America or Bust!

Here we come....Dreams do come true! Ali and the kids got their immigrant visas yesterday and to say the very least we are super excited! What a great Christmas present for our family! It took amost 4 years to make this dream a reality and we feel so lucky because there were times when we thought this would never happen. We are so happy that finally our family will be living on the same continent and can't wait to see all of our friends and family!

Manali

Addie dressed in traditional Manali clothes!

Ali and Addie in the nature reserve in Manali

At the River

This summer we also visited Manali which is a town in the Himalaya mountains. It was beautiful and we had a great time exploring the waterfalls, going to the natural hot springs, visiting the old temples, and enjoying the natural beauty.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar India

In July, we went for a short trip to the Northern part of India. Our first stop was Amritsar, which is home to the Sikh Golden Temple. This is a pilgrimage site for Sikhs. They come here to bathe in the holy water.

Saif is 12!

The birthday boy with his grandma Ali. We all call her Ma!

Happy Birthday Saif!

In July, our son Saif turned 12! Saif is a very high-spirited, active boy and he was excited to celebrate his birthday. For this special day we took him to lunch at Pizza Hut and then had cake and ice cream at their house in the evening. He was so happy to get money from Grandma Holmstead and Grandpa Speth! He wants to buy a cd player and new shoes.

Swimming Fun

It is very hot here in India and the hotel we stayed at for the first month had a swimming pool so we went for a swim everyday. It was fantastic! It was a sad day when we had to change hotels. We miss those daily dips.

Memorial Day

We lost a lot of family members over the past 18 months and it was nice to remember these wonderful people on Memorial Day! This picture is on my mom's grave waving an Indian flag for her Papa. We miss you mom!

Easter 2011

On the Saturday before Easter, Addie and I along with our friend Joy and her two kids and our cousins went to the annual Paradise Easter Egg Hunt and afterwards had our own egg hunt at the Holmstead's house, ate lunch, and the kids got to ride on Abu-the horse. It was a great day!

Addie Turns 2

In March, we celebrated Addie's second birthday. It was so much fun. We had a ladybug birthday party at our new house and many friends and family were able to come and help us celebrate our little lady's birthday!

Grandpa Hap Holmstead

My grandpa Earl "Hap" Holmstead passed away yesterday May 9, 2011 at the age of 88. He was a very special man. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. I love you grandpa! The Holmstead Clan

My Mom's Family

Lee, Mary, Evan, Terri, Janine, Winnie, Michele, Kellie

My mom(Jalaine), Grandma, and Grandpa

May 4th

Happy Birthday Ali!!!
We miss you mom and Nin!

May 4th is a day of remembering....My husband Ali's birthday, My aunt Terri's birthday, My friend Jana's mom's birthday, and my sweet aunt Janine's passing last May. Happy Birthday to my sweet husband! Nin, I miss you very much.

Our New House

Well we started moving in to our new home today. My dad and a few others helped moved all of our stuff from the storage unit to the house today. We bought this house from my grandma Speth. It was her mother's house and my grandma grew up in this house. My great-grandma's name was Addie and that is where my daughter Addie got her name. We are excited to live in Grandma's house. The house had renters in it for the past 30 years and the last renter did TONS of damage and so the last six months has been spent cleaning it up, slight remodeling, and a few updates and upgrades. I will post more about that later. For now is a look from the outside and a preview of the before pictures.......The New Ali Home

The Kitchen

My kids!

Alisha

Simran

Sohil

Saif

S Addie with her Papa and siblings at the Jama Masjid in Delhi

Christmas in India

The Taj Mahal

Addie and her Papa

Exciting Elephant Ride in Jaipur

New Year's Eve at the Peacock Rooftop Restauarnt in Jaipur

Christmas Eve in Goa

So this year we spent Christmas in India. It was great to be with my husband and kids again. We miss them when we are apart. Addie was happy to see her brothers, sisters, and her papa. We spent a month there. We went to Delhi, Agra (to see the Taj Mahal), Jaipur (my husband's hometown) and Goa (the Bahamas of India on the Arabian Sea). My dad went with us. He is definitely NOT a world traveler! He hated the food, the culture, the trains, the dirt etc etc. However, he did enjoy seeing some of the sites and enjoyed the beaches of Goa for Christmas.