and now for something cute!!

While Lily napped, I took this little video of Andrew. It doesn't really show off his singing ability or mine (I don't think either of us are particularily gifted in that area). It's just him being cute and me finally getting him to do some things upon request....but as you'll see not all the things I request. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Fun

We had a great holiday weekend and hope you all did too. We had the perfect mixture of things to do and down time. Saturday, we hit our local Asian Festival. It's something we've done for years and always have a good time. We are so lucky to have this resource for our children. This year we went with our friends who are just weeks away from their referral. It's so exciting to think that next year, their little one will be going to the festival. I think Lily and Andrew's favorite part of the festival was playing in a little bamboo home. There was this little wooden sushi kit that Andrew really got into.

Lily and I had some mommy/daughter time. We caught the new Hannah Montanna movie and I'm happy to say it wasn't too bad. It's a gentle movie and Lily thought it was very "cool." I have so loved having Andrew in our lives for nearly a year. I do miss the one-on-one time with Lily I had for so long. Yet, it makes it so special for us to have our time together talking, shopping, singing to the radio at the top of our lungs in the car and giggling.

Andrew had a blast walking the mall with Bill's parents. He is at such a stinking cute age. He just gets joy in wide-open spaces. I don't know what's different about 16 months vs. 15 months, but it's definitely fun.

Finally, we had a good cook out with our neighborhood pals. It was so relaxing to potluck it, sit outside and enjoy everyone's company. All the kids, even the littlest ones, sat at the picnic table together. It was so darn cute!

Finished Preschool

Yesterday Lily finished preschool. They didn't do a graduation and frankly, I like that. I think preschool, elementary and junior high school graduations are goofy and take away from high school and college graduations. Anyway, it's still a milestone and I can't believe it's come and gone. We picked up this cute little Aurora cake today to celebrate it. The past year has brought so much growth to our little girl. She went from the shy child, who hung back from the crowd, and needed her "warm-up" time, to a confident, social little girl. During our parent teacher conference at the end of the year, Lily's teachers described her as out going, kind and a leader. Wow! It's so great to see that kind of growth. We are very, very proud of her and can't wait to see what the future holds for our sweet Miss Lily.

dreaming of the ocean........

I saw this digital kit by Kay Miller and just had to use it for my blog design. I don't really have many pirate pictures to scrap, but I do have the ocean and beach on my mind. I think it's partly because I'm ready to for school to be over and summer to be here. I also think it's partly due to the fact that this is the first summer we aren't waiting, planning or saving for an adoption and we can actually take a vacation. Nothing is finalized, but I do think there is some beach/ocean time in our future!


Speaking of the ocean, I have to share my mother's day gift. I have this thing for charm bracelets and actually started a mother/daughter charm bracelet for Lily and myself. I've got into the whole european bead bracelets like Pandora, Troll etc. They make so many adorable charms and they are a blast to collect. So, for Mother's day, Bill started another charm bracelet for me. It's an ocean themed and I adore it. He also got my external hard drive fixed with all my photos and scrapping supplies (whew!) As a result, one of the first things I did was do a little layout of my new bracelet. Here it is:

Happy Mother's Day

I hope this post finds everyone enjoying their Mother's Day weekend. I had several people suggest that this holiday would be difficult because of my grandmother's passing. It's true that we miss her, but it is also the first Mother's day that we have Andrew home and there's much to celebrate. Yesterday we had a fabulous day as we visited the historic M.C Illions carousel and Kingwood Center's tulip fields. It was a very fun day.

Lily opted to ride the panda on the carousel...


while Andrew enjoyed the stationary horse. At first, he wasn't sure what to think, but on his second ride he really got into it. Doesn't he have a "little boy" look in this photo vs. a baby look?


Lily enjoyed all the tulips and wanted to be photographed with flowers that matched her coat.


Andrew couldn't believe how many flowers there were and he had to touch many of them.


Both kids had a blast running, playing and exploring the grounds. Even though Andrew has been walking for months, he still gets great joy out of walking in wide open spaces. I love how he looks so serious here as he marches along and I love how Lily looks like she's out exploring in the jungle in this picture!



