On Being Adopted

It has been on my heart to write about my youngest and only adopted daughter, Soleil. We adopted her from Guatemala when she was 7 months old. She turned 10 in May. For those of you who don't "know" me, we have 3 older biological kids as well. Soleil went through a tender patch when she was seven when it suddenly dawned on her exactly how devastating it is to have been given up for adoption. It had actually started when she was just five. Evie, my then 8 year old, was asking me if she had ever been to New York City. I said, "Well, technically, no. But you were in my belly when we were there last if that counts for anything." As soon as I said it I saw the wheels start turning in Soli's head. "Was I in your belly, Mama?" We have always referred to Soli's birth/adoption story with as much candor as was appropriate for her age. So I said, "Remember you didn't grow in Mama's belly. You grew in your birthmother, Claudia's, belly. When you were born Foster Mary picked you up from the hospital and took care of you until you were 7 months old. Then Mama and Daddy went to Guatemala to pick you up and you have been with us ever since." She chewed on that for a minute, and then her little chin started to quiver and her eyes filled with tears as she leaned into me on the couch and whispered, "That's sad. They must miss me. I miss them, too." I expected that at some point the sadness of being adopted (or more accurately the sadness of having been given up for adoption) would hit her. But in my ignorance, I expected it to be...later. I expected the anguish to come during her tweenage years. I expected anger to come after that. At 5 years old I didn't think she would be able to wrap her baby brain around it. But she did. At least part of it. She felt the loss of both her birth mother and her foster mother profoundly. And it astonished me.

Fast forward a couple of years. Soleil was 7+ years old. She experienced a couple of months of heavy grieving. She was SO sad as she began to piece her life's puzzle together. The idea that she was born to a woman that didn't keep her was devastating to her. We had many heart to heart conversations during those months where she would crawl into bed with me and cry. She would say, "But why didn't she want me? Why didn't they keep me? Don't they miss me?" It was a helpless, heartbreaking realization to come to -- that I couldn't rescue my daughter from her pain. All I could do was hold her hand as she walked her path of grief. And I suppose that's the truth in parenting. We can't rescue our children from their paths. If we are lucky they will allow us to hold their hands as they navigate their own bumpy paths of life.

I was as gentle as possible saying, "I'm sure they miss you and think of you every day. In fact, Claudia might be thinking of you this minute and missing you as much as you're missing her. She was very brave to let you live with a family that could take care of you. She knew that she wouldn't be able to give you enough food and clothes and shoes."

"I wouldn't mind having no shoes if I could be in Guatemala with my birth family that matches me."

She was able to describe to me that she imagined her birth family in Guatemala complete with a brown mom and dad and a brown baby brother. All that was missing was her.

We have always spoken to Soleil with the utmost reverence for her birth country and respect for her birthmother, honoring her as a brave and selfless person. In doing so, I realized that we had inadvertently painted a perfect picture of life in Guatemala. And to a 7 year old adoptee that didn't make sense. If life in Guatemala is so rosy and my birthmother is so perfect then why couldn't I stay there? I understood that the time had come to introduce some of the harsh realities of life in Guatemala. I was delicate but clear as I described children eating from trash cans, sleeping alone and shivering in drainage ditches, begging and abandoned on the streets of Guatemala City. Things I had seen with my own eyes that had inspired me to adopt a child from Guatemala in the first place. I explained that Claudia did not want her to be alone and scared or eating from trash cans. So she made a brave and very hard but good decision to let her be adopted so that she would never be hungry, or cold, or scared, or alone. I could see that it hit home and the tears began to flow again.

Sometime later she wrote me a note. It said, "Dear Mom. I love you and our family. I don't ever want to leave." Initially, I thought she was worried that she had hurt my feelings by saying that she wanted to live in Guatemala with her birth family. So later I asked her, "Honey, what did you mean when you said you don't ever want to leave?" Her big brown eyes turned to liquid and she said, "What if they want to come take me away? I don't ever want to leave you." She crumbled into my arms. It dawned on me that although she will always mourn the loss of a birth family that she will likely never know, some of the torment that she felt during that time was the result of thinking that someone could show up at our house in the middle of the night and take her away from us. How terrifying to a little girl.

"Honey, no one can take you away from us. Even if you wanted to go, we wouldn't let you. You're our daughter and you belong with us."

