Phillips Blog

Sisters bonding 9-24-11

2011-10-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Reading together is so fun!!

Gymnastics for Emily!

2011-09-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Emily's 1st gymnastics class at Us Too Gymnastics in Lake Forest. This is a gymnastics center for kiddos with special needs. They are fantastic with her!

Tyler and Emily sharing a chair and a book. Two cuties! 7-5-11

2011-07-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Emily singing 7-11-11

2011-07-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight as Larry and I were watching the news, Emily started singing a song over and over. I have no idea what song she was singing but she sure did. So sweet!

Tea time with Mommy!!

2011-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Emily and I had a pretend tea party the other day. She would pour me tea and I would say, " Oh, that is Deeeeeelicious!!!" She would giggle and pour me more so I would say it again and again. What a cutie pie she is!

Disneyland with the family 3-17-11

2011-03-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Minnie whispering to Emily

Emily's slide

2011-01-20T19:03:00.001-08:00

We bought a new slide for Emily and she loves it. Her she is sliding and having a blast!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with Lily visiting us. The next day we spent the day with Larry's family. Emily got a red tricycle and doll from Santa, a plasma car and clothes from the Allen's, a bubble lawnmower, dress, book with Grandma's voice reading "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", and a toddler learning activity set from Grandma, and a John Deere t-shirt and play set from Rachel, Andy, Tyler & Blake!

Happy 2nd birthday Emily!

2010-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Emily turned 2 years old last Saturday. We took her to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday since the weather was not good for Disneyland. She loved all the rides at Chuck E. Cheese and she especially liked the freedom to run all around. We had a cute little birthday cupcake for her but she was not interested in eating it. Here are some pics of her special day.

The Blessing of the Animals at St. George's Church 10-3-10

2010-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was the Blessing of the Animals at our church. While most people brought their live pets we chose to bring Emily's stuffed pet bear, whose name is Happy. Father Norm blessed Happy and sprinkled holy water on him. Emily was so cute as she handed Happy over to Father Norm for his blessing.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun with Emily, Lily ( Emily's sister ), and Angelique ( Lily & Emily's birth mother ) at the Pumpkin Patch last Saturday. Emily rode a pony for the first time and Lily loved the train. The girls are so bonded and had so much fun together. We are so thankful that we are able to see Lily so that they can grow up knowing each other.

Tinkerbell chair

2010-09-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Emily and I went to Babies's 'R Us last weekend and I bought her a Tinkerbell chair. It was on sale finally, I had been looking at it for some time. Doesn't she look cute sitting in it just before we went to church last Sunday?

A swim in the backyard

2010-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Emily loves water. She was so ready to get in the turtle pool and splash around. She loves to be outside so she can play with her big dog, Morgan, and her sandbox too. I am so excited that she loves to go in her pool, being that I was a swimmer when I was younger. Can't wait to enroll her in swim lessons!

1st popsicle

2010-08-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

While I was in Fort Collins visiting Rachel & family, she told me about these really cool slow drip mini popsicles that she buys for Tyler. She told me they are hard to find in California. I lucked out! I went to Ralph's and got the last package. Only problem was, Emily wasn't real sure she wanted to try one. One lick and that was all she wanted. No problem, I finished the rest of it!

Lily visiting us 5-29-10

2010-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Lily has proven to be an exceptional big sister to Emily. She shares with her, kisses her and plays so well with her. Emily adores her and follows her everywhere, as this video shows.

18 month check-up

2010-05-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Emily's 18 month check-up at Dr. M.J.'s. Here are her latest measurements:

Weight: 23.14 pounds

Height: 31 1/2 inches

Head: 18 inches

She is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height.

St. George's Children's Choir

2010-04-26T12:01:00.001-07:00

Here is a video we took last Sunday at church. It is the pre-school choir from our church's academy. In another year, Emily, will be a part of this wonderful group. She will start going to St. George's Episcopal pre-school in October of this year, 2 half days a week. Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom of my blog before you listen to the video.

Lily's visit 4-24-10

2010-04-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day with Lily last Saturday. Emily smiled and laughed all day with her sister. Their bond is strong and they play so well together. What a fun day we had!

