Our Second Christmas and...Disneyland!

Our Christmas Vacation 2008 started early with the 4 inches of snow we got during the last week of school. Jack and Beth couldn't wait to suit up and go outside to play in the snow and build a snow man. Christmas celebrations took several days as we spent time with various family members at different times. Christmas Eve was spent at a Candlelight service at church followed by our tradition of Mexican food for dinner with Margaret's Mom. Then the opening of the first packages! Beth was delighted with her new horse-embroidered bathrobe and Jack couldn't wait to wear his new Lightning McQueen p.j.s! (Yes, he's still a Cars fan!)

Christmas morning tradition is to open the BIG presents from Mommy and Daddy. Then we had a big breakfast with stocking stuffers to open. Late morning, the Wofford side of the family arrived with even more gifts! It was quite overwhelming for everyone! But we all had a lot of fun and sure appreciated the thoughtfulness that everyone put into their gifts!

As soon as the house cleared, we rushed to pack our suitcases for our trip to California. We had to take care of some business related to the finalization of the adoption and decided to have a mini-vacation at the same time.

It took us only a day and a half to get all the way to, you guessed it, Disneyland! We spent Saturday p.m. and all day Sunday at the park and had so much fun on the rides (Jack loved Autopia and Beth enjoyed the carousel with the horses) and visiting the characters!

Jack was so excited to see Pooh Bear that he ran to him and gave him a huge hug as soon as it was his turn! Beth enjoyed seeing the princesses and got her picture with Minnie, Jasmine and Belle.

Monday was our day to visit the Thai Consulate. We had blocked out the entire day (just in case), but our business only took about 15 minutes! So we headed down to Station 51 (well, actually its Station 127) of Emergency! fame. It was cool to see the real place that we used to see every week on t.v. as kids! We even drove by Rampart Hospital! Then we headed toward the ocean and ended up at the Santa Monica Pier.

The weather was sunny so we headed for the beach. Beth and Jack were thrilled to get to wade in the surf. We told them just up to the knees, but as soon as Jack lost his balance and ended up soaked, well, that was the end of keeping dry! After a quick return to our motel to change clothes, we headed back to the pier to get some seafood.

Tuesday, we drove through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, down Rodeo Drive and over to Thai Town to have lunch. Yummy! After that we headed West again to Venice where we had plans to meet Margaret's Swedish host family, whom she hadn't seen for 18 years! It was quite the coincidence that they happened to be there at the same time! We had a wonderful dinner together and had a hard time actually saying goodbye. We headed back toward Oregon that evening and drove as far as Fresno before stopping for the night. We made excellent time on Wednesday and even got home in time to celebrate New Years Eve with our friends! Now our little vacation is over and tomorrow is back to school and work. The kids are excited to get back to school and we are glad to get back to a routine! It's funny to see Jack at age 4 and realize that he is the age that Beth was when they first came to us. So much has happened in just one year and so much growth! We hope that 2009 will be even more blessed, not just for us, but for all of you, too!

What a year!

As you have probably guessed by my lack of blogging, this year has been BUSY! So I thought that I would just pass the highlights on to you...Our first Christmas with our children was delightful! It was so fun to watch them experience Christmas for the very first time! And of course they got royally spoiled by all the aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas, not to mention mommy and daddy! They didn't really catch on to the real meaning of it all, but they sure had fun decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents (although they couldn't keep a secret!) and of course the unwrapping.

In January, Beth and Jack experienced SNOW for the first time--and loved it! It only lasted a day or two but for two weeks after, Jack wanted to know when we could make a snowman again.

As their English language skills increased, they both became much more outgoing and confident around other people, especially friends their own ages. We tried to arrange play dates to help them adjust socially to their home as well as consistently attended Sunday School.

