Happy Birthday Paul!!!

Wow, I must be getting old. David turned 18 in Aug., Tim turned 26 in the beginning of Oct. and now Paul is 24 today!! Its a good thing I have a 3 year old to keep me young. Seriously Paul, I wish for you a wonderful day. It seems like just yesterday you were playing out in the yard or burying dead woodchucks with your brother. ( I just KNOW it was your idea!!!) I have loved every (almost) minute of being your Mom. You are the one most like me. You love people and you like to give back to your community. You always want to help and are there if people need you. You keep your cool. Remember the time I was driving a standard and I couldn't get it up the hill. You jumped out of the car and ran down the hill to stop traffic so I could back down. You were only about 10 or 11 at the time!! I am proud that you take being a volunteer fireman so seriously and I love when I look on the back of your coat and see the words Asst. Chief!!! I love that Jenn already feels like a member of the family. And nothing beats the way that you took a little girl, who had no one to love her for 3 years, and loved her from the very start. She just lights up when her big brothers walk into the room. She now knows more love then some kids ever have. Thank you for that!!

I am grateful that you live so close and I get to see you, have lunch with you and share in your life. Have a great birthday!!!!!!

YUCK!!!!!

What a beautiful way to start the morning. My husband comes running in saying "Kathie, get up!!! We have a situation with Emma ( the dog)!!!" Seems that Emma thought it would be fun to chase a skunk first thing this morning. Unfortunately the skunk did not think it was so fun and sprayed her!!! At 5:30 am!!!!! Talk about a rude awakening!!! It has not been a fun morning. I am now babysitting a very busy ( but very cute ) 16 month old boy. And now my house stinks like skunk and needless to say, so does the dog!!! Its going to be a long day!!!!

A Day of Beauty!

Sunday was a beautiful day around here. The colors were beautiful and luckily I had my camera at work! Here are a few pictures that I took throughout the day. They were taken at all different times of the day so they are all different. I am so lucky to work at a place as beautiful as this!!

I stopped in the middle of the road to get this one!!!


Golden delicious apples and pumpkins, a sure sign of fall!!

Pumpkins and mums!
Daddy stopped by the farm with Sierra and they went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch!!!


We live in an area called the Rondout Valley. It is so called because it is located in between two mountain ranges The Catskills........(when I look at this picture I think of the phrase"purple mountains majesty." The light was just right and the mountains looked purple!!!!)

and the Shawangunks!!!

This last one I took as I was getting ready to leave. The wispy clouds that you barely noticed all day were turning a delightful shade of pink!!!

Is it not Glorious!!!

On Sunday we went to my brother's house. His girlfriend is an awesome riding instructor who holds horse shows at her farm. I know many of her students from working at the school and doing my summer camp program!!! The first person Sierra saw there was my niece Jamie. Sierra LOVES her cousin and the feeling is mutual. Jamie was the only girl cousin on both sides of her family for 26 years. She says she loves sharing the spot and waited a long time for a female cousin!!!

My daughter, lover of all things creepy and crawly. just loved this woolly bear caterpillar!

Beautiful fall day!

My brother, Dave, and Jamie!! I am so happy Dave lives 10 minutes away!!!


She is not afraid at all. She's loving on Ginger!!!

HOME!!!

Last night Sierra and I were reading a book about Pandas. It had a large map of China in it. I was showing her where in China she had come from. She said "Sierra not still in China?" And I said "No honey you are not still in China." She said "Sierra lives in uh......( she has trouble remembering the word America)... I am HOME!!! Yes my sweet, precious, brave child. You are HOME!! And there isn't a day that goes by that I do not thank God for orchestrating the events that led to your coming HOME!!!!

The lady bugs have hatched!!!

I have decided that the best way to get Sierra to smile is just have her jump in a pile of leaves!!!!


PS The new porch decorations were purchased and set up by my husband and Sierra while I was at work last Sunday. Aren't they cute!!!

Apple Picking!!

Just a few apple picking pictures.. Some more fall fun!!!!

Sierra and little Peanut

My older boys have been involved in 4H for over 14 years. They got their first cows when Tim was 12 (now 26) and Paul was 10( will be 24 next week). One of those cows, Milky Way is still alive although she is quite old and not feeling too well! Anyway, my kids love these cows as pets, especially Tim and David. When you breed a cow for a dairy farm, you always hope to have females so they can be bred and then milked. David has a friend who owns a dairy farm. One of his cows gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The only problem is that girl twins are usually infertile, therefore not much use to a dairy farmer. But David's friend is as kind hearted as David is. They hatched a plan and decided that David should take this calf and raise it as a pet. So now, behind David's grandmothers house lives little Peanut. She is a sweetie. David gets up every morning before school and drives over to his grandma's to give Peanut milk. He does it again in the evening. The other day he brought Sierra over to meet her. The pictures tell the story.