Adoption party 4-17-10

2010-04-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Larry's mom hosted a wonderful adoption party for us last weekend. We had about 50 people attend. It was very special because three of my former foster children were there. I took care of them as newborns and look at them now. They were amazing at the party and were so sweet and loving. Their adoptive parents have told them about us and have pictures of us in their homes. The sweetest thing was when Alexis (the one in the pink dress with long hair) put her head in my lap after we opened all of Emily's gifts and just let me stroke her hair, like we never parted. What an amazing day! The video shows Alexis, Lauren and Brenna who are now 5, 6, and 7 years old.

Piano time

2010-04-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

While we were in Florida for Easter, my sister-in-law, DeeJay, tried to get Emily to play the piano. She really preferred to just open and close the cover but did try a few notes.

No sippy cup for me!

2010-04-10T11:10:00.001-07:00

After many attempts to get Emily to drink from a sippy cup, my sister-in-law had us try just letting her drink from a cup without a lid. We gave her half of her plastic Easter egg to use. She did great and barely spilled any water at all.

Easter in Florida

2010-04-08T10:25:00.001-07:00

Our Florida trip was fabulous. We stayed with my brother, John, and sister-in-law, DeeJay, in Gainesville. We were spoiled rotten while we were there and Emily was so happy there meeting all her new relatives. DeeJay cooked her heart out for us and we had so much fun hanging out with them. My nephew, Nick, and his new wife, Jessie, were able to join us for Easter with their adorable new puppy. DeeJay's parents also came for Easter, how I love them both! Emily was an angel on the flight there and back and we had so many comments about how beautiful and good she was on the plane.

Emily's amazing laugh

2010-03-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

I just love Emily's laugh. I had to record it because it is just makes me laugh too.

Adoption finalization day 2-19-10

2010-02-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to the Lamoreaux Justice Center and our adoption of Emily was finalized. All of the people who work there could not have been nicer. They really made the occasion so very special. The judge was so sweet and so patient. She allowed us to set up a video camera and tape the whole proceeding. They kept saying how beautiful Emily was and what a very special day this was. We invited family, our pastor, and some friends to share in this awesome occasion with us, including two of our social workers from Kinship Center. Here are some pictures of us at the adoption finalization.

Sister T-shirts

2010-02-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

I ordered Emily and Lily matching sister T-shirts. They are so cute on them.

Finalization date drawing near!

2010-01-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

We are so excited that Emily's adoption process is coming right along. On February 4th we sign adoption placement paperwork which makes her no longer a foster child. We become her "adoptive home", and her name changes to Emily Marie Phillips. On February 19th we finalize the adoption at the courthouse in front of the judge with some of our family, our pastor, and the wonderful social workers who helped to make this happen. Kinship Center (our foster/adopt agency) is having a celebration for us afterwards. What a blessing this little girl has been to us.

Going to church

2010-01-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Emily looked so grown up in her new outfit we just had to take her picture. Then off to church we went. What a hit she was there! People were lining up to see her...so funny.

Emily watching "The Teletubbies"

2009-12-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Goodbye sweet Lily!

2009-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to Lily this morning after fostering her for a little over a year and a half. Her birth father came to pick her up. I really thought I could keep it together and not get emotional but could not stop the tears from flowing. How can you not get emotional?? We will be able to see her once a month so that she can play with her half sister, Emily, who we are adopting. She hugged her sister goodbye and it was so cute. We love you Lily!!

Thanksgiving in Colorado

2009-12-17T02:08:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful visit during the Thanksgiving weekend with Rachel, Andy and Tyler. Tyler is so much fun and such a sweet, happy boy. Can't wait to find out next month if he is going to have a brother or sister! Rachel looks great and she and Andy are so cute together. I have so much to be thankful for with such a wonderful family.

Emily cruising

2009-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

Emily has been standing more than sitting lately. One of these days she will just start walking. She is 1 year and 2 months old today.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

The girls had fun trick or treating, especially Lily. She walked up to the doors and wanted to take the whole plate of goodies. She put her candy in her pumpkin and when we got home inspected it all. She really liked the pretzels she got. Emily was a darling pumpkin. She was a bit young to know what was going on but loved sitting by the front door with Lily anticipating the next group of kids to come to our door.

Pumpkin City 10-24-09

2009-10-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

We took Emily and Lily to Pumpkin City yesterday. Lily had fun running around and looking at all the pumpkins, animals, rides and train. We let her ride on a pony and she loved it so much that she cried when we took her off. Emily's favorite thing to do was eat straw...Yuck!

