My Cup Runneth Over

Chinese New Year 2010

Isn't this picture above a crack up? It so captures the girls' personalities! Loe looking semi-innocent and posing and Ren looking very ornery and cute! I snapped these pics of the girls after we got home from our evening out - so I was surprised to get any smiles at all since they were so tired!

 The evening out was our traditional Chinese New Year celebration with friends. We look forward to this event every year - great fellowship, great Chinese food and very cute kids! Loe also looks forward to the occasion- knowing she'll get to hang with friends and wear a pretty Chinese dress! Sadly I think this dress is one of the bigger ones I bought when I was in China with Ren. There might be one more dress or pant outfit that is a bit bigger - I now wish I would have bought a few more for them to grow into! Hmmm...maybe another trip to China?! Ha! Just kidding - we actually have shops and online places we can pick up traditional Chinese clothes.

My how this crew of kids has grown - not only in size, but in number with the addition of new siblings!

 

  
  

     

#689 gathering (1/10)

What started out as quarterly gatherings with the two families here in Colorado from Loe's group have turned into annual or semi-annual visits. We try for one somewhere around Gotcha Day - which was 11/30/04 and we usually see each other sometime during the CCAI picnic each summer. And occasionally an extra visit here and there when additional travel group families are in town. We really do feel as though our travel groups are part of our extended family. And now it barely takes any time at all for the girls to warm up and run off playing together the moment we see one another. It's wonderful! At the gathering closest to our Gotcha Day anniversary we try to bring pictures or videos of our trip - then we sit around reminiscing together. Remembering stories and moments - in awe of how quickly time has gone by since that long awaited moment when each of these precious girls was placed into our arms and families forever. Now the girls are getting old enough that they sometimes want to look at the pictures along with us.

It's hard to believe these girls have all been home over 5 years now. They have all changed so much. They are each so beautiful and fit right into each family - just as God planned it. :)

What fun to look back at a few pics from the past and see how much they have grown!

 Loe, Malenah, Hannah & Ellie - December 2004 a few weeks after we got home from China

 

 
Loe, Ellie and Hannah December 2006

 

Hannah, Loe & Ellie - January 2010

  
 

 
 

LASP field trip

Last week our field trip group went to LASP (Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics) in Boulder. Driving through Boulder can be a field trip in and of itself. It's nickname is "The People's Republic of Boulder" in our circle of friends and family. It's a great place to people watch! And it truly is beautiful - I could ignore the politics and live there (Trev - not so much). Anyway NASP is nestled in close to the Flat Irons. Here they not only build satellites, they monitor 5 at a time. It was very fascinating seeing some older satellites and things on display - most duplicates of what went into space. Though one had actually been in space. We also had a chance to see the  "clean rooms" where they have to wear special clothes, shoe covers, etc where they put things together. We saw a room where they manufacture some of the parts themselves - fascinating feeling the differences in weight between some of the metals they work with. Along a hallway with posters listing all of the launches they are responsible for. We saw their operations room as well as a screen where you can see the 5 aircraft they are monitoring. All very cool stuff! After the tour we sat outside with all the kids to have lunch and it was actually HOT in that Colorado sunshine! It was fabulous for January - especially after some of our subzero days. We had a chance to visit and plan our next few trips while the kids ran around playing on the grass and in the snow. A fox ran through right by where we were eating. We see them fairly regularly - but still so cool to see them up close - beautiful creatures.

 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

Fun with Ren's travel group

Two families from Ren's travel group live in Colorado. When Eric and Margo were in Denver a few weeks ago, we met them along with Dan and Karen. We went to the Aquarium and then had lunch together. It's so funny to watch the girls together. They are all so adorable. Such unique personalities - Meredith is very curious and adventurous, Joie is social and sweet. Margo and I did determine that Ren and Meredith could be dangerous together since they both have a very ornery, stubborn streak in them! We had a great time (even though  both of our girls had colds) and I'm so thankful that Trevor is getting a chance to know some of the group and they - him. Looking forward to next time!

  

 
 
 
 

  
 
 

  
 
 
 
  
  
 

New Year's Eve '09

Brad & Patti and Steve and Cindy came over with all the kids to help us ring in the new year. They brought games and we had a ton of food. Lots of laughter and visiting and playing.  

A good time was had by all!