Sierra running out to meet Peanut

Feeding her some hay.

Up close and personal!!!

Comet, David's cow, playing mother to Peanut. So sweet to watch!!!

Sweet Ainsley!!!

I was looking at some blogs and came across this group that sponsors orphans in China. Some of the children were from Sierra's Province. Imagine my surprise when a few turned out to be from her orphange. We had though about sponsoring ever since we returned hoem but there are so many children, how do you chose.... So one little girl popped out at me and when I saw her birthdate I knew she was the one!!! So little Ainsley turned 2 yesterday!!! She lives at the orphange that Sierra lived at. Check her out here : www.pearlriveroutreach.blogspot.com, Sierra and I will be collecting deposit bottles to raise the 35 dollars a month!!! Isn't she a cutie!!!!!

Some more fall fun!!!

While we were camping this weekend Scott, David and Sierra went pumpkin picking. I had to work but I loved these photos!!Its a cute place down the road from the campground. They have wagons to go out in the field a pick.

Sierra looks so confident in this!!

Scott said that Sierra found her pumpkin, picked it up, then before he knew what she was doing threw it aside and bent back down to pick up.....

This........!!!!!

Having fun carving the pumpkin...

Look at her face......

Scott and David are the best jack-o-lantern carvers I know!!!

I have so many pictures to catch up on!!! Last week Scott, Sierra and I went for a walk in the newly cut corn field! The first thing she wanted to do was to sit on top of the round bales of hay that are stored alongside the field. For those who aren't familiar with them they look like very large marshmallows!!!

Next she went hunting for ears of corn that were left behind!

When we got back to the house we raked a pile of leaves!!

Isn't this precious!!!!
Two weekends a go my brother called to say his band was playing at a local farmer's market. It was a beautiful fall day and we went to listen. We first found our friend Cheyenne who was there with a four day old Jersey calf. Cheyenne is the local Dairy Princess. Sierra wanted to pretend to sleep with the calf......

and take it for a walk!

There were pumpkins to paint.....

great music ( my brother plays the guitar)....


and a straw maze for Sierra and Pink Monkey to go through.



I love the Autumn... there is so much to do and I have more to post!!!!

Happy Birthday Uncle Perry!!!

We returned home from camping and I remembered it was my uncles' eightieth something birthday( I think 82 or 83). Anyway I decided to take Sierra over for a visit. My uncle, my Dad's brother, lives only 2 miles away. My Dad died 15 years ago but we have remained close to my uncle. My aunt and uncle were thrilled when we adopted Sierra. They had traveled to China 10 years ago and my uncle has had a soft spot for Asian children ever since. We had such a nice visit. Sierra loves talking and asking a lot of questions. They loved answering them. My cousin Susan was there also as an added treat. My uncle is an amazing man. He is a person of great faith as his Dad was a minister when they were growing up. He is a landscaper who owns his own business and still works full time. He climbs and cuts down trees, mows lawns, plants and cares for gardens and in the winter shovels the sidewalks and driveways of his "older" customers, many who are much younger than he!!!! I am so grateful that I remembered and went to see him. Of course I didn't bring my camera but my aunt did take some pictures and when I get copies I will post them. Happy Birthday Uncle Perry!! I am so glad you ae in my life!!

Happy Birthday Tim!!!

Sierra helping with Tim's cake!!

She loves blowing out candles. It was one of the first things she did in America as it was her birthday the day we came home and a cake was waiting for her!!!

Just a cute pic!!

She made this Lincloln Log house for Dad all by herself. Look how proud she is!!!

Wow!! I can't believe its been 26 years since I first became a Mom!! What a ride its been!! I have loved every(almost) minute of being a Mom to my boys. So much in fact that I didn't think twice about becoming a Mom again at age 50!! What could be more fun!!! Tim, you have always been a joy to me. I love how tough you pretend to be but how sesitive you really are. I remeber when you were younger how you and I would be teary eyed together at sad movies and Paul would make fun of us. I love how you are so loyal to your family and your friends. I love how much you love animals and they love you!!! I love that you have Sara for a girlfriend, she is a gem and we love her!! I especially love how very sweet you are with your new sister. I could watch you every day with her and not get tired of doing so. I hope you have a wonderful day and I am so glad that I have you for a son!!!