Activities Abound

Sundays are about our favorite day here. We start by going to church, then do some serious hanging around and play time with daddy!!

This past Sunday, we met some dear friends for lunch to say "good-bye" They are moving to Singapore for two years, and although we don't see them as much as we used to before we moved, we will still miss them. We love you guys! We met in San Juan Capistrano - yes, the place where the swallows return to each year. After lunch, Doug & I dragged Matt & Becky to the Mission for the tour. Becky didn't seem to mind, but Matt....well, that's another story (although secretly I think he had a good time!)



(Even without the hair, Matt would have been too tall to be a monk!)

The bells of Mission San Juan Capistrano

This is all that remains of the original cathedral of the Mission; it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1812

The Mission is one of the better preserved & restored in California - and the gardens are really beautiful. We had a nice day - and Becky got her first dose of California history.

The other way we have been spending some time this summer is taking swimming lessons...OK - not really swimming lessons - but mommy & me swim time. This is week #3 - the first two weeks, Becky wasn't very thrilled with mommy's choice of activities. Today, her big brother Matt came to watch and I think she was showing off for him! This is her version of jumping in the pool - which is hard to do when you can't stand up on your own!

What will Becky Eat?

As many of you know, Becky has not been at all interested in eating real food - if it's not in the bottle (or the corner of a piece of paper) she is totally not interested in it. She will sit in her high chair & mimic Doug & I chewing, but give her a piece of anything - or a spoon - and across the room it will go. There are exceptions - paper & the tag on anything.....she will carry around this block in her mouth all day - but never a cheerio will see the inside of this mouth!

She won't even let go when she flies with daddy...
This afternoon, however, we had a break though - yes - that is food on her face!!! Sweet potatoes and a little butternut squash with corn! Once a day, every day this week, I have forced her to try a spoonful or two of the baby food (before I put it in the bottle & mix it with formula!) Today, she willingly opened her mouth after the first bite - and when all was said & done - had eaten 1/2 a jar of the sweet potatoes!!!

I think mommy is WAY more excited about this than she is!

Growing in Adoption

On our Catalina post, my good friend left a comment about how fun it must be to watch Becky come out more & more. She could not be more right. Doug & I absolutely delight every day in how she is growing and "finding her true self". Hearing her laugh & talk, watching her dance - it brings joy to our hearts that is unmeasurable. Watching her blossom into the child she was designed to be through our adoption of her is the most amazing thing we have ever done.

It must be a small measure of how our Heavenly Father feels about us when we accept His invitation to be adopted into His family through inviting Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. How He must delight to watch us be transformed into His children - to grow into the people we were created to be in Him by Him. The joy we feel for Becky pales in comparison when compared to the joy our Heavenly Father feels for us as we walk & grow in His love.

Doug & I have become advocates for adoption through this process - but we can not forget to advocate for the most precious adoption of all. We pray that if you have not accepted the invitation of the Lord to be adopted into His family, you will seek Jesus and know that God is your Heavenly Father - waiting to delight in you!

Catalina Weekend

Becky and I left on Thursday to spend the weekend at Two Harbors on Catalina Island. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to be hosted on a lovely 50' Silverton power boat. She helped me as I managed an event - and she had a great time! She loved the boat - and slept as good as she has since we've been home. I continue to be amazed at how God brought us the perfect baby for our family - worth every minute of the wait! She made a ton of new friends - but one little boy stood out especially. Kole is also adopted - and maybe that's why they took to each other

We devised a containment system so I could work but I am pretty sure that this isn't what Coors had in mind when they donated beer for the event.....

Lounging on the back deck of the Silverton reading - no better way to spend the afternoon in Catalina!

The sink in the galley was the perfect size for our afternoon bath -

This would be a great brochure photo - my little cheesecake girl!!

Cute Odds & Ends About Becky

Here are some cute odds & ends about Becky.....

• Becky loves to "fly" - and although it really scares mommy when people do it as we have tile floors.....they do it anyway!

• We haven't yet dialed into specific nap times - she really hates going to bed during the day at home...so we improvise!

(In the shopping cart at the 99 cent store)

• She also has taken an affinity to playing in water - and the dog bowl is just about her favorite...so today, we had our first mommy & me swimming lesson (I figured the pool is better than the dog's bowl - and the dog is happier about it as well!)
  

Pretty Girl

Tuesday morning, Becky picked out one of her beautiful dresses to wear -and it was one that my best friend, A's mom, gave to her. We took some cute pictures!

4th of July Weekend

We had a very big weekend around here; we were originally scheduled to attend Doug's annual family reunion in Ohio, but we felt like it would have been too much since Becky's only been home a month. So, we stayed here and celebrated locally. On Friday, we got together with 7 of the other 10 families that live on our cul de sac. We are so blessed - we have neighbors that have also become friends

Saturday, Becky attended her first major league baseball game. For those who know us well, we are a huge baseball family! Our favorite national league team is the St. Louis Cardinals - but we live in an American league town, so we support the home town team - the Anaheim Angels (yes - I know - they changed their name to the LA Angels - but they are not in LA - or event LA County - and they will always be the Anaheim Angels to us!) She did really well - made it through the 7th inning!

Finally, on Sunday - we relaxed a bit. Here's Becky with her pop pop (Karen's dad) - who is making her fly; this is one of her very favorite activities - that mom has banned one hour before bedtime as it winds her up WAY too much!

Splish Splash

One of our first shower presents was a very darling bathing suit and a kiddie pool....and today we tried them out! Becky was not a big fan of the swimming pool at White Swan Hotel (or even taking a bath) but recently, she has taken an interest in the water - especially standing at the dog bowl & playing in Sailor's water. So - today we tried the baby swimming pool. It's only about 6 inches deep, but she looked so cute in the bling bathing suit, I just had to share!

This outfit has nothing to do with the swimming adventure - but it's just really cute!

Becky's Big Day

One of my favorite places on the planet is 26 miles from here off the coast of California - Catalina Island. Not Avalon - but Two Harbors, at the other end (the quieter end) of the island. It is a place that helps me disconnect. I am fortunate enough that four weekends I year, I actually get paid to spend 3 nights there managing boat rendezvous'. Yesterday, I needed to go over to the island for a site visit - and Becky made her first trip to one of mommy's favorite places!

She loved the ferry ride - wanted more waves! She also did really well wearing her life jacket - although she has no balance when she's wearing it and kept tipping over

She made a friend - and shared her books....turned out this family lives in the same town as Matt, and the mom is the daughter of a salesman for one of the clients I manage the events for on the island!

I love this place even more with my baby on the beach!