It's been a long day...

We've finished up at Shriners and are now at a wonderful Comfort
Inn...just ask Amy!
Our little girl is wiped out and, as you can tell, we didn't want to
disturb her.
Our first surgery is scheduled for February 19, 2010.

Some pictures from our first visit to the LA Shriners Hospital

Yay!

The good people at Shriners Hospital have agreed to take Ally as a
patient. This is an incredibly beneficial turn of events for our
family!

Shriners Appointment

Here's Amy and Ally getting off the Shriners train to see the foot
doctor...

The lighter side of the circus we call life...

Still sleeping...those are some good drugs!

Post-MRI...still sleeping!

MRI

Getting ready to go in...fast asleep!

Prepping for her MRI...not too happy

Liam rocks out to Guns 'n' Roses...

Amy and I are the proud parent of a G'n'R fan...

Dillon in action...

All three boys performed well, defensively, in their soccer games this
weekend- with Dillon and Aidan working incredibly hard against
overwhelming competition.

Tea party

(Roger) Is it polite to check your e-mail during the afternoon tea?

(Ally) Not where I'm from!!!

Maya with Grandma at the hospital.

Cousin/niece Maya looking beautiful...

Ally's first "Happy Slap"!!!

Ok, so we in the TADALA family play a little driving game where we
compete with each other to spot and identify yellow vehicles by
shouting "HAPPY SLAP" as we're driving down the road. This photo is
of Ally's first official "Happy Slap" registered and witnessed by
Tristan Thomas on September 7th, 2009 as we were driving home from
Chick-Fil-A.

We are "Hard Core Happy Slappers"!

Liam and Ally at the Zuni Fair...

Having just blocked a shot, Dillon scrambles to make a second save and
capture the ball...

Dillon surveys the field...

So....a lot has been going on at the TADALA household lately. Here some of the highlights (photos will follow later from my PC):

1. Aidan had a piano recital a couple of weeks ago. He's coming along with his piano skills and we're hoping that he'll be playing some Christmas carols this December.
2. The boys all started the school year. Dillon started 6th grade at Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School (a state charter school); Aidan is a second grader; and Liam is in his last year of preschool (a much harder school year, just ask him).
3. All three boys are in soccer now. Liam and Aidan have their first games coming up but Dillon's team started out their season in a tournament this past weekend. They played well and it looks like Dillon earned himself the starting goalie position with some pretty amazing saves.
4. Ally took her first visit to Zuni to meet everyone at Halona Plaza and got to go to her first carnival.
5. Ally has been developing by leaps and bounds in every aspect of her life. Her language skills expand on a daily basis and her behavioral skills constantly amaze and entertain us.
6. Amy has finally, happily, gone back to work. She's enjoyed being home with all the kids, but she'll be the first to tell you that there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing".

That's all for now...got to go to bed. I'll post pictures later.

Tristan

Aaaaaannnnnd.... The double birthday celebration (Amy & Aidan)

Recent Weekend at TADALA's... A busy household! Posted by Yé yé.

¡ iPhone !

This is such a great picture of Ally. We were at a huge park in Guangzhou and Ally was just having the time of her life.

First photos with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa....

...Ally's not being too cooperative...

...or very ladylike!

Cvetic Cousins

This is as good as it gets!

(From left: Liam, Maddux, Ally, Dillon, Slade, and Aidan)

You try getting six cousins to sit still and smile....

Nope, not an alien but a little lady with attitude...(who likes to
have her hair done like a "big girl").

The newest addition to the "Aventura Pink Pirate Brigade"...

The (continuing) Saga of Ariel the (Zuni) Pond Fish!

Sorry about my hasty (i.e. enthusiastic, happy!) post earlier about a mere fish. I actually sent it BY MISTAKE to the Blog... I did notify Tristan of the mishap (and for him to delete the post!).... But I think that I should at least correct typos in the meantime, as follows:

"Ariel The Fish seems to alive and well. She/he was seen 
frolicking at the top of the pond at feeding time
A small step for the "Fish Whisperer" (as I am sometimes called!), a Giant Step for Sustenance of 
Life when it wishes to be sustained." 

Ariel had been pulled out of the pond in February and placed into a "Hospital Tank"  (as the expression goes among pond/aquarium people) in our kitchen in Zuni, following observation that the fish was evidently not very comfortable in the cold winter pond water. I since determined that Ariel is afflicted with a common ailment among such fish - swim bladder malfunction - which manifests itself primarily in the fact that the affected fish has trouble swimming stably and at at different water levels. BUT that ailment is often accompanied with bacterial infectious conditions, affecting especially vital organs. So Ariel was treated primarily with tetracycline medication, for a sustained period of weeks before being finally released to the pond, as the water became warmer... Upon my departure to China; with instruction "not to resuscitate" (i.e. not bring back to the inside Hospital Tank!) if the fish were to drop again to the bottom of the pond and succumb to its possibly continuing unhealthy condition.

I am digressing here.... But the TADALA boys are somewhat aware of this situation... And its unfolding WAS tied to the China trip after all!

- Posted by Granpa Roger in Zuni, NM

Did I mention....

.... That Ariiel The Fish seems to ne Alice and well?? She/he was seen
frolicking at the top of the pond at feeding time
A small step for thé Fish Wisperer, a Giant Step for Sustenance of
Life when it wishes to be sustained
- rt

¡ iPhone !

Aaah...the joys of everyday life!