Zak and dad went back to the beach this am for more shell collecting,this time he ws a bit spooked by the waves and stayed a ways away. When he called a bit ago they were riding a ferry boat and Zak sounded about ready for a nap. I asked if he missed us,his answer was "uhhhhh".lol lol
Off to get Laurel from school,to the grocery store,private gym lessoon and then to her bday dinner at Applebee's where they wil sing to her and all.....
Will post more as i get more info on dad and Zak. ohhhhh and dad forgot the camera for the ice skating event,can u believe it??? so we will never have proof of that.

zakary's first trip back east alone with daddy

2009-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

laurel and i put zak and daddy on the plane EARLY morning monday to fly back to N.Caroline to see big sister Deirdre for a few days. He wanted to go so that he could go the beach but didnt want to "live" at Deirdre's house. He means he didnt want to sleep there.
Night times are still quite scarey for Zak although he has come a very long ways since we adopted him. He of course wanted me to go but i was staying home to get laurel to school and i had the week off from work so was going to take some time for me and then spend some girl time with laurel(she doesnt get alotta momma time).
The boys arrived,alot of travel and very tired. I get a panicked call that he had woken up in the rental car while driving and of course it was now dark and he was all off and i wasnt there. Crying terribly. poor little guy.
Dad stopped and got a happy meal and he was better,im sure in part the time diff,exhaustion and being all off schedule and time was not making things any easier for him.
They got to Sister Deirdre's house and had a good dinner and turned in early and woke up much happier. They were off to the beach this am to collect Sea shells,the only reason he really wanted to go at all and then this afternoon they are off to try ice skating. LOL LOL LOL HA HA HA i cant wait to see pics of this...dad and Zak on Ice skates.
Laurel and i are enjoying our selves,although she has been tired so a bit cranky.
Will post pics of this trip soon as we get some.

laurels 5th birthday party!!! oct 4 2009

2009-10-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Laurel actually turn 5 tomorrow,Oct 7 but her party was held this past Sunday at the Silveyville Pumplin Patch in Dixon Calif. The weather was absolutly perfect fall weather and the day was awesome.
The kids enjoyed lunch and pony rides,petting zoo, a hay ride and picking their own pumpkins. Laurel was in her element and the parents as well all enjoyed the day and getting to know eachother. IT was really a fun time.

sept 2009 the paint eisle has arrived

2009-09-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

the kids have been asking for a paintig eisle (sp?) like the one at school that they enjoy so much. I found one in the teacher supply catalog with all the supplies,that actually is small and stands on the table so the kids can sit at the table and paint,will fold up small to store since we have very limited space here in the house. I ordered allllllllll the fixings as well,several color paints,all new brushes,spill proof containers and carrier for the paint containers,paper the whol work up. All arrived yesterday,three big boxes. now my question is,since they dont know yet what it is,do i wait to unveil it till it gets a bit cooler oout and they are indoors more? or do i just go for it,get it all set p and let them enjoy it now and all winter....???? any thoughts? I am looking forward to seeing their faces,they have really been wanting one for so long now.

chaseing the boys sept 2009

2009-09-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Laurel seems to be settling into kindergarten well,she is making friends and has invited two of her class mates to her bday party coming uo here soon. I am afraid she is a lot like her mom in the sense that she seems to get along almost better with the boys than with the girls. When asked who her friends are,they are boys,and i actually heard her call one of the by name in her sleep the other morning!!
WHen i asked laurel how school was she will answer "fine" and when i ask what she did,she will say "nothing" remember that answer when we were kids? i do. so why bother getting her up and dragging her to school if she is doing nothing. LOL
Now when asked what she does outdoors at recess is another story. "chase damian and Andre" is the anser to that question. so all in all,Kindergarten seems to be going well,back to school night was he other night and quite informative and looks like they will have alot of fun.
Zak is back in pre school as well,thank goodness,that first week or two after kindergarten started Zak was just a bit too much to deal with. I figured it would all improve when he started back with his own thing as well.

more zakaryisms Sept 2009

2009-09-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Zakary and daddy were talking the other morning and out of the blue Zak says " Daddy,when you get too old,i will need to take care of you,wont i?" daddy explained that he hoped not but that thats what families do,they take care of eachother sometimes when we need help,reminding me of all the help the kids gave me after i hurt my back and could do NOTHING. Zakary goes on to ell dad all the things he can help hime with " i can help you get dressed,feed you,take you places and take yu to the bathroom" daddy sitting there cringing and hoping that this is never the case but agreeing with Zak. Zak says "wow,daddy we will have to take you to the big man pull up store". Dad laughed so hard he had to call and share the whole conversation with me while i was driving to work. He is an amazing child. so sweet ans so giving and so darn funny.

"zakaryism's" Sept 2009

2009-09-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

many of you know that Zakary likes "his things" many of you out there as well i know have children very similar to Zak in that sense. i am very sure its a security thing,a control thing and a "Mine" thing and that is all ok at this point in the game.
The latest is Zakary's "clothes pin friends". The other day,i saw him emptying all my clothes pins into a plastic bag,when asked what he was doing,he looked up at me in his sweet way and said "oh, these are all my clothes pin frineds". "ooohhhhh" i said. later i found them hung on the door knob by a rubber band and a pulley that i also use on occasion on the outdoor clothes line. I laughed right out loud.
Zak still likes to keep al his "treasures" in one spot,in this case,a large cardboard box that he then ties shut with one of his belts. He keeps his latest Mcdonalds toys,his money,piggy bank,any packaged candy he may have recently gotton at Tae Kwon Do and god alone knows all what else. We have all just learned to accept that,we dont even notice it any more,i did have to wrestle it all from my laundry basket where it all was kept for a very long time to this box after i got tired,one too many times of carrying my laundry from the dryer to the bed in bundles and without a basket.
Now Zakary is really enjoying "doing" things with dad,building,creating and so on.
He found a nail,a very small nail the other day and asked that he have it hammered in to the shelf so that he could hang his belt on it. so that we did. But then he wanted it to still hang on the hanger on the nail,so much like his dad,we have stuff "hanging" all over the place.

"do super hero's wear shoes?

2009-09-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sept 12 2009

We had a wonderful hard hard rain,thunder and lightning storm in the wee hrs this morning! Zak had run into our room,and with eyes still closed,hopped up into bed between us and went back to sleep but when he did wake up,about 6am,he sat straight up and asked me "do super hero's wear shoes?" so thats the question of the day!!! and where on earth does this come from at that time of the morning,out of a deep sleep?

have a great day!!