Happy Holidays!

A quick glance at 2011.
Sofia's caught her first fish, and it was also Daniel's first time camping and on a boat.

Then Sofia had her first dance recital.

Sofia turned 4 on June 15th and had a birthday party with family & friends.

In July, the kids were able to meet their cousin for the first time visiting from Kenya. (on left)

In August, Daniel was baptized.

And Sofia started her first day of school (4-K) in September.

Then there was Halloween fun - big pumpkins and costumes.

Sofia as "Storm" from the X-men

Daniel as a robot.

Trick-or-treating with friends

And Daniel turned 1 on November 9.

I have left out a lot, since this post is already getting long, but these are a few of the many highlights of the year. Our family is so blessed and we wish all of you and your loved ones a very blessed holiday season as well.
The Crowley family

segundo aniversario del primer encuentro

Today (April 6) marks the second anniversary of the day we met Sofia for the first time and became a family.

We celebrated by all making her favorite dinner together - tacos, and for dessert, a princess cake she has had her eye on. I finally completed a couple pages in her scrapbook of that first meeting and she loves to hear about and then re-tell the story about how she cried when she first sat on Daddy's lap, but then was eating Cheerios out of his hand and sharing with everyone else in the office.

After dinner, Sofia opened  a gift from Daddy - a bat and baseballs. She of course wanted to run outside right away and try it out.

Colombia video

For those who are interested in getting a better picture of where we were in Colombia, I would like to share this video with you. It is in Spanish, but the views are amazing. It captures the awesome beauty we could not capture with our camera. There are scenes of Sofia's birthplace, the city Pasto, and of some of the other places we visited along with the great artists we had the privilege to meet. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDHRJ3JRN-g

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sofia's Holiday Show

We were able to attend Sofia's first holiday show on Dec. 12. It was so fun to see her perform. She seems very at ease on stage...unlike her Mami :o)

Sofia's first snow

Our first big snow came during the week, so I couldn't wait till the weekend to get outside and play with Sofia. She had fun playing in the snow, and had to bring her baby outside and pull her in the sled. It was great until she decided she didn't want to keep her mittens on and then fell down. She cried, "Cold! Cold!" and then wanted to go inside. I'm sure we will have plenty of opportunities to go back out and play in it again....as long as I can get her to keep her mittens on!

Court Day!

On Nov. 12 we re-finalized our adoption in the state of Wisconsin!

A treat from the judge!

Halloween

Trick-or-Treating Part 1

Trick-or-Treating Part 2

Sofia started out all excited to go get candy.

She tired out quickly....

Central WI State Fair

Sofia's favorite part was the pony ride.


Petting the baby cow.




Riding the train.

Riding the ferris wheel with Daddy.

On the carousel with Mami.

Dancing Butterfly

Day at the beach

A fun day at Kohler-Andrae State Park beach.

Sofia chasing bubbles on the beach with Grandma.

Smiling for a picture with Uncle Shawn.




Burying feet in the sand.

Running on the beach.

Celebrating Miracles

Last month Sofia participated in Relay for Life in Marshfield for the first time. My Mom has participated for many years, but this was her 2nd year participating as a cancer survivor. Like so many others, our family has been devastated by cancer time and again. My Mom lost both her parents and two sisters to cancer, and 6 months after her own diagnosis, her younger brother received his diagnosis.

Even though my Mom is still fighting hard, we had much to celebrate. The first miracle was my Mom surviving the doctors' original prognosis, and the second miracle came with the referral of Sofia. At the beginning of the year, we all thought time was not on our side, and my Mom's dream of becoming a Grandma looked dim at best. So even the timing of these miracles was a miracle!
The last year has renewed my faith in HOPE. Even when things are so dark, you can't see any light, there is still a light there.

Grandpa, Mami, Sofia, Grandma