2013

Jan-
rough start Carson released from the hospital Dec 30, with no diagnosis
upper endoscopy later that month, just a viral illness
late 2012 started the process to adopt domestically
showing profiles all month in January
Jan 28 - a call that we were be re-shown to a birthmom
Jan 30 - a match!!  a hurried trip to Utah for a baby boy

Feb -
2nd - little Cameron David enters the world and is placed in our arms forever the 3rd
he's the sweetest baby
spend his first week with my sweet college friend, Laurie and her family in Park City, Utah
return home to 5 very excited siblings
mom celebrates #39

Some of Laurie's precious kids with Cam

March -
a trip to Florida for spring break
Mark's #42

Mama does a lot of this, and boys do a lot of that!

April -
 Etta and Zoe are blessed by a special lady who paints them as babies. 

May -
Maddie, our second niece, competes at the state track meet, and does great!

 and then graduates from high school

 

Etta's friend from Ethiopia, Anna, who also lives in Iowa comes to visit with her family.

June-
Cake decorating camp


Basketball camp
First time swinging
baseball, baseball, baseball- Carson's team goes the championship game!

lots of lost teeth
Ali and Eric and kids come to visit


July-
Lake time
Callie and Etta fly alone to visit Nonnie and Papa
Etta celebrates #8 with a water slide party in our yard
Carson falls in love with reading, and he can't get enough
pool time and swimming lessons for all the littles
mama studies for boards everywhere she goes...
Etta and Callie try gymnastics

August-
Zoe turns 5 with a princess party

Drew learns to wakeboard
before school starts trip to Colorado
Trip to the Iowa state fair
School starts

Sept -
mama takes boards and passes, good for another 10 years!!
Daddy daughter trip to NYC - they had a blast!
Boys go to an Iowa game!

Oct-
 Celebrate Callie's #12
Grandpa Fish's #75

Nov-
Celebrate Carson's #9
Celebrate Drew's #7

Dec-
Add two furry felines to the mix - Pixi and Stix
A quiet Christmas at home!

2012 in review

January -

We adjusted to life as a family of 7.

Welcome home!  12/30/11

We were blessed to have help from so many family and friends.
Erin had a flare up of a herniated disc and an epidural.
Erin spent overnight in the hospital with debilitating vertigo.
 Zoe and Etta took more medicine than they ever want to again.
Zoe had an MRI.  

Lots of laughs with Nonnie

February-

Etta and Zoe experience their first Iowa snow!
Zoe had her first playdate.

Anna and Zoe

Etta tried out school with Mrs. V.
Zoe gave Momma her best bday present and started to love Daddy.
Erin celebrated #38.

Daddy and Zoe

March -
We played outside a lot!  Etta learned to ride a bike well.
We visited Colorado for spring break and Etta and Zoe got to meet Aunt Ali, Parker, Jack, Uncle Dave and Aunt Jessica.
Mark and I sneak away for a couple of days to ski and celebrate Mark's birthday.

Aunt Ali, Etta and Zoe

April - 
Carson looses his first tooth FINALLY!!

Etta and Zoe dye eggs for the first time and get to meet more family at their first Easter (Aunt Lisa, Uncle Brad, Brooke, and Jake).

Zoe and Aunt Lisa

Easter

May -
We have the fun experience of watching our niece run and jump at the state track meet (and win a few times)!!
Drew takes his 5 year old trip to Disney with Nonnie and Papa and gets transformed into a pirate!

pirate Drew

We also get to meet (and reunite our girls) with a family from NW Iowa that adopted one of Etta and Zoe's friends from Ethiopia.
Callie has a beautiful dance recital.
Carson misses the last week of school because of a bad case of mono.
Drew graduates from preschool.

preschool buddies

June -
Carson and Drew play baseball.












The girls (and all of us) love spending time at the lake.













Drew gets his tonsils out.

all ready for surgery

Papa examines mono boy

July -
Ali and family, Nonnie and Papa and our family spend the fourth at the lake house.
Etta celebrates her first American birthday with fireworks #7.
We spend lots of time at the pool, and Etta and Drew are officially swimming and going off the diving board!

Ledges State Park

Etta is 7

August -
Cousin Elisa gets married in Northern California and we all make the trip to attend (and miss our flight....)
We have a little vacation afterward at the beach.  FUN!!

beautiful California

Zoe celebrates her first American bday #4 on the way home to Iowa.
Another trip to Colorado for Erin and the kids to celebrate the last week of summer (a really fun time at Camp of the Rockies in Estes Park).
First day of school - Callie 5th, Carson 2nd, Etta K, and Drew K.

Fun at Estes park

first day of school

September -
Callie, Etta, and Zoe start Ballet.
Carson and Drew start soccer.

soccer

October -
Callie starts and LOVES volleyball.
Fun trip to the pumpkin patch with the Rouws.
First Halloween for Etta and Zoe.

Halloween

Pumpkin patch with cousins

November -
Carson's birthday #8
Drew's birthday #6
First Thanksgiving at the Rouws (a great day).
A trip aboard the "Polar Express" in Boone.

Drew's #6 and his new DS

Carson's #8 at skyzone

Zoe loves Santa!

December -
A sick month for our family - the stomach flu sets in.  Carson is the sickest...  ends up spending 4 days in the hospital.
A shortened trip to Colorado but a very fun time skiing and staying at a beautiful house provided by Papa and Nonnie.

Grandpa Fish and Etta

First Family Day

Zoe all ready for her Christmas concert

Mom and Callie skiing in Colorado