Back to China

Hannah at the 2012 regionals

2012-01-22T07:17:00.003-08:00

She scored a new personal best despite the glitch at the end. She finished with the silver medal and is off to the provincials in March.

Hannah at the 2011 sectionals

2011-11-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hannah at the 2011 sectionals

Easter Skating Camp- Prejuvenile Program

2011-04-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hannah attended Easter Skating Camp this weekend in Corner Brook. She was thrilled to work with Valerie, the choreographer, to design her program for next season, which she will skate as prejuvenile. Hannah chose the music from "How to Train Your Dragon" and is thrilled with this program. Imagine how good it will look when it's more refined and she's properly dressed.

Jnuior Provincials Portrait

2011-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

This pictures was taken after Hannah was awarded the bronze medal at the Junior provincials last month. She looks so grown up, especially without her glasses on.

The ice show

2011-04-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos from the Stephenville Ice show. I missed the show but Kathryn said it was a really good show that was enjoyed by the skaters and the spectators. Hannah's skater her routine, mostly, but decided to change one of her spins to a harder one without telling anyone.

Kimberly's group

Hannah's solo

Hannah's group

Year-end Skating Banquet

2011-03-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, another skating season draws to a close, at least for Kimberly in Canskate. Hannah will continue with a 3 week spring skate at our own club for senior skaters, as well as Sundays skates with Corner Brook's Silver Blades, an hour from home. She is also doing an Easter Skating Clinic in Corner Brook, as well as her usual 3-week skating camp in Corner Brook in August.
Our home club had their closing banquet yesterday and Kimberly was thrilled to show off her certificate with her favorite PA and two coaches. Kimberly's attitude about skating has seen a complete turn-around this winter and now she loves going to the rink. She is very excited about next week's ice-show where she will be a star on Hollywood's walk of fame!
Hannah received two awards- assistant coach of the year(for working with younger skaters) and Senior skater of the year, an amazing feat for a 9 year old who skates with junior and senior high school girls.
We are so proud of both of them!

Hannah's skate at the 2011 Junior Provincials

2011-03-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hannah competed in the Junior Provincials on Saturday and gave another great effort. We are very proud of her work. She was awarded the Bronze medal for Preliminary skaters in her age group and was named to the Provincial Junior Skate Team. Way to go sweetie!

The stephenville Twizzlers at the 2011 regionals

2011-02-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

Our Skater

2011-02-03T16:13:00.001-08:00

Here's Hannah's portrait taken at the Regional skating competition a few weeks ago. She is looking so grown up. It scares me how quickly that is happening when I compare skating pictures from one season to the next.

Kimberly at Canskate

2011-01-19T18:02:00.001-08:00

Kimberly at Canskate. She loves the camera.

Hannah at the 2011 regionals

2011-01-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

This was an exciting competition for Hannah, as it was her first time competing in 2 new categories, Preliminary and Intro Interpretive. She skated the Preliminary event on Friday, finishing 6th. She was a little disappointed, but considering she took a skate in the back from another skater during warmups and had a hurt back and knee, she did really well.

She skated the intro-interpretive on Saturday, this time winning the silver medal. She really showed alot of character this weekend and we are really proud of her efforts.

Hannahs Interpretive test skate

2010-05-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. Here is Hannah's intro interpretive test skate. She passed the test and now can compete in the intro interpretive event's next season. (Which starts in August!?)

Happy Gotcha Day Hannah!!

2010-05-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, at approximately 4 pm, Fred & I were given such a precious gift when our darling Hannah was placed into our arms. I don't think we realized back then how richly she would bless our lives.
She is growing into such a caring, bright, loving girl, full of questions and boundless energy. Tonight she helped me bake her Gotcha Day cake- no store bought cake this year. She wanted us to make one and decorate it at home. Her plan for after school tomorrow is Chinese food, cake and watching our video of becoming her family in China. Should be a night of many happy tears as we relive those first days.

Gold medal performance

2010-03-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

At this weekend's Shamrock Figure Skating Challenge, Hannah had her best skate of the season and won the gold for her category, Pre-preliminary II, age 8. She was thrilled with her performance, as this was also the last competition of the season. All she has left now are several test days and skating camps, as her coach feels she is ready to be tested and move up to the next level.

2010-02-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Professional photo-Regional Figure Skating Competition

2010-02-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the professional photo we had done at the Regional Figure Skating Competition a few weekends ago, when Hannah won the bronze medal. I was shocked when I compared it to last year's skating photo- she looks so much more mature and grown up. It is scary how fast my little girls are growing up!

Western Regional Figure Skating Competition

2010-01-24T11:56:00.001-08:00

This weekend, in Corner Brook, Hannah attended the Western Regional Figure Skating Competition. She competed as a Pre-preliminary 2 skater, 8 years old. She had an excellent skate, as you will see in the video. She was awarded the bronze medal.We are so proud of her!
I have also added some photos Fred took throughout her program and after she was presented with her medal.

More of December

2009-12-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

The month has been moving at lightning speed and I have been letting pictures pile up on my cameras. Here are some pictures of the girls in front of our main Christmas tree, at the Santa Claus parade, at play school, school and skating.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

2009-12-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

The girls have wanted to start decorating for the holidays so tonight, after their bath, we decorate the tree downstairs. Kimberly and Fred put it up last night while Hannah and I were at a concert where she was performing in the school choir.
The girls made a lot of homemade ornaments for this tree- decorated foam, bead and pipe cleaner ornaments and apple cinnamon ornaments.
The girls were super proud of their finished product.

