Road Trip Anyone?

On Tuesday my Dad called my sisters and I late in the afternoon and said we should all take a road trip with him and Sharon out to San Diego, CA to go to the Chargers Stadium for a football game on Saturday.  We would leave on Thursday.. after he got off work...just pack up and go.  We would first drive to Tuscon, AZ and pick up Tiffany and then head straight to CA.  We would then drive back to Colorado on Sunday.

HUH?!  Are you crazy?  Drive 17 hours starting on Thursday night, go to a football game and then drive back 17 hours on Sunday.

Do you know how impossible that would be, I asked him??  The kids have school, Paul and I have an adoption class in Denver on Saturday, Colton has a soccer game, I have to work on Monday etc. etc. ect.  I could think of a million reasons why it would be crazy to drive all that way for a few days.  But I could also think of a million reasons why living in the moment and creating great memories is way more important than the inconvenience of planning a mini-vacation in 1 day.

We decided to go!!

The kids and I left the very next day and headed to Arizona  by ourselves.  We figured we might as well make a little vacation out of it.  Leaving early allowed us to have a little time to hang out at Tiffany's house and be in the wonderful hot AZ sunshine for a few days.  We had a great time basking in the sun and playing in their beautiful pool. 



 

 Dad, Sharon and Jennifer picked us up in AZ on Friday and we headed to California in my Dad's truck.  The kids got to stay in AZ with their cousins and Uncle Eric and play for a few days while we went on our way.  Ma and Pa were in AZ at that time also so they all got to hang out together.  They had a great time.

In California I got to enjoy my first IN and OUT Burger!!  Oh my was that a treat!  We all stayed with a friend of my dad's in a beautiful 90210 type house.  It was gorgeous.  We had time to relax and chill out before we went to a great restaurant and had a little reunion dinner party with some of my dad's California friends.  We had breakfast at a ocean side restaurant on Saturday morning and toured around the ocean side towns during the day.  The football game was that night and we all have a fun time.  The next morning we headed back to AZ where they dropped Tiffany and I off and they headed back to CO.  I stayed for another day in AZ and the kids and I left the next day.  Whew...what a whirlwind.

                          
I can't tell you how many times we laughed until our sides felt like they would burst.  Hanging out with my sisters and dad was so much fun.  I know the memories we created were so worth every second of our road trip!

Random pictures

Could she be any cuter!!

Caitlyn and "Rocky"
She has loved this bird since she was a baby.  He unfortunately does not have the same feelings toward Caitlyn.  This day though was a good day!!  He finally let her hold him and she was so.very.happy!!  Rocky gets to come stay at our house from time to time when my Dad goes on vacation.  He talks all day long and says some of the funniest things.   

This is Caitlyn and a friend at the Olympic Training Center.   We had a fun field trip there and the weather was beautiful. 

Colton had a great month

Colton turned 9 on September 12th.  I can hardly believe he is already that old.  I vividly remember being scared out of my mind watching those towers fall on that infamous 9/11/2001 and going into labor.  9/11 was my due date but thankfully I got to enjoy 17 hours of labor with him and he wasn't born until September 12th.  :)   

Colton was completely embarrassed when his grandparents, aunt, cousin, Mom and Carson showed up with lunch and cookies for his class.  His principle made him stand up on top of the table and the whole school sang happy birthday to him.  It was great.   Colton loves being the center of attention...NOT! 

                  

He and Caitlyn ran track with the Land Sharks Running Club.  They both did great and won a lot of their races.  It is fun for them to be able to compete in sports together.  This was the first year that they were  not able to play on the same soccer team.  That was a huge bummer, 2 different fields and 2 different teams is a lot to manage.    











Colton was awarded the MVP of his soccer team this year.  He was pretty excited about that.  He is a great little athlete and really gives his all when he is competing.  It is very important to Colton to always try his hardest in all that he does.  His school work is no different and I know that quality will benefit him all throughout his life.  He does not like to procrastinate and hardly ever has homework because he likes to get it done at school.  If he doesn't get it done at school he will finish it in the car on the drive home.  (this is definitely NOT a quality he got from me :) !! ) 

One of my favorite parts of the month was when Colton did the incline with me.  I love, love, love doing things like this with the kids.  It was the first time he ever did it and he did awesome.  We got a pretty late start and came down Barr trail in the rain and with it almost fully dark outside.  He loved it and is excited to do it again. 









Happy Halloween

Halloween night starts out at our house with Jack -O -Lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's and then we head over to a very "festive" neighborhood in Falcon.  We always go to the same street and find the same houses with the same decorations and "festive" events.  It is a lot of fun.  We end the evening with a drive into Peyton to visit the Fire Station there.  They always have hot chocolate and cookies for the kids.  They let them go into the fire trucks and  walk around the station. 

Carson and Avery

Baylee, Caitlyn and Kylie

Carson at the Fire Station

Pumpkin Time

Halloween always starts with a trip to the Happy Apple Farm.  It is a tradition.  We make a fun day out of it with friends and some pumpkin carving. 

The Puffpaff,  Hart, Oliver and Murray kiddos

Colton, Carson and Caitlyn

West and Carson

Keegan, Caitlyn and Kylie

JD, Colton and Wyatt

Donman and Paul carving with the kids
I don't like pulling out the guts...Yuck...but I love the seeds

Nothing beats a beautiful fall day in Colorado

We took a drive up to Victor, Colorado on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in October.  It was one of those days where the weather was perfect.  We hiked around all over Victor and took tons of pictures.  After we were done in Victor we decided to drive through Phantom Canyon.  It is such a great mountain drive and I hadn't been on it since I was a very little girl.  We didn't make it all the way to Canyon City though because halfway through I realized I didn't have my camera.  Then I remembered setting it on the rear tire so I could help Caitlyn with something and I obviously forgot to take it off the tire because when we drove back to that spot, there was our camera crushed into the dirt road.  Ugh, don't you just hate it when you do stuff like that.  I even remember thinking to myself "that is not a very smart place to put the camera".  I have ruined not one, but two of our telephones by leaving them on the roof or bumper of the car.  Luckily the memory stick was ok and I was able to get the pictures off of the camera. 