"But what if they changed their minds and came to our house to take me away?"

"Even if they came to our house they can't take you away. No one can ever take you away just like they can't take Evie or Emerson or Cole. You are legally our daughter." (That word legally is so abstract to a 7 year old.) "We have the paperwork that says so."

Her eyes lit up. "You have paperwork?" (Aside - Soli LOVES paperwork. She can often be found sifting through the recycling bin by Dave's desk, rescuing bills and payment stubs and envelopes to add to the clipboard that she carries around to take "notes".)

"Yes. We have the paperwork. From Guatemala. That says no one can ever take you away."

"Can I see it?"

"Yes. And I can even make you a copy that you can have for your clipboard."

"Thanks, Mom."

We met Soleil's birth family in Guatemala for the first time in October of 2015. Soli was 9 years old. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful reunion of the likes I am certain I will never experience again. I was stunned and amazed by her grace and poise and her ability to give and receive love unconditionally. And I was equally amazed that her vision of having a brown family, all matching her, was absolutely accurate. Her birth father and birth mother are still together. And she has not one baby brother, but two (100% biological siblings), as well as two older half brothers. One is also adopted to the States and the other is still living with the family in Guatemala. After meeting them, I watched a very visceral peace come over Soleil. It's as if she now has all of the pieces to the puzzle of her life and can put them together and see the beautiful image of Self take shape in her mind's eye.

Recently, while cleaning out her room, we came upon the clipboard. We looked at each other and smiled. And she said, "I don't need that anymore, Mom. Will you save it for me in my baby book?"

For sure.

Brown is Beautiful

We were on our sailing trip in Central America in 2012, and out of the blue Soleil said to me, "Mama, I wish I was beautiful like you."

"What?! Honey, you are gorgeous. What do you mean?"

"I wish I had pink skin like you guys."

Uhhhh. My worst nightmare. My absolute worst nightmare. There's no dancing around this topic with a child in a mixed race family. ESPECIALLY, when she is the ONLY one! I tried to convince her that it's not the color of your skin that matters but who you are on the inside that counts. She didn't buy that for a second. With the look on her face she said to me, Mom, seriously. That is SO cliche. Next I tried to convince her that we all have different color skin. We lined up our arms. See? Mine is quite pasty, Daddy's is more tan, Cole's is quite pink, Evie and Emerson are a little yellowish, and yours is a beautiful shade of chocolate-mocha-latte-brown. But she and I both knew that was a bunch of crap, too. You are all pink and I am brown, she said.

I decided to change tacks. Cole had been given the equivalent of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition from Latin America. The women were stunning. And they all had varying shades of chocolate brown skin. The pictures were very tasteful and exquisite. I showed it to her and asked her about the women, "Do you think she's beautiful?"

"Yes."
"What color is her skin?"
"Brown."
"What about her? Do you think she is beautiful?"
"Yes."
"What color is her skin?"
"Brown."
"What color is your skin?"
"Brown."
"Brown skin is beautiful. YOU are beautiful. Brown is beautiful."

Cole gave her that magazine and for the next few months she would thumb through the pages and admire the beautiful brown women. "Brown is Beautiful" became our favorite family saying as we traveled through Central America. Everywhere we went we made a point to notice beautiful brown people and whisper to each other, "Brown is beautiful".

A turning point came one day on the boat when I was downloading pictures to my computer. I came across one that I had taken of Soleil on the beach. The setting sun on her face was stunning. I called her to me and said, "Look at this girl." She stared at herself for a long moment and said, "Brown is beautiful, Mama."

It sure is, my sweet girl.

Soleil - Sayulita December 2011

Two Years Ago Today...

We touched down in San Francisco and our new baby girl was a U.S. citizen. The kids and I had spent the previous two months in Antigua while we waited for her adoption to be finalized. We had an awesome time in Guatemala; a time that we will always remember with fondness. But, boy, was it great to be home...

Two Years Ago Today...

.... our baby girl joined our family forever. The kids and I were in Guatemala City, having arrived late the night before. We were holed up in the Marriott, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby. Finally, finally, finally she arrived, in the arms of her amazing foster mother, Mary. With tears in her eyes, Mary handed me the baby that had been hers, for the previous seven months, and said, "Que Dios les bendiga." May God bless you all. Indeed.

