Our Family & Our Life

Dear Diary, Today we had our biometrics taken by Homeland Security as part of the visa and green card process. By the way, we didn't get a microchip in our necks!!! All they did was electronically fingerprint us and take yet another photograph. When we submitted our application we had to include 10 passport photos of Colin and 6 each of Isla and I so I was surprised they still took more. I was a bit disappointed they didn't scan our iris', that would've been cool albeit a Star Trekki! We don't know when or even if we'll get the visa and green card but I'm fairly certain we will be approved. I'm confident our attorney would've told us if she thought we didn't take a stand a chance. From conversations with various people I should say we are NOT applying for American citizenship. It's simply for residency and work authorization. Perhaps if we are still living here in 10 years we'll apply but at this time it's not even an option...

Dear Diary, We're So Blessed!

Dear Diary, ... that my dad and Colin are blood related. Do you see her yellow socks hanging out of her pants? That is exactly what my dad would've done with them too! It's not the first time I told Colin my theory... Just had to share... Have a blessed Sunday wherever you may be.

Dear Diary, I've been tagged by Katy Lin at the great adventure ... Here's how to do this 8 THINGS thing: Mention the person that tagged you (done). Complete the lists of 8's. (done) Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends (done, sort of, I'm lazy, it's Saturday). Go tell them you tagged them! 8 Things I Look Forward To : 1. Weekends with Colin and Isla. 2. Church on Sunday. 3. SLEEP! 4. Colin's cooking . 5. Any day I get the van. 6. Our trip to Canada this summer. 7. The green card. 8. Pay day! 8 Things I did yesterday : 1. Watched Sesame Street. 2. Showered. 3. Napped. 4. Went on Facebook. 5. Made and drank lots of coffee. 6. Played with Isla. 7. Watched the movie, "The Boy in the striped Pyjamas". 8. Prayed. 8 Things I wish I could do : 1. Travel to Tahiti. 2. Not turn 40! 3. Live in one location for longer than 3 years. 4. Never disappoint the ones I love. 5. Never disappoint God. 6. Learn to take decent photographs. ...

Dear Diary, Colin is away in NYC and Philadelphia for a few days this week so Isla and I have been getting out and taking advantage of trips to the park. She loves going to the park especially the swings. If she had her way, I'd push her for hours! Lately every time I try to snap her photo, she won't look at me. Apparently mommy is not that exciting and other people or things are much more interesting. Here is a classic example although I still love it. She is such a happy girl! Back at home she has been spending time in her deck chair on the balcony with her furry sisters but she's been scraping her knees while crawling on the balcony concrete. Ouch! While we've enjoyed getting out the last couple of days, we'll be happy to have Colin home with us again tonight!

Dear Diary, This past weekend was horrendous in terms of weather because it snowed for two days and when it wasn't snowing, it was sleet, then snow, then rain, then snow, etc. Today it was back up to 70 degrees and Wednesday it's up to 80 degrees. Go figure. Look at the snow today. It's gone!!!!! There is so much snow melting a constant "river" noise can be heard all day. For the first time since moving here, I've seen green grass. YAY! Progress Report: Isla is confidently walking behind her walker. FINALLY, she's making progress. Normally she would've just sat down if we put her behind it but yesterday the lady was marching all over the place..... It was a happy day yesterday!

Dear Diary, If you've watched CNN in the last 12 hours you know what I'm talking about. We're snowed under!!! In some places in the mountains they've recieved over 34 inches (almost 4 feet) of snow in the last 24 hours. The I-70 from Golden to Vail is closed and they don't know when it's going to be re-opened but honestly, I can't imagine going on that highway in this weather unless it was a medical emergency. Imagine a roller coaster without the loops, that's what that stretch of highway is like. This is Colin and Isla about an hour ago to go and collect the mail. He took our "4x4" and could hardly make it through the heavy wet snow. Anyways, if you ever wanted to do some Rocky Mountain skiing or snowshoeing, it's a good time to book your ticket. Chances are good it will be gone by Tuesday when the temperature will reach 70 degrees so you better be quick. Unrelated to the snow, check out Isla's hair. It's cr...

Dear Diary, An update to my post of a couple of days ago. Our House We sold our house Friday. It's bittersweet. Bitter because we loved that house. Bitter because we put a load of work into it and the yard and cannot enjoy it. Sweet because we no longer have to pay a mortgage and rent. Our Visa We received notification from Homeland Security to have our biometrics taken on April 28. Biometrics is a fancy word for fingerprints, iris identification amongst other things. It's a way for the government to track us 24/7. In case you were wondering we have applied for a EB1 visa. It's another step closer to the visa being issued. Weather We have experienced summer in winter and winter in spring. This is crazy - look what fell Friday and apparently most of Saturday as well. It's suppose to be 70 degrees (21 C) on Monday. I think I posted just about every day this week, it's time for a break. Enjoy your weekend!

Dear Diary, top row - l - clapping! -r - pointing to her nose bottom row - l - showing off her toes -r- pointing to her mouth Over the last few days I've noticed that I think she may be bored with her toys so this morning while I made her breakfast I resorted to the "old fashioned" type. She loved them, it was a hit! Who thought you could have so much fun with a wooden spoon and plastic bowls!

Dear Diary, Our sweet, beautiful girl is 14 months today! The most common question we get is whether or not she is walking. In a word, NO. She did ONE step ONE time about a month ago. I’m sure it’s a matter of confidence and this past week I’ve already noticed an improvement. She has started what I call the Spiderman walk – walking along the walls . Despite her Spiderman impersonation she’s a master crawler and cruiser. I’m convinced I’m going to be carrying this child around FOREVER or at least that’s how it seems. She is a lightweight and that helps but still she gets heavy after a while. Here is a little update on the Monkey: ~ 21 lbs and 28.5 inches tall. ~ She is wearing size 9-12 month pants and 12 months shirts. A petite lady indeed! ~ Teeth count – 10 including two lower jaw molars that poked through last week. I caught a glimpse of swollen gums yesterday so I think there are more on the way - I would look but don’t want my fingers bitten off. ~Standing unaided (and d...