 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

This is a miscellaneouspost - just a place to post some random photos of the girls. This one above of Ren is too funny. She colored her picture with those fabulous Color Wonder markers (those things were invented for kids like Ren, who color on things they shouldn't - sometimes intentionally and sometimes not even meaning to!) She stood up to show me and was SO proud of herself - one of those moments when I realized she isn't a baby anymore! Loe is just goofing off on the stairs below - but I so adore her smile in that shot - so I had to include that one. Then more of Ren loving on Linus, and flashing her cheesy grin.

 

 

Loe has taken it upon herself to teach Ren some basic ballet moves before she is old enough to startworship dance (a year from now!) It's pretty funny - this day she was doing some karate kicks with Loe one minute and ballet the next! These will be some well-rounded girls!

 

This just melted me - I looked over and this is how the girls were watching a movie. They really are good friends and enjoy each other, but wow do they do their share of bickering. We never had this kind of sibling rivalry with the boys and I'm still getting used to it with the girls. Though I don't suppose I should get used to it - but keep praying for wisdom on how to deal with it! But, thankfully they have plenty of these sweet moments, too.

  

Loe was anxious to look over all of the "Preschool Activities Bags" that I made with a group of women. Obviously as you can tell by the name - they are designed for preschoolers - different activities to keep them busy and learning on their own while mom gets something done - like homeschool the 1st grader - in my case! They are mostly geared to 3-4 year olds - so many are above Ren's head. I wanted to stock up on many different ones for the coming year or two. Ren is one busy kiddo and I figure the more plans I have to keep her hands busy (and out of trouble) the better! But, Loe watched me put some of the stuff together and was excited to see what each activity was all about. So, she gets to enjoy the ones that aren't consumable until Ren is older. She likes to fiddle with stuff like this. She's always been one to keep her hands and mind busy learning and exploring. These are more review and fun for her - but I'm glad she is enjoying them! I look forward to the day when Ren can use them and not eat or bend or tear them! Not that I want to rush the baby girl in growing up one minute - she is too much fun right now! 
 

Loveland Civil War Ball '09

Check out these seriously handsome soldiers! This was the second year the boys attended this ball. The company that puts on the ball is called You Can Live History and they do a fabulous job. I think it's the Agape Homeschool group that organizes the venue and sign-up, decorations and all of those details. (Mostly two women - and what a great job they do!) It truly is like a prom for homeschoolers - but with many differences (that we like!). It is very much a family affair. There are many father/daughter and brother/sister combos that arrive together. They encourage modesty and polite behavior. Many parents (like us) go to watch - and it's a great date night. We munch on goodies, take pics, visit and enjoy watching all of the kids. Some parents get in costume and dance. (Trev keeps trying to talk me into dancing - maybe next year!) It's quite the change from so many years ago when the boys took part in the Civil and Revolutionary War battle re-enactments. I remember mentioning that they also hosted balls and they had NO interest in attending those! Now an evening with friends, dancing with beautiful girls in big, beautiful dresses is a bit more appealing. ;) At the beginning of the dance they do a promanade where each girl/lady is announced, her dress is described and she is escourted down the isle. Some of the dresses are handmade, some bought, altered and some family heirlooms - one girl was wearing her Grandma's 50 year old wedding dress!

Here are most of the kids from our church posing - oh so serious.

Ah...this is more like it!

Sean and Scott are great friends - it was such fun that they attended the ball, too!

They are required to attend a class the morning of the ball to learn some of the basic steps to the many dances they will take part in that night. I'm so impressed - they did a great job! And the dance "announcer" ? is so great with this huge group of kids. And the band is so great - playing all the Civil War era tunes all evening long.

 

 

The boys danced with two very lovely ladies during the Waltz.  
   
   
  

 

The Hat Dance is such a hoot. The boys and girls form separate lines leading up to 3 chairs. A girl sits in the middle chair and the first two boys go sit on each side of her - each one trying to convince her to choose him to dance down the isle with him. She gives the hat to the one she doesn't choose - then he moves to the middle chair and 2 girls sit down and on and on it goes. Trevor was joking that the girls just couldn't resist a Collins man...each time our boys sat down they were the one that was chosen. It was pretty funny! Some of the guys get up and do a quick sword fight, or do some push-ups or just try hard to be very charming! It's the last dance of the night and a fun way to end the evening. Just to give an idea of how many people are there - I think there were about 20-30 people in our hat dance group and there are 5 or 6 other groups, plus many who choose to watch and not take part all around the edges of each group. The size of the ball, the band, the costumes and so many great friends make this one memorable evening. (And the girls had fun with Grandma!)