One last thing I have to share. We know so many families who are in the process of adopting a child from China and Taiwan. Sadly, right now it's a tough time in the adoption community in general. Wait times are way up, parental restrictions are tightening and the number of children being referred are down. All of this leads to a lot of frustration heartache for all those involved. I've always said that it was ok that adoption was hard, but it just shouldn't be this hard. To all my friends, I'm thinking of you and wishing that this is the last Mother's day without your precious children.

Remembering Grandma...

It is with a heavy heart, that I write this post. On Tuesday evening, my grandmother passed after a very brief illness. While I miss her already, I feel so very blessed to have her in my life for all of my 37 years. I am also so very gratefull that she got to know my husband and both of my children. She will be remembered fondly and missed greatly.

Choo-Choo Train

Surprisingly, the most popular thing received in our Easter Baskets this year is a hula-hoop! Lily is learning to hula-hoop and is pretty good in a short amount of time. Andrew loves carrying it around, placing it on the floor, and putting toys in the middle of the hoop. However, the greatest fun has been them playing choo-choo together. Inside or out, they do this and laugh themselves silly. Go figure!

New blog designs and photos

We're off on spring break and I had some time to play with the blog design today. I was inspired by all the April rain we've been having. I've been also longing for a very expensive camera, a digital SLR. I'm sure you've noticed that I'm a shutterbug esp. when it comes to my kids. Well, I have many friends who are the same and there's even the term "mammarazzi." to describe us. Many of my mamarazzi friends have the SLRs and I've had some camera envy. The pictures are so sharp and crips. The problem is that it's a very expenisve investment (somewhere to the tune of 600+ by the time you get a good lense). I'm also wondering if I just don't live a "point and shoot" life. I mean with 2 kids (one being a very active 15 month old), a mid-size purse, a diaper bag and a sit-n-stand stroller, can I reall manage a sizeable camera and a big lense? I decided to challenge myself yesterday with my current point and shoot camera. I put it on the manual setting and snapped some pictures of the kids before we went out for Easter dinner. The result of the best pictures are up at the top of the page in the header. I admit I love these two shots. I don't know what the test resuls show me. Does it mean that I have the skills to move on to the big camera or does it mean that I have a perfectly decent camera for my needs right now. Decisions, decisions. I do have to end this post with a funny obersvation and difference between my two kiddos. Lily has always done so well with being the subject of the photos. In fact, she kind of naturally poses. Andrew has much less tolerance to all my snapping. As a result, the "out takes" are pretty funny and show the difference between the two. Take a look!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend with their loved ones. We've been having some fun, easter activities around here. Yesterday it was coloring eggs, this morning we had the egg hunt and a few days ago we got the kids pictures with the big bunny. I remember going to downtown Lazarus as a kid and having breakfast with the Easter Bunny, seeing all the windows decorated and the displays of real ducklings and chicks. I wish there was something like that for our kids. I couldn't resist doing and informal photo shot when the kids were dressed up for the bunny picture, so I have to include those. You know, it's so easy to figure out what to dress little girls in for the holidays. Sadly, the boy section is lacking in holiday clothes. Our good friends have given us the most generous boxes of their sons old clothes and there's been an abundance of little sweater vests. I have to admit, I love these little vests on Andrew and I love Lily in these bright colors. Enjoy!

Outside Fun

Whirly

Twirly

Swirly

Curly

Fun!


These are some modern pinwheel I picked up at the toy store. They spin easily in the breeze as well as from any arm movement. We all had fun dancing around with them. They are made of nylon and cost 1.99 at Toys R Us. I think they'd make a nice little addition to an easter basket if you are looking for any suggestions.

On a different note, I bought Andrew this little green shirt because I liked the color. When I put it on him, I had visions of Charlie Brown. Anyone else see the Peanuts connection?

Enjoying spring

We've been enjoying all the benefits of spring. We've been to parks, the zoo and visiting outside with our neighbors. The weather isn't as fabulous as it's going to be, but I can't complain. This is one of the nicer Marchs I can remember. Lily has been making new friends in our neighborhood and continues to do well in school. Andrew is struggling with some new teeth, but otherwise is happy, active self. I'm gearing up for my final 9 weeks of school and Bill is enjoying some victories with his court cases. We are all looking forward to getting away a little for spring break.

Remembering Michael.........

