First Bonfire of the Season

This week we've had some great fall-like weather and tonight seemed like a perfect night for a bonfire.  We had some nice family time hanging out around the fire.  Hotdogs, s'mores and hot chocolate were yummy! 

 Goofy girl!  She's pretty good at crossing her eyes....gives me shivers!

Benjamin's Turn

It was Benjamin's big day yesterday to get his braces on!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What is that, you say?  You don't see any difference?  Neither do we!  That's because Benjamin got Invisalign.  :)  They are the coolest thing ever.  They are just clear "braces" that fit over the teeth like a retainer.  They cost the same as traditional braces, take less time overall, and you can eat without them and brush without them on like normal.  We can't even tell that they affect his speech at all.  Pretty amazing.  It's all computer generated and he gets new trays every two weeks (we don't have to go for visits that often, though).  Benjamin was pretty excited to get them and I'm sure he'll do great with them. 

Now if only poor Michaela could get the metal off her teeth, we would all be super happy for her!

Our China Doll

I have to post an Ami funny from the other day.  As temperatures have cooled down, I pulled out a bin of fall/winter clothes to dig through.  Ami loves trying on clothing and she even found a pair of winter snow boots that will be great for the snow days ahead.  With the boots on, she turned to me and asked, "Mommy, who made these?"

Without thinking much I said, "Oh, probably some factory worker in China."

In all seriousness she replied, "No, I didn't come with these."

Ami is very aware and mature in her understanding of her adoption, but it sure struck me as funny that she felt that she came to us with certain "accessories", snow boots not included. 

Oh, how we love this China Doll of ours.  She makes me smile every single day, makes my heart beat faster to hold and hug her, and finds me speechless to imagine our family without her.  Surely more questions and grappling with her background is yet to come, but this already confident, personality-filled, spunky little girl is sure to come through shining bright!

Mr. and Mrs. Clark!

I am much delayed in posting this wonderful news......

Yes, that would be my brother and his wife, Amy!  We are so happy for them.  They had a private ceremony in their city a couple of weeks ago and then headed out to honeymoon in a nice warm place.  We enjoyed getting to know Amy a bit while our family was all together this summer at Tahoe.  She sure was brave to come meet us all at once, so we're pretty sure that she loves Jeremy a lot to do that.  :) 

We're thrilled to have another aunt.  The morning that we heard the news, Chris told Benjamin that he now had an Aunt Amy.  He replied, "We already called her Aunt Amy!"  Yes, the kids love her too, and knowing that Jeremy and Amy were engaged this summer when we met, they just welcomed her right in as Aunt Amy. 

Congratulations Jeremy and Amy!  We love you both and can't wait to see what the future holds for you!

P.S.  We think their pick of a wedding date is pretty special as it's our referral date for Ami, the day five years ago that we received a phone call that little Long Li Dan was waiting for us in China.  A day to celebrate indeed!

Our Riders

This weekend Chris and Michaela rode in the MS150 again.  They have been training for the last four months to ride for a cure.  They each raised several hundred dollars for Multiple Sclerosis research.  We are very proud of their efforts!  Also, thank you to those that gave towards this great cause. 

Last year they took the shorter of three routes each day, which is 40 miles each day.  This year they opted for the middle route of 75 miles on the first day, then the shorter route on the second day.  They were both pretty tired yesterday, but were feeling better today after the easier ride.

 The welcoming gang!  There are always several volunteers at the finish line to welcome in the riders with bells, whistles, horns, clapping, and lots of whoops and hollers. 

 Chris and Michaela crossing the finish line after their first 75 miles.

 Yes, someone didn't quite get enough sunscreen on.  Ouch!

 Crossing the finish line on day two after a total of 115 miles!  Woo hoo!

The riders each get thank you medals for their efforts.  We're proud of you Chris and Michaela!

Wolfe Lodge - Extreme Makeover

As mentioned in the last post, we have been enjoying super weather here.  It feels like fall with much cooler temperatures, much lower humidity, and nice breezes blowing.  It's a beautiful time to live in the woods, and the kids have been taking full advantage of it. 

You've seen earlier pictures of Wolfe Lodge, but the most recent spurt of activity from this little nook of our woods has been filled with home improvements, new creations, and hours of "labor". 

Some of the many recent improvements are:  wild grape vines trained to cover the back of the fort, an irrigation tube that allows water to be poured out from inside, a system that collects and filters rain water and runs inside, a kitten play area, indoor fall decorations, an outdoor grill and roasting area, a window, and always more waterproofing.  

This day they were working on their mosaic tile factory, creating clay tiles to later paint and use in their fort (yes, we've been studying Greek and Roman mosaics in school!).  They were "crushing" dirt, filtering it through the butterfly nets, adding bits of water, then forming and cutting tiles.  You can see all the itty bitty tiles on the boards between Johanna and Ami.  Lots of tedious and dirty work!

Benjamin fashioned a water bowl for Twix, complete with name etched on the side.

Elijah is busy "crushing' dirt to smooth it out for the tiles.

I never tire of watching this bunch play together and seeing what creative things they come up with.  Over this last year we have really made an effort at cutting back on our extra curricular activities.  That has included church activities, sports, home school group activities, and other things we have found we can say "no" to.  It has been a refreshing break and has allowed us more time together as a family.  We haven't cut out all extra activities, and we sure still have plenty of things to fill our calendar, but the difference in our schedules has been certain, and the difference in time spent on relationships at home has been rewarding.

P.S.  Michaela heads out to Wolfe Lodge once in a while to give ideas and encouragement.  :)  Also, I must try to get a video that better shows off some of their lodge improvements!

Labor Day Weekend

I know, I know, I'm behind in blogging again.  I think that after daily posts all summer long I got a little burned out.  It's also true that I haven't been taking near as many pictures.  I'll slowly try to catch up a little on some pictures from the last week or so.

We enjoyed our three-day weekend last weekend with an extra day off school and Chris home.  We got some projects done around the house, enjoyed our favorite pizza place, and got some kite-flying in.  The weather has been SO wonderful over the last week and we have been outside A LOT.  We've enjoyed playing outside, eating our meals on the deck, windows open, etc.  Beautiful!

We fly our kites at the local grade school where there is a nice open field.  It's double the fun because the kids also get to run around on the playground!

Some Favorites

As I said in the last post, I've finally been going through pictures from our long road trip.  I couldn't help but pick out some of my favorites to post again, surely all repeats from my daily blogging while on vacation.  I loved our time away.....the beautiful places we saw, time with family, time with friends, experiencing new things, making many memories.  What a privilege it was!