On our way to Guatemala City. December 6, 2006

I always think of Mary like a fairy godmother here. Like in Sleeping Beauty, she's whispering, "I grant you the gifts of courage, wisdom and love. That you may be courageous as you transition into your new family. That you may be wise beyond your years. And that you may know, always, that you are loved." I get a little choked up...

Meeting her new brothers.

And, just like that, there were four.

Gothcha! December 7, 2006.

Forever ours. We love you so much, baby girl.
Thank you for joining our family.
~Mommy

Re-Post: My Adoption Pregnancy

I am reposting this entry for three of my blogger friends: Shana, who just gave birth to her third child after adopting her first two from China and Guatemala respectively; Tina, who has five biological kids and adopted her youngest from Guatemala (we fostered our babies in Antigua together) and she just started a blog of her own (I'm so excited); and for my new friend, Erin, who is in the throws of adopting a darling baby girl from China and has five biological kids, too.

It is amazing to me how many parallels there are between my pregnancies and this adoption process. I feel like the first trimester of this "pregnancy" was filled with tedious paperchasing and only a very vague sense of "baby" at the end of the seemingly endless road ahead. Not unlike the first trimesters of more physical pregnancies which are often marked (at least for me) by the seemingly endless nausea and vomiting and still only a very vague sense of "baby". But there is no proof of this baby...no fluttering, no hiccups, no belly to speak of. Until suddenly you wake up one day and the nausea and the paperwork are done. Your dossier is on it's way and the vomiting has ceased. It's the second trimester! And suddenly there is proof of a baby! A picture on your computer screen...a referral! And there are fluttery little kicks, and tiny little hiccups, and a tiny little belly. There WILL be a baby after all. The second trimester is a time of excitement and anticipation. Milestones are being reached...DNA, Family Court, Pre Approval, AFP, Hemoglobin and Ultrasound. You're feeling good and healthy and strong. You can endure. Names are being discussed and decided upon. And the baby's growing...new pictures arrive and the medical update says she gained 2 perfect pounds since last month. And the midwife says your belly has grown 4 perfect centimeters since last month. Amazing! And then the third trimester begins. Your belly is feeling rather huge and the PGN wait seems rather long. How can I possibly make it to the end? You think you'll never make it! Swollen feet, heartburn, achy back, can't sleep and the agency calls....another Previo. This can't go on! But then one day you wake up with contractions...you're out of PGN! You thought this day would never come! You can't believe it's almost over! There's so much to do! Call the midwife, defrost the soup, book the hotel, call the relatives, update the blog! But labor is so long and hard! Why does it take so long to get pink?! Finally the midwife says, "It's time to push: soon you'll be holding your baby". And the agency calls, "Your pink slip has been issued: soon you'll be holding your baby". Thank God! It's almost over. And then suddenly your baby is in your arms and all the paperwork, vomiting, certifying, varicose veins, and the endless waiting, waiting, waiting are distant memories...

Boy Scouts, Biodiesel and Birthdays

So here are the goings on at our house of late...

Boy Scouts: Did you know that the Boy Scouts of America does not allow gay boys or adults to be a part of their organization? There have been many a case where teen age boys (for many of which their entire life revolves around scouting) have been kicked out of their troops because of their sexual orientation. This exclusionary policy doesn't jive at all with how we live our lives or the values we try to instill in our kids. Herein lies the dilemma: Do we disallow our kids to be a part of such an organization and take a stand for what we believe, squashing their hopes of becoming Eagle Scouts (Cole, at least, is hoping to have this as a feather in his cap for college admittance)? Or do we turn a blind eye justifying our involvement (and therefore our passive endorsement) because the boys love scouting and it looks good on college applications? Your input is appreciated...

Biodiesel: I'm scheduled to go before our school board next week to propose that we switch our buses from diesel to biodiesel. We have a very small district (just two schools) and only 6 buses that run daily. Currently, biodiesel hovers about 10 cents more per gallon than regular diesel. As everyone knows, no school district (at least in California) can afford to spend more money when they can spend less (no matter how good it may be for the environment). Here is the good news, running our buses on biodiesel would make us eligible for all kinds of grant moneys. There is an organization in our county that would give us a kick back of 21 cents per gallon. That's just one grant available to us from right here in our own county. The state and federal governments have many other grant possibilities available to districts making the switch. I'm a little nervous to go in front of our board (even though most of them I know socially). I guess I'm mostly afraid of being shot down. But, as my Dove chocolate candy wrapper said the other day "Be Fearless" and as Dave reminded me, "Nothing worthwhile is easy". Wish me luck.

