Introducing....Mr.Lips, Scaredy Bat, Zippy Cat and Mr.Ribs

Yep, the Padilla Six officially had their first pumpkin carving party together on Sunday. And we're happy to say that nobody got their eyes poked out with a knife, etc. So no trips to the emergency room, thankfully. It was a little tricky for Mo and I to help out all four at once (and take video/pics) but we managed and had a lot of fun too!! See for yourself (slideshow above). Ama carved her silly Mr.Lips, Shayley did Scaredy Bat, Jo/mommy did Zippy Cat, and Reece/Mo did Mr.Ribs. Now onto organizing costumes, yikes.......

Happy (early) Halloween.... Love, Jo

A Special Dedication

On Sunday, October 18, we had the privilege of dedicating Amaleah and Jonathan to the Lord in front of our congregation at Journey of Faith in Manhattan Beach. It is our utmost desire as their parents to raise them up in the Lord in order that they may have a personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, loving and serving Him wholeheartedly. So we, as well as several other family members who share this same desire, stood in front of hundreds of other believers (and close friends!) on Sunday to make our commitment to God. Pastors Glen and Claire shared with the congregation about our dreams of becoming an adoptive family and that God in His indescribable grace and mercy made our dreams come true when Ama and Jo joined our family this year. Then Pastor Glen kneeled down and held both kids' hands as he prayed for all of us. At the end of the prayer the whole congregation said AMEN with Glen so loud that it made us feel really encouraged to feel their excitement and communion with us. What an incredibly awesome dedication this was for all! After Pastor Glen prayed he told both Ama and Jo that he loved them and of course Jo, the ham that he is, had to have the last word (or laugh) so he grabbed Glen's leg and said out loud, 'I love you' and then again (just in case he didn't hear it the first time), 'I love you'! Priceless ;-) Here's a pic of us on stage during the dedication. Ama was so excited that I was wearing my Ghana shirt and Mo was wearing his authentic shirt we bought in Ghana also. Just have to add this too, Ama's beautiful blue dress and Jo's handsome tux were both bought at Hume Lake during the Labor Day Country Fair for only a few dollars each!! So sweet.

Big Boy Undies!!!

Yes, the Padilla family is CELEBRATING these days because Jonathan is potty-trained, yeah!! Hey desperate parents out there, all I can say is... get some Hershey Bars & a good-working timer. Yep, those 2 are to credit (ok and some patience and persistence too). From the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed we put him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes. Every time he actually goes #1 or #2 he gets a small slice of the hershey bar, mmmm. And we're proud to say (on Jo's behalf,ha) that he has only pee'd in his underwear once in the last few days he's been 'in training'. Not bad at all. Gotta say, much easier to rinse those undies out than changing 6-7 diapers a day (not to mention the cost of those #@(@! diapers). I must admit too, Jo looks pretty darn cute sitting on the potty like a big kid, although his feet are not anywhere close to touching the floor yet :-)

Gettin' into the swing of things...

The first question that comes up in recent conversations seems to be 'so how are the kids adjusting'? Answer...Great!! Shayley and Reece have embraced their new brother and sister (literally) with open arms. Ama (4th), Shayley(3rd) and Reece(K) just finished their second week of school - first day of school pic above. Ama has received a very warm welcome from the staff and students at Ascension Lutheran School and she is doing well in her studies, keeping up with the 9 other students in her class too! Shayley loves her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs.Schubarth, and her favorite subject is Art :-) Reece can't wait to start school each day and is usually dressed in uniform before we're hardly out of bed, so safe to say he loves kindergarten. Jo is my little buddy during the day until noon when we go pick up Reece at school. I've started to run in the mornings with Jo in the jogger - talk about a work-out!! Who needs a gym when you have a toddler?! Jo has also joined the Moms Morning Out kids on Friday mornings so mommy can volunteer at school with the Hands On Art program or just have a free morning to herself. Some other activities that fill our days are piano, tae kwon do, hula class, kids choir, tutoring, taking Tux to the vet every other day (no joke) for his paw he cut pretty deep on a bean can, yes you read that right. Smart dog, can get into trash cans that are tightly closed. That was one EXPENSIVE can of beans lemme tell ya. There's s a pic of him also above in his new get-up. Yeh, that would be his FIRST cast and E-collar, cuz he's already gone through (or chewed thru), ummm... lost count.

First Family Trip to Hume Lake

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation at Hume Lake and we've got pics to prove it (hint: see our slide show above). What could be better... aahhh, the smell of pine trees and clean air (which we can really appreciate with all these fires lately), no cell phones or computers for 5 days, movie nights for mommy & daddy, family time playing games together (Hungry Hippo and Alphabet Bingo R the favorites), and even the luxury of sleeping in until 8:30am - doesn't get much better than that in my little world these days. For those of ya outta the loop, Hume Lake is nestled in the beautiful Sequoia National Forest in Central California, a must-visit-and-stay kind of place that you'll never forget. Check out their web site at http://www.humelake.org/. We surprised the kids on the last day with a late-night trip out to the balcony to lie underneath the stars. We covered up in blankets and watched as shooting stars (and satellites too) lit up the sky, yet another awesome testament to God's amazing creation.

Happy 5th Birthday Reece!!!

We're amazed that 5 years have flown by since our little boy was born. Here he is blowing out his bday candle on his cinnamon roll. And in the 2nd pic he's proudly modeling off his new Buzz Lightyear jet pack. We took the kids and Reece's friend Cody to Legoland for the day, fun fun! We'll put the pics on the slideshow soon. Happy Birthday Reece, may all your wishes come true. We love you!!