June 26th...7yrs. Anniversary of Catie's referral.....

Our first picture of Catie....June 26th 2001...

It's hard to believe that 7yrs. ago today, while we were living in Singapore at 7:30am Singapore time we saw this face come up on a computer screen....our girl...our girl....I was on the phone with our adoption agency in the USA and Brian was on the computer seeing her picture first...I heard him cry and say..."she's so beautiful" with a quivering voice...I tear up as I write that, remembering it vividly......it's really hard to believe that 7yrs. have gone by....that she'll be 8 on July 6th...start the 3rd grade in August.....she's a swimteam star, bookworm (blowing through Harry Potter #4 at present time) and is the most amazing, sensitive, sweet, stubborn, lovable girl on the planet.. WE love you Catie girl!

JUNE 21ST..A BIG Day for our family...

Saturday marked the BIG 5 for Meigan...5yrs. old!!! how did she get there SO FAST??????

She had her pony at Morning Star Farm for a 2hrs. pony party...1hrs. of riding ponies, use of the petting zoo, play on the playstructure, squirt bottle play, pinata and cupcakes....she LOVED it! Catie had her 6yrs. birthday there and Meigan wanted nothing but this..so lucky for us it was available on her birthday for a fun 5yr. old party!

Now, you'd all think that we'd have some pics of Meigan riding the ponies....but nooooooooooooooooo.....in the hustle and bustle of kids arriving, etc. Meig got her ride herself...geesh...we're so bad...

Meig is being sung to and is ready to dig into her cupcake...she wanted cupcakes and nothing else...and what did she eat?? ONLY THE FROSTING ON TOP!!!! geesh...next year I'm just going to give her a bowl of frosting and a big ole' spoon!

not sure of that goat in the petting zoo...

of course the party didn't end after the pony party was over...the party continued at our house with a bbq and swimming.....and here is dare devil Meigan about to launch herself off of "Uncle Ronnie" shoulders in our pool......the party continued well into the night time...

until poor tired Meig couldn't party anymore.......she conked out on the tv room floor...

June 21st 2008 also marked the 4th anniversary of Meigan's referral...the day we found out who she was, where she was and saw a picture of her little face....Catie and I waited anxiously for the phone to ring...we knew the call was coming...we knew that our group had referrals from Maoming, which is were Catie was from..and as our agency worked through the families, it was finally our turn...."you have a baby girl from Maoming" said Tracy from our agency..."it's her 1st birthday today" she said...."isn't that great?" I was already speechless, crying and so happy...Catie was just 4yrs. old and couldn't understand why I was crying....and Brian was on a business trip...so much has changed in the past 4yrs....she's grown into such a girl.....she is a dare devil, strong willed, senstive, naughty, full of life, amazing kid!...We love you so much our Meig..can't imagine life without you!!!!

These are the very first pictures we saw of Meigan.....hard to imagine her then...and to see her now...look at that sweet face!

ALMOST 5 AND OFF THE HIGH DIVE...

Friday the 20th was Meigan's last day of being 4.....she decided to end her era of 4yrs. old with not 1, but 2 jumps off the VERY high diving board at the college pool where Catie does swim team practice.....GO MEIG was the cheer of Catie's swim team members as she made her leaps off.... crazy girl....

RED SOX BABY

Well, the time finally came for the girls to see their heros live.....the SOX were in town over Memorial Day Weekend and we got tix. It was FUN!!!! The girls loved it, and had a blast tailgating...Meig was dancing in the parking lot to the music being played by our tailgaiting neighbors...pretty funny stuff it was...Catie just sat, watched her little sister and laughed hysterically...as did Brian and I... We had lunch in the parking lot with our chairs and goodies...a good time...our seats were amazing (and were I a smart person,) I'd have taken pics from our seats, which were not far above the 3rd base line with a most fabulous view of Meigan's most favorite Sox player...Manny...we could see him well in left field... Catie, however didn't get to see her favorite player, Jonathan Papelbon..since he saves the games when the SOX are winning, they didn't need his services this past weekend...since they lost every single game.....



the SOX STUNK UP the East Bay that weekend getting swept by the A's 3 straight games and dropping from 1st place in the American League...however, we got to see Big Papi hit a home run...and that was fantastic!

