tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75326353362767554502024-03-05T04:14:58.770-08:00Padilla Familia 2011 Akwaaba!Our adventure began in November 2008 when we decided to step out in faith to pursue two precious children from the beautiful country of Ghana, West Africa, to welcome into our family. This is our story*Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-25446775648672694802012-12-03T15:44:00.002-08:002012-12-07T09:34:17.279-08:002012 Highlights<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Hello and welcome to the 2012 edition of Padilla Family Highlights! </h2>
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January 2012</h2>
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Mo takes boys for a weekend in San Diego ~ Shayley continues her piano lessons ~ Ama participates in a Hip Hop dance class and after-school soccer team ~ Rebekah continues to be a Docent for Hands On Art program at Ascension Lutheran School</div>
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February</h2>
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Mo & Bekah take a trip to Arizona for some R&R ~ Bekah takes the girls to San Francisco for some sight-seeing ~ Family Dinner Dance at Journey of Faith ~ Bekah dresses up for the annual Oscar Party with her girlfriends </div>
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March</h2>
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Mo & Bekah attend a marriage conference at Journey of Faith ~ Jonathan turns 5 with a Spiderman party ~ A family celebration as Bekah's sister, Lindsey, marries John Fraumeni ~ Bekah continues to work for New Health Consultants as a nutrition consultant doing private consultations, grocery tours, food demonstrations and health fairs ~ Bekah celebrates 40 with her girlfriends in Santa Barbara</div>
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April</h2>
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Ama, Shayley and Reece participate in the Easter choir at Mira Costa HS ~ Ama turns 13 ~ Bekah hanglides over Dockweiler Beach ~ Family trip to Hume Lake ~ trip to The Grove to visit the American Girl Doll store </div>
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May</h2>
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Mo competes in the Wildflower Triathlon ~ Reece is baptized at Journey of Faith ~ we continue to recycle cans & bottles to help raise money for a new orphanage in Ghana ~ Shayley, Ama and Reece perform in the musical <em>Living Inside Out in an Upside Down World</em></div>
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June</h2>
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Jonathan graduates from preschool ~ Shayley graduates to Junior High School ~ Shayley turns 11 with a girls sleepover ~ Family trip to Palm Desert ~ Beach days begin</div>
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July</h2>
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Ghana families reunite at Hermosa Beach pier ~ BBQ with friends ~ swim lessons at The Plunge ~ Celebrating our 17th Anniversary ~ Whale watching cruise ~ attended the weddings of Nate & Maryn Carpenter and Adam & Courtney Sloey</div>
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August</h2>
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Ama & Shayley go to junior high camp at Hume Lake ~ pool days at the Fraumeni house ~ Reece turns 8 ~ family trip to Disneyland (free tix!) ~ beach days at Hermosa pier ~ boys participate in Vacation Bible School at Ascension Lutheran</div>
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September</h2>
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Bike N Skate Party at Ascension Lutheran School ~ School starts (Ama 7th, Shayley 6th, Reece 2nd, Jonathan Kindergarten) ~ picnic & softball game with Mo's company, Tecolote Research ~ Ama and Shayley start Broadway Jazz dance class ~ family trip to the bowling alley ~ pool day with the Miller family</div>
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October</h2>
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Bekah coordinates Hands On Art program as School Chair at Ascension Lutheran ~ Celebration for Mo's birthday ~ Ama and Shayley participate in after-school volleyball team ~ Halloween festivities ~ Bekah attends Beth Moore Conference</div>
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November</h2>
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Shayley and Reece start practice on musical <em>Race To Win</em> ~ Hume Lake with Grama Richman ~ Ama & Shayley's Jazz Dance Show (Feeling Good, M.Buble) ~ House of Blues with Anders Royal ~ family outing to the USS IOWA battleship in San Pedro on Veterans Day</div>
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December</h2>
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Family participates in <em>1,000 Points of Light </em>Christmas caroling at Galleria Mall ~ Christmas party with Stitch in Time girls ~ Christmas Dinner and Tree Trimming at Ascension Lutheran School ~ Tecolote Research Christmas Party ~ Fireworks in MB ~ Santa visits our street ~ S'mores with friends ~ Shayley and Ama have speaking and vocal parts in the school Christmas play ~ Hume Lake for New Years with Grama and the Fraumeni Family<br />
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We hope you had great memories in 2012 as well and we wish you all the very best in 2013!<br />
As this Christmas season comes upon us I found this quote from Max Lucado that I love - "<span class="userContent">God became a man so we could trust him, became a sacrifice so we could know him, & defeated death so we could follow him." May these words touch your heart in a deep and meaningful way this season as we celebrate our Savior's birth and His blessings in our lives.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent">Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!</span><br />
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<span class="userContent">Love always,</span><br />
<span class="userContent">The Padilla Family</span></div>
Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-54104084518016039082011-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:002011-12-04T17:30:10.791-08:00~ 2011 Highlights ~<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6KanF5TrMAdb3aHMeRAus3teyphlVvpZDOASsuJQDFV6EaEDJeKrG05HSm9J87hv_q096EQ6ksE45raZQ8VRsW8Xy6Z9ZbYoFMMWoJ3-TmVkHbOz4GslPEbj5aEokxMW5QyGB_yNb9vu/s1600/Padilla+Family-12e.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682445780134344898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6KanF5TrMAdb3aHMeRAus3teyphlVvpZDOASsuJQDFV6EaEDJeKrG05HSm9J87hv_q096EQ6ksE45raZQ8VRsW8Xy6Z9ZbYoFMMWoJ3-TmVkHbOz4GslPEbj5aEokxMW5QyGB_yNb9vu/s200/Padilla+Family-12e.jpg" border="0" /></a>From our family to yours...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">*Merry Christmas & Happy New Year*<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center">Looking back, 2011 was full of some great memories that we'd like to share with you.<br /><br />January~</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681027799345928850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhe95GtrGHXDWBOhVIOiINPBSq0x48uTlNcCFURfzBKU_nIpy5wKYyDKX_-A1B29rpTTqfH7G5eXuksE_2m_15PFZYwHJCY5M8nHjWgnQxoinhKxA6_VkARIHh04dbo01Cho2-Gp0ZptZ/s200/IMG_5845.JPG" border="0" />~Reunited with our SoCal Ghana families for some laughs, stories and playing~Adopted a new puppy, Coco, to join Tux, our older pup~Reece, Ama, and Shayley start Hip Hop classes~Reece continues piano classes with Mr.Ellis & daddy as his midweek tutor~ Mo attends a SDSU basketball game with his AGO bros(after 20 yrs!)<br /><br />February<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681034305429354498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpT9yYgjw12UisfeHbfWYp00MQOWtIb2BBBY8TnGiDZuw9qJDK8AObztebUrUbEVggnd-IwvZez0R6GbkAHG3rcE8-PZ-cg3QeVmZsPcHrt5qL6_5G_I7N9bo6fX4fFXvzBHdLmUQsVSv/s200/IMG_5903.JPG" border="0" /> Ama & Jonathan become U.S. citizens at the Certificate of Citizenship Ceremony in L.A.