Halloween

2009-10-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls in costume before heading out trick or treating. They did really well, walking all around our neighbourhood, then heading out in the car to visit a few of our friends.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the girls dressed in their costumes at their figure skating party- batteries were dead in my camera!

Kimberly Skating- Day 2

2009-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

She was excited all day about the prospect of skating again, and I have to say Hannah was almost just as excited about helping her. She may not feel that way tomorrow as, now after skating is over, she is complaining that her shoulders and back hurt from helping.
Anyway, Kimberly was again apprehensive when it came time to get on the ice but she overcame the fear and went out with Hannah and one of the senior coaches, Lisa. Lisa gave Hannah some pointers on what to do and then left Kimberly in Hannah's very capable hands. They tried a variety of little tricks (swimming noodles, hoola hoop, kicking balls, etc) and by the end of 50 minutes, as you can see, Kimberly was standing independently and skating a little on her own. Both girls were extremely proud of their evening work and so are we!

Kimberly has her first skating lesson

2009-10-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

Well, she did it! Kimberly was so excited all weekend, after getting her skates and helmet. She was quite happy getting all geared up but she requested that Hannah come on the ice with her. Hannah was wonderful, full of encouragement.
When Kimberly stepped onto the ice she was a little intimidated. She was not very willing to go with either junior coach, although three different girls tried, each with more success than the previous. Hannah had the most success, getting her to try getting up from sitting/kneeling on the ice. By the end of 45 minutes, Kimberly was able to stand on her own and take a few baby steps between Hannah and Olivia, one of the junior coaches or between Hannah and myself. She is very excited about skating again on Thursday so we consider the evening a success, especially compared to Hannah's first skate when she cried at the gate for the whole hour.

Hannah's off to Grade 3

2009-09-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

Well, I can't believe it but Hannah began Grade 3 today, her last year at the Primary school. She was so nervous/excited that she woke at 4 a.m. so she fell asleep early tonight.
She seemed to enjoy her day, knows a few of the children in her class from previous grades and thinks her teacher is 'good'.
It amazes me how mature she looks, especially with her new haircut.

August Updates

2009-09-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls enjoying the beautiful weather we had in late August. They thoroughly enjoy playing on their swings, not always on their bottoms obviously.
Notice the shirt Kimberly is wearing in her close-up. I did an iron-on transfer of one of her Disney pictures where she was dressed as Snow White- she just loves that shirt!
I also included a picture of the shed Fred is building (with help from friends/neighbors as he is somewhat of a Tim the toolman Taylor). Since this picture, more has been done with the roof.

More Pictures-Covers a Few Days

2009-07-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

Well, I am posting these on the fly. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

More Disney- mostly characters

2009-07-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we have done more character meals and meet and greets so here are a few of those moments. We did Typhoon Lagoon yesterday for a few hours but the sun and heat was pretty intense so we were out of there early in the afternoon.
Also, Nanny took Kimberly and wandered around Epcot the other night so we could take Hannah to Magic Kingdom to do some big girl rides. She did Buzz Lightyear, the Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain- she can't wait to get back on the mountain again!
Needless to say, for the most part, a good time is being had by all. This afternoon we just had to head back from the Magic Kingdom as it was too hot and sunny to be out walking around the parks. We are chilling in our room and planning an after supper swim.

More Disney Moments

2009-07-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here's a snapshot of the past few days- lots of character greetings, some out and about, others at character meals. We also managed to finish all the Kim Possible missions and do a few rides in 3 of the 4 parks.

More Disney

2009-07-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well here are a few pictures of the past few days. We did some outlet shopping yesterday as Kimberly was feeling under the weather. We headed out to Magic Kingdom this morning and did a few things but Kimberly got sick on the bus. Fred & I took her to a doctor- ear infection and recurring throat infection the last antibiotics didn;t take care of. She is feeling a little better tonight but we are lying low most of tomorrow until our supper reservations with Pooh and the gang.
Hannah really enjoyed doing the Kim Possible missions at Epcot with Fred. The girls enjoyed Playhouse Disney Live and got a few autographs/pictures. I've also included a couple pictures of the boardwalk outside our resort.

Disney- Bibidi Bobidi Boutique

2009-07-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well the girls had an amazing experience at the Bibidi Bobidi Boutique. Hannah had already chosen to be Hannah Montana but Kimberly was undecided until she got their and looked at the outfits. She decided on Sleeping Beauty- we think she made an excellent choice. We definitely got lots of looks from passers-by as they both looked gorgeous!

Long Overdue Updated Pictures

2009-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

What can I say. Here are pictures from Hannah's end of the year gymnastics show, celebrating her 7Th Gotcha Day and just a nice spring day outside with Kimberly. Notice the very girlie hairstyle- needless to say she just came from getting it cut and the hairdresser wanted to style it too. Mommy just has no knack for hairstyling.

2009-03-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hannah skating her program at the end of year show.