So by the time we flew out to Washington DC in April, they were ready for an adventure. Both of them loved flying in an airplane again and were so excited to finally meet the cousins we had told them of for so long. By the time we drove up to their townhouse, Jack and Beth were so ready to run around and play that when they saw their cousins riding bikes on the sidewalk, they jumped out and joined right in. No introductions needed! We had an amazing week visiting my sister and family and seeing some of the sights of DC. The highlight for Mitch was attending the NASCAR race in Richmond, VA and I was happy just to spend time with my favorite sister :)

Back home in Oregon, our next major event was Mother's Day. My first one with Beth and Jack. They took me out to my favorite breakfast place and spoiled me with flowers, and of course lots of hugs and kisses.
At the end of May, we took a trip to the Oregon Coast--the first time for Jack and Beth. They had so much fun splashing in the surf and trying to find little fish in the waves in spite of the chilly water! We looked for starfish and sea anenomes at Heceta Head Beach then wrapped up our day at Mo's resturant, where the kids loved their famous clam chowder!
Father's Day was a mini family reunion as Mitch's brother, sister and parents as well as my mom joined us for a backyard BBQ. The kids had fun splashing and "swimming" in the new pool and gave their Daddy pool toys for gifts.
July 5 was my brother's wedding and the kids added a new aunt to the list of new family members. They didn't mind one bit--just another person to spoil them, right?
More firsts for them included swimming in a lake, pony rides for Beth and motorcycle rides for Jack at the county fair.
The highlight of Beth's summer was her princess birthday on August 15! We celebrated at Grandma Louise's house and had a huge water slide for the kids to play on. Beth was definitely the star of the show and thoroughly enjoyed every minute!
We went camping at family camp for the Labor Day weekend and they thought sleeping in the camp trailer was a lot of fun. The weather wasn't the best, but we still had some fun family times. Jack learned to ride his bicycle without training wheels while we were there and was quite the celebrity, being still only three years old!

September 10 was their first day of school--Beth started kindergarten and Jack started preschool. Beth was especially excited since she has a couple of older friends who go to school and she thought it sounded fun. She loves her teacher and is picking up so much language and math every day! Jack is having a lot of fun at preschool and has a best friend with whom he is inseparable, especially if they are playing cars. I went back to school, too...as a long-term substitute teacher for a trimester. After Thanksgiving I was offered a half-time position at the same school for the remainder of the school year. It's been quite the adjustment for all of us, including Mitch, who has had to pick up a lot of the slack (and do a lot of laundry!)
Jack and Beth both got to attend a Duck football game with Daddy this fall, we all made apple cider again and the kids got to go trick-or-treating for the first time since last year was a little too soon for them to be able to understand. Jack was Spiderman and Beth was a princess.
We enjoyed lots of family time for my birthday and Thanksgiving.

And then it was finally Jack's long-awaited four-year-old birthday! We celebrated with family, then at school, and then with a kids' playdate! Whew! Needless to say, Jack is proud to finally be FOUR.
Today we finished our Christmas tree sales at my mom's farm and are now in the midst of the crazy last-minute shopping. This time around, I hope to update everyone much more frequently. We all, the Woffords, wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a fruitful New Year!
Margaret

Flashback to November

Yes, I am trying to fill in the gaps, so bear with me. I'll get to Christmas pictures soon enough!

...Here are some pictures of Beth and Jack at the wonderful shower that Connie Kulick hosted for them. We had a wonderful, intimate little party that started off with delicious holiday eggnog while we waited for all of the guests. Jack and Beth got to meet their cousin, Rachelle, for the the first time and enjoyed playing with Miss Connie's toys together.

We all enjoyed a delicious luncheon of chicken and rice, Jack and Beth's favorite, followed by a scrumptious cake topped with chocolate-dipped blackberries. Connie really made us feel so special with all of her wonderful preparations!

The kids especially liked to help Mommy open the presents and wanted to carry them all to the car all by themselves.

So much for catching up...

Well, it's hard to believe so much time has flown by. Here it is almost Christmas already! And I hardly said anything about November! So I guess a quick update is in order...

At the beginning of November, we had an apple cider pressing party with the Kulicks. Beth and Jack were anxious to help, especially if it meant "playing" in the water. We ended up with 40 gallons of cider by the end of the long day.

On November 7 (Mommy's birthday) we were invited to feed the ducks with Anna and Cheryl Johnson at the park. Unfortunately, the geese thought they were pretty special and scared all the ducks away. We had a very nice outing anyway.

