Big Strides in Bike Riding

Hope has really been practicing riding her bike. It is a Strider bike which is used to learn balance with out the use of pedals. Just recently she has become comfortable enough to put both feet up and coast. Lately she has also taken it to the trails in the woods. Here are a couple of short video clips.

July Weekend

The summer of 2009 was the summer of parades and local community fun. Here is a snapshot of one of our July weekends...

St. Croix County Fair - July 25, 2009
Walking to the fair with Great-Grandma Hoot!


The pony ride she HAD to go on. She didn't like it much after about twice around.

The cows were a hit this year, especially since she had her friend from church to take her over for a pet. :)

Signing HORSE



Stillwater Parade - July 26, 2009
We had a blast with Amy and Olivia! The girls were adorable with a couple of cute hugs, dancing for attention, and collecting all their candy together.
Sucker Tongues


The Girls In Action



The Loot




Two of the Sweetest Girls In Town

After the parade we went down to the riverfront for a 'nutritious' dinner and some run around play time.





End of the Day

Invitations Sent

OK everyone - Blogger invitations should have been sent to the addresses you provided. Please leave a comment here to let me know that you are IN. :) This whole process is a little foreign to me, but I'm hoping it all works smoothly. Can't wait to get a couple posts going now...as soon as I know the whole invitation process has been successful.

Thanks! Hope you're having a good week.

Going Private

Well, after much contemplation, I think it is the right time to make our blog private. We LOVE that our friends and family like to keep track of us, but as Hope gets older it is time to take steps to keep her and her story more secure. I'm going to try to use this form to gather the addresses over the next week or so and then I'll send out the invitations.

I was sharing with a friend earlier, that I feel like I'll be closing a very important "door." During our wait for Hope's arrival, I depended on the blogs of the BTDT (been there, done that) families more than I can say. I want to be there for other families. I want to answer questions, share our story, and encourage others going through the adoption process. Hopefully there will be other ways to network, but for now, this is the right decision for us. Please enter the information below and I'll be in touch soon.

HH Originals

We had so much fun on the patio after naptime last week.

Preparations



Works in Progress - Notice a few "H's?"





These are the smiles we live for!

BUNS!

Look who wore buns in her hair for the first time! We had a little extra time before church on Sunday morning for hair fixin' and look what happened.








Grandpa told Hope at church that she looked like Kai-lan with buns in her hair so we tried a short shoot of them together when we got home. SO CUTE!!!

1st Family Camping Trip

Camping Glamour!

Last weekend (6/26-28/09) we had our first family camping adventures since Hope has joined our family. Aside from Friday night rains that continued through the morning on Saturday, I don't think we have any complaints. We had a great weekend! Hope had a blast! If you ask her, she'll tell you the marshmallows were her favorite part of the weekend. I would've guessed the countless bike rides looping the campground highlighted her first camping trip, but I guess it's hard to compare with the sticky, gooey, sweetness of a jet-puff. I'm so proud of our nature girl!

We're Here - Hope did a good job hanging up our reservation tag.


Hope stayed busy playing while we set up the tent. She was so wonderful!



Saturday Morning - Hope slept through ALL the storms during the night while I stared at the roof of the tent listening to the thunder wondering if it was safe or if we should go to the car. So, she woke early and well rested of course, while I was exhausted and prayed that she'd just continue to keep busy so I could catch a few more winks.

Alas, eventually a girl has got to hit the bathroom in the morning, so we suited up and away we went. When we were packing I realized that the only rain coat we have for Hope is a size (or two) too big, but hey...it kept her dry. :)


Saturday Morning Breakfast in the Rain - We drove to a picnic shelter rather than eating in the tent. You can see, we had the place to ourselves.




One Dry Swing - Blury Photos, But Fun.




Rain Stopped - Time for a bike ride and a fire!



Play Time!







A Ball and Chips...What more do we need?


Couple of Favorite Expressions



S'mores


Bye Bye Site #21