Dani Gotcha Day

OK, so admittedly this is very late, but I decided to post the video of the day we first met our daughter after viewing a friend's . . .it brought back so many great memories. Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

School Picture

Above is Dani's first school picture taken at her daycare a few weeks ago. I can't believe how mature and what a big girl she looks like! She is growing up too fast.

A Friend from the Hood!

For those of you in the adoption community who follow my blog, below please find a link to another blog for a family departing in 24 hours to bring their little girl home to her forever family. This is a new, but dear friend of mine whom I met through a mutual friend and our Pilates classes - go figure! Their daughter is from the Henan province which is the same province Dani is from. They are even meeting their daughter for the first time in the very building we met Dani. It brings back so many emotions and wonderful memories, and I am so excited for them as they embark on this life-changing journey and can't wait for Dani to have a "friend from the hood"!

http://www.gilkisonfamily.blogspot.com/

Happy Anniversary!

Not flesh of my flesh Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn't grow under my heart, But in it. I can't believe it has been 1 year since Chris and I traveled to China and our daughter was finally placed in our arms. It seems like she has been a part of our family forever and the years of agonizing over when we would receive our referral a distant memory. Dani has brought more joy to our family than Chris and I ever imagined. While the jump from 2 kids to 3 was admittedly a tough one, we wouldn't change a thing. As a younger mom, I constantly strived for balance. This past year however; I learned that life, kids, work and marriage are too messy and ever changing to have perfect balance. I am now the official Family Manager of Chaos and have learned to embrace that. I focus on the good things in our lives, of which there is so much to be thankful for. Everything happens in waves; even the bad days roll in and go away. What I value most is that LOVE defines my family. It’s the one thing that we can count on and that keeps all of us close. I recently read a quote that stuck in my head and made me think of my family. “Life is not a fairytale, it is a reality show". So as our first year as a family of five comes to an end, I can't wait for future episodes. Stay tuned!

Working Backwards . . .Dustin's Birthday/Homecoming

On October 14th our 1st baby turned 17 years old. It's difficult enough to say it let alone see it in print. Neither Chris or I can believe our not so little (6'3") boy is a Junior in High School and fast approaching College and adulthood. Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his 1st birthday, 1st Halloween, 1st day of Kindergarten. It is cliche to say the time goes by so fast, but it is SO true. The days, weeks, months and years seem to go by even faster the older we get. We are so proud of the young man he has become and look forward to celebrating his next milestones. Below are some pics from his birthday dinner as well as his Homecoming Dance. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween

Wow! We had a very busy Halloween this year, which was awesome. We re-instated our tradition of pulling the fire pit into the driveway and inviting neighbors, friends and family over to hand out candy to the trick or treaters, tag team trick or treat with the kids, enjoy some food and adult beverages. Dustin also invited a dozen or so of his friends over, so as I said, it was a busy evening.

This year marked Dani's first Halloween. As you can see from the picture, both she and I were bees . . .I was the Queen Bee! She got the hang of the tradition very quickly and enjoyed the few houses she went to. I'll post more pics later, but for now, enjoy!

Under Construction

I was getting the re-decoration itch and since I can't redecorate any of the rooms in my home right now, I decided to re-vamp the blog . . . check back soon for the finished product.

Picnic and Pumpkins!

Last week we met some dear friends at Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center to pick pumpkins for Halloween and have a picnic lunch. This was Dani’s very first trip to a pumpkin patch and will be her first Halloween. Unfortunately, Dustin had to work, so it was just the 4 of us. The kids enjoyed petting and feeding the animals in the small petting zoo and Dylan of course loved looking for the “perfect” pumpkin. One hour later, in the blazing sun, whilst Dani is having a meltdown, he found it. It weighed in an astonishing 134 pounds (and cost an equally astonishing amount!). We were told the record for the season was 210 pounds. Needless to say, it was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful afternoon and we are always happy to have an opportunity to see friends we don’t see often enough. Thanks J, C and B for a fun-filled day.

Dani's 2nd Birthday Pictures

Below are pictures from Dani's 2nd Birthday . . .but her very first birthday with her forever family. We hired a photographer to capture the moment so we could relax and enjoy this milestone in our daughter's life. As we had just lost one of our dogs, Duke, we opted for a small, family only celebration. We ordered Chinese food from our favorite restaurant and feasted! Dani loved all of the attention, presents and of course her very first birthday cake.

No More Apologies

Yes, it has been a L O O O O N G time since my last post. I'm done apologizing and beating myself up for it however; as life as a family of 5 is HARD! Summer has come and gone since my July post, though many San Diegans would argue that we never really had our summer. Unlike the beautiful, long sunny days we are accustomed to, this summer was mostly clouds and cool weather. August kicked off our 3 month back to back birthday celebrations beginning with Dylan’s 12th birthday on August 14th, Dani’s 2nd on September 14th and Dustin’s 17th coming up on October 14th. Pretty weird how they are all on the 14th huh?

