We spent today watching the Rose Bowl Parade and then taking down all the decorations for Christmas. Riley and Jessie helped me with the rest of the kids taking down all the outdoor Christmas lights and packing them away for next year as Kelly handled all the interior decorations. It is always that bitter-sweet time of year when you know that the holidays are over and look forward to things getting back to normal.

The girls have become more ingrained into our family over the past week. After Christmas, they spent several days making Lego buildings and working on new crafts that they received as Christmas presents. Riley and Leah allowed me to snap some pictures of their Lego creations.

Brittany set up a clay working shop in the basement with her cousin, Molly, complete with complimentary massages!

At times it seemed like we would have bracelets and necklaces enough to sell!

The Friday after Christmas my in-laws took all the families to Skyzone, an indoor trampoline park. I posted some of these pictures on Facebook, but have added some additional ones here. Riley and Jessie were very hesitant to actually jump, so it took a lot of encouragement to get them out there!

Of course, that was followed by a lot of embarrassment on their part that they actually did something fun!

Even Leah was willing to come out with me a few times and try jumping a little.

Here is a picture of the entire clan, including all the new cousins that Riley, Leah, and Jessie have acquired! They have been working overtime to try and remember all the names!

For New Years Eve, our friends, the Hamm’s, came over and we did individual pizzas. There was flower and red sauce everywhere!

Each child made their own pizza and put what they wanted on it.

After Riley finished making her pizza, she started making pizza’s for the adults. This is pretty typical for her, wanting to work more than play. It is interesting to see the expectations that were placed on them in the orphanage come out here at home. Riley and Ali are both workers and seem very fulfilled in doing things for others. They can set a table or clean up a kitchen like nobodies business!

Here is Brittany’s finished product!

Some of the other masterpieces available on the table.

Leah, in her typical fashion, used this opportunity to make something more than just a pizza!

Mia was pretty happy with the entire evening!

Tomorrow it is back to work full-time for me, and beyond full-time for Kelly! School will begin next week and she will probably be spending some time over the next several days preparing for that. It is a herculean task to try and manage all of the kids education while throwing in three that don’t speak English. Continue to keep her in your prayers!

Cameron