Birthdays: Today is Soli's second birthday!!! and she is every bit of two years old! Goodness!! How easy it is to forget how difficult two year olds can be. The other day she had a meltdown at Green's Camera World because I was holding Evie's hand and not hers. Of course 2 minutes before this I had asked her to hold my hand (she was touching everything) and she had flat refused. Anyway, after I told her that no, I wasn't going to let her bully her sister into letting go of my hand (she has been hitting and scratching and screaming at Evie until she gets what she wants) she crumpled onto the floor and proceeded to have a crying fit. The nice part of having four kids is that by the time child number four reaches their terrible twos it's not nearly as daunting as it was the first (or second or third) time. So I just let her have her meltdown right there on the floor of Green's while I finished my shopping and then we left. Luckily, there were no other shoppers there at the time and the guy behind the counter felt my pain as he has a three year old (plus he's getting paid to be there - so I didn't feel too bad about the incessant crying). Anyway, aside from the occasional meltdown she is a true delight and getting more and more beautiful every day. She doesn't have a lot of words yet (I think this surely adds to her frustration and subsequent tantrums) but she is diligent about making herself understood. I have to say I am very excited that she is our last one. Is it PC to say that? I just gave away the last of our diapers (she has mastered the potty), I'm looking for a new home for our crib and changing table and I can't wait to get rid of our stroller (still have a year or so to go on that one). I have love, love, loved having babies and small kids, but I am also very much looking forward to this next phase of having big kids.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about Soli's birth mom today. I wonder if she's been thinking about the baby she brought into the world on this day. I wonder if she's sad or if she's worried about her. I just wonder. I wish I could call her and tell her not to worry -- that the baby girl we both call daughter is happy and healthy and beautiful. I hope she knows this in her heart.

My beautiful birthday princess!

I was so excited to find the Birthday Girl shirt!

Happy Birthday, Sunshine! We love you! --you know her name, Soleil, means sunshine in French?

The Rio Dulce

I'm finally getting the chance to post these fun pics of our road trip to the Rio Dulce. I guess I've been kinda busy. So, when Dave arrived in Guatemala he rented this 11 seater, toyota, eurovan thing. It was great!! Each kid got their own row, and the boys took turns sitting next to the baby and entertaining her. It was about a 5 hour drive to the Rio, and the only excitement we encountered on the drive was navigating through Guatemala City. The countryside was beautiful and surprisingly varied. It was so fun to be out on our own for the first time as a family of six. Soli took to traveling really well, and it was fun to give her a little taste of what life is like in our family. We are constantly taking little (or big) road trips here and there in our life here in the States. We spent three nights (including my birthday) at the Tijax Jungle Lodge where Dave had his boat docked when we first met almost 12 years ago. The dock looked just the same, but the grounds had been improved significantly. Where there used to be nothing but jungle there were now two restaurants, a pool, two jacuzzis, and about a dozen darling jungle bungalows. It had grown perfectly to accommodate our new and improved family. At first, being back there was a bit of a head trip for both of us. Dave kept having the impulse to retreat to the privacy and solace of "Morgenstern", while I found myself drawn to the travelers crowd seated at the bar. Then we would both be pulled back to reality by one of four children running around with our names on them. The "twilight zone" only lasted a few hours and then we settled into jungle life: sipping Mojitos poolside while watching our kiddos diving for Quetzales, traversing the swinging jungle bridge, cruising the docks drooling and dreaming, and, of course, "fishing" for turtles off our back deck. It is definitely up there with one of the most memorable and meaningful getaways we've had as a family thus far. Enjoy the pics.

I'm just lovin' this Daddy guy! He's the coolest!

Soli cozying with Mommy after traversing the jungle bridge.

On my birthday we took a drive out into the countryside to the Finca Paraiso. In the middle of the jungle there is an amazingly beautiful, hot waterfall pouring into a cool, fresh water river. We spent the afternoon swimming, soaking and relaxing. It was great day.

You can hardly see them, but Dave and the kids are swimming near the rocks on their way to the hot waterfall.

This is the exact spot where I cut Dave's hair the morning after we met. See the yellow hull of the sailboat in the background? That's where Morgenstern was docked when I first met Dave.
Good times, good times.