Today we received some very, very sad news. Michael, the CCAI guide from Guangxi, unexpectedly passed away. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Michael in person, I can attest to his kindness as he graciously talked to me while Bill and Joe were in China getting Lily. Everyone in our travel group spoke so highly of him and had hoped to see him again at a Colorado reunion. He truly touched the lives of many and will be remembered so fondly as someone who helped us in uniting with our children.

Visiting with Travel Mates

This past weekend we had a chance to visit with two families from our 678 travel group. It was a wonderful weekend and we all had such fun catching up. There's something so special and unique about our connection. Our girls just have this connection and comfort level with each other that I can't explain. All I know is that I hope we can continue to get together over the years. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

May your paths.....

Today we took the kids to a park for a walk. The past few days have been the first real hint of spring. It's that time when it feels so good to be outside and you are reminded that fresh air, sun and moving can totally lift your spirits.

Anyway, Lily and Andrew got ahead of us and I just had to snap their picture. Even with a 4 year age gap, these two are such good companions. Every day they laugh, giggle, play and are often partners in crime. From time to time, I get the "Are they real brother and sister?" question If folks could see how they can push eachother's buttons, they would never bother to ask :)

As I watched them today, I thought about their futures. I do hope they remain close throughout the years. So, I found it fitting to use the quote "May your paths always lead you back to each other."

A Little Disney Magic......

What I wouldn't do to get away from the winter, head down to sunny Florida and take the family to Disney. Unfortunately, time, money and life just doesn't allow for that right now. That's why it was fun today to get a tiny bit of Disney magic in our own hometown.

For the past 2 years, we've taken Lily to see the Disney on Ice tour when it comes to town in February. She loves it and I love it too. This year, when we saw the ads., I just assumed we'd all go and Andrew would like it too. I didn't give it much thought until I started chatting with my friends and I got the "Ummm, you are going to take a 1 year old to Disney on Ice?" questions. This was said with a look that said "Melissa, you are crazy!"

Still, I really did want the whole family to go. We took reinforcements i.e. plenty of snacks, selected isle seats for a quick getaway and had the plan that one grown-up would take Andrew out to the lobby if need be. Well, we settled into our seats, the house lights went down and that was it. Andrew was mesmerized. He loved the show and sat on one of our laps for the whole thing. We gave the opportunity to walk around the lobby during intermission and he did great. Both kids were really well behaved and a joy to be with.

I even had their souvenir picture taken in a teacup. There's actually a funny back story (pun intended) to this picture. The cup is open in the back and there's a step for the kids to stand on. Well, Andrew and his little itty-bitty self, wasn't tall enough when standing on the step. The photographer directed me to duck down behind the cup and hold Andrew up. So that's what we did and amazingly we got a good picture. Afterwards, I thought about me as a mom down on my knees, ducking behind the scenes and boosting my child up in the air. I'm sure there's a metaphor for motherhood somewhere in there. All in all, it was a really fun day!

For my friends adopting from China....

I saw this on a list and had to pass it along:

You know you have adopted from China if

....you know that I-600 & I-171 aren't highways.

....you've been expecting a baby for over 3 years.

....you understand that it's 2006 in some parts of the world.

....you've "paid for" 3 citizenships, but never brought anyone into the U.S.

....you know that waiting for China has nothing to do with Dillards or dishes

....your homestudy is followed by a number (i.e. #3 or #4)

....you never know how many days next month will have

....you know that babies come in batches

....you've been fingerprinted four times, but never committed a crime

....you automatically assume everyone who is expecting is having a girl

....you own new clothing in 3 little sizes for all 4 seasons (because you don't know when or how big)

....you look twice when you see a lady bug

....you're more interested in what will happen in March 2006 than in March 2009

....you know people who understand when you talk about 2 day months & 5 day months

....your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years

....you know who the Rumor Queen is ... AND ... you don't know who she is

....you know that forecast doesn't have anything to do with the weather

....you've waited so long, they re-checked your fingerprints to see if they changed

....trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints and wonder if fingerprints grow wrinkles

....when you speak of "that time of month" you're talking about CCAA updates & referrals

You might be adopting from China if you love someone you've never met with all your heart.

Some scrapbook pages.........