The girls made a sign and were hoping like crazy to get on the TV cameras so my parents could see them in NH....pretty stinkin' cute if you ask me...



Brian and the girls having their tailgate lunch!

A Banner Day for Catie

Last week, Catie earned her Eagle Card Banner for earning 10 Eagle Cards this year at school. Eagle Cards are given to the kids to reward those who go the extra mile, whether it's for behavior, schoolwork, or being nice to others...Meigan and I were on hand to see the award given to Catie and others at her school.

Fun in Monterey

some fun in the hotel pool......

A chilly day at the Aquarium

a relaxed Daddy on the beach....

some beach fun!

Prelude to the Torch Relay

Monday we were on our way to Monterey, and we got stuck in the traffic jam on the Golden Gate Bridge when 3 guys climbed the cables just before the South Tower.....it was quite impressive to drive right under/by these 3 guys suspended over 500ft. up the cables....i have to say I got some pretty great shots of these guys before they hung their banner in support of Tibet...I took them through the windshield of the car as Brian was driving.....the girls weren't sure what to think.....so that prompted a discussion to take up a good part of the 2hrs. drive to Monterey. I was going to take them into the city to see the Olympic Torch Run...what a once in a lifetime chance...but decided Tuesday night to stay home for safety reasons....

A Trip to Wine Country

On the 30th, we ventured north to our favorite wine region, the Russian River...after our beloved Pinot Noir that the region is famous for.....We took our neighbors Rose & Don with us...we all had a great time! This photo was taken at Armida Winery...the deck behind the girls is the best in the area for picnics and views over the Russian River Valley...we enjoyed a great lunch on this deck, visited favorite wineries and found 2 new ones!

Easter Dresses

Easter came..and went...with plenty of chocolate eggs hidden by The Bunny.....
we had our neighbors Rose & Don for dinner and our neighbor Kitty...it was a really nice day!

Early Summer??? naaahhh...just a teaser

a few weeks ago, we had some really nice weather....and it was enough for the girls to try out the pool for the 1st time this year....it was FREEZING...but did they care? nope..not at all.....crazy kids.....

Who Says Cats Can't Jump Rope...

Sunday, the girls were outside jumping rope.....and I heard them howling laughing and yelling "no Oreo"...well, our little pussy cat was chasing their jumpropes....so the girls decided to see if Oreo would actually jump rope.......

and as you can see....YES SHE CAN!! our little kitty got some serious air on this attempt at jumprope!!! Oreo is the supercat! I have to say, that this picture had all of us busting a gut laughing...we couldn't stop......I can't believe I actually got the cat mid-air......I think this photo could win us some $$$ in some goofy photo contest......

A Winters Day at the Beach...

Last weekend we took advantage of the amazing "winter" weather and headed out to Tomales Bay State Park to Hearts Desire Beach....we LOVE this beach...Brian and I have bee going here since I moved here in 1992....it's on the calm bay, no fog and it's the perfect place for kids to play...no big waves to wipe them out like on the Pacific... I didn't bring bathing suits, as it was only barely 70 degrees, but as you can see, it didn't stop my 2 from going in the water...after an hour, they were FREEZING...and happy...and Brian and I sat on the beach, watched the girls and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine......a perfect day for the Van Weeles...

February 08.....New Hampshire

The girls and I spent the week of February vacation in New Hampshire.....now, why did we leave the 70 degree weather of Marin County, CA for the FRIGID temps of New Hampshire??? well.....family of course.......however, it never got above 25 degrees for 10 days straight...brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....we had a snowstorm while there, went bowling, the girls played in the snow and went sliding every single day, we ate lobsters, fried clams and LOTS of Dunkin' Donuts...and those of you from New England know..there is NOTHING like a Dunkin' Donut!!!!! I got to see lots of my friends, got to relax and sleep in....hmmm, flying 3000 miles just for that??