Twelve years...

...and four kids later.

I know, girl. I can't get enough of him either.

Looking out over Lago Izabal from El Castillo. Lots of great memories on that lake...

Tijax Jungle Lodge -- I highly recommend it.

We hired a boat for the afternoon one day. He took us on a mini tour of the Rio stopping at El Castillo and the restaurant where Dave and I met. It used to be called Hollimar, but now it's called Pizza Bravo. Not quite the crescendo we had expected but still fun to see it. That is the bridge from Fronteras in the background.

After two months without him, all the kids were really glad to log in some Daddy time.

"Fishing" for turtles with jungle vines and bagels off of our little deck.

And Emerson caught one!! Isn't he cute?

Daddy caught one, too!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

Our little "jungalow".

The inside.

Daddy and Baby, chillin' after breakfast.

A few kids and a few palm trees. What else is there, really?
In front of El Castillo.

We're home!!

"Now that's a full house."

I'm dead tired, but I wanted to ever so quickly post an update to let you all know that we are home!! We did it!! I can't believe it. Dave was able to pull some strings and get us home with him. He was so determined...it was very sweet. So we were able to get Soli's visa yesterday at 11:30 and we were on a plane to Miami by 3PM!! We had a wonderful overnight visit with Gramma and Grandpa on their boat in Miami and then we were on our way to San Francisco first thing this morning. My parents picked us up at the airport and we are home!! I'm so happy to be here. As sad as I was to pack up my little casita in Antigua (I cried half the way to Guatemala City after handing over my keys) it is such a relief to be home. Our house is so cozy, and even though we only have one bathroom (which my husband beautifully remodeled while we were gone) it seems huge to me!! The kids are unbelievable happy to be home, too. They each ran straight to their nearest friends' houses. And our friends and family are just amazing. We've been showered with love and warm wishes from the minute we got home. Our refrigerator was stocked, our doggy was fed, and everyone is so excited to meet our little Miss Soli. As for our beautiful baby girl, she is taking it all in. She is a total Mama's girl and holds on to me tight, tight, tight whenever a new person comes around. She is completely intrigued by this strange creature they call a "kitty cat". And I think the "kitty cat" is equally intrigued by her. We're just so happy to be home and so incredibly thankful that we were able to come home together. I'll be posting pictures of our trip to the Rio Dulce and Volcan Pacaya just as soon as I can...As always, thanks for checking in! I'm off to sleep in my own bed. ~Heather

What am I forgetting?? Oh yeah, Antigua.

Soli couldn't be happier about going home.

A very early morning in Miami!

Hurry Mom, buckle me up. We gotta get going before they change their minds!

Home sweet home!!

Adoption Update...

The coveted pink slip.

Dave and I spent all day in Guatemala City today with our attorneys, and we were able to make some great progress. We got Soli's passport, picked up our pink slip (finally), and saw the embassy doctor. Sadly, we were delayed about a week in getting our embassy appointment, because our agency didn't send the copies of our passports that they were supposed to. Errr. This means that Dave will likely have to go home without us. Ughh! Can you believe that? He arrived last Monday to bring us home and was scheduled to stay two weeks, which should have been plenty of time to complete Soli's adoption. He's scheduled to fly home on Feb. 12, but really has no flexibility to stay longer with Valentine's Day being one of the busiest days of the year for our business. Our embassy date is for February 13, and we can pick up Soli's visa on the 14th after 3:30PM. We have a request into the embassy for an earlier date, but unless they are able to get us in tomorrow it really won't make a difference. So it looks like Dave will be flying home solo, and the kids and I will follow Thursday or Friday of next week. Bummer. But I'm really trying to keep perspective. There is a family here at our complex whose file was sent to a special sector of PGN for further investigation. Unfortunately, this sector is closed for anywhere from 2-12 months. So, essentially, their adoption is at a complete standstill for an undetermined length of time. They had to return their baby to foster care, and they are now home in the States without their son and with very little answers. So, we really have nothing to complain about. We have been very lucky. Our adoption has gone smoothly and we are on our way home. It'll just take a little longer than we anticipated. I think Dave is disappointed not to be able to bring us home himself. Poor guy. But the kids and I will be fine. We still have some things we want to do before we go home, anyway. Not to mention the homework that still needs to be completed. We're keeping our chins up. We'll keep you all posted. Thanks for checking in. ~Heather

Our Adoption Time Line per request.