~Bekah celebrates Oscar Night with her girlfriends~Our first family trip to Santa Monica pier for rides, food and pictures~Bekah continues to be a Hands On Art Docent in the kids' classes~<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center">March</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681414695608810658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaxF8PxvdgPOax05A7xRAy2TAAHIij0TLu1g2Vq_J-r4_Eg0zo1urdbffbolHePH7STKiwS2CBPDglCuvzNTQ5fuRBrnMxgX9TmAV1WIFVTdSPVuNNoS19vJ4rrinJIH3CEowO5iKwEWK/s200/IMG_6237.JPG" border="0" /> ~ Jonathan turns the Big *4* ~Shayley receives award for Speech Contest competition ~Family night at the Clipper game (with time on the court shooting baskets after the game!) ~Family hike in Malibu with Journey Outdoor Enthusiasts (waterfalls, climbing rocks, and bears, oh my! kidding on the bears part) ~<br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><br />April<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681417506653871954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguELuvbgajTyh_UlBr2bHuWgwcDmQ0KiKwvOfhmjDU3dDrupkfHyaxnVBMt5cpPAEaMysEZsEhvbT9QH9SIbDsJgrD_FlZHsACx4MlrVApZ6dQuo6VpZacULH8Ymr9BpsxFsxAq1d0YbOo/s200/IMG_7019.JPG" border="0" /> Ama & Rebekah celebrate birthdays (Ama...12 Mommy...21) ~Trip to Hume Lake with Grama, beautiful springtime ~Rebekah continues to lead Women's Bible Study morning worship with her songbirds(tweet!) ~Go-kart racing at Journey of Faith Vrrooooooooom ~<br /></p><br /><br /><p align="center">May</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682426492251845250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MUsmcOfXO8tsRw5QWMf-kM43QScrrKfdicoXLwMmdQzNHkhLSdGfbCBHETFxd2KjOL3vmHpfLeo1WRp5x5EX8ciFjceNTZSrTE3KLX-WaQLhiR41R_PrEGy8KNjSOQ-2mriz3Id2HlLw/s200/100_0458.JPG" border="0" /> Mother-Daughter trip to San Luis Obispo and the Strawberry Festival in Arroyo Grande~ Father-Son trip to San Diego and Sea World~Ama and Shayley perform in the Spring Musical <em><strong>Promise U</strong></em> at Journey of Faith~Mom, Ama & Shayley sing with the Mother's Day Choir, both girls had solos! ~<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><br />June <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682430103321110706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1mjgUy3TgPWrnanDe3M9BkvuJHlb3MmA_9qSVtSypKvlBqotTlcuNu5VYkXn7qKX8WhQrmADLAniMCNOwajlESbGzlroxLNFfb73mHLM4kaf96s8QdNw3ih1DNF06jnNxet9bR_JrTLu/s200/IMG_7709.JPG" border="0" /> Shayley celebrates her 10th birthday~Family trip to Orlando,FL (Kennedy Space Center, Disneyworld, Gatorland...and lots of relaxing by the pool)~Recycling continues as we raise support for the children in Ghana, Africa (over $1300 to date!)<br /><br /><br />July</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682431268137893490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Pj_aiYvpIp0MhyhSYyMXmluRHmINHCFnSzbMDY4AZ04U411luANxL8iqS3ZXWoJDRrFiPf3SFEYyyFZDT-RzYyHss3PGq4BEBwPt5BiJt616UusXp9wQ2jY28i2-CTypsV79FaAQb_WB/s200/cropped.jpg" border="0" />We celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary by planting a Japanese Cherry Tree together in the backyard~Kids start daily swim lessons at The Torrance Plunge~Bekah starts her first Zummmba class(fun!)~Beach Dayz in Hermosa~AGO Fraternity Reunion with Mo's (aka Ozzie) bros and families~A quiet weekend for Bekah in Palm Springs~S'mores & bonfire with friends~<br /><br />August<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682433780862236674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOdsdCEO5m586OZGEvLa43jc8fUJ1Rva1ckJChG60c5VvlbjPY00L93xXhQaamGv766mH19Q2Fw_fUqUJC0wQJwh4Yff7sqrUdwP683jFg5XbO8zZ5qzDIQElHH3VzLgpz6sGhhA0UDpf/s200/IMG_8308.JPG" border="0" /> Mo swims the 2-mile Pier to Pier event (HB to MB), in just over 1 hour~Ama involved with junior high Beach n Bible Study, Hume Lake Camp and Beach Days~ Reece celebrates his 7th birthday~Hume Lake with the Cusick family (rowing to the cove, playing at the pool, hikes, games, good food & garden stones)~<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">September</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682434960160009986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4aHulG-BKLiGfAMR7h15BQENZ8Z5UtxZdLJaEO8mTEorXoui6al4qcCm8Z28icFujkJrvDwqXR1zKMQ4RUKGomaejQRDDG84A2tKbgDJcbrtisKRiOiR2O-cVXT7NDcHtTmDxz6zuvWN/s200/IMG_8334.JPG" border="0" /> School starts for all four kids at Ascension Lutheran School~Shayley & Reece start gymnastic classes~Shayley starts piano lessons~Mo does Century Bike Ride from Irvine to San Diego~Ama starts volleyball games at school~Family Bike & Skate party at school~Reece attends his first baseball game (Angels) with his buddy Elijah~Mo & Bekah take a trip to San Clemente for some R&R&R (Rest, Relaxation...and Romance)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center">October<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682436206406539122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit9Hj5xDKJ5sa1Wocw3SxKIMzHOzQ-b5F2pr7T6Rl-VhiDDHnqbcM75pN9yAncf3jwTsInNA0s1I-CC91r_ol4GGbplFt4IB8ZIVTdTtYP8Nf2P4Wsf0vJO8Hym7-jiqU2OEP2Lds3fVp/s200/IMG_8378.JPG" border="0" /> Shayley goes to camp (1st time!) with her 5th grade class to Forest Home~Ama continues to participate in Super Servant Saturdays with her church junior high group, Ignite~Mo celebrates his birthday at Pirate Adventure Dinner Theatre~Ama and Daddy have a date night at K-1 Speed, vroooooom~Mo and Bekah getaway to SLO for bike rides, dinner dates, Jazz Fest in Paso Robles~pumpkin carving, costumes and trick or treating<br /><br />November<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682437574963954594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3VeCUf8VE4OH1s-6CkRTH0SanhhQk2PT62otYUUxpONB9xgYTgFyYFC2FMsCu0beSYv3tfO_nce0dC1Yecr1eQQfmo49n2M_jOJv6J566l3UiTqWhcIAy3Icc-bitHkmnGVnXK3jlbY0/s200/Photo1750.jpg" border="0" /> Family concert with the Watoto children's choir from Uganda~Reece & Shayley start Kids Choir at Journey of Faith with daddy as their choir leader~Mo and Bekah getaway to Palm Desert for a couple days~Ama attends the Purity Event with her Ignite group~Attend neighbor Shane & Van's wedding in Palos Verdes~celebrate Thanksgiving with family at Auntie Lindsey's house<br /><br />December<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682438920017788690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW-8GD6gFEXB2aJE4br1suVxZpW9GIT2aXDarZzPpBaD_cZ1T8VRW9mq_KUJC41FEzTVYxjic1YfNyXA8eo0e2ILfjqMUGZQpyYWzR2yUmQJuFfw6s_KboOCMyoyGD8_-lV3EfgIcjQ7u/s200/IMG_8644.JPG" border="0" /> Ama starts playing soccer for school~Santa visits our street during our family/friends s'mores night~Winter Wonderland at Journey of Faith (20 tons of snow!)~Christmas parties & teas, Hoedown and Tree Trimming at Ascension Lutheran School~Family trip to Hume Lake with Grama for New Years<br /><br />We *celebrate* the birth of our Savior this season, so thankful for God's faithfulness and perfect grace in our lives,<br /></p><br /><br /><div align="center">The Padilla Family</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-61523984269001200452011-01-04T08:59:00.000-08:002011-01-10T10:07:00.001-08:00*Padilla familia 2010 at-a-glance*<div align="right"><span style="color:#000099;">Happy New Year</span> from our family to yours!! So much for getting this out with our Christmas cards last month. But, better late than never, right? So here we go, 2010 <em>highlights</em> at-a-glance...<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558396588422005298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTt332HKQj1lwM1N3MfuBfnsm3WF8VYeWIKSZRn_i7jmUmvkb7b9ykh1HVZa6Wyl3vnQ9J5PYs92luQBkpiZFxLDCMRVgPeKrgYoFSZ_TY_rA_ezmLFqQk4kldSdCUp1MCtgEacloUzq19/s200/cropped+2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>January</strong>-Returned from our very snowy trip to Hume Lake, ready to start fresh * Girls have sewing sessions with Aunti Ali (my sis) and made some cute doll outfits * Classes continue: piano for Reece, hip hop for girls and Sylvan tutoring for Ama*</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558378395371044850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i5dWkIpko9avUwa2OKKot4GuRRSm5zqqJHAGhGsS00DWcFy1HvNp00qwvNvMCzqi5QNL8zh-0_qcYqpqeb47OYfJPdMJxNjofuwf59kgaEqejoO7yCy2CEowJLtPpk3FYfrGQTiuxdYL/s200/IMG_2601.