December 31, 2012

Had an amazing day at the Happy Hollow Park & Zoo in San Jose!

December 30, 2012

Us at the Golden Gate on an incredibly clear, although also incredibly cold, day


December 29, 2012

Our Hotel

The kids loved being in a hotel, riding the glass elevator, perusing the continental breakfast, swimming in the indoor pool, and watching the cable tv.
 

December 28, 2012

Foster Sweetie makes a new friend in Vira

Our 11 month old babe is bigger than 23 month old Vira...orphanage life has been hard but she's very happily in her forever home now!

December 27, 2012

Facetime with Papa & Anja as the kids open their presents :)

December 26, 2012

Our kitty...

the best model for pics when it's midnight and I realize I haven't taken a picture today!

December 25, 2012

Stayed up too late wrapping gifts

...totally worth it! 

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas Eve!

December 23, 2012

December 22, 2012

Started our day with the Science of Gingerbread at the Discovery Science Center

 And finished the day checking out the lights on Balboa Island

December 21, 2012

December 20, 2012

Shipped our Christmas packages so I told the kids they could pop all of our leftover stored packing materials...it was popping madness!

 

 

 

December 19, 2012

We buy ornaments every year to add to the tree and to each child's collection.

This year they picked out their own

December 18, 2012

Santa at the Snoopy House

December 17, 2012

totally cheating with this pic taken a few days ago but I like it...

Adam practicing and getting a little accompaniment from foster cutie
(she's very talented :)

December 16, 2012

Traveled all through Bethlehem until we found the baby Jesus!

December 15, 2012

Gingerbread House Building with my family!!!

December 14, 2012

The Present Game!

We try to play the present game throughout the year but our last game was probably last Christmas...Everyone gets a bag and puts something random inside (a fork, a shoe, a toy...)  When you get your gift you say, Thank you! because it's the fact that someone is choosing to give us a gift that we are thankful for, not the actual thing inside.  Then when they open the gift they have to think of something nice to say!  This is quite amusing and REALLY good practice :)

December 13, 2012

Happy Birthday April!

We celebrated by going line dancing :)

December 12, 2012

46th Street Christmas Party

Showing off their White Elephant gifts

December 11, 2012

Sand Cakes!

Day 7: Mary's Song

We've had quite the break in our Advent crafts but we're going to keep doing them...most days

We talked about how Mary's Song shares what she knew of God's Character. 

Those are the words written on the CDs...

 

December 10, 2012

Climbing trees at the backbay

Unfortunately, Jason took a hard fall out of this tree and ended up with a mild concussion but he's fine and pretty proud of the ambulance ride off the path.

December 9, 2012

Our Foster Cutie took this picture of us...she's talented

December 8, 2012

It's a month early but we couldn't wait...Happy Birthday, Jason!

December 7, 2012

Riding the Christmas Express at South Coast...Jason is too big and it looks to me like Beth is, too...when did they grow up?

 

December 6, 2012

Watching Grandma and Grandpa on Ellen...

we actually saw them dancing in the audience during the opening sequence :)

Day 6: Mary & Elizabeth

Paper dolls with pop-out bellies

When Elizabeth saw Mary, her baby lept in her belly!

 

December 5, 2012

And to add more to our Advent adventure, we bought a Star Wars Advent Calendar.

Day 5: Mary

Mary, the willing servant of God

(and Day 9 Joseph, a Righteous Man)

 

December 4, 2012

Playing at Pretend City after volunteering for Olive Crest's Stocking Stuffer Event

Day 4: Gabriel

This craft turned out great...except that I think I did most of the work

December 3, 2012

Jill playing peek-a-boo through the house with our foster cutie...their giggles were fabulous

Day 3 - Zechariah

These faces weren't quite as planned but they loved making Zechariah's silent face.

December 2, 2012

 An early Christmas present - the game of Life!  I don't remember it being so complicated but we had fun and Adam was our millionaire winner :)

Day 2: His Kingdom

We made these crowns out of a wrapping paper tube.

December 1, 2012

Indiana Adam!

We visited the Discovery Science Center's Indiana Jones exhibit.  It was an amazing experience.  Check here for more about our visit.

But today is also December 1st, and we're going to be going through the eBook Truth in the Tinsel making an ornament a day as we focus on the Christmas Story.  So I'll be adding an extra pic each day this month (each day that we do it, let's be realistic, we're going to miss a few days!)

Day 1: The Light

We made these tissue paper candle ornaments, beautiful and simple!

November 30, 2012

I love when simple science experiments are hugely successful!

This is Charles' Law - increase the temperature of a gas and it's volume increases, decrease the temperature of a gas and its volume decreases.  We dipped the top of this empty bottle in bubble solution and then dipped the bottom of the bottle in hot water.  Instantly, bubbles formed.  When we then dipped it into the ice water, the bubbles retracted.  The kids took turns going back and forth and back and forth.  Science is cool or hot...

November 29, 2012

Our foster cutie checking out the tree

I have many adorable pics of her sweet smile but this is all I can share on the internet...

November 28, 2012

I forgot to take a pic but the girls were still awake so I captured them...in the dark. 

 I had no idea what I was taking a picture of and the girls were blinded by the flash :)

**Take note of Beth's bedtime reading...she reads until we make her turn off the lights, and then she reads as soon as she wakes up until she gets hungry enough to get out of bed :)

November 27, 2012

It was a busy day.

Jill learned how to pump today...all on her own!

and Jason attended Cotillion...learning to be a gentleman :) 

November 26, 2012

Christmas Coloring

November 25, 2012