*Decided to adopt in Jan. 2006
*Signed with agency in March
*Paper ready by May
*Baby girl born May 7
*Received referral May 11 (and accepted it in my heart that instant)
*Officially accepted referral May 13
*Dossier to GC June 19
*Visit trip Aug. 10-13 - Amazing!
*DNA done Aug. 25 Finally!
*It's a Match! Aug. 30
*Decided on her name ~ Soleil - Sept. 30
*PreApproval - Oct. 3
*Second visit trip Oct. 4-10
*Into PGN - Oct. 23
*Kicked Out of PGN for who knows what - Nov. 7
*Resubmitted to PGN - Nov. 17
*Traveled to Guatemala with my 3 older kids to foster our baby in Antigua - Dec. 6
*Dave joined us for Christmas Dec. 20-27
*Out of PGN Jan. 10, 2007 (after 11 1/2 weeks)
*Adoption decree signed Jan. 13
*New birth certificate issued for "Damaris Stewart" ~ Jan. 22
*Dave arrived to help bring us home - Jan. 29
*Submitted to the Embassy for the final appointment date (pink slip) - Feb. 1
*Visited the Rio Dulce (where Dave and I met almost 12 years ago) Feb. 1-4 (pics to follow)
*Hoping to have Soli's new passport and our pink slip in hand by the end of tomorrow Feb. 6

Never a dull moment in Antigua...

We made it through Rotavirus and stomach flu now we're moving on to head lice. Yikes!! They seem to be going around our little complex. So far, Evie is the only one with the creepy crawlies (and she actually only had one), but just thinking about it is making me itchy all over. Luckily, Catalina, our caretaker's wife, was able to set me up with the poison and the protocol that I need to get rid of the buggers. Oh well, at least I'm not bored. On the up side we got Soli's new birth certificate today, and our attorney is planning to submit our case to the embassy on Monday. The embassy then has 48 hours to issue the "pink slip" which gives the time for the final embassy appointment (usally a week or so after the date of issuance). During this appointment the US Embassy gives the adoption one final seal of approval, there is some exchange of paperwork, and I think this is when the baby's visa is paid for (which has to be picked up the next day). Dave is flying down Monday, and we are all tentatively planning to fly home on February 12. I have such mixed feelings about going home. I love it here. I love that we have no car, no Costco, no boy scouts, no school. I miss my husband desperately, and single parenting obviously has its challenges (especially where large quantities of vomit are involved), but otherwise I don't miss the hustle and bustle of our California life. I know that I'll have major culture shock when we get home, and I just hope we can bring a little of our Antigua lifestyle home with us to California (minus the head lice!). We'll see...Thanks for checking in. ~Heather

Ruinas Las Capuchinas

Here are some pics from our infamous trip to the ruins. In a nutshell I was expecting ruins as in "big pile of rubble" where my rowdy children could let loose. I wasn't expecting pristinely preserved 17th century architecture. It was absolutely beautiful, but I had not prepared my kids for museum behavior. Anyway, as they were bouncing off the crumbling walls I dropped the bajeemini out of my camera which seriously stressed me out because I love my camera so. As you'll notice most of the below pictures have a black shadow in one corner or the other. My poor camera. It really hasn't been the same since and it shudders when I turn it on, which can't be good.

They look so sweet and innocent in this picture.

This one, too.

Looking a little naughty.

Do you see the moon above the ruins? And, of course, the edge of the Earth in the top left hand corner? Just kidding.

They aren't sure what the purpose is for these "cells". There are 18 in total and they are arranged in a perfect circle with a common area in the middle. They think they may have been an isolation bay for contagious diseases. I thought they looked like little rooms each with there own private bathroom. I'm not kidding. Each room had a little niche in the wall where one could sit quite comfortably and take care of business. These "toilets" had an opening that entered the building's sewage system. Can you believe that? Amazing.

View from one of the "suites" overlooking the perfectly manicured garden.

I look just like my mom in this picture. I can so remember her cooing at her babies (she has six) and making that exact face.

They were playing Power Rangers...Rescue!!

It's amazing how pictures can make any adventure look twice as fun as it was.

And then just a few hours later Soli came down with rotavirus. Poor girl. We went through a lot of towels...