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>February </strong>- fun trip to San Luis Obispo with Ama & Shayley, visiting the SLO Mission, bubblegum alley and Apple Farm * Mo and Bekah continue to serve on worship team at church (vocals, keys) * Ghana families from SoCal meet in San Diego for some fun & grub* Bekah starts leading worship time for Womens Bible Study* </p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558380989005632306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwhA7eE2PCIzgmNHLG1ZF9Lr-hqFAVlNlUvSpxH24NwJ6nzIsQdxUWsXq39A6mVmfcD-RphQBHynbOYqA2YLETdcg6b2lG7EwXKENUDVUmkGXpSPJqsa7QEwkd_B3zS2iUkHzOLRGWXsY/s200/IMG_2867.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><strong>March</strong> - Bekah continues to be Hands On Art docent in the 3 older kids classes * Jonathan turns 3 with a Race Car birthday party * Shayley enters Speech Contest and receives a ribbon* Shayley gets her braces on * Bekah presents nutrition class at ECE Conference*</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558383324466294050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggDgfN-DHVKNeO_zAeqBWZPoWCNPLegovnsT99lFjrJY34fyjnWMDHNFLCaETtgWH5XHThVz-Uwrm_4b1tNd3I-egKxPCiMUVFN-CXLoHlXroFJeIbBzc1QPFn4I4v_JkMxvXdxykcMNVS/s200/IMG_3126.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>April</strong> - Trip to Hume Lake during Easter break, more snow * Ama starts volleyball * Ama turns 11 with a trip to the American Girl store*</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558384602363000674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIdNOk6nGxZg94eHlpQX89PTeIhUiE6SgM9pI_p3OGTJJSbGZFNRvYPLoDDRRCa3TtCnVdNodkepCCWsxXrY10W_W7dRqjAwkeLy_6KgARcESyjNVDsbq9C9QF_ia-le4BjxmT7IPn8YU/s200/IMG_3342.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>May</strong> - Girls perform in the stomp musical <em>Joseph, From the Pit to the Palace</em> * Bekah heads up to Hume to help Grama get ready for summer renters, clean, clean, clean * Bekah assists with makeup in <em>Journey Show</em> at church *<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558386792442691602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCNGNVsVjJ0K90GJIKPl2Cjkk1lCcxWmfkivyU_6Vv82-xktcHYpNW4PK2bZZECOY8_sgUBhtpnwObH-kw9Ey89x4HDOxRLL0MoaYwPgB-okHKRErX7aWuk1sLgGs07VuUO2rIOKsqDbV/s200/IMG_3539.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><strong>June</strong> - Celebration of Grami & Papi's 50th Wedding Anniversary with friends and family * Shayley turns 9 with a party at Color Me Mine art studio * Date nights with kids continue (ice-skating, bowling, movies) *<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558388539939828322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpERfqxOTaaDOxc9ZlSpsSX6ipOccUxtG9-aLDWiHPUXKvXZzEnlhJKjXTyGDGj0gaN9yjoBWfyda_nOS37WYCskFwtrp_dqniPX5Al5WOKMHkYflCopIqhRKJmP3IEb01oGWWsRAgS2cT/s200/IMG_3659.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><strong>July</strong> - Celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in San Francisco while the kids stayed with Grama Richman & Grami Padilla * Beach Days * Pool Days* 4th of July party * Swim lessons start * campout in the backyard *summer reading program at the library * piano & dance classes * museums, puppet shows * Bekah continues to work on Saturdays teaching nutrition at Clinica Medica Hispana *</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558389763464527698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUB5omGrQ45cPrt2ZQDMeIAzeDHJ09JpG15t22L1P0ATfEgEsz_KJuGVcuwSFPkwAtanNRg0eJg_nZeLw4Kjv3WNKApX5cKvW4FOBvC6xbD30miwAzt9CQNDW6bzIUICheIiP4bHP2mqr/s200/IMG_4130.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>August</strong> - Reece turns 6 with a visit to Medieval Times * Recycling cans/bottles for supporting Christ Outreach Orphange in Ghana begins * Labor Day weekend trip to Hume Lake, sunshine *</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558390867109758866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNypddffrGvtHj1oAPX1GwgBoQC3RMA0BeOnre0IhOHC6CnD1R8nLDYcIri7sAymWUsA-hHJzZVYpLueLj58lD0lE1qLAvrWs_PVtmEGevQ7k77otCyubrG7fdc7hYFTKpKaJd1mosKCe/s200/IMG_4483.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>September</strong> - Mo does the Century bike ride and finishes! * School starts; Ama enters 5th, Shayley enters 4th, Reece enters Kindergarten, and Jonathan starts preschool *</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558391534307359010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdGn01L0jBPdlg7ghuu7D8HCtmt3EKg_3l4IVwStNL1NCflAAsZC1nUQLIvvTwGtrvoMZ4c7k6OdgocY05aUAj1d1g2n79Y8lBa7HwusRWuXpOn5yZejOGwJ1cXBeg-O4tWww5FuRj0Wt/s200/IMG_4661.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><strong>October</strong> - Bekah attends 20 year high school reunion * Mo takes kids to first Galaxy soccer game * Pumpkin carving * Harvest party at Ascension Lutheran * First donation to Ghana orphange buys textbooks *</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558393235487547666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAx90EVMhxmRHvWoYMMxFGoQ7KhjQTlZd4ZRQNUfSJYcOyMdNN1TbiVwieENjSPFu7OQZhj3g4mOKazyrPyMfX07_y6KE1bdxlzCwF7vpDEMD_b2nl9ncgmi365ILzkc7NtQfqqphcA8y/s200/IMG_4874.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>November </strong>- Amaleah & Jonathan become U.S. Citizens * Ama accepts Jesus as her personal Savior * Trip to SLO town with college friends * Girls Dance Show * Hume Lake with Valladares Family (first snow!) *</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558394848174650146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lm2wZV13Mc4mX752E6AADaXgXQuEbiULmfddAbOw4fu-N0WwAvR_CLvjG8PGKFqSHMi4t2rXpcnkIplC8ZWEsnMWeiFf2PgcZgpt8Q1iT3L3ClrPWOgfvv_xiS2U8stN7OUDYuE_-pgv/s200/IMG_5110.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>December</strong> - Ama gets her hair braided * Re-Adoption Day for Padilla fam December 23 * Christmas! * 2nd donation to orphanage buys food supplies & a goat for Christmas dinner * The Grove in Santa Monica with 4 kids & their AG dolls * Ethiopian food for the first time * NY Eve Party with friends*</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558395787186403602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASPfohrczz67Jq4rgwhneHVTJC-APWBxrRPGvxSTdRcnH0ZzxIy0aYlOqgtGSZlhJKY0yHCtX-dfu0Q3vCJ-WTd3uieNrdR6cOAV6vlGOquI326RdBuHDGFA-qmzXP8uAoz-ZL-dAIvRR/s200/IMG_5799.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="color:#330099;">Wishing you lots of special memories & God's indescribable peace in 2011*<br /><br /></span></p><p align="center"></p>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-1669926403900774092010-12-27T22:12:00.000-08:002010-12-27T22:38:37.674-08:00Rice, oil, water and .... a goat!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PsRmLZdfbrIZ-180MpvUXEYM0qLp4bKKZejIn5E1Nww2FgzrUNE6E7c4MYv2sDf4l1i_CSjOHvKA-BpEOkEewdA3T5hK2ZjweN-1Q7Z1hE_FWDh6XrHeu7vY42uQxxv3Y-Hg7ysvfoMs/s1600/IMG_5118.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555618214108568242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PsRmLZdfbrIZ-180MpvUXEYM0qLp4bKKZejIn5E1Nww2FgzrUNE6E7c4MYv2sDf4l1i_CSjOHvKA-BpEOkEewdA3T5hK2ZjweN-1Q7Z1hE_FWDh6XrHeu7vY42uQxxv3Y-Hg7ysvfoMs/s320/IMG_5118.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7W4RnYot_9qyPJkHhDc9G_baYKDMXplussgCSzfR8aw9ZnRnJ5Z-SItKySXMvax5aUtQKoEI0Eqm7W0EwtDyHe8lMWeki0M_gj7triiEPWL6y7CepkPn8Hbk9yTA6P0cGPN63qk4KcF7/s1600/Christ+Outreach+Dec+10+%25234+-+FTO.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555618208912404514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7W4RnYot_9qyPJkHhDc9G_baYKDMXplussgCSzfR8aw9ZnRnJ5Z-SItKySXMvax5aUtQKoEI0Eqm7W0EwtDyHe8lMWeki0M_gj7triiEPWL6y7CepkPn8Hbk9yTA6P0cGPN63qk4KcF7/s320/Christ+Outreach+Dec+10+%25234+-+FTO.