New Game - Day #1

OK -- I have had too much time on my hands!! I was reading this blog that I love... (it's written by a mother that has adopted from China - I don't know her, but found her blog while we were in the "waiting" stage and it really helped pass the time---she's a great writer, & their daughters - twins- are just toooo cute) Anyway, she had a cute idea.. she let her girls pick their own outfits for a specific amount of time and documented it.

So, I thought I'd try it @ our house for a week & see what happened. I started today. I told Anne Marie she could pick out anything she wanted to wear today. At first this was a struggle. Not for me mind you (believe it or not) but for her. I don't think she believed me - and she kept asking me "what should I pick mommy?" She's so controlling that I was shocked. Maybe because I'm also controlling so maybe she's so used to me doing it & she was confused...haa! But then once she "got it", she was on roll. She grabbed her step stool & pulled down what she wanted. I told her she could pick the whole outfit, including shoes, hair accessories & even what bag to carry (if any) and what to put in it.

So, I will document it each day. Her outfit & any "additions" she chooses..... Here's our 1st day....

This is the outfit. Blue & white poka-dot capri's & a green shirt w/ daisies. She chose a teal barrette for her hair & brown mary-jane shoes w/ a little bee on them - NO socks!

Cracks me up - I swore she would chosoe to wear crocks or flip-flops every day, but guess not!

This was her "accessory" of choice. Her lady-bug backpack. Here are the contents:

1/2 plastic egg (not the whole thing?!?!), 2 hand puppets, her play-cell-phone, a mirror, her grocery scanner (just in case we go to the grocery store), her puppy-squishy-ball, 2 baby blankets, 1 baby diaper (but no baby!--huh??), her foam shooter (for possible war?), and her organic cherry fruit leather for a snack!

Kite Flying Celebration

This past Sunday some of our Church Families got together in a local park to fly kites together. It's been *HOT* (and I mean HOT) here last week. 90deg weather for multiple days in a row. So we grabbed our very cool dragon kite that Grandma & Grandpa gave us for Chinese New Year, and got ready to fly.

Well, it was so hot & the wind was so calm that the kites didn't fly very well. But, we had fun anyway. We tried for a while -- and most parents were the ones out there running around with the kites instead of the kids, but it was still fun. I just hope the weather stays warm, and maybe one day the wind will pick up a little so we can try again!

"Cool Cat" ready to fly her kite.

Our friend Morgan w/ a really BIG kite

Our friend Elsie's daddy trying to get her barbie kite going -- do you think he'll appreciate me posting this one?? haaa!

Mike getting Anne Marie ready - waiting for the next big breeze.

Anne Marie's kite in action.

Some of the adults taking a break - boy did I tell you it was hot??

Even the Dandelions needed a little help blowing around!

So proud of her dragon kite.

Taking a break -- Oh -- didn't you know that sometimes dogs make good lounge chairs?

Easter @ Our House

Easter was actually spent at our friends house this year. But we made sure that we had a special gift from "The Easter Bunny" at home as well. So, the week after we got home, we gave Anne Marie her gift from "us". I made her a big basket of gardening items. (I ended up using a bag for the gifts because the basket I had ended up being too small)

She got rain-boots, gardening gloves, pick, planters, flower seeds, a gardening knee pad, and a new butterfly plate & straw cup to use when we eat out on the patio this summer. She loved it & her & Daddy have already been planting this week. (More pictures on that later).

I hope you all had a great Easter. Sorry for the late post, but I really wanted to get the news out to pray for our China travel mates -- and I know they appreciate all your prayers!

Time Out From Pictures For Prayers Needed

As many of you know our family shares a very special bond with a group of 13 families that traveled with us to to Nanchang China to adopt our daughters.

One of those families is in desperate need of our prayers.

This family was adopting their 3rd daughter when we traveled together. They already had two biological daughters. Both of those girls came with them on our journey. They were such sweet girls, I remember how sweet they were with the kids - they even brought valentines cards with them (since we would be in China over Valentines day) to hand out to the little girls. It was so sweet -- and we still have it in Anne Marie's scrap-book!

Well, one of their biological daughters Savannah was in a horrible car accident a few days ago & is in ICU still in a coma. There are so many unknowns right now and I can only imagine what this family must be going through right now.