Junior Provincial Figure Skating

2009-03-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's certainly been a winter of firsts for us, with Hannah competing in her first skating competition a few weeks ago. This weekend, we braved stormy weather to drive 4 hours to Grand Falls for the Junior Provincial Figure Skating Competition. On Friday night, Hannah attended a 3 hour session for skaters chosen this fall as part of the provincial enrichment team. They worked on various skills with 6 different coaches and Hannah thoroughly enjoyed herself.
The girls settled around 10:30 pm and were awake again at 7:30 a.m. After a relaxing breakfast at McDonalds ("Kiki love hash bowns"), we headed to the rink to see some of Hannah's teammates who skated earlier than her. Everyone was a little nervous but certainly put out great efforts. The coaches were pleased with all our girls.
Hannah competed in the second of two flights (14 girls in total). She skated very well and was happy with her performance. We had quite a wait before results were posted so we watched more of her teammates and I decided to go to the dressing room to fix her hair for her photo shot. While we were doing this, Fred came in to inform us that Hannah had placed second and would be awarded the silver medal around 1 pm.
After the medal presentation, Hannah had her photo done with her medal- will post that later when we receive it from the photographer. We left Grand Falls around 2 pm to drive back home as Fred had meetings to prepare for on Sunday.
Another busy weekend in the Robertson house. Kimberly is doing well coping with all these busay weekends and hours at the rink.

Hannah at the Rotary Music Festival Concert

2009-03-08T07:07:00.001-07:00

Hannah was chosen to play at the Stars of the Festival concert. She was also awarded a medal for piano in the under 13 category.

Pictures from Winterfest Skating Competition

2009-02-21T19:35:00.001-08:00

Hannah skated in her first competition this weekend, involving children from 6 skating clubs. She competed in Canskate Level 6, children 7 years old. She was great all day yesterday and even early this morning. About 10 minutes before her ice-time, the nerves kicked it. Her awesome coach, Patsy, did a terrific job of calming her down while a very nervous Mommy went upstairs for a good vantage point to tape her skating. Hannah did herself proud, skating all her required elements and she was thrilled to find out she was given first-place. Even before she fell asleep she was saying how it felt like a dream. We are so happy that her first competition was such a good one for her and for our club, who came away with quite a few medals.

Figureskating competition

2009-02-21T16:44:00.001-08:00

Here's the video of Hannah's first skating competition.

Kimberly Tries out Snowshoes

2009-02-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

We've had lots of new snow this past weekend and the girl's slide is 3/4 covered with snow. Today, after school Fred's Mom took Kimberly in the backyard to try out her new snowshoes. She only fell once in the soft snow- she waited until she was on the icy driveway to slip and fall on the driveway. She has a small scratch on her face and a fat lip- she didn't cry but loves to get kisses to make it better.
I think our yard looks quite beautiful but all this snow has meant lots of shovelling for Fred.

Kimberly's 3rd Birthday

2009-01-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Kimberly has been celebrating since Sunday, even though her birthday was today. On Sunday, we had Fred's sister and niece here from Corner Brook so we had a birthday lunch and cake. Today, we had a cake so Kimberly could celebrate her birthday with her friends at playschool. We then had pizza for supper tonight, at Kimberly's request. It's hard to believe that two years ago today, we were in Beijing, getting ready to go to the Great Wall in the morning. We celebrated her birthday the day after then, as Hannah had come down with a stomach bug and was not in a celebrating mood. Wow, where has the time gone?

Late pictures- 2nd Anniversary of Kimberly's Gotcha Day

2009-01-20T17:50:00.001-08:00

I know I am a little late posting these pictures taken January 11, the 2nd anniversary of Kimberly's Gotcha Day. I've posted a few from the first few days we became a family as well, to show how much both our beautiful girls have grown.

Christmas Thus Far

2008-12-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

Enjoying Daddy's homemade wontons.

Napping with Dumpling.

Staring adoringly at her buttered cracker.

Hannah, sitting in her snow fort.

Hannah and her cousins, Lisa and Jennifer, build a little snow fort in the backyard.

Mommy, why are you taking my picture while I'm eating cheesies?

Hannah and her cousin, Lisa, playing Kirby on the DS.

Hannah was thrilled with her wooden dollhouse and accessories.

Looking at her favorite Christmas book "Dream Snow".

Kimberly is happily checking out her new toy piano with microphone. She just loves hearing herself.

Kimberly with one of her three new stuffed dogs. She loves rubbing this ones ears when she goes to sleep.

Kimberly's new Elmo Live tries out her new toy high chair.

Hannah tries ut her new lounging pillow and Tink DS game at the same time.

The gifts.

Despite it being Christmas Eve, Kimberly crashed early, after missing her afternoon nap.

Kimberly lounging with Fog and Dumpling.

The girls finished gingerbread house.

Kimberly December Update

2008-12-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Kimberly taken this month. I am amazed with how much she's grown when comparing these pictures to those taken last December. I was very surprised when her grandmother told me she was quite willing to go up close to Santa and have her picture taken.

Annual Christmas Picture

2008-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, when I compare this picture to those taken last year, I quickly realize how much both Hannah and Kimberly have grown and changed in the past year.
Hannah is looking very 'big-girl' and baby Kimberly has been replaced by an impish little-girl Kimberly. We have certainly been blessed with our darling girls!

A New Adoption Book for Children- Newfoundland Author

2008-11-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours from Corner Brook has written a wonderful adoption book for children.I have posted the abbreviated press release below and have also attached a photo of the book's front cover.
The book has been through one small printing and the author is looking for interest before ordering more. Also, the book is being review by the Children's Bridge foundation (where all proceeds are going) for possible sale through them.
I have to put in a positive plug for the book as we have several copies. It's an alphabet book, with each page using positive adoption language that we can share with our children. Hannah and I have already read it several times. We are friends with the author and she approached us over a year ago about having the girls photos in the book so, if you look closely, you will see them on the front cover photo collage.
Please express interest to Sonya about getting a copy of the book- it's a great addition to your home library and it's certainly for a worthy cause.

