Baby Kazahkstan Comes Home!

The VERY best Christmas present arrived home on Dec 23rd! My wonderful friend, Alice, got the most precious gift of all...her little Karina from Kazahkstan! After a pretty long and very tough adoption process, 2 trips to Kaz and a couple of failed flights home, Baby Karina was home in time for the Holiday!

She will be one in March and we went to visit just one week after they arrived home! I always tell people that one of the really nice by-products for adopting is all the great people you meet along the way! And Alice is no exception! Delaney loves her, she and her boyfreind, Nick, love Delaney and we love them and Karina! Delaney calls Nick "Man". (as in Alice's man)

Karina loves trying to follow Delaney around and is a complete sweetheart! We could not have had a better Christmas without her getting home safely! It just warms my heart everytime I know of another little one finding a forever family!

While Alice was in Kaz, we carefully followed her blog and Delaney calls Karina, Baby Kazahkstan! It's so cute, and they are cute together! ( until Little Missy had to part with some of her hand-me-downs for the baby!)

A DVD From Santa

My friend, Bob, who is a voice over talent, and whom I have used for years, helps out Santa by making personalized videos at Christmas time for children. He was gracious enough to make one for Delaney and I taped her (with my digital still camera) receiving her package. There are two parts, carefully watch her on the second one, it is priceless!!
Here they are: or if you can't view them, you can link to them:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8267311385821241330
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6147637201487374592

Grandpa Makes it Snow Again!

A few days after Christmas we went up to see Grandpa. Being California, we just can't count on snow even at the higher elevations. Dad said there was no snow. I told Delaney on the way up there, Grandpa won't have any snow and we will drive up the mountain to play in it.

Well, what do you know? Just below grandpa's house I see snow on the ground. I see fresh flakes on the trees.....we turn up Dad's road and it is white. When we got to the house, there's Grandpa standing on the deck as snow flakes drift from the sky! We got of the car and Delaney says...."You did it again Pamp-pa!" Yep, Grandpa can make it snow! He has gone and made it snow like clockwork every Dec 26th of Delaney's life! Grandpa's can make it snow when it is really, really important that it needs to!

Last year, (that's my niece and Little Missy in 2006), my niece was besides herself to wake up to a good six inches of the white magic. Grandpa took credit, of course. That's a good job for him!

Okay! Long Time, No Posts!

Hello friends! Sorry I have been lazy about updating, but you knew this would happen with me!! he he! The New Year has been SUPER busy, but good! So here's a few updates!

Christmas 2007: Was wonderful !!! We spent Christmas Eve as always at Grandma Bobbie's and had a really nice time! Delaney made reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn and was so excited for Santa to come! I had her sleep with me Christmas Eve so Santa could exchange the crib for the Big Girl bed he was bringing. On Christmas morning when we woke up, after a month of asking if she could open presents and when was Santa coming.....she somehow forgot it was Christmas! WHAT? I asked her who came last night, because I wanted to take her into her room straight away....she said she didn't know. Then she told me Baby Jesus came last night night! Aw!! I am doing something right, Baby Jesus came before Santa! (of course 30 minutes later she was asking, "Are there any more presents for ME?!) She kept syaing how pretty her big girl bed was and was trully amazed at how Santa swtiched the beds while she was asleep!

We came downstairs to find that Santa had left, of course, a pink scooter and a big new kitchen! We opened presents forever and enjoyed family and friends over later that day, with yummy ham and fixings!!!! When Auntie Ne and her gang came over, the doorbell rang and Little Missy said, "It's Baby Jesus!"

She must have taken every single one of our 15 or so guests upstairs to see her Big Girl bed at least twice! And she kept telling me how much she loved her new kitchen. But most of all, she kept wanting to know when Baby Jesus was coming!