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>We have an exciting update* Since late August we've been able to raise over $550 by recycling cans and bottles, with the help of our recycling team (neighbors, family, school, work). We posted awhile back (Oct) that we were able to help Christ Outreach Orphanage in Ghana buy textbooks for their school. Recently, our recycling fund contributed to some much needed groceries that the orphanage requested: rice, tomatoes, minerals, oil, pasta, salt, a goat, and water. Here is a picture of some of the people at the orphanage with their goods. What an incredible blessing to have so many people on board with us in this endeavor, we are truly grateful for their support. And for our kids to know that their family is being supported (and fed!) in Ghana is just priceless, such a beautiful gift. In November, our kid's school, Ascension Lutheran, had a can/bottle drive to bring in as many recycleables as possible in order to help us raise money for the orphanage. They managed to bring in over 3,200 bottles/cans which raised over $200, great job for a very small private school :-) We posted a pic here of what our garage looked like after bringing all those bags home. </div><br /><div>Psalm 10:17-18 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-634922271077023702010-12-21T21:45:00.000-08:002010-12-27T22:40:12.337-08:00<p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy4KGDXkXCkCHpUZ88Yy99TbtvLaRWllT-ezSReNOjHckAN6752YUwiTvYxaus-Op3BP24D6qXca8SAaGUq4g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>During our church service last month our family was featured in the Giving Thanks video. We're so grateful for this opportunity to share our story with our church family and now YOU! We had some fun making the video too with the media guys and felt like moviestars for about an hour as the bright lights and camera equipment circled around our living room. Enjoy! </p>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-3590359842245531622010-12-11T08:41:00.000-08:002010-12-11T08:51:43.003-08:00A Christmas Gift - 7 hours in the making*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6qXxMXIod22qWqooEglmWxa63OdZ64bO38w0tEwMkY69mFk2yL4tY2FQ70XwtPZjHIFpWPPr6zAfGRnUUljYb8ieVnaS7tFquI_AV5L7SjtfX0saBFMt4OVdZQ9ci81jW67fNmQanWTW/s1600/IMG_5296.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549468021309425762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6qXxMXIod22qWqooEglmWxa63OdZ64bO38w0tEwMkY69mFk2yL4tY2FQ70XwtPZjHIFpWPPr6zAfGRnUUljYb8ieVnaS7tFquI_AV5L7SjtfX0saBFMt4OVdZQ9ci81jW67fNmQanWTW/s320/IMG_5296.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC9X7HszaiFgcx_k6dTsQwzAH8vkvcVwcT9GwHc8imz2Nr4X1dPY3d6OLXgxCH_fsYd5LRePZtIOGkwjPO1069uAjZ1QVetJhZB3Xhq_3N6gR0yDQyVDskGmXjZzr2qVwm2-Sj3urfzfM/s1600/IMG_5282.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549468011446893138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC9X7HszaiFgcx_k6dTsQwzAH8vkvcVwcT9GwHc8imz2Nr4X1dPY3d6OLXgxCH_fsYd5LRePZtIOGkwjPO1069uAjZ1QVetJhZB3Xhq_3N6gR0yDQyVDskGmXjZzr2qVwm2-Sj3urfzfM/s320/IMG_5282.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>A dear friend from the kid's school offered to pay to have her friend, Lydia, braid Ama's hair last weekend, as a Christmas gift to her. Ama, to say the least, was very excited about this :-) So after about seven hours of braiding (and sitting for Ama!) she had a full head of beautiful braids! What a thoughtful and generous gift, thank you Mrs.Madu and Ms.Lydia!!</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-46651103670044945422010-11-01T13:09:00.001-07:002010-11-01T13:12:42.589-07:00BOOOOOO!!(slideshow below) We had lots of fun carving pumpkins the day before halloween!! We all dressed up on halloween to do a little 'neighborly' trick or treating and then off to Ascension Lutheran School for the Fall Festival. Lots of fun games, a bounce house, food, cake walks, costume parade and trunk or treating. We dressed up our car with a luau theme for T&T'ing...our version of a little bit of paradise :) and WON 2nd place!Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-26933464916970542642010-11-01T13:08:00.001-07:002010-11-01T13:08:47.390-07:00<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff"><tr><td><a href="http://smilebox.com/play/4d546b354d6a63324f54593d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="303" alt="Click to play this Smilebox slideshow" src="http://smilebox.com/snap/4d546b354d6a63324f54593d0d0a.jpg" style="border: medium none ;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/?partner=smilebox&campaign=blog_snapshot" target="_blank"><img width="386" height="46" alt="Create your own slideshow - Powered by Smilebox" src="http://www.smilebox.com/globalImages/blogInstructions/blogLogoSmileboxSmall.gif" style="border: medium none ;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.smilebox.com/slideshows/photoSharing/" target="_blank">Free slideshow</a> generated with Smilebox</td></tr></table>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-91161307928770009452010-10-04T19:53:00.000-07:002010-10-14T20:31:20.181-07:00Turning trash into text books<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwv6dlU-pae9nWnpsbGl72DdMNZ-nXLH2mn3wMxyt145gjJZ4uwvawQ4g5QDOXqlcEpKyakb6wUzpqy46ePHxdnoqhT8-STtFLCQCIpsz2S32UefPBwymihlBb-5iRkW-HcJkwHB_Utjd/s1600/percy+062+(2)_0001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524400475732231794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwv6dlU-pae9nWnpsbGl72DdMNZ-nXLH2mn3wMxyt145gjJZ4uwvawQ4g5QDOXqlcEpKyakb6wUzpqy46ePHxdnoqhT8-STtFLCQCIpsz2S32UefPBwymihlBb-5iRkW-HcJkwHB_Utjd/s320/percy+062+(2)_0001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdSj9IlrmYHf_yLZqw15Fkim9ZlJ4fO-xOMtNMVzdYPGYS3njo2NPRzncDsHsDksgDViKrSiY7bEG14ntUhC0vZ-gUZiE3_5MLPRpcQ3p3maIzn8cGhOIPKDZgNXH7aPZ60T1emihAour/s1600/IMG_4454.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524400469087165522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdSj9IlrmYHf_yLZqw15Fkim9ZlJ4fO-xOMtNMVzdYPGYS3njo2NPRzncDsHsDksgDViKrSiY7bEG14ntUhC0vZ-gUZiE3_5MLPRpcQ3p3maIzn8cGhOIPKDZgNXH7aPZ60T1emihAour/s320/IMG_4454.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyenwW2faXb7PeqP5gcPR-32cZJhfYDHBCghjLXNHHkXwWdYcgBS7xKOH-bCHN2acGmYOg0Sni5BSGITPgPebVqQRHSqATUIfgXEhmCnTSL6wSlRtkkgUfoka6I29EevJpgT6DkbXL6Cx9/s1600/IMG_4451.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524400467763453970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyenwW2faXb7PeqP5gcPR-32cZJhfYDHBCghjLXNHHkXwWdYcgBS7xKOH-bCHN2acGmYOg0Sni5BSGITPgPebVqQRHSqATUIfgXEhmCnTSL6wSlRtkkgUfoka6I29EevJpgT6DkbXL6Cx9/s320/IMG_4451.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcJtzMdYzcK6KSsDVQqlMobXq0Wvs2rn5q4MADYDigyWXzDqupLBG6cSdIGS1OE35mNpNhtJq3zzImuokWjJs4UP8tDaGfzv5oFFxZ5pVoD2CrmDZq9LRg4O05p1V6MA8bYrGq6bOnkW7/s1600/IMG_4449.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524400463699648418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcJtzMdYzcK6KSsDVQqlMobXq0Wvs2rn5q4MADYDigyWXzDqupLBG6cSdIGS1OE35mNpNhtJq3zzImuokWjJs4UP8tDaGfzv5oFFxZ5pVoD2CrmDZq9LRg4O05p1V6MA8bYrGq6bOnkW7/s320/IMG_4449.