Snow Days...

December in Warwick has been really cold already! Last week we got down to 8 degrees. Very cold for us southern transplants. Anna has been playing in the snow a little bit. Mostly walking around and trying to get her footing. She's so tiny that even with just a little snow, it is up to her knees!!

October in New York State

Autumn in New York State is wonderful! Apple picking, raspberry picking and corn mazes. Lots of fun.

Anna's School Portrait - October 2009

Anna's school picture at Warwick Day Care Center in October 2009. In the past year, she has definitely gotten the hang of smiling for the camera (can't imagine why)!

"Gotcha Day" - Our One Year Anniversary

For our 1 year anniversary of Anna coming into our family - Nov 1, 2009 - we went to the Statue of Liberty. We thought that was a fitting reminder of the freedom that we have being born as Americans and for Anna now that she is an American. It was a tremendous to see the kids' reaction to that big ole' Lady Liberty!



The boys on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty Island.




















Waiting on the pier for the ferry.






















We had to make it a "complete American" experience by allowing the kids to have McDonalds on the way to the Statue of Liberty!

Statue of Liberty on "Gotcha" or "Family" Day Anniversary

For our one year anniversary of "Gotcha Day" we went to the Statue of Liberty in NY. Great experience. I love showing the kids new places and giving them first hand experience of how big (and yet how small) the world really is.

Trick or Treat - 2009

Well, here's our little "Tink". Anna is so small that being Tinkerbelle for Halloween was very fitting. She was really cute in her little outfit. And she did very well -- especially considering she went Trick or Treating with 5 BOYS!!

















Here's the crew dressed and ready to go Trick or Treating! We had fun with some new friends, Margaret and Thomas, and their 3 boys.

Jill's visit!

Our dear friend, Jill (Quinn's mom!), came to visit us in September! We had such fun showing Jill around our beautiful little town...even got to go to the drive-in movie for the first time. You can see our valley behind us in the picture. Thanks for your visit Jill!

Anna's Baptism

Anna was baptized in the historic Sanctuary of Roswell Presbyterian Church on July 19, 2009. Granny Reba and Aunt Kathy and families were with us. Fran Farias was the assisting elder (she also assisted with Spencer and Kent's baptisms in the historic sanctuary) and Senior Pastor Lane Alderman performed the service. Very moving. Several people commented after church that morning that there wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was very special to us.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Russ was working out of town on his birthday so the kids made him a birthday card and we sent him a virtual birthday greeting. Here they are singing "Happy Birthday". Anna joined right in because she knows every word!

Happy Birthday America!

Anna made a hat and flag for a 4th of July parade at school...she was so proud of her creation!



I thought it was so cute that I had to take pictures to post. What a camera ham!

Dress Up Day at Preschool

Anna had dress up day at school today. Thank goodness Aunt Kathy happened to give us some adorable princess costumes on Memorial Day weekend that Quinna and Moraya had outgrown...perfect timing. So Anna went as Cinderella.






Here she is doing a little curtsey.








And here she is with her incredible teachers Ms. Tershana and Ms. Carolyn. Love these ladies - they are so loving and so patient with the little ones.

Anna's Official!!!

We readopted Anna in the State of Georgia -- not necessary but it has many benefits to her later in life so we wanted to get it done. We had a wonderful attorney (Josie Redwine - an adoptive mother) and judge (Craig Schwall). They were great about including the boys in the process. They even swore Spencer and Kent in and made them promise to be good big brothers (and obey their parents and do their chores!! :-) ). We all learned a lot from the process and I was glad the boys actually got to play a part in the overall process. Anna will receive her GA birth certificate soon. Then all we have left to do are two more home visits by the agency and we have completed the entire paper chase!! How thrilling - almost done!

Leapin' Lizards...

Anna's first trip to Leapin' Lizards...a place near my sister's home where the kids love to go when we visit. She was so rough and tumble. If the older kids tried it, she tried it. Even if she was too little to reach or climb -- she'd get one of the older kids to take her up so she could slide down with them. Here she is going back up (this time she's convinced her cousin Quinna to carry her up).

And here she is in a "jumpy" with her big brothers. Of no concern to her that she is getting slung from one end to the other!! :-) She loves doing what the others are doing and being in the mix!

Kite Flying...

Anna flew a kite for the very first time on Memorial Day weekend at Aunt Kathy's! She and Spencer spent the better part of 30 minutes together trying to give Anna the chance to hold the string while the kite was actually in flight. It's hard to see -- but here she is actually flying the kite by herself!!

Sea World Day During Spring Break

Spencer and Kent really love the animals at Sea World so we took Anna there for a day while we were at Disney World. Anna loved the animals too! Here are some shots of her "viewing" the animals with Baba.

This photo is in front of the "Tree of Life" at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Very meaningful this year.

Anna playing in a park at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Spring Break Trip to Disney World

Sping Break at Disney World was so much fun. And honestly easier with the three kids than I ever dreamed it would be. It was fun showing Anna Disney for the first time ever. She enjoyed it but wasn't wild about the characters (she would start crying if they started coming toward us). So I had to grab a shot of her with Winnie the Pooh while she didn't know he was behind her :-) Whatever it takes, right? The week was marvelous. Now Russ and I need a vacation from our vacation!!

Hanging out with Granny at Disney World

Part of the reason the visit to Disney world with three kids (8 yrs old and younger) was so easy is because Granny Reba came down during the week to stay with us! It is always so wonderful to have her with us. She is incredible with the kids and they love her so very much. She hung out with Anna while she napped each day and that allowed Russ and I time to go do the more "advanced" rides / shows with Spencer and Kent. Lord knows I love my mom! She is a role model for me and I hope I am able to help my kids with their children the same way she is helping me.

Anna's First Portrait

Here is Anna's first portrait. Forgive me for saying it, but I think it is so precious. She's adorable! This week at Day School, Anna moves from the "Tots" Class to the "Early Preschool Class". Of course, we are thrilled with the progress that she is making and are so proud of her. Yesterday, Ms. Tershana (her new teacher who also taught Kent) told me that the other kids were trying to pick Anna up and carry her around -- they were thinking she is a baby (because she is so small compared to them). Ms. Tershana had to explain that they cannot pick Anna up and carry her around!! :-)

Anna Comes Through Two Surgeries in Less Than One Month...Beautifully.

We thank God that Anna has come through two different surgeries in the past month beautifully. One surgery was extremely easy - ear tubes, bonding placed on teeth, and stint built. Second surgery, cleft palate repair....not so easy. Apparently, Anna's cleft palate was extremely wide. So the surgery was quite complicated. We are so grateful for the expertise that we have using Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Cranio-Facial team there. Dr. Williams, head of the Cranio-Facial team, performed the surgery.

Anna says: "no photos please!!"

Scary times as she came out of surgery - these are on day 2 - after lots of the swelling and bruising had gone down. And this is Anna's favorite part of the entire adventure...moma and Granny Reba circled the 2nd floor of the hospital MANY times with Anna in a little red wagon and all her equipment in tow!