Christmas 2010

I love Christmas trees!!!!
Tucker
Chance with his happy face on......I think...
Walt (in his "Season's Beatings" shirt) and Gina
Gina and Kirsten
Tucker with the gift that Chance gave him. (His choice of hot sauces!)
Tucker
Bridget with her new "laptop".

Bridget with her new shades from Kirsten
Kirsten showing Bridget how to use her light bright toy
Bridget and Kirsten

Kirsten, Chance and friends before the Masquerade Ball.

Here is Chance with his mask on that he got at the ball. I think he looks adorably creepy!



Kirsten's hair after it was done at the salon. I think it looks beautiful! (Still miss my blond haired daughter!)


Kirsten, Payden, Rachel, Jennifer and Chance at our house before the prom.

Ooops! Kirsten's 17th birthday pictures.... July,2009

Bridget.....it is hard to believe that she just had her 11th birthday at the time of this posting! Where does the time go?

Walt (trying to look like he WANTS to have his picture taken!)


Have no idea why I am making that face. Oh, well.......


Chance being his usual self! (Wearing his favorite hat!)



I can't believe that she is getting so old! In 12 more years, she will be the same age as me!!!! ;)

Changing my blog.......

Chance on July 4th, 2009

Well, I think that I am going to start turning this blog into a family blog and not just about Bridget. She will have been with us for a year on Oct. 18th and I think that most everyone who has been following her can see that she is adjusting. Plus, there just isn't that much to talk about with just her. AND I don't want to leave my others kids out of the picture!

My son, Chance, is going to be 16 in October. He will be getting his permanent driver's license. Although he has had his temporary license for a year, I am still not ready to let go and allow him to drive by himself when he wants. Is that too controlling?;) (Now I understand why my parents didn't let me get my license until I was 18!) It's scary! He drives great and I know that it is just me and my paranoia kicking in! (I think maybe I need some therapy for that!) He is also going to be joining a group called CAPS....which stands for Civil Air Patrol Service or something like that. It will help him to be ready for military life if he chooses to go into the Air Force. He does want to be a pilot and has talked about being one for a couple of years now. About 3 weeks ago, he and his dad got to go ride in a small plane. This friend of my husband actually let Chance fly the plane! Course, it only reinforced what he has been talking about. Anyway, I am relieved to see that he is getting focused on what he wants to be when he grows up (I'm still working on that part myself!) O.O I think that he is going to be a wonderful addition to the adult world out there.(and good looking if I do say so myself) He is starting to resemble Hugh Jackman (Wolverine in X Men) who I think is quite good looking.

My favorite time of year......

Bridget wearing a "net" of lights.

Well, Halloween is almost here and Christmas is just around the corner. I think that this year is going to be so much better for Bridget than last year. She has more of a child-like attitude now. It has only been the last 3 months that she wants to watch kid shows. She absolutely LOVES Spongebob now and is starting to acquire a taste for Scooby Doo! So, poor Spongebob might be on the way out! :( I'm still going to get her a SB pillow for Christmas! I caught her playing with Kirsten's old dish set a couple of days ago, so I am thinking that I am going to get her a nice little china set of her own. It is going to be really hard to not spoil her! I know spoiling a child is not good for them or the parents! As for Halloween, I am really looking forward to this year because it falls on a Saturday and Walt won't have to work! I don't think he has done trick or treating with us but once the whole time we've been married! Course, Kirsten and Chance won't be with us because they are going to be with their friends this year. I won't be sad though because I will get to have my hubby with me! Not sure what I will let Bridget dress up as though.

This picture was taken a few days ago. Kirsten put makeup on her and a fancy dress just for the fun of it.

We just got done with our last homestudy. So, I guess that means that she is officially ours? It's hard to believe that it will be a year on October 18 that we have been home. Where does the time go? She is getting taller, but not putting on as much weight as I was hoping she would so that it would be easier for me to find her clothes. Good thing that someone created elastic waistbands!!!

