Homemade Pizzas

Danya's 12th Birthday

 For Danya's 12th birthday, she had a tie-dye water gun party.  We tie-dyed t-shirts with spray paint and then had a water gun fight kind of paintball style at the park.  We tried turning the water in the guns red and blue, but it didn't work very well.  It was more effective at turning the kids red.

Luke came to help us out and the whole event went fairly well.  Danya was thrilled to receive new books and various other fun stuff.  Mostly she enjoyed having Alecia, Sarah, and Lauren at her party.  Her three best friends.

Self Led Science

 We got Danya and Gloria some science kits so that they could do a little "self-directed learning".  They love science experiments... me not so much.  I'm more of a text book kind of girl.  Luckily, when they are stumped, Daniel is willing to jump in.

Last Day of Soccer Camp

Commerce City Water Park

 We joined several of our friends at the water park in Commerce City after watching a movie with my friend, Jeanette and her kids at the Harkins Theater.  We had one of those summer movie passes where you get to watch 10 movies for $5 per kid.  The weather was a little bit cold to fully enjoy the water, but the kids managed to have fun anyway.  Then we shared some treats with our friends since Danya's birthday was that day.  She got a kick out of everyone singing happy birthday to her.

Summer Photo Shoot 2012

Princess Hair

 We've been practicing a lot of new hair styles on the girls, pretty much any time they'll let me.  Danya is into cute head bands lately, as long as they are the stretchy kind, not the plastic ones.  She bought this sunflower one with her own money.  I did her hair in rope twists as a crown with a pony tail down the back.

Kevin's Bucket List

When Kevin found out what a "bucket list" is, he wanted to make one of his own.  A bucket list is a list of things you'd like to do before you die.  Kevin was about to turn six years old, but he already had a good idea of what he needed to do to feel that his life was complete.  Considering that he's already a Christian and has a family that loves him, I'd say this isn't a bad list.  It reads:

This is not a book.
Fettuccine
Ice cream
Skiing
Snow boarding
Skydiving

We Love You!

A gift from Gloria to her parents.  Why?  Just because.

Survivors

 We tried planting a garden in the Spring.  It looked good for the first few weeks, but eventually it all died.  I had helped the kids plant the vegetables in flower pots, the long rectangular kind.  What I didn't know was that there are plugs in the bottom of those, which must be left open for the water to drain.  Daniel says that's the reason the plants withered and died.  They drowned.

When Alicia was over the other day, she and Danya and some of the kids were digging around in the dirt behind the basketball goal in our back yard.  That's where we had thrown the left over seeds from our gardening project.  Apparently, some of the carrot seeds were hardy little things.  They survived and grew, somewhat.  They weren't very big, but the kids loved them.

Colorado Springs Vacation

 Just the two of us, a whole weekend away, no meetings to attend or work to get done.  Just us.  It was awesome.  We were waiting to take a trip like this until after the adoption was finalized.  It's so much simpler to hire an overnight babysitter when you don't have to follow the county's foster care rules.

It was great.  Daniel let me plan everything, but had final approval on some of my crazier ideas.  First we went to a castle because I've always wanted to see the inside of a castle.  It was interesting.  It had been a sanitarium and apartment complex and private residence over the years.

Then we went to the Cave of the Winds and took their lantern tour, which is a bit more adventurous than the standard tour.  We were really climbing through small tunnels and up slippery rocks while carrying oil lanterns.  Afterwards, I convinced Daniel to try the Wind Walker experience with me.  We just happened to pick one of the windiest days ever.  I was praying the whole time and clinging to each post like my life depended on it as I made it across each section.  Daniel said I made it look easy because I went fast.  That was grim determination to get it over with as quickly as humanly possible.

We also loved the beautiful resort that we stayed in.  It had everything from swimming pools to tennis and a private lake.  We rode several water vehicles that I've never tried before.  I panicked a bit in the canoe, though.  Those things just wobble way too much for comfort.  We played pool with strangers in the lounge and had chocolate and strawberries in our suite.  It was beautiful.

Youth Group Friend

 Danya and her good friend, Alicia, have been taking turns inviting each other to youth group.  Alicia lives just a couple blocks away from us, so she and Danya are always calling each other to do fun things together.

This night, Alicia joined Danya at youth group.  They played some crazy games, listened to a good lesson from Pastor Mark, and then shared a meal at Panda Express.

Danya had been praying and asking God for a close friend that would live near her for years before we moved to our current home.  If for no other reason, I'm really glad that we let Danya attend the local public school for a semester back in 5th grade, since she was able to meet Alicia.  She's a good kid from a Christian family who is also part of a foster/adoptive family.  They both enjoy music and reading and playing at the park.  It's like they were made to be friends.

Date Night

Movies and a walk.  Most importantly, time alone to relax, hold hands, and talk without having to worry about nine little ones for a couple of hours.

Spring Camping Trip

 Daniel and his parents took the kids camping for Mother's Day this year.  It was everything they hoped it would be.  For Jordan, Michael and Karyie, this was a new experience.  I love that they are making special memories with their grandparents.  I also love that I got to have the weekend to myself, even if I was very sick the whole time.

They took our big 'ole fifteen passenger van off roading a little bit.  They went for a hike and explored the caves and water falls.  They even got to check out a fish hatchery.

Picnic Pops Gone Wrong

 Danya's middle school band was supposed to have a concert and picnic outside of their school.  The weather forecast calling for rain changed their plans.  Although the night turned out to be cloudless and beautiful, everything was already set up in the gym, so they held it indoors.

Danya had some exciting music from Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.  She was very excited.  I only got to watch the first few performances, though, because I got a last minute invite to be a substitute for Bunco with my friends from church.  I've been hoping to be invited for YEARS, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to play for the very first time and find out what it was all about.

I had a great time.  It was so much fun.  Apparently, it's just a dice game where you toss the dice as fast as you can to earn points.  Mostly, it's an excuse for the moms to get together without kids and talk non-stop.  I hope I get invited again some time!

Unexpected Beauty

 While Daniel's parents were here we decided to have lunch and then find a nature trail to walk on.  I couldn't find a good parking place near the one I wanted to go to, so we drove through a random neighborhood and found this pond instead.  It had a pretty walking trail, a playground, and a community garden.  The dock was nice, too.