An Adoption Alphabet

A book about adoption that is geared towards young children will help caregivers, family members and educators as they broach the subject with preschoolers and primary-aged children.

Sonya Corbin Dwyer, an associate professor of psychology at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Corner Brook's campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland, is the author of An Adoption Alphabet, which she has created with photographer Dean Peckford. Her hope is that the book will help parents and others establish an atmosphere in which adoption is discussed openly, honestly, and naturally. Beautiful black and white portraits of children of all ages will help engage young listeners and readers. The text may provide a foundation for later elaboration as children get older.

Published by Benchmark Press, all proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Children's Bridge Foundation (http://www.cbfoundation.com/), a Canadian charity registered in 2003 by a group of adoptive parents; the foundation provides educational and developmental enrichment for orphaned and abandoned children. They have helped children in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Kazakhstan, India and Ethiopia.

Please direct inquiries to:
Sonya Corbin Dwyer
scorbin@swgc.mun.ca

A Very Special Visitor

2008-11-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

On Halloween night, our dear friend, Kimberly Howard arrived from Edmonton for a two-day visit on her way to St.John's for meetings.
Kimberly and her husband, Henry, are great friends from our days in Nova Scotia. We haven't seen each other since we visited there when Hannah was 3 years old. This is the first time our Kimberly has met the special lady she is named after. Fred & I think she has 'big Kimberly's' wild streak too. They hit it off and had lots of fun during the short visit.

Hannah at a PEP Skating Seminar

2008-11-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hannah attended a wet coast PEP seminar put off by Skate Newfoundland and Labrador. It is their way of assessing skaters at the early levels of Canskate to see potential competitive skaters.
Hannah and another girl from our skating club were in attendance and they seemed to have a good time.

Halloween

2008-11-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here are more Halloween pictures. Hannah was dressed in the same costume for her school party as she used later for trick or treating, except she added a coat underneath. As you can see, Kimberly switched to a warmer costume, her buddy Pooh bear.

Kimberly Goes to a Halloween Party

2008-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our Gymnast

2008-10-22T17:29:00.001-07:00

Hannah is back in gymnastics for her second year and LOVIN' it! She has moved into the late group with many older children.

October Update

2008-10-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, life is hectic and I haven't been taking as many pictures. Also it's been ages since I loaded pictures onto the computer.
October photos depicted here include the girls at their cousin Sarah's 8th birthday party where they enjoyed bowling. Also depicted are photos of Hannah scooping and carving a pumpkin while Kimberly was taking a nap.

Fall Fun!

2008-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Fred's mother captured Hannah and Kimberly enjoying the crisp autumn afternoon once Hannah got home from school. She raked together some leaves which they loved jumping and lying in. Kimberly must also think that the swing-set is in need of a fall cleaning- she worked so hard at it.

New Hardwood- A work in progress

2008-09-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in the midst of laying new hardwood. The timing was a little rushed with Hannah's diagnosis of dust allergies and asthma. We still have to replace the baseboards and then bring most of our things out of storage. Also, there were two other rooms done but I haven't taken pictures of them yet.

Hannah's Off to Grade 2

2008-09-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hannah was so excited about going to Grade 2 that it took forever to get her to sleep the night before school. As you can see, she was exhausted. But she looked beautiful and so grown up when she was dressed for school. She is very excited about her new teacher and the many new children in her class this year.

Mamie's 86th Birthday

2008-09-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Fred's grandmother celebrated her birthday on August 27. She had a great day, surrounded by friends and family, some of whom she was not expecting as they lived quite far away. The pictures are courtesy of Hannah and myself. I think Hannah got quite a few better ones than I did, actually.

A visit with friends

2008-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to have a family from our second China travel group come to St.John's last week. Mark and Valerie became a family with their sweet Coralie in Guangzhou at the samew time Kimberly joined our family. Fred & Mark spent many hours walking the hotel halls at night getting the girls to sleep. There must have been some memory of Mark as well, because Kimberly often spoke of him during our visit (when he wasn't with us but at meetings) and she got up with him quite willingly.
The three girls hit it off and had a wonderful first evening together, playing in their hotel room. The next day, we met Valerie and Coralie at the fluvarium. The girls enjoyed the created caves. We then walked the trail around Long Pond (Coralie had a good nap)and Signal Hill. We did a little driving around and also a visit to Bowring Park.
We had dinner that evening with Coralie and Valerie and met again with all three of them for an early breakfast before we headed back home.
All in all, it was a wonderful but too short visit. Wish we could be closer to visit with other group family members.

Hannah's Figure Skating Camp

2008-08-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

Well, with summer's end fast approaching, I have a few days to get caught up on the many happenings with us. Hannah did two weeks of figure skating camp which meant driving to Corner Brook and back for 10 days (2 hours in total). It was worth it to see how much Hannah enjoyed herself and how intently she worked on her skating skills. At the end of the two weeks, her coaches tested her and awarded bother her level 5 and 6 badges. She has slight difficulty with one skill but they didn't want to hold her back for that one thing. To say Hannah was excited was a major understatement.