Walt and I on July 4th

Well, just thought that I would say I don't advocate tanning! I didn't realize I had gotten so dark, but it is just a farmer's tan. I try to protect myself from the sun as much as possible, but don't always remember. I spend a lot of time outdoors in my garden and with my flowerbeds. My husband, on the other hand, could care less about getting too much sun! I nag and nag, but all he tells me is that I would be a rich widow!!!! O.O Hello........but who would I get to nag?

Flower Girl

Bridget in a field down the road from our house. I can't believe how tall she is getting. I just wish that she was putting on more weight. She continues to eat like a horse, I just don't know where she puts it!!!

Back to the Future!

Not sure what these were! We came across this building on our way to the cinema. There were several old buildings being renovated.


This was 2 blocks away from our apartment. I almost expected to see a knight jousting or something!


This steeple was our landmark. Our apartment was not far from it.


This is just one of the towers that were in this city. At the center of the market is a tower that was probably used by guards way back when to protect the castle. It was so odd to see it with a McDonald's right next to it!




There was such an odd mixture of very old with new in this city. I truly felt misplaced in time. The cobblestone streets that you could almost here the horses' hooves echoing on the stones, yet the only horse power was in the cars driving on the streets. There were also several "entrances" to side streets or maybe even a whole new universe! We would turn a corner and there was another doorway to a tunnel or stairs that led waaaaayyyyyy up to another part of the city. It was all so surreal.



This is my favorite building. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was just so awesome to be standing in front of! I almost felt like I was in Russia!

Life goes on.........

Family picture taken this Spring.

It's been 8 months since we brought Bridget home. I am really looking forward to taking her to some of the waterparks around here. We do have a trip to Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas planned in August. I took my other 2 kids there when they were little just because it was a place I use to go to when I was a kid.

Bridget has been getting better as far as learning our language. She still can't pronounce words that start with w or th. She might end up having to go to therapy for those letters!. But, I do think that she will be able to get it eventually.

Better Late Than Never!

Well, I guess I should put up pictures of Bridget's birthday! I look at the older pictures on here and am truly amazed at the difference I see in her in just 7 months! I just wish that she would start putting on more weight! She is getting taller, but can barely wear a size 8! She got a bike for her birthday, but I think that she was more interested in the ball than the bike!

More pictures

Well, at least I had 3 bars that day! ;)Okay, if your dyslexic, it makes since! lol (No clue what they were looking at!)


Kirsten and Bridget on a bridge over nothing.


This was taken in our swing in the backyard.


This is our "store" room! Ignore the mattress!


Isn't she just soooooo cute?

Can you believe it's been almost 4 months?

Time is just really flying by here. We arrived home on October 18th and it is now into February already. In many ways it seems like she has always been a part of our family. She is blending in so well. She has picked up many new phrases. I think that by next Christmas she will be speaking English not just understanding it. We don't know for sure how much of our language she does understand. She says okay a lot when we talk to her and we THINK that she is understanding but we find out later sometimes that she didn't understand what we were saying. Then there are the times when she makes it really clear that she isn't understanding us. She has this face that she makes and then shrugs her shoulders at the same time. It's too cute!

Walt and Gina


Bridget

Tucker

Kirsten

Chance

One of my favorites of Bridget.

Bridget playing her guitar.


We got her a guitar as she seemed really interested in Kirsten's. We also got her a "computer" that hooks up to the tv. She really likes to be on the computer so it seemed fitting that we get her one of her own. I like the one of her standing by me. She just looks so pretty in that one, even with her messy hair! I dread when she gets to be a teenager. I think that a convent might just be a good idea or a cabin in the woods where no one lives around us for miles!

We got a couple of kittens during Christmas and they pretty much destroyed my tree. By the time Christmas morning arrived, the tree was leaning and many of the branches had been pulled off and had to be put back on. (fake tree) I could NOT keep them out of it! So, we did have to throw the tree away by then end of Christmas. Course, we needed to get a new one anyway. It was pretty old. I just have a hard time wanting to spend money when I just know that we can get one more year out it! ;)