Dear Friends, Special Memories

We were invited to dinner at our friend's house last weekend and had a GREAT time! Hope tortured their cats, Dean made some delicious manicotti, and I won the Farkel game. HA!

Keri was my maid of honor and is one of my oldest and most precious friends. Her family moved across the street when I was 5(?) so we grew up together...pretty much spent every afternoon together after school, took piano lessons and played duets together, shared sleepovers, and many many special memories. Remember the snowball that was so huge that it got stuck in the middle of the street? Blizzard parties? Christmas Eve LATE NITE? Trips to the orthodontist? Practicing cartwheels in the front yard? Twirling batons? Your "Pogoball"? Rollerskating in the street? Walking to the DQ? :)

Thanks for a fantastic evening you guys! (Sorry - No photos of the guys this time.)

Hope showed Keri the ins and outs of her Winnie the Pooh "compooter."


Keri and Dean had a FUN gift for Hope - It went ON right away.

I Missed It

I thought I'd already posted pictures from when my brother and sister-in-law visited for the weekend and we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. I just missed it. Here are some highlights of that weekend.

Perry Christmas Tree 2008



Mark and Andria were given some clothes that Mark wore as a baby. Can't you just envision my cute little brother in that sweater. :)

Andria's new necklace. Somebody has good taste.

Helping Grandpa - Hope had a fun time this year handing out all the gifts. She wanted to help open most of them, but when she needed to, she was also patient and waited her turn. I was pretty proud of how she resisted temptation.

Wonder what stories Hope is telling here.

My great gift from M&A.

And...Hope is done. haha

Puzzle Time - Hope was given her first 24 pc. puzzles for Christmas and she's doing them like a pro!


Time to "PAY!" Tea Anyone?



Checking out our first issues of "Real Simple."

We gave Grandma and Grandpa a book that chronicles an adoption trip to Guangxi very similar to our journey. Check it out here.

First game of "Hi-Ho Cheerio." Hope WON! Boy it's hard to leave those cherries alone.

Family Pictures



Look who snuck into this picture. haha

Bro and Sis - Up North/Lake Superior North Shore is one of the best places to be.

Christmas Wrap-Up

Due to some illnesses we had some Christmas plan changes but we were finally able to get the three "Hoot" boys together. Ron's brothers and their families met us for dinner and a quick evening gift exchange. Hope adores her aunts and uncles and she always has a fun time with her cousins.

Mr. Nick

Mr. Mitchell

Uncle Rick and Aunt Lisa gave Hope a beautiful cradle and new "Maddy Baby" to call it home.


Though "Maddy Baby" was still in hand, the hit toy for the evening was Nick's new 4x4. Fun times ahead for one new little walker.

Of course we had to try for one with the cousins.


We've been COLD! here in WI this past couple of weeks. We had school cancelations last week on Thurs. and Fri. due to excessive negative windchill temps (in excess of -50). Here is our little lady who seems unphased.

Ella

Close-Up on the Happy Face

And, before we put away the Advent calendar for the year, Hope created her own nativity scene. Here is Christmas night through her eyes.

Angel sheep? Why not.

Mom wanted one last photo of the two gingerbread creations before they went bye-bye. I think Hope's expression here is hilarious. She's totally just endulging Mommy here.

God bless her.

Christmas 2008 with Family

Our family gatherings this holiday season were quite spread out. Due to illnesses and family in various parts of western WI we had several different parties to attend this year. Thankfully, we all stayed in fairly good health through this busy season (unlike last year when I got the FLU!!! on Christmas Eve, YUCK!) and we had FUN FUN FUN! Hope was a blast this Christmas.

She passed out the gifts and "helped" everyone open them.

She visited Santa.

She enjoyed the baking and the eating.

She learned the Christmas story with her great new Advent calendar.

She sang Jingle Bells with a boisterous "HEY!"

We have so many special memories from Hope's second Christmas home with us. I can't believe this is really her SECOND Christmas here! I know I said in an earlier post that she was our "Christmas Angel." It is so true. The joy this little girl has brought to our lives is incredible. I love being her Mommy! :)

12/21/08 - Christmas in Strum (Mommy's Extended Family)
We are a family that loves each other and loves Christmas. We have cameras everywhere, read the story from Luke and then take our time opening gifts, and if anyone goes away from this party hungry it's his own fault. The kids were BUSY this year. It was so much fun to watch them and they all played so well together. Next Christmas we'll have three new babies to pamper, too. I can't wait!
Ron and Oliver

Is cosmetology school in our future?

What scheming is taking place here?

Photos with Cousin Laura


Uncle Jim with Some of the Nieces

Grandpa Bob was watching this with pride! Cribbage was his game!

Beautiful Anna

Flying with Laura

Singing with Auntie Karla


Sisters

Comic Relief for the Night - The matching pj's for the kids were adorable but trying to get them to pose for a photo was hilarious!



On Christmas Day we were HOME!!! We didn't have plans until the evening so we had some wonderful family time with stockings and gifts in the morning and then we "PAYED!!!" (played = Hope speak).





She's having waaaayyyyy too much fun giving me that "poke."

BUSTED - But pretty darn cute don't ya' think?

We saved the best for last. We have quite the chef on our hands here. I'm not sure what Ella thinks about it all though.


Our weekend after Christmas was a little busy. On 12/27 (Saturday) we were together for the day with Ron's family. It was pretty low key because we had a sick aunt, uncle, and cousins so our group was smaller than usual, but we had a nice time. We had some brunch and then "payed" some more. Hope even napped there that afternoon which was great. The adults got to play a few heated rounds of Sequence (one of Grandma and Grandpa's favorite games). Here are a some of the highlights.








Mom: "What did you put together with Grandma out in the kitchen earlier?"
Hope: "I don't know."
Mom: "Hmmm...."

Mom: "Surely you must remember this, Hope."

Hope: "COOKIES! For me?"

The afternoon of 12/28 (Sunday) was spent with some of Ron's extended family in Glenwood. We had another wonderful time. We are so thankful for Grandma "Hoot's" independence. It is pretty special to have her celebrating with us. She loves to watch her great-grandchildren play, too. I know Hope had a pretty fun day with her big girl cousin!




Can somebody tell me why my daughter was always under the tree this year? ;)




As of the end of this marathon post, I am still working on photos from two other family gatherings. We were busy, but we loved every moment. If you've made it to the end here, thanks for sticking around. I know there were a TON of pictures, but seeing as though I'm trying hard to keep up here and not being so successful in doing so by printing photos, I try to be thorough. Also remember, I'm always holding back. :)