Emily's 1st birthday party

2009-10-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Emily's 1st birthday party. Larry's family came and Emily's birth mother and her fiance. Emily loved the presents especially the wrapping. The cake was so good and Emily dug into it with no hesitation.

Lily's 2nd birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese

2009-09-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Lily had a great time at Chuck E. Cheese last Thursday night. She ate lots of pizza and loved Chuck E. Cheese and his show. She did not eat her birthday cake though!! She just squished it with her fork. She loved the rides the best.

Updated pictures of Emily & Lily

2009-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Finally I am posting some new pictures of the girls. It is amazing how time just flies by when you have two babies just thirteen months apart. Lily's favorite pastime now is gardening. She goes outside and helps Larry water with the watering can and loves to see bugs. Emily is content to watch big sister while sitting on the swing. They are such fun!!

Tyler & Lily had a blast together!

2009-07-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

Tyler and Lily got along so well. They shared toys and ran all over the house. It was such fun to watch them together. Lily kept kissing Tyler on the mouth, it was so cute.

Huggin' my little sister

2009-07-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Lily loves to hug her little sister, Emily. Soon Emily will be as big as Lily! They have such fun together.

Tyler's Baptism 6-20-09

2009-06-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful grandson we have! Tyler was baptized on Saturday, June 20th. It was such a beautiful event. We loved being able to witness this and spend time with him for a few days. He is absolutely the best baby. He never fusses, he just goes with the flow. I loved how he came to us without any hesitation. I love you Tyler!!

Big sister Lily

2009-06-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to see how much of a bond Lily and Emily have with each other. Lily is the "true" big sister, picking up toys for Emily, trying to dress her and trying to pick her up.

Seven teeth at 7 months!

2009-06-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

I tried to get Emily to show her teeth, but to no avail. She looks so adorable with her four teeth on top and three on the bottom. She just started eating baby food, but she is still not real interested in it. She loves her sister, Lily, and laughs at our dogs all the time.

Sitting up like a big girl

2009-05-05T15:10:00.001-07:00

Emily started sitting up for a few minutes at a time about a week ago. She is so funny. She does great and then all of the sudden she just falls over.

6 month check-up for Emily

2009-04-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I took Emily for her 6 month check-up at the doctor's today. She continues to amaze the doctor. When he tried to get her to grab his fingers and sit up, she did it with such force that he just stared at me with his mouth wide open. He keeps saying, "She is going to be trouble, I am warning you!" He says that it is great that she is doing so well, but in his 40 years of experience, those are the kids who are a handful and you can never predict what they will do next. She got two shots and an oral vaccine. I have never heard her cry so loud before...I felt so bad. Her are her stats:

DOB 10-16-08

Weight: 15 lbs. 6 ounces

Height: 24 2/3 inches

This puts her in the 40th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height.

Nightly ritual

2009-04-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

One of the nightly rituals for the girls is reading with Larry. He loves to read to them and they love it too. Lily gets to pick out the books that are read.

Emily loves her Little People giraffe...and her sister

2009-03-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Emily is holding toys in her hands for short periods of time and loving the exposure to new things. She adores her older sister, Lily, and will constantly look for her and watch her every move.

Time for utensils

2009-03-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well the day has come for Lily to start using a fork and spoon. She is so excited and does very well. She turned 18 months last Sunday. See what a big girl she is?

Sitting up like a big girl

2009-02-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

I put Emily in the Bumbo seat for the first time the other day. She loves to see life from a sitting up position. She is amazingly strong. When I am feeding her her bottle and she is laying on my lap, she just sits up on her own, quite incredible for just barely four months old. I took Emily and Lily for their check-ups and shots today and they were so good. The doctor said they were both far ahead developmentally which he commended me for. It sure made me feel like I am doing my job to the best of my ability. He was amazed to see Lily doing her sign language as she looked at the ceiling lights. When he left the room, I could hear him as he went down the hallway telling everyone, "It is amazing!! Those girls are so advanced developmentally, I can't believe it!" Emily now weighs 13 pounds and she is 22 inches tall. Lily is 22.12 pounds and 30 inches tall. They are both in the 50th percentile for weight. Emily is in the 10th percentile for height and Lily is in the 35 percentile for height. It was a great doctor visit.

You are definitely in the DOGHOUSE!!

2009-02-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

Just kidding, they are really in the playhouse together. I just could not miss out on capturing this cute photo of our dog, Morgan, and our foster baby, Lily playing in our indoor playhouse. They are such good buddies!