Please pray with me. Pray that God comforts them, heals Savannah, and gives them strength to deal with what is to come.

Thank you!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday we went to Church with our friends Diane, Brian & "baby Andrew". It was a very special day for Andrew. He was being baptised on Easter. I feel blessed that they asked us to be part of their special day.

Anne Marie in her Easter dress ready for Church

Our little family

"Baby Andrew" ready for his big day & mommy Diane & daddy Brian

Another Weekend Getaway

Well, we headed out again this weekend! Our friends Diane & Brian were having their little boy "baby Andrew" (as Anne Marie calls him - it MUST include the word baby!!) baptised on Easter Sunday & they asked if we would come & celebrate with them.

Friday we checked into our hotel. We had dinner & then a dip in the pool -- and a little accident! Then Saturday we spent the day with our friends @ their house. Anne Marie had a great time (minus the accident). And we were honored to be guests at the baptism.

Anne Marie getting a ride on the luggage cart!
(If you can click on the pic to make it bigger -- and check out the cute shirt I found!!)

Ready for the pool.........

Then, back to the room for an ice-pack. One little girl we know was having way too much fun holding her breath underwater & spinning around before coming back up -- and then she got too close to the wall -- on the way back up --she cracked her nose open on the side :o(

After about 30 minutes of ice & rocking w/ mommy, we let her climb into bed w/ us & have a little treat......it was all better...but we let her stay up for a while just to make sure!

Saturday morning...all better-- barely even a bruise -- an ready to visit w/ Baby Andrew


Baby Andrew & his mommy

Mike & Baby Andrew watching baseball ------ look like they might use the same barber?? haaa

No mother of the year award here.....

How did I allow this to happen? Well, it was spring-break (is that good enough)? We had not had our friend Mattie here this week & we've been running around getting things ready for Easter, helping my mom get ready for her yard-sale, getting ready for two out-of-town-trips, and trying to get all of Anne Marie's old clothes out & new clothes in (many trips from the attic were involved) So I've not been as strict with breakfast around here this week. One day she said, "I don' want milk on my cereal" - so I let her go pick out the cereal she wanted (also a cereal that normally, she's not allowed to have - for breakfast anyway -it's a "treat" cereal ) well, she just opened the box & dug right in -- haaaa!! Gotta let loose some days right??

Mother Daughter Tea

This past weekend our Church had a mother-daughter tea on Sunday in the afternoon. Well, I talked two of our friends into coming to the tea -- little girls can even have fun @ these things right? After our little weekend getaway (see post below) I knew Anne Marie would enjoy the tea~And what a great excuse to dress up in a frilly dress and eat fun little cucumber sandwiches?!?!

Well, the girls had a BLAST (big & little girls!!)

Just like a little princess at her tea party!


All the yummy sandwiches & cakes - they even made little peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches for the little girls!!

Some of our friends enjoying their tea.

Yummy scones with jelly & cream

The girls enjoying their tea

Anne Marie and our friend Mira outside for a few pictures

Mommies & their girls

Weekend Getaway!

This weekend we had a chance to take a little weekend trip. There is a resort that is not too far from here that Mike and I have been to a few times in years past. We've not been since Anne Marie has been home. There was a special they were offering return guests this weekend that I couldn't pass up, so we headed out for a night stay.

It a very pretty resort. They have a beautiful pool, afternoon tea, movies in their theater at night for kids & parents, and great food! Anne Marie LOVES to visit hotels and gets sosososo excited when we take vacations, we just knew she would love it here.

Anne Marie and I in our room.

Our Afternoon tea...she enjoyed this the most I think of everything that we did during our stay. She actually drank the hot tea (with sugar & milk) and loved the scones with jelly!! (Does anyone noticed the "required" pinky-out pose of her hand??haaaa!!She actually did it all by herself)

Her very special dinner of home-made baked "mac-n-cheese" as she calls it

Then, after we got back from watching the movie, we got fancy desserts and ate them in our HUGE bed in our room

Our girl in the locker room before & after swimming!

Daddy trying to teach Anne Marie how to play checkers, but she decide building towers were alot more fun than what daddy was doing!!

"A little afternoon reading" in the lounge chair in the sun by the breeze of the windows. (ok can I just say this is such a sweet picture?!?!)

Ready to head home!!