Loveliness.

Day# 17-19: Loveland is so lovely. Two nights jam-packed with old-school buddies and a house FULL of kiddos! We played outside, made delicious food, slumber-partied, had lots of deep talks, chased chickens and raked leaves. It was so wonderful to share time with people who have kindred hearts, and who don't mind a house full of little girls: seven girls to be exact, ages 2-8!! They all got along amazingly!!

Ruby & Sydney - gathering chicken eggs!
Eden, Bella, Asia & Syd - relaxing in the hammock
Asia, Emma, Bella & Eden - cleaning the yard
Sydney, Asia, Bella & Eden - snuggling with Ginger the kitty
sweet goodbyes - Asia & Emma!
(this reminds me of two bosom friends about 15 years ago)We love you Sailer clan....and we adore your hearts!
Now off to Virginia & Washington DC for Christmas with fam!

Colorado!!

On Day #6 we drove thru "4 Corners" - the only spot in America where 4 states meet (Colorado, Arizona, Utah & New Mexico). It was just a tourist spot - with a marker & flags, surrounded by rural desert: BUT the incredible opportunity to stand in four States at the same time and pose for a picture. :) They girls thought it was so funny, and they would keep yelling "Hi Arizona!!" (etc) across the line.


Day# 6-8: Durango! We got to stay with another incredible family of friends - and enjoy lots of conversations & laughter. We explored the city, went thrifting, visited the famous Silverton Railroad, and spent quality time with our friends. They are so down-to-earth; truly living their lives to help others. We always wish our visits could be longer....maybe we will just have to move here someday! The kids also loved bonding with old buddies...these two are only weeks apart in age, and they giggled quite a bit.


Day# 9-16: CSprings!! We spent a week reconnecting with our incredible friends in this sprawling city, and enjoyed lots of yummy food, game nights, songs, parades & refreshing conversations! We also got to meet baby Ezra for the first time, and celebrate some birthdays in style!! It was the first time we began to really relax and decompress from our 2+ years living abroad. We needed some time to recharge! We love you & miss you CS family!!

Asia, Sydney & baby Ezra

The McDoans Its always so hard to leave....

ears pierced!!

Eden & Sydney really wanted to get their ears pierced!! ....so, we've been waiting for the right moment: we chose to commemorate aunt Jenny's birthday by going to the mall for the ceremonial piercing. Getting your ears pierced feels like such a rite of passage for little girls, at least it was for me! I remember waiting until I was 13 to have mine pierced, but I didn't feel like implementing any time limit for our girls....they had been anticipating earrings for awhile now!

Sydney jumped into the chair first. She was so brave. She loved getting to hold the black teddy bear during the whole event! Here she is (my big four year old) pre-piercing:

getting her hair clipped back in anticipation

two seconds later!!!

Next came Eden (5.5 yrs) - who was very excited too!!
She wanted to let her sister go first, so she could decide if it would hurt too much. I guess she was convinced since Sydney didn't even wince. I was more queasy than anyone!!

Getting both ears pierced at the same time is the way to go. This bear has gotten many tight hugs!
Happy Birthday AJ!! Thanks for sharing your day with us!!

Sydney turns FOUR!!

Sydney has been anticipating her birthday for months! She thought that we were coming to America FOR her birthday...so every day since we have been here, she keeps asking when her birthday will be. Waiting 18 days has been tough!

Technically, she has already had a few celebrations along the way - but we like to stretch out the party as long as we can. She woke up to lots of balloons and streamers - with our tradition of hanging a big #4 from the ceiling. She was quite giddy throughout the entire day.

We can't believe that our youngest girlie is already FOUR! We love her joy and imagination and love of life. She is constantly talking or singing or making some sort of humming noise. She is very verbal!! She loves to laugh, and constantly asks to be tickled. She is such a goofball, and she brings such joy to our family.

For her birthday we had some friends over.....


Shared green sprinkle cupcakes....


...with cute friends....

...and celebrated our FOUR year old!! Wow! That has gone SO fast!!
We love you with all our hearts Sydney Grace!!

slight detour?? The Grand Canyon!!

Day #5: After Phoenix, the plan was to drive to Albuquerque and stay with more family. They (our extended family) were still in Phoenix....so we had an extra day to spend along the way somewhere!! The map was wide open!! We opted to detour north - and visit The Grand Canyon!! Gotta love flexibility & spontaneity!! Only Justin had been there before, so it was new for most of us! What a breath-taking place to visit!We spent most of that day walking trails, rock climbing, taking the tram, and lingering at different viewpoints along the way....what a brilliant canvas of color and shadows!! We also got to see some elk, deer and wildlife along the trails. It was so amazing!