We all got Starbucks for the drive up, a big treat for our family.  Thanks Ann for the gift cards :)






Ethiopian Courts are open!

The courts in Ethiopia officially opened on Sept. 28th.  They were closed for almost 2 months because of the rainy season.  Isn't that crazy that a country can all but shut down because of a "rainy season".  I guess one of the main reasons is because of the roads.  They don't have paved roads like we do so when it rains it turns into a muddy mess.  I am praying that we get to travel there before the rainy season next year.  I would hate to have to wait 2 months to meet our daughter just because it is raining.   Again that will be where I will need God's patience.  As many of you know I am not a very patient person.  This process is teaching me a thing or two in that area for sure!   We haven't heard much of anything in the last 5 to 6 weeks but we have moved on the lists a little.  As of right now we are:

#49 on the infant girl list
#15 on the toddler girl list
#18 on the sibling list

We also received our approval for our I-600A application filing which is part of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services so that was exciting.  One more paper hill behind us.  We had to be fingerprinted for that again.  Seriously how many times can you be fingerprinted.  Maybe it is because I married an ex criminal.  Yep that's right, Paul was a juvenile delinquent.  Shocking I know.  I bet you didn't know that when you get caught with num-chucks in your friends car when you are 15 years old and you are driving (without a license mind you) that you can get a ticket for "possession of a concealed oriental weapon".  That seriously almost threw me over the edge with this adoption process.  Another reason why I am glad I wasn't blogging at the time because I was a little "crazy".  I just couldn't believe that something like that would cause us so many problems 21 years later.  Paul didn't even remember it until we got out criminal report back from the CBI.  Even though the case was dismissed in court we still had to write letters and talk with court recorders to try to have that show up as dismissed.  I seriously think it is what stressed me out the most during our Dossier process.  At least it is behind us and it is something we get a very good laugh out of now.  We have another class on the 16th of October and then 3 more in November and hopefully we are done with that part. 
Praying for speedy list movement!
 

1st day of school (a few weeks late) :)

Ok so here are a bunch of pictures from the first day of school.  I know it is totally out of order but I had to get them on here.  The kids just look too cute in their uniforms!  I am one of those moms who has prayed and prayed about homeschooling.  I really used to wondered why God didn't put it on my heart but I can honestly say that he didn't.  I absolutely love school but I deeply hate being away from my kiddos.  I am blessed to have found a school that lets me (encourages me) to be a part of school, at the school, on a daily basis if I wanted.  Now don't get me wrong, I do not go to school every day with the kids but I am there a lot and I love it.  I don't know how teachers do it though, I am wiped out by the end of the day.  They have some of the neatest friends at school and I love seeing them shine Gods light in a school setting.

Carson started Pre-K this year, 3 half days a week.  He really enjoys school and is used to it since I have been dragging him with me for the past 4 years while I help out in Colton's and Caitlyn's class rooms.  He is so different than the other 2.  It didn't take him long to come out of his shell and he actually had to sit in the time out chair for being "too talkative".  That has never with the other 2 and I really can't see it ever happening with them.  Carson beats to a different drum though and he is a fun little guy.  He tells me every detail about all his new friends, who by the way, are all girls. 

Caitlyn started 2nd grade and we are so fortunate to have Colton's teacher from last year.  She is an amazing lady and Caitlyn loves her.  She is doing great and has been with a lot of the same friends since kindergarten.  She has a really neat group of friends.  She is a little sweetheart!  Things seem to be catching on quickly with her this year and her eagerness to learn is fun and exciting. 

Colton is in 3rd grade and he is really having a fun year.  Colton is one of those kids who everything comes easily to him.  I can honestly say I have never really had to explain much to him, he does his homework in the car on the drive home so it "is out of the way" and never has to study for tests.  Lucky kid.  He has an amazing work ethic and tries to do his best in all that he does.  He is like that with sports too.  He has a pretty natural athletic ability and loves, loves, loves almost any sport.                                               

 

Carson wanted Colton to help him tuck in his shirt and

 Caitlyn to help him get his belt on.  I always dress all 3

of them in the same colors.

3 little cuties!

Carson lining up to go into class

                                        

My eyes were watery...from allergies of course 

                                         Daddy's eyes were watery too!

                                         Carson ran up to the fence and yelled "one more kiss Mommy"
                                          So I got a smooch through the fence!
                                          He is my little love bug, just melts my heart!
                                          Colton would never yell that to me!  :)


                                       

                                          Caitlyn on the other hand would and does say that to me!

                                          Colton with one of his best friends Jesse.  They have
                                           been together since Pre-K.  Colton used to be taller
                                           than him, I think every kid is
                                          having a growth spurt except Colton.


Picking Carson up from school.  I took him to McDonald's
for lunch and then he passed out as soon as we got into the car.

 

This was Carson's first day at Chapel.  The students go to chapel every Wednesday at ECA.
The 6th graders are called their Chapel Chums and pick them up in their class rooms and walk
them across the street for Chapel.  When Chapel is over they walk them back over to the classroom
and stay and play on the playground with them and read and color with them.  Sometimes they do
projects with them also.  We were so fortunate to be at ECA when Colton was in Pre-K because
Kayla, his cousin, got to be his Chapel Chum.  It was so sweet.