Long Overdue- Summer Vacation

2008-08-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I'm on vacation and should have lots of time for updating but...
We've been quite busy for the past few weeks, going to my parents for a couple weeks and then to St.John's. We had a wonderful time at home, with my nieces and nephew giving Hannah and Kimberly loads of attention. Uncle Dave even put in a fire pit and did nightly fires with roasted marshmallows and weiners. Needless to say, Kimberly loved Uncle "Days".
We had a great trip to St.John's, getting Hannah outfitted for school. She thoroughly enjoyed her trips to Chapters, buying lots of novels, as well as swimming and Laura Secord ice cream. Fred was putting lots of miles on walking the malls while I got some shopping done for both girls and a little for myself.
The highlight of our St.John's trip was getting several visits with our friends the Roches' and their precious daughter Lily. They also had a few other friends over one evening so we had a great time watching our little China angels playing together.

Lots of Water Fun

2008-07-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

We had another two great days. Yesterday we went to a nearby beach in Stephenville Crossing. I didn't take swimsuits because I thought the ocean water would be too cold. Turns out it was fairly warm once you got accustomed to it so I took the girls out anyway- thank goodness I had the foresight to bring changes of clothes for them.
Today we set up a spinning flower sprinkler in the backyard- Hannah really enjoyed it but Kimberly was a little more cautious, especially once she felt the cold water. She would only go near it if Hannah was holding her hand. She quickly decided the water guns were more fun, especially useful for watering Mommy's thirsty flowers!

Backyard Pool Pictures

2008-07-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful and warm in our backyard so we decided to inflate the pool for the girls for the day. We knew the weather was not supposed to be so nice the next few days but this one was so good we thought they'd enjoy it. As you can see from the pictures, the certainly did.

A Visit to the Alpaca Farm

2008-07-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

The local family resource center where we take Kimberly had arranged a visit to the local alpaca farm (20 minutes drive from Stephenville). Hannah also joined us as she has loved visiting there since she was 3 years old.
As you can see, both girls enjoyed feeding the alpacas, coming home with a stuffed 'paca' each.

Chillin' in the van in the rain, waiting for Hannah to finish gymnastics camp

2008-07-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Demonstrations at the end of week-long intensive gymnastics camp

2008-07-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we are all exhausted after getting up at 6 a.m. and driving to Corner Brook everyday this week for Hannah to attend gymnastics camp from 9-4. It's been a trial entertaining Kimberly on those long days when we had lots of rain.
Hannah thoroughly enjoyed herself, made lots of friends, loved her coach and became more confident in trying new things. The other 9 gymnasts had more years experience so they took Hannah under their wings, cheering her on and praising her efforts. Her coach said she was one of the strongest in terms of her level of fitness, placing in the top three in many of the days conditioning and fitness tests.
Saying all that, however, I would love Kimberly to sleep until 8 a.m. tomorrow morning as we are all really tired and looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.

Hannah's Last Day in Grade 1

2008-06-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the last day of school was a rush for all of us in this house but I stayed at Hannah's school a while longer in the morning because she wanted to get a picture taken with her teacher Ms. Gabriel. It's hard to believe she is headed off to Grade 2 next year!

Overdue-June has been busy!

2008-06-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Well, with school winding down (or up in the case of Fred & I), Hannah has been busy with many year ending activities and getting ready for some new ones. I've included some photos from Hannah's piano recital, as well as her Grade 1 concert where she played Mrs. Crabapple the school teacher. We were so proud of her- she has come such a long way socially this year. Last year she would not even have a single line speaking part and this year, when asked to take on the biggest part in the play (the teacher's felt she would be able to remember all the lines) she took it on and was not in the least bit nervous. She looked so at ease up there on the stage-what a difference in a year!
Also, I've included some photos from fun activities in our backyard and on the town playground. Miss Kimberly loves climbing and sliding on the bigger slides- our little daredevil!

Happy 7th Birthday, Hannah

2008-06-07T18:17:00.001-07:00

Today, she was choosing a ladybug for her face painting, because of the story "Shoey and Dot", where a ladybug befriended and cared for a little Chinese girl as she met and joined her new family.

Six years ago, she was enjoying handfuls of cake and whipped cream.

Yesterday, Hannah turned 7 years old. She is growing far too quickly for her parents liking. It doesn't seem like that long ago we were back from China a week, suffering jet lag and celebrating her first birthday. The years are flying by far too fast.
Hannah wanted a low-key celebration this year- a few friends from her class and her cousin from Corner Brook. They played with toys, had their faces painted, played a few indoor party games, played outside on the swings and climbing trees, broke open her sunshine pinata and had lunch. Hannah really enjoyed herself and Kimberly tried her best to keep up with the big girls. It helped that Mommy and Daddy, as well as Uncle Dave & Aunt Evie had gifts for her to open as well.
Hannah is now gone to bed, with final comments like "I can't believe I'm 7" and "I loved my party, Mommy"

Sleeping Shots

2008-06-07T18:12:00.001-07:00

This is especially for you Karen Carmody. As you can see from Hannah's picture, her kitten Dumpling is usually a fixture on Hannah's bed every night, albeit in some strange poses. And look, Kimberly doesn't cover up, just like Samara.

Our Budding Photographer

2008-06-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

As many of our China travel group found out, Hannah loves the camera. She inherited my digital while in China and has used it frequently at home since our trip.
Today, her class went on a field trip to a dairy farm and we thought she was responsible enough to take her camera and capture some special moments. Of course, for Hannah these moments were all about the cows and the unexpected surprise of horses. Being one of Hannah's current great loves, we were not surprised to see quite a few horse photos. We were very proud of the quality of her photos. I promised her I would post some pictures here so her China buddy Grant could see her pictures.

