Lots of birthdays

This weekend we celebrated four birthdays. On Saturday, Anneliese and I went to her cousin Clive's birthday party. While we were there, Danica and Alexa went to her friend Jasmine's birthday party (you can read about that here).

We had a great time at the party. All the girls' cousins were there, including Julia and Ben, Clive, Hugh and Owen. Clive turned 3 and is just a few months younger than A&A. For entertainment, the kids got to take turns whacking a Jack O' Lantern pinata. We have some real sluggers in the family.



Clive enjoying his new train set.



Today we celebrated my Grandma Hazel's 88th birthday, my Dad Floyd's 67th birthday, and Clive's 3rd birthday. We skipped the candles this time, because that would have been one big fire!

Grandma Hazel opening her gifts.

The cousins all eating ice cream.

Watching a movie together.


Aren't they all cute!

Halloween!

Anneliese and Alexa really got into the spirit of Halloween this year. Danica started early, and had taken the girls shopping for costumes back in September. The girls were very anxious to wear them and go trick or treating. Alexa was a black kitten, and Anneliese dressed up as her favorite princess, Cinderella. Late this afternoon, we took the girls over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for their first trick or treats. Afterwards, Danica took them trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful night, with temperatures in the 50s, which is great considering it snowed two feet just a couple of days ago.

Grandpa Vern Visits

Danica's dad, Vern, came last week to visit the girls. We had a great time, but we had a very unusual snow storm for October that dumped over two feet of snow in our yard. Vern lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, so this was a little more than he bargained for! We ended up snowed in for most of his trip. The girls also got very sick this week, and we aren't sure if it is the flu or just some virus. They are coughing a lot, running a temperature of 101, and are congested. Anneliese and Alexa felt a bit better today, but still have a way to go before they are well.

Here are some pictures from Grandpa Vern's trip. This one was taken a couple of hours before the snow started to fly.


Anneliese and Alexa reading Grandpa's newspaper. We have very smart girls. :-)




Steak night!

Children Seeking Familes

My adoption agency, Alliance For Children, sent me this letter below, asking me to post it on my blog, which I'm very happy to do. Alliance For Children is a first rate, very professional adoption agency, which helped Danica and I adopt our wonderful girls Anneliese and Alexa. If you have ever considered adopting, please read on:

A few months ago we participated in a program called the Journey of Hope. It took us to China to meet 28 children in need of adoptive parents. This professional commitment has become quite a personal mission for us and we are turning to you in hopes of helping to make 28 dreams come true.

These boys and girls, simply put, captured our hearts. They charmed us with their talents and inspired us with their spirit. Many of them (16 boys and 12 girls, all between the ages of 3 and 12) had some sort of special need earlier in their lives but do not have ongoing issues anymore. Some continue to need extra support or medical care. All of these children will do so much better with a family of their own here in the US than in an orphanage in China… a 5 year old boy bursting withpersonality who had esophageal surgery when he was a baby but needs no other services; a 12 year old girl with a cardiac condition, sweet, eager to please, who loves to sing and dance; a 10 year old girl, shy, nurturing, kind-hearted, whom teachers describe as honest and strict with herself-she has cognitive limitations but is completely independent and is so responsible in tending to the needs of theyounger children. The list goes on and on.

We already have found families for 13 children, which means that we are half way there. But that also means that 15 children do not yet have any prospects for adoption. And that breaks our hearts. We are hoping that you might write something about these children and that someone who reads what you have written will come forward to adopt them.

The agency’s website is: www.allforchildren.org
People can see the awesome children who are still waiting for families at: http://www.allforchildren.org/minisite-china/children.html
And they can read all about our Journey of Hope trip to China at: http://allforchildren.ning.com

We can be contacted by phone at 781-444-7148 and via email at:
LinJing, China Program Coordinator: ljing@allforchildren.org
Vivian Cone, Director of Professional Services:
vivian@allforchildren.org
Renee Lubowich, Adoption Specialist: rlubowich@allforchildren.org

Thank you so much for anything you can do to on behalf of these children. Not only will you be giving a child the gift of a family but you will also be giving a family something that is beyond measure in return.

A few more pictures from our vacation

Danica, Anneliese, Alexa and I had a great time in Steamboat Springs on our vacation. Here are few more pictures from our trip.

On the playground one afternoon.



Mount Werner seen from downtown Steamboat Springs. You can see the ski slopes.
Danica took the kids outside to play with Playdoh after their daily nap.

One of the prettiest places in Colorado - The Yampa River Botanical Park.
Alexa and Anneliese playing at the Botanical Park. The park is free, and so well done.
Danica ran into this critter out walking early one morning. We have no idea what it was. It looks like a cross between a fox and a deer.
This chipmonk is enjoying a grape from the girls' lunch.
And our vacation had to come to an end. See you next time Steamboat Springs!

Fun in Steamboat Springs

Danica, Anneliese and Alexa and I are on vacation in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We came here last year for our summer vacation and had such a relaxing time we thought we would do it again. It is about a 4 hour drive (with a stop for lunch) from Castle Rock, so it is easy to get here. We are staying at a condo on the the ski mountain, which is really great for the girls. We can cook meals in, and we have a second bedroom for A&A, which makes the evenings easy, since we don't have to worry about bothering them after they go down for the night.

Danica and I were just reflecting on how much Alexa and Anneliese have changed since we were here last summer. We had been home from Russia for about six months then, and the girls were still in diapers. They were changing from babies to toddlers. Now the girls are firmly in their toddler years, speaking in sentences, counting, sharing their emotions (not always in a fun way!) and very much wanting to do things for themselves. It is amazing how fast they have grown and developed.

Here are some pictures from our trip so far:



Riding the Alpine Slide:






Getting Sundaes at Lyons in downtown Steamboat:

Pictures

Hey Marlowe Family, would you invite me to your blog again? My email changed, it is now tophertec@gmail.com. Thanks!

Here are some fun recent pictures.