Emily & Morgan playing

2009-02-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

Our labrador, Morgan, thinks she is Emily and Lily's mommy. She follows Lily around everywhere. Whenever Emily is on the floor, she snuggles up next to her. If we could only get Morgan to quit licking their faces!!

Emily is smiling!!

2009-01-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Of course she won't do it for the camera yet, but Emily is now smiling, cooing and laughing. It is so cute! She turned three months old last Friday. She is so much fun and is beginning to take an interest in watching her big sister, Lily. Lily's favorite pastime lately has been to play with the doll stroller and try to run over the dogs with it. ( we are working on trying to get her to quit that as quickly as we can.....poor Morgan and Hailee!! )

Lily and her furry friend

2009-01-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Our labrador, Morgan, just adores Lily. She sits right next to her every chance she gets. Lily loves it. How cute are they? Lily also loves to be read to. Larry reads to her every night.

Saddleback mountain covered in snow

2008-12-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

It is not often that we have scenery that looks like a real change of seasons here. Isn't this a beautiful picture of our area and the mountains? It has been in the 50's here lately and I love it!

Sisterly love

2008-12-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Lily really loves her baby sister, Emily. She kisses her every chance she gets. It is so cute. They are wearing matching Baby Gap outfits. They have truly blessed our lives.

My Colorado Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful visit I had with Rachel, Andy and Tyler. Tyler started sitting and scooting while I was there. He is so cute and reminds me so much of how Rachel looked as a baby. We had so much fun hanging out, shopping, eating, and playing.

Tyler here comes Grammie!!

2008-11-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hi Tyler,

Grammie is coming to see you tomorrow!! You better be ready for lots of hugs and kisses. We are going to have so much fun. I love you so very much!!

Love,

Grammie

Mary comes to town!

2008-11-25T08:38:00.001-08:00

Mary and her birth mom came from Illinois to visit her family last week. Larry and I were invited to come to their hotel for a short visit. Mary has grown so tall and looked great. She remembered us but was reserved. We could only visit for twenty minutes because Lily was very tired and pretty much had a meltdown while we were there. It was so great to see Mary and we hope to remain in touch with her for many years to come.

Food Poisoning, flu and eating issues

2008-11-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a rough weekend we had. Larry and I came down with food poisoning Friday night and were sick until this morning. We were hardly able to move and still had to care for Lily and Emily. Lily had the flu which included fever, diarrhea and not eating well. Emily was throwing up her bottles. Things are looking a bit better this afternoon. Lily's fever is down, Emily drank her last 2 ounces without throwing it up, and Larry and I are mobile. In addition to that, Larry's sister's house was in danger with the fires yesterday. The fires were only 1/2 mile away from their house. They were watering down their roof last night. These fires are so scary!

My first Halloween!

2008-11-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

We dressed Lily up as a pumpkin for Halloween and took her around to a few of our neighbor's homes to "Trick or treat". She seemed to have fun but is still a bit young to really understand what was going on. Her sister, Emily, came along but we didn't dress her up. She was content to just be in our arms and look around at the ghosts and goblins.

Wecome to the world Baby Emily!!

2008-10-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Lily's baby sister, Emily, was born on 10-16-08. She is one week old today. She weighs 5 lbs. 8 oz. as of yesterday and is 19 inches long. Lily is not too sure what to make of her new baby sister, and is definitely showing signs of jealousy. Emily is with us because I felt that keeping the sisters together is the right thing to do. We are not sure how long we will have the girls, but we are enjoying them while they are here. (except for my lack of sleep at night) I took them to the doctor's yesterday for check ups and I am so pleased to say that Lily is now in the 50th percentile for height and weight. She isn't walking yet but real close. She turned 13 months yesterday.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

We took Lily to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend. It was so hot there so we didn't stay too long. Lily looked so cute surrounded by the pumpkins.

Carter & Lily

2008-10-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lily and Carter are really beginning to interact with one another now. They play peek-a-boo with each other and follow each other all around the house. Lily is still taking most of the toys away from Carter, but he doesn't seem to mind yet. Carter is pulling himself up to a standing position while holding on to furniture. He will be eight months old in a few days. Lily is ready to walk but is afraid to. I find her standing on her own and then she sits down. Soon she will be cruising around on two feet instead of two knees!