Magical May Day at Hannah's School

2008-05-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today, at Hannah's school, all students and staff were encouraged to dress as magical/fairy tale characters, including Disney characters.
Hannah wanted to be a fairy, rather than a plain Disney princess so we came up with a way to integrate the two into a costume. She wore her Ariel wedding dress her Nanny bought last year in Walt Disney World. On the back she attached some fairy wings she had in her playroom and finished off the outfit with a magic wand.

Kimberly the Bathtub Chef

2008-05-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Kimberly just loves playing in the "baff", with her favorite toys being play dishes and foam soap. She likes to make "eggs and tea" and tries to get Mommy to eat it. She has great laughs when I pretend that it gives me really bad tummy aches.

Happy 6th Gotcha Day, Hannah

2008-05-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, at 5 pm six years ago, we were blessed with our precious Hannah. A not-so-happy 11 month old baby was placed into my arms and quickly expressed her fear and dislike of the changes in her life. Over the course of 13 days, she quickly bonded to us, especially me and she grew healthier and happier. Our lives were filled with love for this precious, curious, bright baby.
Fast forward 6 years and we still have a precious, curious bright child but she is mere weeks away from turning 7 years old. Fred & I can't believe how quickly the years have flown by. Hannah is such a joy. Thank you CCAA for having the insight to see how beautifully our family would become with Hannah and later Kimberly.

Gymnastics is Another of Hannah's Great Loves

2008-05-14T17:25:00.001-07:00

Well, tonight gymnastics officially ended for the year with the skill display for parents and presentation of badges and medals. Hannah was so excited and she did very well on all her skills. She was one of two in her group chosen to perform a 1-handed cartwheel and she had been working on it all week at home. Tonight she certainly was happy when she performed it three times consecutively.
Here's a few pictures of the various skills she demonstrated.

Budding Musician!

2008-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry I didn't catch any photos of Hannah playing piano or doing her music work to go with my post but she is currently enthralled watching "The Aristocats".
As many of you know, Hannah is enrolled in Music for Young Children and is in the second level this year, Sunshine 2. Each year it is a requirement that all pupils write a composition based on the skills they have learned. On Saturday, at our weekly lesson, Hannah's teacher informed us that Hannah placed second in Eastern Canada (from Quebec to Newfoundland) for her composition this year. Her teacher was quite happy as she usually only has pupils place with the provincial competition. Needless to say, Hannah was quite excited as were her parents! She works hard and it's wonderful for her to receive such an amazing complement for her efforts.

Bathtub shots

2008-04-28T15:58:00.001-07:00

Kimberly loves having lots of bubbles and toys in the bathtub and, until recently, they did a wonderful job of keeping her occupied. However now she has discovered that she can climb out of the tub on her own and she uses the excuse of "potty" to justify to us why she keeps getting out. However, I am finding it hard to believe that Little Miss Kimberly has to "pee" 5-6 times during a bath. I am certain that behind her contemplative look is the thought "I wish Mommy would hurry up and take the pictures so she'll leave with the camera so I can get out of the "baff" again.

It was a Photo Day

2008-04-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Posing together quite nicely so that Mommy can get an up-to-date picture for her desk at work.

Kimberly is always on the move so these are rare catches and there weren't many shots I couldn't post here. I love her expression where she is standing up, as if she's saying "Hurry up and take these pictures will you!"

Hannah is looking so grown-up these days

Well, since the girls decided today was a dress-up day, Mommy was chasing them around with the camera trying to get some more serious smiles- hey Kimberly is full of cheesy grins these days, just like her friend Olivia.

It's Spring. Here in Newfoundland- you have to be kidding!!

2008-04-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

The bottom shots are on the East coast in my hometown- my parents and brother's yard after the back-to-back snowstorms a few weeks ago. The photos are courtesy of my niece Lisa.
The other two shots are the girl's swing set and slide in our backyard. Somehow, I don;t see the girls out enjoying their swings like Olivia was in your pictures, Lisa B.

Cute Girls Keeping Busy

2008-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Kimberly is always busy (in trouble usually). She loves to play "Where is Kimberly?" so she decided I needed to find her even though she was hiding in my shirt- while I was wearing it!
Also, Hannah loves constructing things, and she makes tents out of just about anything. This one started out as a tent for our kitten, Dumpling but, as you can see, the girls found that they liked it too.

March Update

2008-03-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Another crazy month of stormy weather, busy work life and Hannah having many activities keeping us busy.
Just to summarize: Hannah played piano in her first recital but, unfortunately, they would not allow us to photograph them playing. She also sang in her Grade 1 choir at the festival. It certainly was a positive experience for her.
Fred had his birthday on St.Patrick's Day and the girls loved sharing in blowing out the candles. Kimberly wanted us to re-sing Happy Birthday many times.
Fred had many school board level meetings and we both had reporting period to get ready for.
Today, our local skating club had their year-end ice show. Hannah's group had to skate to "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the Broadway Musical Annie.
I also managed to catch a few shots of Hannah at gymnastics.

The Joys of Trying to Get a Good Picture of the Two Girls

2008-02-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, I don't often get pictures of Hannah and Kimberly together. After spending a while trying again the other day, I have a new appreciation for professional photographers. Here are a few shots I thought were kind of cute as I kept snapping them off.