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I'm so excited as I write this post, I wish my fingers could type faster and my thoughts would slow down :-) Since August, our kids have been collecting cans and bottles from friends and neighbors, co-workers and family, in order to recycle them for money to give to charity. So far they've earned over $180!! It's truly amazing that our once small effort of going around to about 8-10 neighbors has turned into a much bigger and unexpected blessing than we'd ever imagined. God has a way of doing that, doesn't He. As I mentioned, we started out by going to some of our neighbors with the hopes that they would save their empty cans/bottles and we would come back every other sunday to collect them. Many of them have graciously jumped on board and been saving their recycleables for us, even dropping them off on our porch sometimes to our pleasant surprise! How many times have you heard your kids shout for joy when they drive up and see a trash bag sitting on their lawn or porch? (uh huh, thot so) Well, our kids do. They know better. Because inside that trash bag is money, in their eyes. Money for those in need. The first time they went to the recycling center to cash in their cans/bottles (pic above) they saw firsthand how what was once trash was turning into money and eventually textbooks for the kids at Christ Outreach Orphanage in Ghana (once home for Jonathan & Amaleah), pic above, Ama's Grama Rose in dress on right; Ama's sister Olivia in red shirt on left side. Soon, some of our family was handing us bags of bottles/cans and once word got around at my husband's work of what we were doing, his co-workers started saving them too (even the janitor!). Then, the cherry on top was this afternoon when I received a call from Ama's teacher saying that the teachers at school decided that they would dedicate Nat'l Make A Difference Day (October 23) to our cause, asking all the families at school to bring in their cans/bottles to support our orphanage in Ghana. WOW!! How does the old adage go...be careful what you wish for?? At times, our garage is overflowing with cans/bottles, but we couldn't be happier. We are truly humbled by the outpowering of support we've received from so many people. Something tells me that we will never look at an empty bottle or can the same again, in fact, I'm confident we won't. On more than one occasion one of our kids will see a disregarded can/bottle sitting somewhere and I can see a light turn on in their eyes as they go to grab it ;-) Because that 5 or 10 cents that it's worth to us is priceless in the hands of a young orphan who was just handed a brand new book or fresh drinking water, or maybe even the only meal they will have that day. </div></div></div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-55273547833951517762010-08-24T17:36:00.000-07:002010-10-12T13:27:43.662-07:00Six years ago....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBYZ1MFyG0qCsj2Q3e8ru4CgYzU1lQDrlEinbDGAqOGpMfno6KAKJzdy0d1nVuHRU9Q4GQ256cR9h0X_WSW1qi4zxR2yCSQUSmOIV4j0Zbeh_obyVYGL3DpfzPeDl7AVsLsvFChcBZxgM/s1600/IMG_4539.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527258891599879074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBYZ1MFyG0qCsj2Q3e8ru4CgYzU1lQDrlEinbDGAqOGpMfno6KAKJzdy0d1nVuHRU9Q4GQ256cR9h0X_WSW1qi4zxR2yCSQUSmOIV4j0Zbeh_obyVYGL3DpfzPeDl7AVsLsvFChcBZxgM/s200/IMG_4539.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQhJrAmlYFVJS08BcHxpuCnWguxL-0CQEvsKUAXNVRmvMZGexyqUSWKDAxo7tD0rGjn4C9g74a40ftp9I-bIEvSHzg6WcPCahSm_42Hb1ci4Ggm6rUWQtoOA25pkqmNDlcEzPhormAWwd/s1600/IMG_4483.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527258889554747794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQhJrAmlYFVJS08BcHxpuCnWguxL-0CQEvsKUAXNVRmvMZGexyqUSWKDAxo7tD0rGjn4C9g74a40ftp9I-bIEvSHzg6WcPCahSm_42Hb1ci4Ggm6rUWQtoOA25pkqmNDlcEzPhormAWwd/s200/IMG_4483.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbkBA7oH78PG9LQ8YUVFtBl7d2UsUHyF6okvqKRNCOaPNmW5aQSXzO4BoDsS4jMKfGcDTc1B5IK-vZd0hi9rMNSu6ZxaX26tUm_h5an1e3xGzlYjWdlcoqVYhbOpljn8O0O7aotBbyYw-/s1600/IMG_4456.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527258879349436290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbkBA7oH78PG9LQ8YUVFtBl7d2UsUHyF6okvqKRNCOaPNmW5aQSXzO4BoDsS4jMKfGcDTc1B5IK-vZd0hi9rMNSu6ZxaX26tUm_h5an1e3xGzlYjWdlcoqVYhbOpljn8O0O7aotBbyYw-/s200/IMG_4456.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwGOO0dT0zX3QANK2rAAYeKrFVqTNkldP6bL534BiUWdqCRIHhgqogHFj9NjtN6xZIN0YaKVpgv1DfOZ3bNiqP6moDvEdjPDqllImdfJ73C-jg81iZaIy3u7PCaCsZnTpEbr-lBRx3xQM/s1600/IMG_4436.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527258876657638258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwGOO0dT0zX3QANK2rAAYeKrFVqTNkldP6bL534BiUWdqCRIHhgqogHFj9NjtN6xZIN0YaKVpgv1DfOZ3bNiqP6moDvEdjPDqllImdfJ73C-jg81iZaIy3u7PCaCsZnTpEbr-lBRx3xQM/s200/IMG_4436.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>On August 21, 2004 our little guy made his entrance into the world...Reece David Padilla! Life has certainly not been the same since that day :-). We celebrated his 6th birthday starting with a birthday breakfast of pancakes (thank you daddy) and some family presents: scuba mask, superhero shirt, homemade cards from the girls, Lego sets and a plane. Reece chose to celebrate at Medieval Times for dinner that night with his friend Glorien. If you've never been there, you need to go with your kids, it's a treat... step back in time with epic battles, jousting tournaments, a royal feast, knights and romance~ Inside the stone walls of an 11th century castle, Medieval Spain came to life as six knights clashed in a jousting tournament for the title of King's Champion - and our Knight won (Black n White)!! It was a fun evening for us to share together. We also invited our family over the next day to celebrate over an Italian dinner (the bday boy's request)...lasagna, garlic bread, salad and watermelon, and of course a huge cake with a football across it to top it off. The cousins had a great time running around and shooting some hoops. Always a special time to have the family together. Safe to say that Reece felt "celebrated" this year, by the looks on his face. We love our little boy from the inside out, growing up so quickly but still 100% kid in every way. Reece, your enthusiasm and humor in life reminds us to live each day ALIVE, not taking anything or anyone for granted. We thank God for you and love you lots Reecie Reece*</div></div></div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-83501293531339312342010-06-14T14:30:00.001-07:002010-06-14T14:47:17.168-07:00Shayley Grace turns NINE!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7Un9YJE4CIeNyYo46b0p0bEYG6BkPHhDwEmQoPH0sQxg4uh0JoRQv8XUs0-0ULaBgiuUQuAlJJ1exVqfrHK0YKUbxL2adKGHNMW7wXSEL7Ks5RsPkLuucCIPTTpQCrX_uf4axf3wPc9/s1600/IMG_3662.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482749211323023202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPh7Un9YJE4CIeNyYo46b0p0bEYG6BkPHhDwEmQoPH0sQxg4uh0JoRQv8XUs0-0ULaBgiuUQuAlJJ1exVqfrHK0YKUbxL2adKGHNMW7wXSEL7Ks5RsPkLuucCIPTTpQCrX_uf4axf3wPc9/s320/IMG_3662.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-g-FJLwIUREym9lK5Vi6PVP5DuvKiLeUE-0734mW17jpUnlHX058ROlTZTxI9UflemFdyMi6DEK6ICRHYWV5JrOyq6W-EcCrdb6tsl4MCZ6X-D2klJi8-MDjqtkpiy0LBmM_U9nymMupk/s1600/IMG_3700.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482748235024630082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-g-FJLwIUREym9lK5Vi6PVP5DuvKiLeUE-0734mW17jpUnlHX058ROlTZTxI9UflemFdyMi6DEK6ICRHYWV5JrOyq6W-EcCrdb6tsl4MCZ6X-D2klJi8-MDjqtkpiy0LBmM_U9nymMupk/s320/IMG_3700.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that it has already been 9 years since our sweet Shayley girl entered our lives. Arriving via C-section in the early morning hours on June 7, she came out with a full head of curly black hair (sure this is MY kid??). Our lives certainly changed at that moment, becoming parents for the first time. Of course, changed for the better :-). Shayley continues to amaze us with her compassion and kindness for others, the way she has embraced her new siblings, and her giftedness in art. Speaking of art, she took about 7 of her closest girlfriends to an art studio called Color Me Mine to celebrate her 9th bday. Check out the slideshow above. They had a wonderful time painting their ceramic pieces and devouring their huge cupcakes. As we celebrate your life Shayley, we also thank God for the testimony your life is to us as your parents. Love Love Love You Shayley Bayley, Shayley Shoo, sweetie pie!!</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-16301178841747993502010-04-28T10:05:00.000-07:002010-04-28T12:30:04.804-07:00Amaleah's first birthday in America!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGgkv3eX_UOV1w7nfjxP6IdUIMSfaXZfIoWzkCr6APE7up7W8m1dl08fysVsL7ygJFS7EO1p1OeVV5xGT3iX19CTl4A5UXdyEp-oEngXsdzvNfpRfDnIXKdVXgsMEy5WDZFJWle3pMr1u/s1600/IMG_3339.