Back at home, Daddy was mowing the lawn for the last time of the season and Jack thought he wanted to help. The matching outfits was unplanned but turned out pretty cute (Shhh, don't tell Mitch I said cute!)

We also had a fun day with Mai, our Thai friend who taught us what little Thai words we know. We started out at the Asian market where she showed me the best brands to buy and helped me choose some things to make real Thai food. Then we drove over to the UO campus and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The weather was beautiful so we took a walk on campus, where we got this great shot. It was wonderful to see the children warm up so well to Mai! They were still a little bit shy about talking to her and would only nod or shake their heads when she spoke Thai, but she quickly became the favored hand-holder when crossing the street!

Trying to catch up...

Well, I know it's been a while since I posted, but maybe some photo blogs will help catch you up...We had to do the pumpkin patch experience, of course. The last week of October Jack and Beth went with Mommy to Lone Pine Farm where we rode the hay wagon and explored the pumpkin patch. It was really windy that day, so we made the excursion fairly quick. The kids didn't really understand that they could pick out a pumpkin to take home, so I figured why pay for one when we can get some free ones at Grandma's house? They enjoyed the ride and of course the playground.

On Sunday before Halloween, the whole family plus Aunt Lisa and cousin Catlin went out to Detering Orchard for another haywagon ride, this time all around the apple orchard. The kids each got to pick out a small pumpkin to take home (free this time!) and everyone got free apple cobbler with ice cream. We had fun with the photo ops too! We chose to not celebrate Halloween. Partly because of our Christian faith and partly because we just didn't know how to explain what trick-or-treating was all about. Most likely they would have been too shy to say anything anyway. We stayed home and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters who came to our door. Beth and Jack seemed a little nervous about their little friends showing up in costume, though. We decided to stick to their regular bedtime and Daddy answered the door all by himself. Maybe next year we'll be able to explain it all the way we want to.

The big news from that last week in October is that Jack and Beth had a babysitter stay with them for more than 2 hours...and they did great!! Mommy and Grandma wanted to go to the mall, so we had Andrew B come over. He said that Jack cried for about 5 minutes, but then decided to just play. And no more tears after that! Woohoo! It's not surprising though, cause Andrew is the best!
Well, I'll try to catch up some more soon! Thanks for continuing to care about our family and to lift us up in your prayers! Blessings!

