Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy Gotcha Day!!!

Two years ago yesterday we first met our precious Presley!! Can you believe it? On Saturday I took a picture of her in her Gotcha Day clothes. I had to bribe her with a lollipop to even get her to try them on. So I didn't get a great picture, but you can tell how much she has grown!! She tried really hard to put her shoes on. We love you sweet Pres and couldn't imagine life without you!!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Fun at Grandma's!!

What is it about swings that bring out the pure joy in kids? The kids love the swingset in Grandma's backyard. Landon especially loves to swing. It is really good for his sensory issues. Speaking of Landon, check out his hairline on the last picture. My little bald man!!!
Carson swingLandon swingPresley swing
swingingtoesLandon's hair

Pocatello Zoo

We had a fun day at the zoo! It was the perfect size for kids. The group picture was the best I could do. Someday I WILL get a good shot of all 4 kids!! We are having fun in Pocatello!!
PeacockPresleyLandon
KendallCarsonAnimals at the zoo

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Home Improvement!!

We have been busy working on our new house. We flew my step-dad out and put him to work on lots of home improvement projects! Here are some pictures of what we have been doing.

First of all were the kitchen appliances. As you can tell, they were really ugly. I didn't get a picture of the dishwasher before, but it was super ugly too. We brought our stainless steel fridge with us, so now everything is matchy matchy!!





Next was this crazy wasted space we had. I also didn't get a picture of this before, but you can tell about how big it was. We opened up underneath the stairs and were hoping to make a huge pantry, but the way the stairs were framed, it would've taken a very long time to make it usable. So instead, we were able to get a very small section underneath the stairs that we will use as Landon's chill out room. He really likes enclosed spaces. Now he can open our new pantry door and crawl through his secret door and into his little room. There is a light in there and it is about 10 feet tall. We need to get some carpet in there and we will put up a little curtain over the door of his little clubhouse.



Next came Presley's room. At first it was a loft that we really didn't use since we use the formal dining room downstairs as a playroom. Now Presley has a new room. We still have to put on door knobs, paint, and finish above her closet, but she is loving her new room and Kendall is really happy to have her out of her room!!

We also put a door on our master bathroom, which I don't have a picture of. When you were in our shower and the bedroom door was open, you could look straight down the hallway!! HELLO!!!
Our favorite project of all has been our yard!! It was full of weeds and now we LOVE it. Along the fence you can see 5 small fruit trees. We have a plum, granny smith apple, peach, cherry, and mandarin orange!! They are teeny trees, but our peach tree already has little peaches on it. I can't wait until we have lots of fruit!! We can't walk on our yard for 3 weeks, but soon we will set up our new trampoline and buy a play structure!! Next up, we hope, is new carpet. Boy is our carpet a mess!!!!



Here is cute Landon helping grandpa. He loved watching the construction and liked to help whenever he could!!
When you are upstairs and look out the big windows and over the freeway, this is what you see. Cows!! That is an environmentally protected area, so nothing will ever be built over there.

Presley's Adoption Timeline

  • 8/15/2007 - Received referral for Geneva!
  • 9/13/2007 - Sent LOI (letter of intent) to our agency
  • 9/29/2007 - LOI was sent to China!
  • 10/08/2007 - LOI was delivered to the CCAA in China
  • 10/29/2007 - PA (pre-approval) was issued!!
  • 1/15/2008 - DTC (dossier to China)
  • 1/18/2008 - Dossier delivered to CCAA
  • 1/25/2008 - LID (log-in date)
  • 4/1/2008 - LOA (letter of acceptance)
  • 4/25/2008 - CCAA issues TA (travel approval)
  • 5/22/2008 - Leave for China!!!
  • 5/25/2008 - Met our sweet Lexi!
  • 5/26/2008 - Discovered Lexi had brain damage
  • 5/30/2008 - Met precious Presley!
  • 6/7/2008 - Arrived home

My Family

My Family
My favorite people!!