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465245264649178082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGgkv3eX_UOV1w7nfjxP6IdUIMSfaXZfIoWzkCr6APE7up7W8m1dl08fysVsL7ygJFS7EO1p1OeVV5xGT3iX19CTl4A5UXdyEp-oEngXsdzvNfpRfDnIXKdVXgsMEy5WDZFJWle3pMr1u/s320/IMG_3339.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>(slideshow above) Yesterday, April 27, our daughter Ama turned 11 and we spent most of the day celebrating! A couple days before we also took Ama, best friend Ayanna and Shayley to the American Girl Cafe/Store at The Grove in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, it was also Ama's American Girl doll, Molly's birthday on April 25 so they had a double celebration ;-) It was the first time to AG Place for Amaleah and Ayanna so they were in for a treat. Ayanna also bought an American Girl Just Like Me doll that day and named her Summer. We spent some time doing a craft when we arrived, the Molly Stand Up Star Craft, and then the girls wanted to get their dolls ears pierced. We visited the doll hospital (yep you read that right) to make sure they were "healthy" and everything checked out fine. Then we looked around the store and they bought a few things for their dolls like outfits and the Molly movie. At 4pm we had a birthday tea for Ama and her doll Molly. Some of the treats we shared were blueberry scones, herbed cream cheese & ham/cheese sandwiches, egg salad daisies, turkey stars, chocolate-dipped cheesecake and a chocolate mousse flowerpot to top it off. It was a special day with great memories. On the 27th, we celebrated with a birthday breakfast and then for dinner we invited the family to join us at Joe's Crab Shack. There were buckets of crab, lobster and shrimp that all 23 of us gobbled up. Then our servers dressed up Ama as the Birthday Fairy and had her flutter around to the other tables to shower them with birthday magic. It was lots of fun and laughs and Ama was a good sport to put up with the fun. A wonderful evening and so encouraging to see all of our family there to support our sweet Ama at her first American birthday party. Ama, the past 8 months have been amazing watching you adjust so beautifully and embrace the changes in your life. You are an inspiration to so many people. We are so excited to watch how God moves in your life as you continue to live out your Faith. Your gentle spirit and strength is a testimony to your love for Jesus. We couldn't be more proud of you and we're so blessed and humbled that we have been chosen to be your family, we love you more than words. Happy Birthday precious girl, Mommy</div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-4042075786807141692010-03-21T11:38:00.000-07:002010-03-21T13:30:22.568-07:00*Double Celebration*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGhNwCKtpnnj6E2V5siMyoaLHtfMpWgWDoZ32db86GwglNC5QoEEcSFbrAmsyWAweyw7MNMhATphUuVhJnHmYB6fjVLZiwfL7WnuyEkHgdI1rG_ALr_PLO3JLZZfCGNgGRqyfK3VItkmf/s1600-h/scan0010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451184214078618098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGhNwCKtpnnj6E2V5siMyoaLHtfMpWgWDoZ32db86GwglNC5QoEEcSFbrAmsyWAweyw7MNMhATphUuVhJnHmYB6fjVLZiwfL7WnuyEkHgdI1rG_ALr_PLO3JLZZfCGNgGRqyfK3VItkmf/s320/scan0010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3FZfcRVpHw4_yZnIe9DFEdrz-W-1NUb7lUxKIPLBxSRUIU34qNKjhzflNsXNZMqaS4KlpgIO9V2U6FFxTuieokUlzAMuovtYom9RH0HsWPF2M5e7zjlxf6G2KbXg524YCDiuWMtwZOjb/s1600-h/Copy+of+IMG_2993.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451184208100750994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3FZfcRVpHw4_yZnIe9DFEdrz-W-1NUb7lUxKIPLBxSRUIU34qNKjhzflNsXNZMqaS4KlpgIO9V2U6FFxTuieokUlzAMuovtYom9RH0HsWPF2M5e7zjlxf6G2KbXg524YCDiuWMtwZOjb/s320/Copy+of+IMG_2993.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>(slideshow above)On Friday, March 19 our sweet baby boy, Jonathan, turned 3!! The night before we decorated the living room and his bedroom so when he woke up in the morning he would be surprised. Daddy made everyone pancakes topped with raspberries and whip cream, yummy, and we stuck a bday candle in his pancake and sang to him ;-). The kids had all made him birthday cards and wrapped him up a present (something "special" from their room, heehee) .... an ATV (toy) from mom & dad, a flute from Shayley, a ukelele from Reece and a moto-psycho from Ama. As you can tell by the pictures, he had a fabulous birthday, safe to say he's pretty keen on how we celebrate birthdays over here in the USA. March 19 also marked exactly one year since we had accepted the referral to adopt Ama and Jonathan so it was a pretty special day for us! We ended the day by celebrating at Red Robin Restaurant. Jonathan, you are such a blessing to us in so many ways... your sweet spirit, generous soul, sense of humor that keeps us smiling, those big brown eyes that melt our hearts, and your contagious smile are just a few of them. We thank God for you every day and we look forward to watching you grow up. God has amazing plans for you. We love you!!</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-22001334227574924022010-03-02T08:32:00.001-08:002010-03-02T11:21:44.683-08:00Girls trip to SLO townThis past weekend I took Amaleah and Shayley to San Luis Obispo and we had an amazing time(slideshow above)!! SLO is where I spent about 5 years getting my Nutritional Science degree and so it was a great time for me too to reconnect with some "old roots" ;-). We arrived safely on Friday night in a downpour of rain and the girls were so excited to check into the hotel . After a good night's sleep we had breakfast and then jumped in the car to head to Cal Poly SLO, just up the road. I gave them a mini tour of the campus (Rec Center, School of Agriculture, student housing/dorms, University Union Square, Dining Halls, football stadium), with the sneaky hope that they would fall in love with this place and want to apply to college here someday, haha ;-). Then we drove into downtown SLO and saw the San Luis Obipso Mission. Ama is studying California missions right now so she was particularly interested in seeing it. We took a tour through the mission and spent time reading about how the indians and the early settlers lived back then. What a beautiful place with so much rich history of our state! We headed downtown and crossed the creek which was roaring b/c of all the recent rainfall. And what would a trip to SLO be without seeing the famous Bubble Gum Alley?! This is a long narrow passageway behind one of the shops in town that's literally covered in gum. People have written messages in gum, drawn pictures in gum and it's been there for over 20 years, I'll just leave that one to your imagination ;-). We went in a couple shops and then grabbed some lunch at a cafe with delicious 'natural' foood. Ama and Shayley really had their hopes set on going in the jacuzzi at the hotel so we went back and changed into bathing suits for some wet fun. That afternoon we spent time in our Mother-Daughter memory books i had bought them for Christmas. We had fun writing down some special memories, our 'firsts' and 'favorites'. We'll continue to work on them as they provide time to bond and create some really special memories together. Finally, we walked down to the famous Apple Farm and had dinner and did some shopping at their fabulous boutique shop(s). They have a Mill House on the property too that was fun to visit while we tasted their homemade ice-cream and apple cider, mmmm. It was a beautifully scenic drive home to L.A. with the green hills and wildflowers coming into bloom, breathtaking. The girls continually thanked me throughout the trip for taking them on a special weekend and asked if they could come back, that makes me smile :-) and we shared so many great moments together that will last a lifetime. We're already planning our next trip.... San Fran maybe??Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-1233303892198750482010-02-09T17:25:00.000-08:002010-02-09T17:35:19.512-08:00Our Adoption Story Featured in Parents NewsletterMy first adoption publication!! This month our church newsletter for parents features our adoption story that I wrote. Check it out at this link (pg.2) <a href="http://www.journeyoffaith.com/wp-content/uploads/february-newsletter.pdf">http://www.journeyoffaith.com/wp-content/uploads/february-newsletter.pdf</a>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-51618349804250408072010-02-06T19:53:00.000-08:002010-02-06T20:03:49.984-08:00Bunkbed for the Big Bros<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFomCPDQVo6izHsY6DPN6c2OGcHmfiAoxSEIcX4iM-KLmYRVsbpCT2FlObr_GH-gNK8-Ncbv-z_Kw_SLWltCr_XHJKJ17xZasm4HIkPBlfUow668Zq0740bLNjFBE2mQPkJjGxFnNCTefl/s1600-h/IMG_2738.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435345581693391522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFomCPDQVo6izHsY6DPN6c2OGcHmfiAoxSEIcX4iM-KLmYRVsbpCT2FlObr_GH-gNK8-Ncbv-z_Kw_SLWltCr_XHJKJ17xZasm4HIkPBlfUow668Zq0740bLNjFBE2mQPkJjGxFnNCTefl/s400/IMG_2738.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a picture of the boys in their new bunkbed and needless to say, they're loving it. Not to mention (but I will) that there is a whole lot more space to move around in now which is always nice especially in a boys's room where there are legos, dinosaurs, trains, trucks, etc all over the place all the time! Big thanks goes out to daddy-o for putting it together too ;-) Yeah for bunkbeds!!<br /><div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-32100332846700005832010-02-02T20:48:00.000-08:002010-02-02T21:12:11.743-08:00Reunion!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdCQKEe_A2jaXNs-0koYxeoHHQt0IyN3nXVFzkbApC5YaturOv-FCSzk1rBLZfgovFN3YGQiuXtV6CNGtGzHndds3cJwdJg70Z3yzW5ZRJyBZLrcq3T2QvvNJhALtyFVOtmnfhbU5T8Ed/s1600-h/IMG_2739.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433878915487093970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdCQKEe_A2jaXNs-0koYxeoHHQt0IyN3nXVFzkbApC5YaturOv-FCSzk1rBLZfgovFN3YGQiuXtV6CNGtGzHndds3cJwdJg70Z3yzW5ZRJyBZLrcq3T2QvvNJhALtyFVOtmnfhbU5T8Ed/s200/IMG_2739.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ28tO7rdkFRXGkZ8Y0tp9hpCF0m0fIl4zfsJnAMa6h5xoAqLOpFYiHihoVztRHF7Y4gNvfev6UVeb3y-ITk0SNrqgT5FXjjvCBL-o27zHSaYqd6_cRemjBBXHL6ht6JAoKrH48WzygByr/s1600-h/IMG_2745.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433878907734683842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ28tO7rdkFRXGkZ8Y0tp9hpCF0m0fIl4zfsJnAMa6h5xoAqLOpFYiHihoVztRHF7Y4gNvfev6UVeb3y-ITk0SNrqgT5FXjjvCBL-o27zHSaYqd6_cRemjBBXHL6ht6JAoKrH48WzygByr/s200/IMG_2745.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Last weekend we had the awesome opportunity to get together with 2 other families in SoCal who have also recently adopted from Ghana, what a blast! The real cool thing was that our kids not only had known each other in Ghana but Ama & Jonathan got to see their second cousin again, who was adopted by one of the families' here. We are all so happy that our kids have biological family here now!! The adults had some good laughs as we reminisced about life in Ghana and the kids had a great time playing together which was really special to witness. We are hoping this will be the begining of a beautiful relationship between all of us. More pics posted on my facebook picture album ;-)</div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-81229963527924660772010-01-27T13:54:00.000-08:002010-01-27T14:37:59.417-08:00A New (furry) Padilla<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FIPnQmLy2sY5d-1CRk0ZVdgYVhPAITz3R-yMwyZkQ4rS0fknNsSRFFkJNei_ckeb6-oT5Df6hOgIa3jNTlwU-MeKGmyT8eEhn9JD92y8bqxRbHdtosA1Hrywc5dWa3afvBLiI_k6xtWL/s1600-h/IMG_2714.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431550710303560082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FIPnQmLy2sY5d-1CRk0ZVdgYVhPAITz3R-yMwyZkQ4rS0fknNsSRFFkJNei_ckeb6-oT5Df6hOgIa3jNTlwU-MeKGmyT8eEhn9JD92y8bqxRbHdtosA1Hrywc5dWa3afvBLiI_k6xtWL/s200/IMG_2714.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipckEy39tVUUnZ9Dn-54EAXQomBlFLOKuCl5R8hYepNWwid3y9vlyuGB4iU4ReWy8_AZGjvu6LeEaOxg-H_O4nHnivc8d_01AQPTyPeQs0VtEN-q0gFBibnsZLgaOHBm8T0CxcymvIIIOW/s1600-h/IMG_2722.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431550700517217938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipckEy39tVUUnZ9Dn-54EAXQomBlFLOKuCl5R8hYepNWwid3y9vlyuGB4iU4ReWy8_AZGjvu6LeEaOxg-H_O4nHnivc8d_01AQPTyPeQs0VtEN-q0gFBibnsZLgaOHBm8T0CxcymvIIIOW/s200/IMG_2722.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFNxKWv0yFJO3ScPrQmmNEVvVcE-G1u4DBURSHL1MQSHQwJWCvy8FEwlRjk_B2kiKOM87kb0wupXqu4dtxEHUxlM9cbi4JypJgv4MtcbWzvmzz28g2C1o0AM4Y1XAUnvW4l30OILZfrZJ/s1600-h/IMG_2713.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431550690724815074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFNxKWv0yFJO3ScPrQmmNEVvVcE-G1u4DBURSHL1MQSHQwJWCvy8FEwlRjk_B2kiKOM87kb0wupXqu4dtxEHUxlM9cbi4JypJgv4MtcbWzvmzz28g2C1o0AM4Y1XAUnvW4l30OILZfrZJ/s200/IMG_2713.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>So I gave in, yep. Ever since our rottweiler, Morena, passed away this summer our other dog Tux has been in the dog house (ha, no pun intended). Ok, so it's not that bad but he is a mopey mess who spends hours on end by himself. So last week we 'adopted' a 3 month old puppy (mix of Rottie, German Shep, Lab) mainly to keep him happy ;-). Her name is Abena, which means in Ghanian 'born on Tuesday'. She is a great pup, so sweet and playful and loves to roll and jump with Tux, it's so much fun to watch them together. She has even adjusted to being an outside-dog, sleeping in the dog igloo with Tux at night, aaawwwww. Surprisingly, she's already a pretty protective pup who barks at strangers (or cats/birds) - ah, another little home protection plan in the works!!</div></div></div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-14292860751528509942010-01-19T08:35:00.000-08:002010-01-19T15:23:25.215-08:00Child Hope InternationalI know there are a plethora of ways to donate to Haiti at this time, however, it's on my heart to let you know about a ministry that will serve and protect the orphans in Haiti. A family that had attended our church runs an orphanage there and needs our help desperately. Please visit their website at <a href="http://www.childhope.org/">http://www.childhope.org/</a>. Their faith and perseverance through this horrible situation is amazing, to say the least, an incredible testimony. Please join us in supporting their efforts!<br /><a href="http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14218212">http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14218212</a><br /><br />*CARING FOR ORPHANS IN HAITI<br />Child Hope International is a charitable, Christian organization, dedicated to rescuing suffering and abandoned children in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Through child sponsorships and donations, we are able to provide a loving and nurturing home for boys and girls.Please take some time to learn about our ministry and how you can give a child hope.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.childhope.org/www/about/earthquake.html"></a>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-45638048650455922362010-01-07T16:52:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:18:12.549-08:00Hume Lake - Playin' in the snowI've added a slideshow of pictures above of our recent trip to Hume Lake. First time in the snow for Ama and Jonathan and they LOVED it, needless to say. Sledding down the slopes, building a snowman (or rather snowGIRL), shopping at the giftshop, exploring and celebrating the New Year were some of the highlights of our trip. Maybe one of these times I'll learn how to post video so you can watch some of the wipeouts on the slopes ;-)Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-28779481791826247712010-01-03T21:47:00.000-08:002010-01-06T12:37:04.141-08:00Christmas 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbh5VqaIqgAAQaEAGHThhjaE2KL4Z73uvYUc5e7TW8ProS9Ag0Demz86LspX_CyDm-6usdWwxjZkoiFd-Qxby0i1VbLnAVELl75Gxh47lAN1EHxCuaq8ZFNG1YQI3kw_SvR2wV2j0DI76/s1600-h/01-06-2010+11%3B57%3B03AM.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728457206573282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbh5VqaIqgAAQaEAGHThhjaE2KL4Z73uvYUc5e7TW8ProS9Ag0Demz86LspX_CyDm-6usdWwxjZkoiFd-Qxby0i1VbLnAVELl75Gxh47lAN1EHxCuaq8ZFNG1YQI3kw_SvR2wV2j0DI76/s320/01-06-2010+11%3B57%3B03AM.