The day after Dylan’s birthday, Chris, Dustin, Dustin’s friend and 2 of Chris’ friends departed for Scorpion Bay, Mexico for a 2-week surf trip and to visit Chris’ sister and her family, who live there. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short due to the drama unfolding here in their absence, but they were able to get a few days of surf in and enjoyed the journey and time spent together.

This summer also marked the passing of one of our beloved dogs, Duke. He developed a very aggressive form of metastatic cancer on his neck and two short weeks after being diagnosed, was no longer with us. This was a lot harder on the family than any of us were prepared for. He is survived by his sister, Roxy. They are brother and sister from the same litter and have never been separated until now. Roxy took it especially hard, not eating, not wanting to go out and lost 11 pounds.

I’ve posted some random pictures . . .some from Dylan’s birthday, Chris and Dustin's Mexico trip. Dani’s 2nd birthday pictures will be uploaded separately, and our Duke. We are now in the throws of Fall, back to school, and the upcoming holidays. I won’t make any promises on when my next post will be, but will do my best to keep the Bagalini Blog going!

Dylan's 1st Long-Range Fishing Trip

Hi there. Well I am a little late with this post (story of my life these days!), however; as some of you know Dylan went on his very first long-range fishing trip with Jim (aka Grandpa) July 12 – 17th. Every summer, my Dad charters the American Angler boat for his annual Crystal Pier fishing trip. As it is an invite-only event, the passengers are mostly close friends and the atmosphere is very relaxed and fun, with everyone on their guard for my Dad’s next practical joke! Dustin has been going on this particular trip since he was 7 years old, so Dylan was long overdue. I however; was extremely nervous about how Dylan would handle being on a boat for 5 days without his Dad or big brother, as neither would be on the trip this year. I envisioned the Coast Guard doing an emergency air lift when Dylan decided he was “done” and ready to go home. For those of you who really know Dylan, you know that is no joke!

Fortunate for everyone, the trip went smoothly and Dylan had a FABULOUS time with Jim, Craig Campbell, Bob Williams, the rest of the passengers and the amazing crew of the American Angler, captained this trip by Brian Kiyohara. The fishing was great and Dylan came home with plenty of albacore for our next fish taco fry. He had a blast fighting the many fish he landed but also hanging out in the bow of the boat waiting for the flying fish to appear, videoing the schools of dolphins swimming alongside of the boat and indulging in the many culinary treats! He called me the first day to tell me tell me he was having King Crab Legs for dinner – he was so excited! He was also amazed that full-size candy bars were left out all day and that he could eat as many as he wanted!

You know Dylan had a great time when he came in after 5 long days on a boat, dog-tired, swaying as if he was still out at sea and said he can’t wait to go again! A BIG thank you to "Grandpa Jim" for having the guts to take Dylan on his own and the entire staff of the American Angler . . . Captain/Owner, Brian Kiyohara, Deckhands Cameron, Todd, Jordan and Ray and according to Dylan, “the best cooks ever”, Nate and Paul. Thank you for not only making Dylan’s first trip, one he will never forget, but for this Mom, keeping him safe and bringing him home. Enjoy the pictures below. Some taken by the crew of the American Angler, some by Dylan and Chris.

Be sure to check out the American Angler’s website if you ever want to go fishing. Owner/Operators Brian and Sam along with their crew are the best there is! http://www.americananglersportfishing.com

Dylan & "Jim"


Dylan & Captain Brian


Dylan Fighting a Fish


The Group & Their Catch


Jackpot Winners & Dylan (Honorable Mention)


Dolphins Swimming Alongside the Boat

Ya Ya!

Hello there, I was planning on my next post being an update on Dylan’s first 5-day fishing trip with Jim (aka his Grandpa) however; I just could not resist posting these pictures of Dani and her new hair-dos as well as a hysterical video (sorry, video has disappeared, I'll try to re-post). Dani’s daycare provider has also turned out to be her personal hair stylist and is the person responsible for the super cute do-s. I think she looks like a Chinese Cupie doll, don’t you? As for the video, before I shoved the video camera in Dani’s face, she was eating lunch and then all of a sudden started yelling (in a very un-ladylike manner) for Ya Ya. Ya Ya is her word for Da Da as she is still working on enunciating her consonants. Anyway, I started laughing when she would yell for Ya Ya and then pause and wait for him to magically appear (he was at work). Once Dani picked up that she was the source of my laughter, it was on and she proceeded to yell louder! She also thought I would get a laugh out of her picking her nose which she does as the grand finale to this short but funny video. Be sure to check back this weekend for an update on Dylan's long range fishing trip and pictures of his and Jim's fish.

Happy 4th of July!

Well it isn't quite the stellar Southern California 4th of July that we are used to . . . . seems June gloom is lingering in San Diego a bit. That didn't stop the kids from getting in the pool though. We're so grateful for all of these "firsts" as a family of 5. Enjoy the video of Dani's first 4th of July!

Pictures to Tie You Over Until the Next Post . . .