The past remembered

2008-09-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

I came across these pictures of Rachel and myself the other day. I just had to post them, she was the cutest baby girl and so happy all the time. These were taken in 1980. Rachel was two years old. Larry thinks I looked like I had a Farrah Fawcett hairdo...it is truly frightening! Thank God the styles have changed. Wonderful memories of the two of us though.

She's Baaaaaack!!!

2008-09-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

We got a call from Orangewood last night that Lily was being taken from her home again. She is back with us and we are so happy! She was exhausted and dirty when her social worker drove up to our house with us. We gave her a bath and bottle and put her to bed. She was very upset and cried for quite a bit. Larry rocked her and she finally settled down and went to sleep. Her dad had her up until 10 PM each night I guess. Her main food there was Gerber Graduates Puffs. It will take a few days to get her back into her schedule but we know that she will adjust soon. We are just really thankful that Lily's social worker was really looking out for her.

Bye bye sweet Lily!

2008-09-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

This morning we returned our foster baby, Lily, to her birth dad. We had such a wonderful time with her for the past three months. She is truly a wonderful little girl. While she was with us she learned to crawl, eat with her fingers, stand up and cruise around holding on to furniture, three baby signs (fan, lights & gentle), speak three words (moo & duck, and uh-oh), play with puzzles, lego's, and beads and raise her hands when Larry asked her to in German! Not bad for just three months. We are awaiting our next foster baby who is one and half years old and a girl. We should probably have her in our home next week sometime.

Mary's 3rd birthday party

2008-08-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Mary celebrated her 3rd birthday last Sunday with lots of her family in Illinois where she and her mom moved to recently. It sure looks like she was having fun. The cupcakes sure look yummy! Her mom sent us some great pictures in the mail of our last visit with Mary before she moved. We sure miss her, but we do talk to her still on the phone from time to time. She is always excited to hear our voices.

Lily's buddy, Carter

2008-08-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today I was watching my childcare baby, Carter for the first time in about a month. I really missed him and I think he missed me too! He and Lily are about the same size and they are about 4 1/2 months apart. Lily is short for her age. They had a fun day except for when Lily was cranky because she got 5 shots yesterday. She is going through a little bit of jealousy lately. She does not like it when I pick up Carter. Lily will be 11 months old in 2 days. She may go back to her birth dad this coming Monday. We have really enjoyed having her with us for the past 2 1/2 months.

It was a wonderful visit

2008-08-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Tyler headed back to Colorado yesterday. We had a great visit with them. Tyler is such a cutie and was so good. Rachel was able to see so many of her friends while she was here.

Our last day with Mary

2008-08-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Today we got to spend a few hours with Mary after not seeing her since February when she was returned to her birth mom. We met at Boomer's and had a blast! She and her mom will be moving to Illinois in a few days. We will miss her terribly but at least we were able to see her this one last time.

Rachel and Tyler are here!

2008-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Tyler arrived two days ago and we are enjoying them so much. We had family over on Friday night and an Open House yesterday for Rachel's friends and teachers that she taught with here in California to meet Tyler.

THREE MORE DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!

2008-07-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

We are so excited and counting down the days until Rachel and Tyler's arrival. Larry and I can't wait to spend time with our daughter and grandson. Larry had a vacation planned during part of the time that Rachel would be here but he decided to cancel it so he could be with Rachel and Tyler longer. Gee, he is not a proud grandpa or anything is he?? Larry's family is coming over to see Rachel and meet Tyler for the first time on Friday and they too are very excited. We can't wait to see you Rachel and Tyler!! Get ready for major hugs!!

We get to visit Mary next Sunday!!

2008-07-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

We got a call from Mary's mom yesterday while she was at the park with Mary. Mary was talking to us while she was going down the slide. It was so cute. We get to see Mary next Sunday afternoon for the first time since she went back to her birth mother. Excited does not even come close to how we feel about finally getting to see her. Her mom, Shana, says she talks about us all the time. Shana wants to move with Mary to Illinois to be closer to her family, and to have a better support system. They go to court this Thursday to see if the judge will grant her request. We will miss her dearly if she moves. Until then, we will get to see her and give her lots of love. This picture of her was taken recently by her mom while Mary played in the sprinklers with a friend.

Play buddies!

2008-07-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Lily, our foster baby, just loves to play with Carter, my childcare baby, when he is in the exersaucer. She grabs all the toys that he holds and he never complains!! She will enjoy having him as a buddy when I start watching him four days a week beginning in September. Two great babies to love and care for....what a great life I have!

