Christmas, Christmas time is here...

Here is my beautiful Christmas angel. She is the joy of the season for me. We had an all day snowstorm in St. George. This picture was taken in the morning when it had just started. By the next morning the ground was covered. To say the least Emma was excited to have a "snowball fight" and to build snowmen (5 when all was said and done). The joy in her eyes and face was simply magical as she played in the snow. Here is our tree, decorated my the master's hand (Grandpa). Emma helped too. She looks like a little candy cane here. At the ward Christmas party, Emma sees Santa...(she has since seen at least three other Santa's...and each time asks for different things...I hope Santa is amazing and has some magical tricks up his sleeve this year!)

I'm dreaming of...

My OTHER Christmas angel. Its been two years since my paperwork was received in China for my second adoption. While this has been a magical, wonderful time for Emma and I, my heart does ache as I wonder about my next little one. I don't know if she or he has been born yet...and I don't have any idea when I might actually go, maybe not for as much as two or three more years. I pray that it will not take that long, but I honestly don't know. I hope that wherever my little one is (even if not born yet), that he or she will know that I am loving him or her already and dreaming of being together. Here is a picture of the 'matching room' - this central office in China processes all adoptions and does the matching of adoptive parents with children. You can see along the wall the shelves full of dossiers (applications/paperwork of adoptive parents). My dossier might be somewhere on that shelf! (I don't know when the picture was taken). This is an example of what is known as a 'finding ad'. In China, the county or province newspapers list the children who are in the orphanages in that area. This is the paper where Emma's ad ran back in 2005. This is just one of three full pages. Oh how I dream that every child on this earth could find a home where they can be loved, feel safety and be at peace.

THE HOLIDAYS ALREADY?

Gosh, I can't believe how long it has been since I last checked in here...and now it is the holiday season? Wow. How did that happen??? We had a great Thanksgiving. Emma made this beautiful turkey hat at 'preschool' on the day we had it at our house (once a week, 4 little friends do preschool at one of their houses), it was just a few days before Thanksgiving...so hence, the 'turkey theme': On Tuesday, Me, Emma, Aunt Jan, Grandma and Grandpa all piled into the car and headed to Karen & Matt's house. The Campbells have been working on their new house for like three year...that they built themselves (they totally rock!)... And it is now finished and we went to enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend there at Campbell Manor. It is just such a gorgeous home and I am so happy for them. We had a wonderful time just sitting around, watching movies in their 'theater' room, being cozy by the fire and, of course, having a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Here are a couple of pictures of the event: Emma and Paige even took a dip in the hot tub... What would a Broberg family holiday be without singing together around the piano? And of course there was lots of Christmas decorating to do. The master at work:

Les Misbarack

I Love This! Especially the Javert/Mdme Thenardier...McCain/Palin.

How I wish we were in Beijing!!!

Olympic Fever!

We have been watching the Olympics in China with great joy. Not only because the Olympics seem to bring out the most remarkable spirit amongst all people, but also because we are seeing 'our' beautiful China. And we are so grateful that the world is getting to know a little bit more about China, its remarkable country and wonderful people. How proud we are of our Chinese and American heritage and history. Emma was way into the gymnastics...but now that we are into the diving...she is into that too. She watches very closely to how they start, put their arms up and hop...then how the arms and hands come back together to finish it off...then she does it too. I just hope she doesn't try it into the bathtub sometime when I'm not watching!

Family Trip & Reunion

We had a great time in Yellowstone with the Campbells and Grandma & Grandpa. And we had a fun Broberg family reunion in Pocatello...it was so great, especially because we got to meet our 'new' cousin Linda (and her family - Drew, Abby and Ashley)...how happy we are that they are part of our family!!

Sing Sweet Nightingale

Here is Emma singing a tune from one of her favorite movies...Cinderella. Hmmm...a future in vocal performance...? Well....maybe not...we are still searching for the tune. I think we will stick with dancing (notice the flashy "move" she gives near the end!) She sure sings with gusto and confidence though! I think it is adorable!

Lovin' L.A. - a quick, spur of the moment trip

Here's a 45 second recap of little trip we took to L.A. over the 4th of July. We took in some of our favorite places from the 'good old days' - like the L.A. Zoo, the Long Beach Acquarium, Universal CityWalk and the beach! We enjoyed a good, old fashioned 4th of July BBQ and then watched fire works across the harbor from the Queen Mary - it was a lovely, fun quick trip...too short, not enough time to see many friends...but still great fun.

Oh how we miss Los Angeles....(sigh)

Summertime

Here is Emma, first day of filming for Baby Signing Time. (I have a link to the Signing Time video series over there...we love them) Emma is going to be one of the kids in the new Baby Signing Time videos (vol. 3 and 4)!

Emma already loved to swim, but now she has taken swimming lessons and is has really improved!

Birthday Madness!

Emma turned 3 years old! Boy is she big and busy! We are having a lot of fun at every stage of life. Here are a few pictures from her birthday party!

A new scooter from Grandma and Grandpa! What a hot-rod!

Princess dress-up clothes from Aunt Jan!

OK...a little behind schedule

I am trying my hand at uploading to You-Tube. Here is Emma's Christmas dance recital.

Happy Easter

Getting ready for the Easter Bunny! Fun at the park! The Easter Bunny Came! My pretty Easter dress!

The Most Beautiful Princess of All

A NEW YEAR

Happy New Year from Susan and Emma! AND HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR (Its the year of the rat...I hope our fortune says that we are all going to make lots of money!)