 

 

     
 
 
 
 
  
  
  

 

Cozy Cow Dairy

Last week we went on a field trip to the Cozy Cow Dairy. We've driven past this place several times, but had never been there. What fun! They have an observation room for kids to watch them milk the cows. The gal that gave us the tour was very knowledgeable and the guy that was bringing the cows in and hooking the milking machine up to them was so fun! He squirted the window with milk at the kids. Then we watched a video about the dairy, listened to Clara the cow talk about what cows eat, their digestive system (all those stomachs!) and how they make milk. Then we got to try fresh cheese curds and fresh milk. (Ren has a very cute milk mustache in the last pic!) The kids got to feed some calves and goats. I loved seeing the Jersey cows and calves. We had one when I was a kid - Dolly and she was such a sweetheart! The babies are adorable! They also have a shop where you can buy some of their milk, ice cream, cheese and other products. You can eat lunch there - but we didn't have time. We had to zip over to dance class right after the tour. Thanks for planning the trip, Lara! We loved it and want to go back! (I won't go into just what Kristen was laughing about so hysterically in this photo - but I got her back by taking her picture! Ornery sister-in-law - what are ya gonna do?!)

  

  

  

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
  
 
  

Becoming good buddies

I continue to be thankful that the girls are becoming friends - and that their friendship is stretching and growing deeper. God is so faithful! Don't get me wrong these two have their moments (sometimes hours!) where I want to stick them to a velcro wall and leave them there a while! Some times Loe can be so frustrated with Ren and impatient with her. But, I tell you - most of the time this girl just flat out amazes me with her patience and giving heart where her sister is concerned. Here are a few pics from the last few days. They play so much together now - what an answer to prayer! Despite their age difference and personality difference.  They pretend to be cooking all kinds of stuff in their kitchen or they'll drag dishes upstairs and make us something special. They play tag and hide-n-seek - so cute - Ren covers her eyes with her little chubby hands and "counts" to maybe 3-4 then zips off to find Loe - who has barely had time to get anywhere. Ren finds her and squeals with delight which makes Loe squeal right along with her. They play dress-up and Loe spends forever helping Ren put this or that on - layer upon layer including the hair.  Loe's favorite thing lately is to fix her own hair and Ren's. This is amazing because Ren is not too fond of having her hair fixed, though she is getting better. A couple times this week I have caught Loe fixing Ren's hair - not just in one pony tail on top - but 2 or 3 around her head! Ren barely says anything while she's doing it. They build very interesting creations together with Kinex or Tinker Toys or blocks. They draw with sidewalk chalk outside. And one day last week when I wasn't feeling very well Loe got a bunch of stuff out onthe table to color and caft. Ren wanted in on that action - so Loe quickly offered to help Ren color in her high chair. (Helps to keep this one confined when she is armed with writing utensils of any kind! They spent over an hour - coloring and talking and Loe helping give Ren a new batch of crayons or more paper or help her peel stickers - over and over and over again. She spent way more time helping Ren then she did working on her own picture. (And she can be one of those people that conquers her projects!) I was in awe, not only of Loe's patience and sweetness with Ren as she encouraged her to draw. But, also with Ren's attention span - staying with one activity for so long! Yay Ren! Gives me hope for our homeschool year and finding ways to keep her occupied!

Yesterday was rather cool and fall-like outside. I haven't dug out any winter clothes or done any shopping yet for fall! So, they had these sweaters in their closet and Loe has been begging to wear hers. It was a good day for sweaters. She was all too happy to help Ren button hers up.

    

 

 

Church picnic '09

 

Catching up on some  blogging today. Here are some pics from our annual church picnic. That is always a fun event. This year they changed the location to a great park with lots of seating, a splash park, river, fun playground and walking trails. It was pretty chilly so our girls didn't get to enjoy the splash park, but had a great time anyway. And it's so nice to sit and visit with so many folks in such a relaxed setting. The boys finished eating and headed out for some water dodge ball and we didn't see them until we got ready to head home! It was a bit breezy - but that was actually so nice because it blew the mosquitoes away! We have attended Summitview for a few years now (is it 3 or 4? I think 3!). We have a 'sister church' who meets on Saturday nights. Next week the two churches will merge. We're looking forward to getting to know some of those folks a bit better. (The setting on my camera was off for several shots before I realized it - so I had to delete a bunch of blurry photos. :( I kept a few - even though they aren't very sharp - still fun smiles!) Hmmmm...using a new version of Typepad and I can't get the pics to line up right.