Giddy up horsey!

2008-07-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I took Lily to the Irvine Spectrum today to ride the Carousel. She was a little frightened at first but soon had a huge smile on her face as she went up and down on the horse. We went to the awesome baby store called Bellini. The young girl that worked there was so sweet. When I told her that Lily was my foster child, she told me that she had a daughter that was in foster care for awhile and she was so thankful that she got her back. She gave us a 30% discount on some sandals for Lily!! She also gave Lily a free stuffed bunny that was regularly $25.00! It is amazing how many people really appreciate the work that we do with our foster babies. We are so blessed to meet such nice people whenever we venture out with our little ones.

Date Night......YIPPEE!!!

2008-07-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last night Larry and I had a "date night". We hired Bree, one of Larry's students, to babysit Lily. She has been so wonderful with the foster babies when we need her to watch them so we can escape! We went to the Irvine Spectrum and had dinner and then went on the ferris wheel. It was a blast! We were up so high and the view was spectacular.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!

2008-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Rachel in 1978

What a special day it is today! My gorgeous daughter is turning thirty years old today. It is so hard to believe so many years have gone by since the first time I saw her face after delivering her in Newport Beach, California. I will never forget the feeling of suddenly being a mom. I was so ready and loved every day I spent with her watching her grow and learn about her world. Today she is the most wonderful mother to Tyler and wife to Andy. Thank you sweetheart, for thirty of the happiest years of my life as your mom. You are amazing.......can't wait to experience another thirty!!

Love you,
Mom

Rachel and Tyler in 2008.

Ribbet, Ribbet, Ribbet..... Froggy Pool fun!

2008-07-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

Larry set up our new Froggy pool yesterday for Lily to play in. She loved kicking her feet and splashing with her hands in the water. Isn't it the cutest baby pool? I just wish it were bigger so I could join her!

We get to see Mary soon!!

2008-07-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

We are so excited because we got a call today from Mary's mom. She said that we could see Mary as soon as she gets the court papers in the mail. She has told us that this day would happen for some time now and we were beginning to wonder if she really meant it. Needless to say we are so thankful that she called and that she wants us to finally see Mary. As most of you know, Mary was our foster child for thirteen months. She went back to her birth mom on February 29th of this year. We haven't seen her since. We were supposed to be part of her re-unification plan but the social worker said we could not see her. Come to find out, the social worker was not following the normal plan of re-unification by leaving us out of the whole process. During this time Mary's mom would talk to us on occasion, keeping us up to date on Mary's progress. We miss her terribly. We cannot wait to see her again soon. It is indeed wonderful news for us!!!

What a beautiful day!

2008-07-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

It is so beautiful outside today. The sun is shining but it is not too hot with a slight breeze. I am watching Carter today and he is five months old. He loves to swing and hang out with "Auntie Susan". He is such a happy baby and a delight to take care of.

Happy Friday to all

2008-06-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

We had a busy day today starting off with taking Lily for a visit to see her parents for two hours this morning at the Social Services building in Orange. Lily's mom was falling asleep in the chair during part of the visit......guess she had a rough night! Lily got real tired and whiny towards the end and her dad said to me that she was wet but did I think maybe we shouldn't change her because she would just continue to cry if we did? Hello???????? I had to explain that if she is wet then she needs to be changed. So I plopped her down on the blanket that I bring for her to play on and changed her so that she would be dry for the ride home. After Lily took a nice long nap at home we took her to the Irvine Spectrum. We visited the Carter's outlet and a specialty baby store that was so cool. We decided to have dinner at Red Robin. As Larry and I gobbled down our meal, Lily was very loudly doing her new impersonation of a lion. Needless to say the older people at the the table next to us thought it was NOT funny. Where is their sense of humor for goodness sake? I thought it was hysterical and I joined in with Lily and became a lion too. Next time I will take her on the merry go round that they have there. We had a great time and will go back again soon.

Our current foster baby, Lily.

2008-06-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Doesn't she look like a Cabbage Patch doll? She started crawling the second day that we had her. Now she is pulling herself up on furniture, etc. She is nine months old and a good baby most of the time. She smiles so much.

2008-06-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

I owe a big thanks to my daughter, Rachel. for getting me started with this blog. I had been scared to attempt it on my own for so long. I feel so "state of the art" now! Hopefully we can update everyone on some of our family news from time to time now.