Pictures from the Rest of February

2008-02-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know, I am long overdue with some new pictures. What can I say- no excuses except Hannah has had a cold and Kimberly's been cutting her last couple jaw teeth so we've found our evenings extremely busy.

This super grin is so Kimberly, unfortunately I don't always have a camera handy to catch it. This particular day I managed to get all of her hair into pigtails. Unfortunately they did not stay in very long.

Hannah missed some school this week due to her cold so she had to catch up on her homework. She is very focused like this most times.

What a pensive look! Makes me wonder what kind of trouble she was cooking up.

Chinese New Year

2008-02-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hannah had lots of energy after eating mostly cookies for lunch. She was jumping over Kimberly's Sit'n'Spin.

Dressed in outfits bought in Guangzhou, the girls relax and watch TV after our guests left.

Kimberly's smile just light's up our lives!

Well, after a week of food preparation with Fred as chief cook and his mother and I as assistant chefs, we finally had our Chinese New Year's feast today. We had a wonderful time sharing some of the girl's culture and food traditions with family and friends. Kimberly and the cats were a little unsure of all the not so familiar faces all at once but Kimberly did warm up and interact a little later in the afternoon.
On the menu was Peking duck pancakes, wontons, har gao (shrimp dumplings), steamed pork buns, pot stickers, lions head and rice, as well as an assortment of North American cookies and cakes.
Hannah was thrilled to have her cousin Sarah, and her friends Bethany and Brianna here to play with. They spent more time playing than eating, except when it came to the cookies.

Random Post Pictures from February

2008-02-10T16:53:00.001-08:00

Fred caught this beautiful closeup as she was getting ready to go for a ride in her sleigh with Nanny.

Kimberly skipped her nap and fell asleep with her bottle at 6 p.m.- RARE occurence!!

Hannah reads to Kimberly while she relaxes on the kitchen floor.

Sorry for the lack of pictures recently. Seems like the picture-taking moments have been rare and I've been busy with work, school, inservices, etc and didn't seem to have the time to post pictures.

Kimberly Turns 2

2008-01-20T17:22:00.001-08:00

Kimberly's 1rst birthday was celebrated with our girls having appointments at the International Medical Clinic. Kimberly proved to be one of the tiniest in our group- and she still is.

This was the day after Kimberly's birthday, at Hagen Daz, where we celebrated by introducing her to ice cream.

Hannah is looking far too grown up- she has also grown and changed a lot this year.

We celebrated Kimberly's birthday with a low-key family dinner. Fred's mother, grandmother, sister and niece were here from Corner Brook. Kimberly was pretty excited with the people and gifts. She wanted us to sing "Happy Birthday" and light her candle 'agin' so we ended up doing it at least 3 times. I made her a special cake with lots of whipped cream, expecting her to eat with her fingers and get into a mess. Boy, did she surprise me!! Little squirt looks at me with those big eyes and says 'poon' and she proceeded to eat several dainty spoonfuls of cake- my plans for messy cake photos on the blog were dashed.
She thoroughly enjoyed playing with her toys dishes and food and playing at the little table she now has downstairs. Hannah also gave her battery operated kitchen gadgets-mixer, blender and coffee maker so she can have lots of imaginative playtime now.
In the midst of all the excitement, Kimberly bypassed her normal noontime nap and didn't sleep until 3:30 and only for 45 minutes. She was then so overtired by bedtime that it took her almost an one and a half to go to sleep. All in all, I think she enjoyed her day.

Kimberly's Last Day as a 1-Year Old

2008-01-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

As hard as it is to believe, this time last year we were in Beijing, on the eve of celebrating Kimberly's first birthday. It did not quite turn out as planned since Hannah was sick that day and not up to going out to eat. We made up for it the day after her birthday by celebrating at Hagen Daz, introducing Kimberly to her first ice-cream.
Today, she kept Fred & I hopping, as she seemed to be into everything, finishing off the evening by getting her foot caught in one of the dining room chairs. She was not willing to share with Hannah and just wasn't her normal happy self. We are assuming it's the last few back teeth bothering her, as she's been chewing her fingers and grinding her teeth. If not, we assume she's getting ready to 'start' the terrible 2s tomorrow.
I took a few pictures between the morning and evening, just to capture her 'look' on her last day as a 1-year old. I'll post a few pictures tomorrow of her birthday.

Happy Gotcha Day!!

2008-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

Future Pianist

I want to play piano like Hannah.

Our precious baby is about to be handed to me.

Mommy is overwhelmed with emotion.

A very proud and happy Daddy

A year ago today, we were celebrating Forever Family day, our second day with our sweet Kimberly! It is unbelievable how quickly the year has flown by. I've been keeping up with many of the girls in our group as well, and it's amazing how our babies have grown into little girls, seemingly overnight.
Last night, after the girls went to sleep, Fred & I looked at our Gotcha video again, shedding tears as we relived those first moments and days with Kimberly. It was amazing to see how tiny she was, bewildered by those strange people taking care of her. Yet, over the course of our time in China, we could see many positive changes in her personality.
Today, we were surrounded by Kimberly's infectious laughter, her impish personality and pure zest for life. She is trying more and more words, the most important one this week being "Hannah"- needless to say big sis is thrilled that Kimberly can finally call her something other than "Ha". She loves coloring on paper, or doing "howor" (homework) while Hannah does hers. We still have fun translating much of what she says but she has improved in leaps and bounds since early December.
We'd like to say "Happy 1rst Gotcha Day" to all our Group 240-241 travel group friends. We hope you all had a wonderful day!