It was a cold & windy winter day - but so beautiful!!

We rode the tram all the way to the end of the line - where we sipped hot chocolate to stay warm. It was so peaceful - since there weren't many people at all.

We even got to watch the sun set, turning the canyon all shades of gold & orange! Here is our clan - after a long day of road-trip and hiking around the trails of the Grand Canyon! Wow - what an amazing sight to witness!!

....now we drive on towards Durango, Colorado!!

Road-Trip 2010

The green minivan is loaded up.
Gas tank is full & windows freshly squeegeed.
Kids are strapped securely into their car seats.
Snacks & other various items are readily available for diversions.
Music is at my fingertips.
Off we go for 36 days of road-tripping across 7 states with our clan of five!
We haven't booked a single hotel...but we are feeling spontaneous.

Pray we stay safe and don't go stir-crazy!!

First stop (day 1): Santa Ana!!! ....for a 15 hour whirlwind visit with our beloved friends!
The kids loved playing with buddies Lily & Samuel. Syd & Sam were fast friends. They both like goggles and shopping carts, so it was pretty simple.

On the playground there was a slight traffic jam on the slide:

The visit is never complete without a group photo!! (the dad's were so patient)

Hello's & goodbyes within such a short time are always hard! We love you SoCalDoans!!
We consoled ourselves by finding the nearest In N Out Burger. Yup - still tastes amazing!

Next stop (Day 2): San Diego!!
Justin got to share with about 100 elementary aged kids about our lives in China. They were very attentive & loved that we make ice cream! They asked great questions and learned about life on the other side of the globe. We also got to see wonderful friends in the area and connect even more. We love this place!!

That same afternoon we drove onward to Phoenix, Arizona to visit with family for 2 nights (day 3&4). Justin's grandparents are 96 & 97 years old - still loving life and full of joy! We are so thankful that we got to see them again and hear more of their memories! Grandpa was so happy to see the girls!! (Grandma was recovering from a stroke, but still so very cheery)

We also got to visit with uncle Eddie & aunt KC who were in town for Thanksgiving! Uncle Eddie put the girls to work gardening outside, while aunt KC made us a gourmet meal! The girls each earned $1.00 for pulling weeds and filling the garbage bin with debris. They were so excited/motivated to earn some money! ...and play with uncle Eddie and the branches.

No visit is complete without the final group photo:
(if only Sydney weren't picking her nose)

We also got to visit aunt Gloreen who has been in the hospital after a major surgery and some new complications. She was so precious & sweet - even though she could barely speak. We did all the talking, praying and rubbing of her feet. It was a wonderful to see her again and just sit with her. She even had gifts waiting for the girls: games & artsy stuff! She is so thoughtful & generous. Please pray** for her - her organs are currently failing and she is battling for her life. **Updated Dec 30th, 2010 - Aunt Gloreen went home to heaven. She will be greatly missed by so many!!

Overall, the first 4 days of Road-Trip 2010 have been incredible. We are encouraged, challenged, nostalgic, brimming with love for our family, and eager to see what adventure lies ahead.
Stay tuned.....

Thanksgiving

The weather here is unbelievable.
There is beauty everywhere!
We are so very thankful.....

This morning we ventured down to the ocean to play in the sand. It has been over 2 years since we have touched American sand. This time the girls (finally) weren't afraid of sand in their toes. :) We all had so much fun soaking up the beauty....

Oh! ...and Nana & Poppa came too! (more beauty!)

We did make it home in time to finish final touches on our delicious dinner....and enjoy family time with Jamma & Poppy too. The girls aren't too fond of the typical turkey & fixings....since its not a common food in our neck of the woods. They DID like cranberry sauce though.

What a full day with countless reasons to be thankful!!

pre-birthday park party!!

Our littlest munchkin is turning FOUR in 2 weeks! We decided to throw a last-minute party for Santa Cruz family & friends - since will be traveling cross-country the day after Thanksgiving! Huge thanks to Jill & Laura (and Facebook) for the motivation & help, and to my momma for making heaps of cupcakes! Here are some highlights of our day at the park!!

The girls loved making friends (again) with old pals...and playing all over the park! Thanks to everyone who joined the festivities to celebrate little Sydney. She felt very loved!

SoCal Doans + China McNabbs

Sam + Emory + Lily + Eden
(these three girls were instant buddies)

more cute kids!

Holtzclaws + McNabbs

We love you Sydney!!
Thanks to all our friends for coming to our spontaneous celebration @ the park!