Most important was spending time with my brother Kevin and his family...here we are with Kevin and James who just turned 2...and boy, James is a whirlwind!! he loved being around the girls...and they thought he was just too cute!!! sadly when we took this picture, James' big brother Dylan wasn't with us.....and I'm such a bad Aunt, I never took another picture...

Catie & James having a very cute moment together.....

Catie & Meigan spent one night in a snowstorm shoveling the deck over and over and over....

Meigan and Nana shoveling together...

can't have a snowstorm without making snow angels...

wipeouts while sliding.....

Growing up WAY TOO FAST!!!

Friday, the girls had much overdue haircuts....Catie has been wanting to cut her hair shorter....well...short she went.....she hasn't had hair this short since we went to China for Meigan in 2004....she's been growing it since...long bangs now.....well, this new "do" is very Catie...and very grown up.....where did my baby go???

Catie, Meigan and Ella

just a few more pics of the girls with Ella.....she's the cutest 18mos. old that I know...though I'm biased as her Auntie, she's one funny kid with a fantastic personality.

2007 Christmas

Our holiday festivities started the 20th of Dec. with my parents arrival....school got out the 21st and holiday break began. My brother, Nicole and little Ella arrived the 23rd... We had a great visit, the girls loved having everyone here, and Brian and I LOVED having my Mom and Dad to babysit :)) Brian and I got to go to a party, and had nights without the girls while they stayed in the hotel with my Mom and Dad... :)) the visit was too short for us, and they left the 28th. But, we'll see them in Feb. when I take the girls to NH....yes, NH in February..WHAT am I thinking you ask?? I'm pretty much nuts I think...but the girls are dying to get to my parents house, play in the snow, and see my other brother Kevin & Family, and big cousin Dylan who is 13 now and little James who is almost 2. We haven't seen them since Christmas 2006...much much much too long...

CHRISTMAS EVE

On the moring of Christmas Eve, we met up with my cousin Michael, his wife Aggie and their kids Connor, Bella and Francesca and my cousin Deirdre (who's soon to be a Mom) and her hubby Martin. They live close by in San Anselmo and Sausalito but we hardly see each other with all the kids crazy school schedules. The kids always get along instantly and have a blast together...though this time, Catie & Bella were spitting at boys...what the *#*#*#*#*#???? I said...so we had to have a little time out at the park...the age of 7 1/2yrs. old is going to be a very hard challenge I fear......

looks like trouble to me............................

Cousins...young and old.....this is one of those rare photos to have...4 cousins together and kids...

My Mom's sister was here as well and they got to visit...it was a fun morning at the park...never mind it was in the 60's out and sunny....

By 4pm, I had the girls at church getting ready for their parts in the Christmas Eve play. Catie was an angel and Meigan was sheep...It was a really cute play, and the kids all did their parts perfectly.

Catie is the angel 3rd from the left....

and here is my little sheep....with her game face on....ready to crawl/baah her way down the aisle of church with all the other animals....

After church it was home to light luminarias all along our walkway, driveway and sidewalk, have dinner and get the kids ready for bed. In keeping with family tradition from when Ryan, Kevin and I were little, Christmas jammies are handed out Christmas Eve before bed and photos are a must!! and yes, that is Oreo in the background trapsing over the gifts looking for bows to tear off...

Here are Meigan, Catie and our little niece/cousin Ella who is 18mos old...this was the first time we'd seen Ella in a year...she was 6mos. old last time....

More Cute kitty pictures....

Just a few more cute pics of our new kitty and then I'll get to the Christmas photos.

The girls finally decided on her name..it took almost 2 weeks to come to agreement.....her name is Oreo...yes, like the cookie....it fits her, all black and white....she's still full of spunk and fiest and races around the house like a mad kitty....Catie said the other day "Mom, she's a freak"...and sometimes I agree...however, she didn't take down the Christmas tree as we feared she might, but she'd race around the tree, pick off bows and ribbons and pulled off ornaments..... we're looking forward to the day she mellows out....

Oreo decided to take a nap on my Dad...he doesn't know I snapped this picture...and since he doesn't have a computer, he'll never see this...heh heh heh.....