Couldn't These Shots Increase the Sales of Terry's Chocolate Oranges?

2008-01-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

Kimberly quickly discovered that Terry's chocolate orange was one of the tastiest highlights of Christmas. In these pics, she went from her worshipping look to a look of pure happiness. We have to keep them hidden or else nobody know when she would stop eating.

Hammin' it Up for the Camera- Kimberly's Favorite New Look.

2008-01-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hey, I Don't Know Who Dora is but I Love Her "Sit and Spin" Toy that Momma and Poppy Gave Me- I Especially Love Spinning with Hannah.

2008-01-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

Baking with Momma is One of my Favorite Things to do.

2008-01-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas Dinner Shots

2007-12-25T15:30:00.001-08:00

Hannah held herself in great restraint with all the sweet food around. She spent more time playing with her new toys. When dinner time arrived, she had a great appetite, especially when she found out I made Momma's onion pudding. She ate three big pieces.

Kimberly's expression seems to say "Where can I find room for this? I've eaten more than my body weight already today.

Kimberly did not eat a lot of the Christmas dinner but she amazingly found room for one of Momma Sainsbury's shortbread cookies.

What an Amazing Christmas Day

2007-12-25T14:43:00.001-08:00

It was certainly a day filled with memories to treasure. But let me backtrack to Christmas Eve first. Kimberly went to bed as if it were a normal night. However, Hannah was super excited about Santa's impending arrival- she was checking NORAD. She finally went to sleep around 10:30 so we then put our gifts under the tree and went to bed. We were reading after 12 a.m. so Hannah came out thinking "he" might have arrived already. Well, I went out with her to sleep and Fred went with Kimberly. Hannah woke again at 1:30 and wanted to get up when she spied her stocking. It took some convincing to get her back to sleep.
At 7 a.m. the phone woke Fred, Kimberly and myself up but we thought we'd let Hannah sleep and sneak Kimberly downstairs for a bottle. No such luck as she spied the toys while we headed for the stairs. "SATA Mommy SATA". So we decided to wake Hannah and let them open their presents. All the gifts were a hit. Both girls loved their Chinese Little Mommy dolls and the Princess kitchen. The highlight for Kimberly was being able to eat all the treats from her stocking. We've learned that Terry's chocolate oranges are a true favorite.
Kimberly went down for an hour nap around noon so she was quite tired again by late afternoon. Both girls ate a substantial Christmas dinner, which surprised us with Kimberly as she was snacking all day then she continued again tonight. She is just gone down for the night, hopefully tucked in with some sweet memories of her first Christmas.
Hannah and Fred are here watching Underdog, a movie Hannah got for Christmas. I'm heading off to pack as we are heading to my parents for some of the holiday. Hannah is very excited at the prospect of another Christmas as many family and friends left gifts for the girls at my parents house.

Dumpling, I Just Wanna Give You a Kiss

2007-12-23T15:11:00.001-08:00

Daddy Makes a Super Jungle Gym!

2007-12-23T15:10:00.001-08:00

Christmas Excitement Leads to Sleep Deprivation

2007-12-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

This past week, Hannah has been so excited about Christmas that it's been after 10 pm every night before she fell asleep. We went to Fred's parents Friday night and Hannah was watching TV in the living room while Fred & I ran out for some last minute shopping. This is what happened- crashed on Nanny's humptie in the living room.

Christmas Preparations Hannah Style

2007-12-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hannah was very into creating lots of gingerbread decorations and edibles for this Christmas. She did a wonderful job with her small gingerbread house last weekend. Today, while Kimberly napped, we made a batch of gingerbread bears. Hannah decorated quite a few and Kimberly started to decorate one but decided it was more fun to eat it.

Attempts at Christmas Pictures

2007-12-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Well, getting two young children to pose nicely in front of the Christmas tree is no easy feat. Fred manned the camera and tripod while I tried to keep Kimberly near the tree and looking at Daddy. These were some of the shots we came up with.

Decorating Our Tree

2007-12-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Okay it's a whole new ballgame decorating a tree with a 22 month old and a 12 week old kitten. Between Kimberly and Dumpling, more ornaments have come off since last night... how many times do I want to put the ornaments back on between now and December 25.
Kimberly has a great fascination with "anta" so she squealed when she found my Santa hat and she loved the "babas" that we were putting on the tree.

The Lion and the Lamb Lay Down Together (Most of the Time)

2007-12-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

What the Girls Do to Pass Time in the Van While Fred Shops at Kent

2007-12-04T16:38:00.001-08:00

Kimberly's First Christmas Parade

2007-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, we piled into the van and drove to Fred's parent's in Corner Brook for the annual Santa Claus Parade and decorating of Nanny's Christmas tree. The morning started out cool and beautiful so Kimberly, Hannah and their cousin, Sarah enjoyed sliding on the hill with Nanny.
It seems that Santa wanted to add to the Christmassy feeling by dumping us with snow. As you can see, Hannah and I were not enjoying it after about an hour. Kimberly took it all in but was all squeals and excitement when she saw dogs and "anta".

Kimberly and Hannah are Playing Much Better Together Most of the Time

2007-11-23T17:40:00.001-08:00

Kimberly is 22 Months Old.

2007-11-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

Kimberlylocks and the 3 Bears

2007-11-15T18:46:00.001-08:00