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Happy New Year!! We just got back home from a great week in the snow at Hume Lake up in the beautiful California Sequoias. I had a chance to load our Christmas pics from last month so check out our slideshow above. I'll be putting together another slideshow soon of our trip to Hume...first time in the snow for Amaleah and Jonathan! Stay tuned. Hoping y'all had a fabulous as well as relaxing Christmas and NYs celebration.</div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-89715852986630732009-12-23T18:37:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:18:31.414-08:00Re-Adoption Day for the Padilla Family<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkHuqdQzlYOFE22GNndfABlLuvksFcCU-5APPbW2hhVoNaXWzcZ2yQSn4KdIQmNQNhwseVhLWjucRfXqlq6j_IQlk3TYDcZu8ECMZRug9VLDpKw4EoifsFIKwcN1EIWqq-iFoUFxAlPBt/s1600-h/IMG_2390.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418646904319615650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkHuqdQzlYOFE22GNndfABlLuvksFcCU-5APPbW2hhVoNaXWzcZ2yQSn4KdIQmNQNhwseVhLWjucRfXqlq6j_IQlk3TYDcZu8ECMZRug9VLDpKw4EoifsFIKwcN1EIWqq-iFoUFxAlPBt/s320/IMG_2390.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So it's finally official...today Amaleah and Jonathan were declared "official" members of our family in front of a superior court judge. We adopted Amaleah and Jonathan in Ghana, however, if we want them to become U.S. citizens and have a birth certificate with their new names and a social security card then we re-adopt them here in the U.S. It was a very memorable and special day for our family. We even met another family who had adopted a little girl from China and used the same adoption agency we did - small world! Ama and Jo were presented with certificates and all 4 kids were given christmas teddy bears, an unexpected and much appreciated surprise :) We put together a slide show above for you to see some of the pictures we took of our Re-Adoption Day. Shayley and Ama were both scared to go before a judge but that didn't last long once they realized how friendly he was, oh and the teddy bears helped too. After we finished at court it was time to feed 6 hungry stomaches, so of course, what else would top off a great day than a trip to our kid's most favorite place...McDonald's! </div>Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-67108746770068158882009-12-20T15:16:00.000-08:002009-12-20T16:34:51.048-08:00J2B, S'mores, Christmas Lights, & Plays, oh my!!With almost 5 days until Christmas there hasn't been a single dull moment around the Padilla pad these days. On Sunday December 13 the 3 older kids bundled up and went to chuch with daddy to experience life in Bethlehem the night Christmas began a.k.a. Journey To Bethlehem (J2B) <a href="http://www.journeytobethlehem.org/">http://www.journeytobethlehem.org/</a> . As they explored Bethlehem's streets they saw a live camel and sheep, tasted authentic food, witnessed the angels singing, listened to ancient tales from a storyteller and listened to Joseph tell the story of Christmas with Mary and baby Jesus...all under the watchful eyes of the Roman Guards! It was an exciting evening for them and a great reminder of the gift God gave us when He sent his only Son to earth to bring us our salvation. We also had a visit from Santa last week as his sleigh came down our street and stopped right in front of our house! It's been a holiday tradition the past couple years for us to have a bonfire with s'mores & hot chocolate and invite our neighbors and friends over while we wait for Santa to arrive. Ama, Shayley and Reece participated in their Christmas school program <em>Carriers of the Light</em> last Thursday evening and warmed our hearts with their precious voices and smiles. Last night we oooohhhed and aahhhed at all the beautiful lights and decorations as we walked through South Torrance where several of the streets are involved in a Christmas lights spectacular. We're looking ahead at another exciting week ... going to a Christmas Open House with old friends, Christmas cookies, delivering gifts and plates of sweets, Re-adoption Day!!, and Christmas Eve with family and friends as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Stay tuned... in the meantime you can check out our slideshow above for the pics from our recent Christmas activities!Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-49337341815727296782009-12-03T17:37:00.000-08:002009-12-04T13:35:18.175-08:00WHERE DID NOVEMBER GO????Could someone please tell me where November went because I think we skipped that month and just went straight to December since it flew by so fast. So as you can tell I totally dropped the ball on blog updates for November, whoops, and so it goes eh. But I did not want to skip over Thanksgiving b/c I've got some cute pics in our slideshow above of our first T-day together as a family of six as well as the day after when we picked out our Christmas tree. We made the decision to stay home for Thanksgiving b/c a few of us were not feeling so well and long story short-er... we did the unthinkable Martha Stewart and yes, we ordered our turkey and side dishes from Ralphs (Although I did make a couple favorite side dishes). It was actually pretty tasty although the kids were wondering a week later if we would be having turkey AGAIN for lunch/dinner ;-). Ooohhh, the leftovers are just the best, aren't they?! So 6 of us celebrated together and each person made a Thankful Card (new tradition) where we wrote down what we are thankful for and decorated it with pens, stickers, pictures etc. Then at dinner we went around and each shared our card. We'll put them in a special Thanksgiving album so we'll collect these cards over the years in the hopes that we can laugh and reminisce as a family over them in the future. There are pics in the slideshow of our cards... just to prove, hey, some kids are pretty thankful. It's become pretty normal in the past few years for us to start the Christmas decorating the weekend of Thanksgiving since we're all off work and have some free time together, so that's what we did! Our tree is a beautiful 6 foot Noble Fir and although it sure does make our living room smaller it's worth it. We all had a lot of fun putting on the ornaments, listening to Christmas music, and putting up decorations around the house. Ama and Jo happily went with the flow and are really excited about all the special things we do for Christmas. Ama tells us that in Ghana they celebrated Jesus' birth by going to church and then having a special meal. Simple, yet meaningful & beautiful. Ama is so eager to partake in our Christmas traditions, her eyes light up every time we speak of them. December is here and we're already in full holiday swing...advent calendar is up and the kids get up each morning to ask if it's their turn to open the box to find out what surprise is in there. Santa comes to our street in a couple weeks to give out candy canes and listen to Christmas wishes (that means smores and hot chocolate for us, mmmm). The Christmas lights in South Torrance will be even more fun this year with 2 newbies taking it all in. The kids picked out Christmas gifts for each other from the dollar section at Target and it would be an understatement to say they're excited to give them out. Gingerbread houses, Christmas cookies, and well, I'll try to keep the blog better updated as stuff comes up so you can read about the kids' reactions and see pictures of these experiences. Enjoy the slideshow!Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532635336276755450.post-23733085985839097202009-10-27T08:44:00.000-07:002009-12-04T13:35:43.366-08:00Introducing....Mr.Lips, Scaredy Bat, Zippy Cat and Mr.RibsYep, 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!! 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.......Padilla Famhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14411732496874875869noreply@blogger.com2