National Adoption Day

Two years ago today was our first Guatetots gathering...

l to r:  Gabriella, Allie-Maria, Isabelle, Sara, Joseph

 And...ummm...the only ones we managed to get with Gabriel (if you look close his head is behind Joseph!) and Amelia...

So two years later, on National Adoption Day, we celebrated by going to a local pottery painting place and painting plates!  While remembering and honoring the HUGE sacrifice made by each of our kids' birth parents, we have all been so incredibly blessed by our kids and by the fellowship and support we have found in our Guatetots group that it was a great day to spend together!

And to make it even more special, the local Hispanic newspaper came and did pictures and interviews for an article that will come out the first Thursday in December!  It was a neat opportunity...I just pray that the things we shared are written up in a way that is sensitive to birth families, the Hispanic community and each of our own families!  Interviews and articles always make me nervous!

Gabriel and Joseph couldn't come today, so it was an all girls group :)  Here's Sara, Gabriella, Allie-Maria, Isabella, Amelia, and Isabelle

And look!  The guatetots have parents!  The newspaper reporter snapped this one for me - as far as I can remember this is the first time we've had a shot with all the parents (minus Isabella's dad Keith who was working).  Allie-Maria had been sick and wasn't too into it...

 We made a handprint reindeer...we'll see about my creativity in a week or so...

Afterwards we (of course) went out for Mexican (no, it's not the Hispanic connection...its about trying to seat a group of 15...) and then went home for naps before Susan and I headed out again with Isabelle and Gabriella.

Aren't they cute?!  The girls had a great time together!

We met Jen-Jen (Isabelle and Gabriella's former nanny) for dinner at Chick-fil-a.  Uhhh...not such a good choice.  Just, FYI, CFA has automatic flush toilets.  Isabelle won't use automatic flush toilets.  I'll skip the details.

And Gabriella doesn't do the cow.  At. All. Like screamed at the man/cow to go away.  Loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.  Except for the cow, who took it as an invitation to approach our table.  Yeah.  Jen-Jen went and told him off ;)  When he finally walked off, Gabriella yelled "Thank you!" loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear.  It was REALLY funny!!!

Jen-Jen with her girls :)

And Susan LOVES Christmas lights, so we managed to hit the opening night of the Festival of Lights - Isabelle loved it!  This holiday season is going to be a lot of fun - she's really getting big enough to get into it!

Okay, and this was the closing display as we exited - we just cracked up!  We ended the night with the CFA cows!

(another new post below...)