We are happy to introduce Solomon Oscar Stout, who is now officially our son! We found out today (Jan 12th) that we passed the court process and have a travel date of Feb. 6th. We are super excited, and as is normal in this process, we were suffering through the wait and now everything is happening earlier than expected and we are trying to figure out all the details.
The first photo is the referral one that we got in Oct (of Solomon in Aug) and the other two are recent ones.

Christmas Tree Adventure

So we figured it was about time to go and cut down a tree again, since Kylia was old enough to make the trip and we hadn't done it in a few years. So- after an hour of windy roads and right before discovering our favorite place was no longer open, Kylia had her first experience with carsickness. Not one to let that dampen our spirits, Kylia slept awhile and was ready to go when we found a place on our way back. And we were all ready to get away from that wonderful smell. Sporting the same shirt (since we didn't bring an extra) she still participated in cutting down the tree- and even seemed to enjoy it. Ah, memories in the making.

Thanksgiving

The Stouts hosted Thanksgiving this year with Kristin's parents and grandma, Wes' mom, and Kristin's brothers family and his mother-in-law. Wes barbequed the turkey and despite a little skepticism (when it appeared to be on fire) it was very tasty.

Gotcha Day and Halloween

These celebrations are usually close together since we met Kylia the day before Halloween. We celebrated with family, old friends, and new Ethiopian friends.

Kylia went trick or treating with her buddy Isabella- they had fun going up to houses but got a bit confused as to what to say- trick or treat, thank you, or Happy Halloween. At one house that looked particularly dark, they just yelled "we are here!!!"

Solomon Referral!

We found out about Solomon on October 22nd. We are going to refrain from posting his picture on something so public as a blog, but trust us, he is cute.

Kylia's 3 year old pics... a little late

Here are Kylia's 3 year old pictures- and yes- if you are wondering, she is quite tall for her age. She is super verbal and loves to be the teacher and teach us what she learns at preschool.

Heritage Camp- July

We spent another wonderful weekend at Heritage Camp this summer. It was the first time that Kylia understood it a little bit, and she had a great time running around with new and old friends.

Hawaii- July

Kylia's favorite activity is swimming, so Hawaii was fabulous. She even snorkled! And got to play with Nana, Papa, Uncle Michael, Aunt Solmaz, and her buddy cousin Sydney. And of course she made some new friends. Wes and I even got a few times to snorkel and go out by ourselves, a big treat.

Birthday- June

Because of the love of swimming, we did a swimming party for Kylia's birthday and rented the pool down the street. I gave in and had a Dora party, which she loved. In retrospect I'm pretty sure I could have scrapped everything else and put a Dora character on a cake and she would have loved it, but I do love to plan parties. Family and friends had a great time celebrating.

And we are back

By now I'm sure most of you realize that I am a 6 month blogger- about every 6 months I update the posts. :)
S0- updates- still waiting for the referral for baby brother as he is called affectionately in our household. Hoping to go in December or January- but who knows? We have had a wonderful summer of birthdays, travel, and Kylia's new preschool, which she loves. I am almost headed back to work for the fall, and Wes' library is nearing completion. Highlights of the spring and summer follow...

December 2007

A day at the zoo! Being chased by Papa and seeing reindeer- a fun activity for December.

November

November was filled with fun family time. We visited Grandma Judy in Yuba City and had some park time with Nana and Papa. Kylia loves the fields near Grandma's house. Kristin is very proud she learned to braid Kylia's hair- it really wasn't as daunting as it first seemed to be. But it does take time!

More Halloween

Halloween was very fun this year. Kylia is very into Winnie the Pooh as you can see. She has a whole character cast- she is pooh, Sydney is Tigger, Mom is Piglet, and Dad...wait for it... is Eyeore. I enjoy that one. Kylia memorized Sydney and Cody's costumes (Cody was Thomas) and told anyone who would listen the plan for Halloween. She did her first trick-or-treating and had fun answering the door and seeing the different costumes.

Halloween!

Gotcha Day 2007

We celebrated Kylia's 2nd Gotcha Day on Oct. 30th- can't believe we have been a family for 2 years! Cousin Sydney and good friend Cody were on hand to help celebrate, complete with Ethiopian outfits. And Winnie the Pooh helped to celebrate by providing the decorative dessert. Grandparents and more friends helped to celebrate the day. Thanks to Gary for great pics- in fact he took many of the ones you see on our blog!

Year 2 Photos

Kylia wasn't too keen about smiling for the camera for her two year old photos, so thanks to Gary Chan we had a great photographer and a familiar face for Kylia, and we got some great photos!

Ethiopia Heritage Camp 2007

No July would be complete without our annual Ethiopian Heritage Camp in Santa Cruz. This was the first year we attended the full camp, complete with Ethiopian banquet at the end. Kylia enjoyed running around with her friends, asking them "want soup?" - her favorite question of the summer. If you were asked this, you were in. We enjoyed the chance to connect with people we knew and to meet new families with Ethiopian kids.

July 2007 - Lake Tahoe

We also got to visit Lake Tahoe in July with Grandma Judy. We attended a wedding at the lakeshore and got to ride the gondola at Heavenly.

Kylia's 2nd Birthday

Kylia celebrated her 2nd birthday with friends and family. The main activities were singing songs and eating watermelon, yes, it was a packed agenda. She loved her new kitchen and received fun foods like pizza, birthday cake, ice cream and donuts. I'm pretty sure all the food groups are represented in her kitchen, and I feel confident about the healthy eating habits she is cultivating.

June 2007 - Hawaii

Hawaii was a great time with Nana, Papa, Uncle Michael, Aunt Solmaz, and Kylia's favorite, cousin Sydney. We hit the beach and the pool, and Kylia got to see some fun sharks at the aquarium. This experience taught us that trips with kids are fun, but you can't really call them vacations. And after the plane flight, neither of us really wants to take Kylia to Ethiopia to meet her little brother. We will see if things change in the next year.