more pics from his office

One of the secretaries emailed these pictures to John and I thought they were great. Very much like the others, but just a little different. Her angle was much better than mine. Judge Holder gave a little speech before the swearing in on how much he likes Mormons. It was very unusual and unexpected. John spent some time with him last summer and I guess they really got to know each other. This Judge lived in Utah at the very beginning of his career. His wife has a graduate degree from the University of Utah and they lived in Provo for some time also. Out of all the judges for John to get to know, it is amazing that it was Judge Holder. John has some pretty good luck these days.

Double Happiness cufflinks

This is a very thoughtful gift from Brittan and Brian. They are double happiness cufflinks and according to chinese tradition, the character for "double happiness" ensures a lifetime of joy and togetherness. These cufflinks are a reminder that you are loved each and every day. Thanks Brittan and Brian! We love our chinese gifts. Now it is time to get some cufflink shirts for John- I guess a lot of the guys in the firm wear them, so this will be fun!

So proud!

We are so proud! I love the picture of John holding up the certificate (I think that is what it is called)...shows his real excitement!

more pics

Enjoy! We missed all John's family, of course! These pics are for all of you to see this big accomplishment!

Swearing in

John was sworn in with 3 judges present this afternoon. This is a very unusual circumstance- I found out today. Just goes to show how popular my John is already. He is so friendly and nice to everyone and already has a little following. He was sworn in by these 3 judges and a room full of secretaries, associates, and partners at GT. I was so intimidated and nervous for John, but he was confident and very articulate. It was fun to see everyone that we have gotten to know over the last few years with GT. These are a few pictures of his office too.

Rolex club...

John was inducted into 2 clubs today. The Rolex Club and the Florida Bar Association (club).... I am not sure which one he was more excited about :) Thanks Mom, Dad, and Brittan for coming and supporting John on this special day!

Normal day with the boys...

Why is Garrett always trying to hang out with the older boys? I think he is looking for scraps. He loves trying to steal food from people! And this rocking horse totally freaked him out....you should see his face!

Bye-Bye Lian Ma Ma

We will miss you!!!!

my new blog....

check it out-

http://kaleycares.blogspot.com

Grant starting pre-school

Grant is starting a part-time preschool next Friday. We have been on the waiting list for awhile. It is M,W,F 9-12, at a local Methodist church. A lot of my friends from the Odessa Branch have their kids in this pre-school. We have heard great things and are very excited. I think Grant is the most excited. I am just a little sad about the whole thing! I have to get everthing ready this next week. I am so nervous!

Boating with Mimi & Papa

For the holiday a few Mondays ago we went boating down the Rainbow River. It was fun for the whole family to get together. I am just glad that there are no pictures of me floating around the internet in my bathing suit! I don't think my mom will mind this picture :) Good thing she never checks my blog!

Mid Autumn Festival

Last night John and I took the boys to a Full Moon Party also known as the Mid Autumn's festival in china. In chinese time yesterday was August the 15th- that is because there are no months that have a 31st, they only count up to day 30. Their calendar is based on the lunar calendar. There was lots of yummy chinese food and Grant and Garrett were the only babies. There were 2 older boys that Grant knows and so he played with them. We had a good time. The moon cake pictured above is the party treat and Grant loved it. They are not very sweet for American taste-buds, but for the chinese they are very sweet. Not too bad ! There is a very friendly group around here and they love talking to John. He is a unique american in their eyes!

Good news, Bad news...

Good news first... John found out today that he passed the florida bar exam! We are so excited! He will probably get sworn in sometime next week.

Bad news second...my chinese ayi is going back to China on Monday! I am so disappointed! She is going back for a few months to help her son and his children. Oh well...I am back to square one. This week we are going to a chinese full moon party to celebrate her departure and maybe I can get connected with another chinese ayi. The great thing about Ni Ni is that she walked to and from our house everyday. That was such a nice part of the package. I did not have to ever drive her home, which is great bc one of the kids is always sleeping. The funny thing is that Garrett has started to say Da Da with the chinese tone that Ni Ni uses. He is also making a lot of chinese noises and words. It is really funny to see this really pale, blue eyed baby making chinese sounds. I think he is really going to miss her :)

Facebook break...

I have decided to take a little break from facebook. Some people may have noticed, most of you probably haven't. I realized I was wasting about 2-3 hours a day (cumulative amount) browsing facebook. Which resulted in me being very behind in house projects- which we have a lot of! So, for now catch me on my blog or through email... or of course the age old telephone! Sometimes moderation in all things doesn't work for me and I have to go cold turkey. It has been 4 or 5 days since I deactivated my account and I find myself closing my labtop after it takes me about 5 minutes to check my email. Weird feeling! But for I now I like it. I think when I get back online I will probably just share an account with John- who knows...

the view that sold this house

This is the view from our kitchen and is pretty much the reason we bought this house. For Florida, this is as good as it gets unless you are oceanside :)

boys everywhere

cousin power

fun summer pics

other pics

I like having Garrett close to me while I am cooking - and of course he loves the view. This was taken at John's law school party for taking the bar exam. notice the yummy publix cake in the background!

new paint job in kitchen...

Here is the new kitchen color. The furniture and drapes are not here to stay, but they are functional for now. I do want to find a nice cozy bench for the kitchen because it has the best view in the house. I love sitting by this window when chatting on the phone or browsing the web. This is the nook off to the side of the kitchen.