A week of experiences

Greetings! Well, since the last post, a few interesting things have happened. First, it was Mitch's first reserve duty weekend since we returned from Thailand. He left on Thursday evening and got back on Sunday evening. I decided that being a single parent is not my preference (not that it usually is anyone's preference) and that God had a good plan when He put both a Mommy and a Daddy in a family! It is just so much easier when we can tag-team.
We had fun with Nan B last week, too. She brought over some boxes of books for us and just couldn't resist sitting down to read with Beth and Jack. (I have a great picture, but had trouble uploading it. Sorry!) They seemed to have no problem crawling up on her lap and looking at books! I think they are becoming more and more comfortable meeting people.
We also had our first haircuts with Jessica A. They were not very keen on the idea until Mommy had her hair cut first. Then Beth was ready to try sitting on the big chair. (Another missing pic. :()She did great! Jack was still unsure about it all and his was the cut I really wanted to get done (He had tried to be his own barber at some point before we got him.) Finally, I ended up holding him on my lap so Jessica could trim up the rough spots. All in all, it was a success.
Grandma Louise came over to play with us both Friday and Saturday evenings. They had a lot of fun showing Grandma how they could trace shapes and letters in their workbooks. After bedtime, it was nice to unwind with a couple of games of Scrabble!
Sunday was a little challenging for me since I could only be in one classroom at a time and they are in different rooms. When I thought they were preoccupied playing, I tried to sneak out and go into the adult service. But, one of the teachers came and found me saying that Jack was crying. We ended up all going into the adult service and they did surprisingly well at being quiet. After church we had lunch with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Pat at Taco Bell. They both enjoyed their tacos so I guess Mexican food is okay with them. Jack gave Grandma kisses, too. It's great to see them feeling secure enough to show affection to the special people in their lives!
Since the weather was so nice, we went out to Lone Pine Farm on Monday just to play and feed the goats. Jack was more brave this time and actually held out some food on his palm for the goat to eat. Beth still felt scared though. Maybe next time...
Beth started complaining of a sore throat so on Tuesday we went to the doctor to check her out. At the doctor's office the preliminary culture came back negative so we weren't worried. But then on Wednesday, the nurse called and said the official results came back from the lab and were positive for strep throat. So, we ventured out yesterday to pick up her prescription from WalMart. Well, the pharmacy didn't have the order filled and couldn't find the record of having received it. So, when I went to the dropoff window to find out what to do, the clerk said they had just taken off their phone messages and it would be another 20 minutes. My goal had been to get in and get out (seems like items just magically appear in my cart the longer I stay at WalMart!) so I wasn't thrilled to have to wait. I decided to check out the UO apparel for girls since Beth still doesn't have any Duck wear. After wandering around for at least 5 minutes looking for someone to help me, I finally found one employee covering all of the clothing departments by herself. She told me they didn't have any girls' UO clothing. Geesh! Okay, so back to the pharmacy where our order was completed, however for some reason it didn't qualify for the $4 prescription deal which was the whole reason I went there in the first place. By this time, I figured if I had to use the restroom the kids probably did too. So, we went into the empty restroom and I chose to use the larger "handicap equipped" stall so that all three of us could be corralled, so to speak. After they had both used the toilet, no sooner had I sat down, but some woman came into the restroom and told me I needed to get out of that stall because she was handicapped and couldn't fit in the other ones. So how did she know I wasn't handicapped, too? I told her she would just have to wait and that a mother with two children didn't fit in the other stalls either. Some people! I was very glad to get out of that store! I am not sure what some people see in WalMart! I find it very frustrating!
Well, today is a stay-at-home day. Beth and Jack are playing together (something we have been working on) with the Thomas the engine train set. I am trying to catch up on email after posting this. Besides catching up on laundry. Hmmph. Both kids are picking up more and more English. Yesterday, Beth said, all on her own, "May I have water." I was very impressed! And Jack uses the words "no" instead of the Thai word "mai." She can say all of the letters of the alphabet, although they are usually not in the correct order. They both like to sing the song though! It's fun to hear them try out new words and phrases. Well, until next time...

Angels or...

I finally have a spare moment to get another post in. I can just see all of you nodding and smiling like "I told you so." Well, I never doubted you all for a moment when you told me about how busy you were with your kids, just so you know. Hee hee. It's a wonderful kind of busy, I have to admit!

So, here's a heartwarmer for you...Sunday afternoon, on our way home from lunch, I glanced toward the backseat of the car to see Beth and Jack holding hands, eyes squeezed tightly shut, and Beth was mumbling something. Then she said, "Amen" and Jack repeated, "Amen" as their eyes popped open. They repeated it a few times, giggling after each "prayer." Gives a whole new meaning to speaking in tongues!

Lest you think that our children are always perfect little angels...the next morning, Beth played a naughty trick on Jack. When he called out that he had to go to the bathroom, she ran into the bathroom and closed the door before he could get there. I took him to the other one, but it was too late. He had peed his pants. Later that day, Jack got really mad about something, not sure what, and ended up throwing a screaming fit for 20 minutes. So, they really are quite typical kids.

Yesterday, Beth made her first batch of chocolate chip cookies! She did a great job of mixing the ingredients and scooping out the cookies! It was a lot of fun to have my little helper in the kitchen. I hope that she will enjoy cooking and baking as much as her Mommy does. :)

We had some wonderful visitors yesterday, too! The Bullock family finally got to meet the kids. And boy did they have fun together! Beth and Jack played chase and ride the horsey and who knows what else with Andrew, Thomas, Anna, and Timmy. They just laughed and giggled for a good couple of hours while the mommies made dinner. They stayed for dinner and then we tried Beth's cookies for dessert. I think they really wore them out cause bedtime was quick and they slept at least 12 hours straight!

P.S. I tried to upload more pics, but had trouble. Sorry.