Howdy Y'all

Last night we took the whole family to see the Dixie Stampeded. It's cheesey, funny and really a good time. You eat while they sing, dance and do horse tricks. You are also seated by what state you are in as they do a North vs. South contest. The crowd is encouraged to yell, cheer, stamp their feet, stand up and wave flags. Needless to say the kids loved it. Andrew especially got into the yelling and flag waving part. We had a good time. I must admit my favorite part was seeing my 5 gallon kids in these 10 gallon hats!

Sharks!

If you spend any time around Andrew, you'll quickly learn that sharks are one of his favorite things. Imagine his delight when we were walking along a pier and a fisherman caught a tiny shark. It was the exact size of one of his toy sharks. Andrew got the thrill of his life when he got to touch the shark. Then Lily was relieved and Andrew was disappointed when the shark was thrown back into the water. Andrew would later ask me several times if we could go to the ocean and pull out another shark. He just doesn't seem to get that we don't have that kind of skill.

Pictures from vacation

Hello from hot, sunny SC. Our flight down here was effortless. The kids enjoyed the one hour and seven minutes flight. Bill and I enjoyed the ease of it all. The hotel is nice, the beach is gorgeous and the weather is HOT! Fortunately, we've been able to enjoy the outside due to the nice breeze and the water. Both kids are enjoying the sand, surf and the pool as are all the adults. Last night, we went to a place known for it's prime rib and it was yummy. Its located on a pier. Here are some pictures from the pier:

Guess who got some new camera accessories?

I decided to pick up some new camera accessories for our beach vacation. I played around today with the new items and have to say that I love the results. I do think you have taken too many pictures when your daughter looks like this!

Water Parks and New Friends

Today we had our monthly playgroup with families who have adopted children from China (and one other from Taiwan!). It was incredibly hot and I was happy we had selected the splash park. Even with the water it was a scorcher! We also had the opportunity to meet Miss Lia today. Our good friends, Paul & Karen and their son, also named Andrew went to China and adopted Lia just 2 weeks ago. Lia is about 10 weeks younger than our Andrew and about as adorable as they come! She played well at the water park, checked in frequently with her mom and dad and clearly likes to do what her new big brother does. I'm so impressed with how well Lia is doing.
After the splash park, we grabbed some lunch at Max & Erma's. I couldn't resist snapping some cute pictures. I'm sure this is just the beginning of the fabulous foursome!

2 Year Familversary

Two years ago, we met the sweetest little boy. Bill traveled to Taiwan, picked up Andrew and we became a family of four. I remember thinking how tiny this little 12 pound baby was and then I was equally shocked at how mighty. At 6 months, he was super determined to pull himself to a standing position. Two years later, we still see that level of determination in everything he does. Andrew is now 2 and half years old. He's not quite 33 inches tall and 24 pounds. He speaks in complete sentences, knows all his colors,shapes and 24 letter. (I wish I could take credit for the last skills, but honestly, he seemed to learn the letters from watching Lily). He can be a mischievious little person and he seems to have fair amount of charm. You should see the smiles and grins I get after he's done something naughty. I can't honestly believe that 2 years has gone by already and I can't get over how blessed we are as a family. It's like lightening has struck twice.

Heat Wave

Beating the heat with a sprinkler, umbrellas and ice cream sandwiches!

Happy 4th of July

We have had the best 4th of July weekend. On Friday, we ventured downtown for Red, White and Boom. I'd never dream of taking the kids into a crowd of a half a million if we didn't have the opportunity to watch the show from Bill's office. So, the kids, my parents, my brother and I all rode the bus downtown. Andrew l-o-v-e-d the bus. We then walked to Bill's office, went up to the 26th floor, had a picnic dinner, hung out with 3 other families, watched A Night at the Museum, and then saw the best firework show ever. It was really beautiful because the sky was so clear. I snapped about 50 pictures and I realize that photographing fireworks is not easy. I think 3 turned out well and I'm sharing them here. We were also lucky as the traffic wasn't too bad and we got home in 50 minutes. Then on Saturday we headed up to Bill's parents place and had the nicest picnic. Their whole building potlucks it on this giant, beautiful patio. The weather, food and company was just perfect. I hope that the rest of our holiday continues to be as fun as the first part has been.

Our Visit to the Zoo

Yesterday, we took advantage of the perfect weather and went to the zoo. It was the first time we saw the new polar bear exhibit and we loved it. Both kids really enjoyed watching the polar bears jump in the water, swim and play from the top and bottom viewing decks. They also loved the new polar playground that had a whole north pole/wildlife outpost vibe. We also were able to ride the train, carousel and see many animals. We thought it would be ridiculously crowded at the zoo, but we were pleasantly surprised by minimal crowds and no lines for rides/animal viewing. It was one of those days where everything fell in place and we had a great time.

Andrew and His Girls

At age 2.5, our little guy is already a flirt! He really shows off when a pretty girl is around. Here he is with two of his favorite neighborhood girls.

Busy, busy, busy...........

So much has happened since my last post. We've attended our first birthday party at the bouncy house place. We saw the dragon boat races, attended the Asian festival and gone to Andrew's chinese class recital. We've purchased a backyard jungle gym and it's being assembled right now. Lily finishes kindergarten and graduates Monday. Not sure what graduation will look like for 5 and 6 year olds. I wrap up my school year on Tues and Weds. Throw in a family birthday, our anniversary and Father's day and it looks like we're going to stay busy!

Fortunately, we're all doing well and looking forward to summer break, vacation and maybe a little quieter schedule :)

Here are some cute pics of the kids at the bouncy house place: