LENA & MACEY

First day of school!

2009-08-24T07:30:00.005-05:00

So I'm sitting here now alone in my house with mixed feelings about today. Lena is starting Kindergarten. And while I know it is an exciting time and I'm happy to see her growing up, I wonder where my baby went so fast. I know all my friends with school-aged kids have felt this way. I can't decide if I'm gonna laugh or cry! :) Macey is also starting a new preschool today so it's a big day for them both.

Anyway, I'm attaching pics from this morning. They both woke up fine, got dressed with ease, and didn't even complain that the cereal options at school only included non-sugar things (Cheerios or Corn Flakes). They both willingly ate their Corn Flakes, Macey with a side of banana, and smiled big for mama for one last pic.

I'm one lucky mama!

Donna Kay

Lena's ready for Kindergarten!

Rockin' her leopard prints!

Macey's ready too...first day at new preschool. :)

We are ready to go!

Breakfast at Kindercare

Macey's first ballet performance! :)

2009-08-10T11:42:00.002-05:00

Macey had a recital on Saturday for her summer ballet class. She is the little "tree" in the middle all alone at the beginning.

Palm Beach at Moody Gardens

2009-07-15T21:12:00.003-05:00

Pics from July 4th!

2009-07-07T11:56:00.013-05:00

Lena Graduates from PK!

2009-05-26T21:35:00.005-05:00

Well today my first born graduated from Pre-k. And while I am super excited for her to start Kinder next year, it was also a reminder that time flies and my baby is growing up. I am so proud of her! She is a great little girl and the best big sister! I am blessed.

Here are pics from the day...

Graduation morning

Proud graduate!

Sister has to have her pic made too!

Macey & Grammy waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Big day!

That's my baby in the middle.

Lena receiving her diploma...I'm so proud!

With mommy & daddy

Grammy & Lena

Grammy & Macey

Mommy & Lena

Mommy & Macey

2009!!

And this one I took at the gym this evening. Lena is in gymnastics & Macey is in ballet and tap. So cute!

Photos from Spring Break in VA!

2009-03-20T20:58:00.001-05:00

Kevin & I took the girls to Virginia for Spring Break to see his dad and stepmom. The weather was a little cold and wet, but we made the best of it and had a blast. We finally got a gorgeous day on Wednesday and we went into DC for the day. It was a great Spring Break. Enjoy all the pics. :)

Hi/Lo Thursday

2009-02-12T05:52:00.002-06:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and for a chance to win $100.

First, of all PRAISES for Abby is doing better and may come home today. She has been in excruciating pain and endured much this week. But prayers have been answered and she is doing better.

My "hi" of this past week was the Chinese New Year Party on Saturday evening. I always treasure this time we spend honoring our daughters' culture and being with other adoptive families.

My "lo" is still an uncertain thing. Macey was feeling weak & tired last night while she was hanging out with Grammy. She ate well and played some but was not herself. She came home and climbed straight in her bed...NOT like her! She coughed a bit and woke up crying once. I finally gave her a little something for cough and she slept soundly the rest of the night. We'll have to see how she feels when I wake her up in a bit for school. We may be staying home if she is unwell.

Have a great day everyone!

FCC Chinese New Year Party

2009-02-07T23:10:00.009-06:00

Tonight we attended the FCC-Houston Chinese New Year party, ringing in the Year of the Ox! We have gone every year since 2005 and they are always lots of fun.

The girls did not want to wear their traditional Chinese dresses this year because they said they are uncomfortable (I agree) so I bought them these really cute panda bear dresses from CWD Kids. Kevin was bummed that they wouldn't be in traditional dress, but we got more compliments on their dresses and they were comfy all night.

We started the event with crafts (panda picture frames, Chinese charm bracelets, and goody bags...something else I am forgetting). Then dinner (a true Chinese feast) and the entertainment from Mitsi Dancing School and the dragon dancers they have every year.

We got to sit with Nancy, Jade and Jasmine which was a special treat because all the girlies and their moms get along so well and the girls all attend FBA together. It was so great to chat with them.

We look forward to doing it all again next year! Here are some pics:

My girls!

A fabulous feast! (can you see that all the plates are almost empty except the veggies?)

Playing with chopsticks!

Jade

Jasmine & Lena

Wonderful entertainment!

All four fabulous friends together!

And, to top it all off, I finally got to meet Allison Stock live and in the flesh! Allison and I have been "online" friends for at least 18 months. When we first "met" we were each prepping to travel to adopt our youngest child (her third, my second). She relocated to Houston not long ago and we finally got to meet...we are no longer only "online" buddies. :)

Macey Leigh's Big Day

2009-02-03T09:25:00.011-06:00

Girlies on daddy's shoulders

Lena having fun with balloons and streamers

Flowers from Daddy

Flamingos in the yard in honor of her special day

Mommy & Macey

Lena riding a flamingo

Macey's 3rd birthday meal of choice - chicken nuggets & mac and cheese!

Opening gifts from mom & dad and Grammy & Papa

New TV!

Her homemade banana cake

Blowing out the candle!

Striking a pose

Macey playing her new keyboard

Ballet PJs

Lena playing with styrofoam from TV...funny how that happens!

Macey Leigh Turns 3!

2009-02-02T14:58:00.001-06:00

Our sweet Macey is three today!

I never win anything...but I DID!

2009-01-31T23:11:00.005-06:00

I never, ever win anything. Okay, I won the 50-yard dash once on field day while I was in elementary school, was voted "Most Dependable" of my 8th grade class and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" as a senior. But since then, really nothing. No lottery, no prizes...well I definitely won when I received my children so I guess I can never say never.

My point is...I entered a drawing on Denise's blog, There's Always Room for One More, and I actually won!

Denise has frequent giveaways on her blog and I always enter. This week she was giving away a hand-made scarf. If you won, you actually got to choose between a soft pink scarf or a hot pink scarf. I picked the softer one:

Denise's blog is hilarious and I read it often. THANK YOU Denise! I can't wait to receive the scarf!

I also want to thank April, the talent behind the scarf. Thanks April!! You can visit her blog here and her Etsy store here. Go check her out!

Two sweet boys on their way home!

2009-01-21T09:48:00.003-06:00

Two of my online friends are coming home with their new sons...adorable boys!!

This is Benjamin Vedder (see post below) with his new mama and baba, and also one of him with his big winning smile:

This is Cynthia and her new son Nathaniel Jade Jin Pei. You can see her blog at www.underthemistymountain.blogspot.com.

Benjamin Vedder comes home!

2009-01-06T10:56:00.004-06:00

After we had been home with Macey for just a few short months, I fell in love with a little boy nicknamed Houston by the agency who was trying to place him. His special need is the same as Macey's and they have the exact same birthday. I asked Kevin if we could adopt him, but he was not willing to consider it. I was so sad.

A short time later, a sweet family in Port St. Lucie Florida was matched with him. I'm so happy for him!! The Vedders are leaving in the next couple of days to bring him home and I'm so happy for them all. They are naming him Benjamin. Here is the little cutie pie!

Follow the Vedder's trip here! I'm so happy he'll be home with his forever family before his 3rd bday.

Happy New Year 2009!

2008-12-31T21:40:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...I'm way behind. I haven't posted one Christmas pic. I'll do it very soon. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Girlies Visit Santa Claus

2008-12-23T07:32:00.000-06:00

The girlies got to finally have their visit with Santa Claus last night. As expected, Macey has requested a helicopter toy and Lena asked for more Pixos. Luckily, we have these both covered!

Busy week of Christmas Festivities!

2008-12-20T15:12:00.008-06:00

My, what a busy week we had!! Early in the week was spent getting ready for later in the week. There was baking to be done, gifts to wrap & bring to school, programs to be performed and lots of fun to be had.

The big deals were Thursday and Friday. Thursday afternoon at 4 was a primary school program. Macey was a reindeer and Lena was an angel. It was adorable!

When we got home from that, our neighborhood had a hayride. Lots of our neighbors have very nice Christmas light displays outside so this was an opportunity to ride around and see everything. It was a nice evening and we really enjoyed it. Not many pics from that since my camera doesn't take great night photos. I did get one decent one of Macey & Daddy as we waited to get going.

Friday was the last day of school before Christmas break (yippee!!) and both girls were having class parties. First we had Lena's party:

Then we had Macey's party:

Finally we came home and I was EXHAUSTED!

Macey Leigh - One Year in Our Arms

2008-12-16T13:50:00.003-06:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Candy Cane Lane

2008-12-13T17:25:00.006-06:00

Today was the Candy Cane Lane at Houston's First Baptist Church. It's a big Christmas carnival/festival type thing. We had a ball!

8 Favorite Things

2008-12-11T09:36:00.007-06:00

Nancy (Me and My Two Chickadees) tagged me for an 8 things meme. So here they are!

8 Favorite TV shows:
* Dancing with the Stars
* The Amazing Race
* Intervention
* Ellen
* Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
* Design on a Dime
* Jon & Kate Plus 8
* Design Star

8 Things I look forward to:
* Having fun with Bug and Mace-ster
* Reading
* Sleeping in
* Weekends
* Christmas
* Fall and winter weather
* Mexican food :)
* Alone time

8 Things on my wish list:
* Get in shape
* Get a raise!
* Trip back to China with my girls when they are older
* Be independently wealthy so I don't have to work anymore
* If I have to work, be able to work from home and still afford private school education for my girls
* Complete healing for my mom
* For my mom's house to be 100% repaired AND SOLD!
* A new car

8 Things I did yesterday:
* Sang Christmas songs in the car with my girls
* Watched it SNOW!!!
* Had dinner with a friend
* Worked
* Laughed
* Watched "Ellen" and laughed more
* Balanced my check book (I do it everyday!)
* Played on the computer

8 Favorite Restaurants:
* Pei Wei
* Chuy's
* Tony's
* La Hacienda
* Whataburger (does fast food count?)
* Bennigan's (they still have them in San Antonio!)
* Sweet Tomatoes
* TGI Friday's

8 Friends I tag
Denise
Jana
Jennifer
Jill
M3
Monica
Cynthia
Stefanie

Barney is BACK!

2008-12-01T19:34:00.002-06:00

Our stinker of a dog, Barney, escaped yesterday and could not be found. I was devastated...this dog is like my other child. Well he was FOUND today. It's a long story involving lots of searching and me hanging signs at 4:30 a.m., but the end result is great...he is home. :)

Here's a pic of the stinker, laying on my clean laundry no less. That's what I get for not folding it right away.

Reunion with the Klines

2008-11-29T14:15:00.003-06:00

This post is a couple weeks over due. On November 14th, we readopted Macey in Texas (see readopt photo here). While we were there we got to visit the Kline family - Ken, Laurie and their kids Katie, Nick and Tia. Tia is five and she came home from China at the same time as Lena. Laurie and I were travel mates, along with 9 other families from GWCA. Laurie traveled by herself and we got to know her and Tia well over our two weeks in China. This was our second time to see them since coming home in 2005 with the girls. I'm so glad they are close enough to visit from time to time. Tia has grown so much, but she & Lena are both tiny. They had a great time playing despite a few jealous moments and Macey & Lena really want to go visit them again.

Here are pics from the visit courtesy of Laurie. Thanks Klines...we had a ball!

Christmas Pics!

2008-11-29T09:37:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had Christmas pics done. They turned out so great!

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

2008-11-22T12:01:00.007-06:00

It is a tradition each year that FBA celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends Day on the Friday that we let out for Thanksgiving break. That was yesterday (YIPPEE...I need the week off!). The PK3 and PK4 kids put on an entertaining chapel service for the guests, all dressed as pilgrims and indians. Lena and her BF Autumn got to lead the guests in the Pledge of Allegiance. I was a proud mama!!

How cute is my little Indian??

Macey is officially a Texan now!

2008-11-17T10:08:00.002-06:00

We completed Macey's readoption in Texas on Friday. She is officially a TEXAN!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-16T22:15:00.005-06:00

Thursday at FBA, the preschool had a Thanksgiving Feast. There was a short program first where the PK4 kids were indians and the PK3 kids were pilgrims. They sang three very short songs (“Indians Say Yo-Ho”, “Big Chief” and “Two Little Indians”) and it was super cute! Afterwards there was a huge meal, complete with more desserts than I have ever seen!

Indians and Pilgrims (courtesy of Nancy)

Lena the Indian

Macey at the Feast (nice face, huh?)

Jasmine and Lena at the Feast

I won the SMILE AWARD!

2008-11-09T13:52:00.004-06:00

Nancy, the sweet mommy of Jasmine & Jade, awarded me with the Smile Award. Thank you Nancy for this award. Sorry it's taken me so long to pay it forward!

What is a Smile Award you ask?

1. Must display a cheerful attitude.
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life. Definitely. Absolutely.
7. Must love kids.

These are the rules for the Smile Award

1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator.
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

I pass this award to:
1. Sandy
2. Kim
3. Laurie
4. Connie
5. Kimberly

Happy Election Day, USA!

2008-11-04T08:30:00.003-06:00

Today is an extremely important day in American history! By the end of the day (hopefully) we'll either have elected our first African American President or our first female Vice President. If the polls are right, it'll be the former. If I have my way, it'll be the latter. :)

I early voted last week and will watch the polls with excitement tonight. I know that the election is not up to just me - that's why our democracy is so GREAT! I have friends who disagree with my viewpoints, but I always say that's one of the great things about this country: we can agree to disagree and have PEACEFUL elections, no matter the winners or losers.

Happy Election Day to all! Please go have your vote counted today.

Sarah Palin & Mikayla

2008-11-03T11:04:00.002-06:00

I just had to share this lovely photo. The Reed Family (Wendy Reed is a cyber friend of mine) had the opportunity to attend a McCain/Palin rally this weekend. The Reeds have two children from China and are paperchasing for a third right now. They also have 4 bio children. Mikayla, age 5, was born with Downs Syndrome. This pic is the lovely Mikayla Reed being snuggled up by Sarah Palin, who will hopefully be our next VP! Isn't it adorable?

To read more about the Reed family and to help with their latest adoption (lots of ornaments and fun things for sale), please check out their adoption story here. The password is Ellie2009.

Halloween fun!

2008-11-01T08:57:00.006-05:00

Carving a pumpkin the night before

Dinner before Trick or Treating

Time to go!

Home having candy!

We hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Pumpkins Everywhere!

2008-10-31T06:23:00.001-05:00

This post is WAY over due...sorry! They are from our pumpkin patch visit and our evening of decorating them. So cute!

Little Red Hen

2008-10-29T13:41:00.002-05:00

A great story from my friend Nancy.. :)

Once upon a time, on a farm in Virginia, there was a little red hen who scratched and scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat.

She called all of her Democrat neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"

'Not I,' said the cow.
'Not I,' said the duck.
'Not I,' said the pig.
'Not I,' said the goose.

"'Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen - and so she did.

The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

'Not I,' said the duck.
'Out of my classification, ' said the pig.
'I'd lose my seniority,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my unemployment compensation, ' said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen - and so she did.

At last it came time to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.

'That would be overtime for me,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my welfare benefits,' said the duck.
'I'm a dropout and never learned how,' said the pig.
'If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination, ' said the goose.

"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I shall eat all five loaves.'

"Excess profits!" cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.

Then the Farmer Obama came. He said to the little red hen, 'You must not be so greedy.'

"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.

'Exactly,' said Barack the farmer. 'That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.'

And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, 'I am grateful, for now I truly understand.'

But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free.

And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.

Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared...so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.

EPILOGUE

Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
Hillary got $8 million for hers.

That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?

Birthday Tea Party Fun!

2008-10-18T14:14:00.004-05:00

Today, Lena & I attended Jasmine's 5th birthday party (see Jasmine's mommy's blog here). Jasmine turned 5 on my birthday, October 5th!

The party was at The Storybook Cottage - what a cool place! The girls got to dress up (complete with makeup and finger polish), parade in front of everyone, have their photo made, make a frame for their photo, decorate their own cupcakes, and then open Jasmine's gifts with her. They had a ball! Several friends from school were there and Lena's good friend Autumn rode with us.

Here are the pics:

Gymnast and Dancer

2008-10-13T06:06:00.002-05:00

Lena has always been quite the monkey - climbing on everything and full of energy. She has a very lean, muscular body. We have always said she could be a gymnast and she did take a mommy & me gymnastics class when she was two. However, she lost interest and hasn't been in a class since.

Now her interest has come back. She LOVES to flip over bars, hang upside down, and she says she wants to learn to "flip flop" like Boots the Monkey. So I think we'll be signing her up again soon.

This is what she uses our treadmill for (it's a good thing someone uses it!):

Macey on the other hand loves to sing and dance. Here they are in their dancewear:

I think I may have two future stars on my hands!

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!!

2008-10-12T08:50:00.015-05:00

I've been TAGGED by Debby at L and J Updates! Thanks Debby! I love you too. :) Now I have to post 7 interesting facts about myself (if I can think of that many) and then tag 7 other bloggers to do the same. So here goes...

1. I knew in college, before I met my husband or had fertility problems, that I would adopt from China one day. It had been on my heart a LONG time before it actually came to pass.

2. My in-laws live across the street and I LOVE IT! People are always so sympathetic when I first say "my in-laws are right across the street" and then I have to say "NO that's a GOOD THING!". They are so sweet to me & the girls and so helpful. I love them very much.

3. Two of my best friends (Jana and Liz) are friends I have had since elementary school. That doesn't seem like a big deal to us, but folks are always surprised to hear that. Another awesome friend (Melissa) actually went to my high school and we had many mutual friends. Somehow we missed each other and met during college.

4. I absolutely LOVE football! I don't know many girls who love it like I do, although I know there are some out there. I love my kids dearly, but I do miss my lazy Sundays sitting around just watching football all day.

5. Related to #4, my favorite time of year is Labor Day to New Year's Day. It is the time of year that has my favorite sport (football), my favorite weather and all my favorite holidays (my bday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!).

6. Something many of you don't know, I tried teaching a few years ago. I ended up at a HORRIBLE school with an even more HORRIBLE principal and I almost had a nervous breakdown. I quit in November and I didn't even give notice. I just walked in and said, "I quit; today is my last day." She was not happy.

7. I am a total book nerd. There, I said it. Before my days as a mom, I would read 1-2 sometimes 3 books a week. I love to read. My favorite author ever is Sidney Sheldon, but I also love Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Weiner, Tess Geritsen, Stephen King, John Grisham, Marian Keyes, Jane Green....should I go on?

Okay, so I'm not very interesting. But I bet most of my blog readers learned something they didn't know.

I will tag these lucky bloggers:

1. Denise at There's Always Room for One More. She's absolutely hilarious and should write for a living. I love her blog!

2. Lynn at Somewhere in the Sun. Lynn is a wonderfully sweet Christian mom and I find such positive inspiration when reading her stories. Plus Olivia is just adorable!

3. Jennifer at The Pletcher Five Journey. Jennifer & I "met" during GWCA's matching of children to families. You should really read her story of finding her son Cainan...it's a miracle! If I can find the exact post on her blog I'll add it here.

4. Nancy at Me and My Two Chickadees. The only blogger on this list that I actually know in person! Her daughters go to FBA with mine and they all get along fabulously!

5. Tonya at The Bramblett Bunch. She has two adorable children from China and a beautiful bio daughter as well. They have quite a busy, exciting life and I love to catch up with them.

6. Jill at Mission to Macie. Our daughters share a name...mine is Macey Leigh and her's is Macie Lee. How cute is that?

7. Allison at Waiting for Dumpling #3. Allison has moved to Houston recently and we have yet to meet but will soon! She also sent me a great Secret Pal gift recently. :)

I also would have LOVED to tag Jana at Journey to Oakley, but she is moving and too busy for this stuff!

Have fun all of you that have been tagged!

Princesses, 36, and gas

2008-10-09T16:24:00.009-05:00

Here are some recent pics of my girls dressed as princesses. :)

I turned 36 on Oct. 5th. Here are some of me with my angels that day. Lena took the pic of me blowing out the candles. Can you tell she was very focused on the cake? I decorated for fall that day too. Macey thought it would be fun to play in the container where I store that stuff.

Finally, a sight for sore eyes! I don't know when the last time was I saw gas under $3 per gallon...good times!

Fall school pics!

2008-10-02T21:16:00.001-05:00

The school pics came in today...yippee!! Are my girls the cutest or what?

Lena

Macey

And since I'm on staff, they need a pic of me for the yearbook...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-01T15:29:00.002-05:00

God Sent Smile

2008-09-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Have a great day!

Lufkin cleanup begins!

2008-09-27T14:08:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, I drove to Lufkin to survey the damage to mom's house, inside and out. I wasn't sure what to expect. What we found wasn't good, but it could have been much worse. The tree that fell on the front of the house just wrecked the front awning of the house. No water got into the house and no furniture was damaged.

The back tree is another story. A long piece of thick branch poked a hole in the roof and fell into the house. It was over my mom's den/breakfast room. The tree people had taken down most of the tree, but they needed to get inside to take down the part that was hanging from the ceiling. There is quite a hole there. Some water got in, but luckily that was linoleum flooring, so no mold or mildew. Mom did have a carpet laying on top of the linoleum, but it wasn't tacked down and there was no padding. So I just rolled up the wet carpet and threw it out. Oh, and the chimney top was broken.

My mother-in-law went with me and helped, thank God. We cleaned up as much of the mess as we could and hauled it outside. We boxed up all her stuff in that room and moved it out so that when we get a contractor hired for the repairs, they are ready to start working, nothing will be in their way. In the long run, the room should be much nicer - new floors, light fixtures, paint, etc.

Here's what we walked into:

Here's the chimney (part of it is laying on my mom's patio):

Here's about midway through our clean up:

Here are the tree guys getting the rest of the tree out:

And the big hole left behind:

Okay, now the house is protected and ready for repairs:

Ike caused more trouble than we thought

2008-09-19T16:48:00.004-05:00

We came through Ike relatively unhurt at our house. But I'd been wondering about mom's house since I knew East Texas had lots of damage too. And since she's here for treatment, no one knew. I tried to contact two of her co-workers but haven't had luck.

I had a call today from another co-worker saying that a neighbor of mom's called them to report damage to the house from two downed trees. I hadn't heard back from the other co-workers because Internet has been down. The neighbor who was so kind to call took some pics and emailed them to me. I've already called mom's insurance company to get the claims process going. Yet another thing to worry about...when it rains, it pours.

Ike: before & after and Cypress cleans up

2008-09-15T10:38:00.010-05:00

Note: You can click on any of these to see a larger version.

This is the night before Ike hit. We were trying to have a little fun and not worry the girls too much.

Hunkering down in the hallway, the safest place in our house. We tried to make it fun for the girls so they wouldn't be scared.

The next morning at our house. Luckily it was mostly just a mess and no major damage occurred.

Our front porch...

Front flower bed...

Our sidewalk...

Our yard...

My in-laws back yard (that fig tree was uprooted)...

Their driveway...

Their sidewalk...

Their front yard...

These show the most common scene in our neighborhood today...lots of trash piled up on the curb. Yesterday it looked like "community clean up day" outside. Just about everyone was outside working, trying to get our neighborhood back to normal appearance. At least then it will feel like everything is normal.

This was one of the worst yards in our neighborhood. It looks like their house was spared, but many trees came down. This second one shows that when a big tree fell over, a bunch of the yard came up with it, including the water lines for their sprinkler system.

Trying to keep busy after the storm with no power...girls being silly with playdough...

Macey playing with a dancing bunny (can you see the sweat? It was hot!)

Lena playing a game with Grammy

Girls playing jax

We stayed one night at Kevin's aunt's house. Lena made me this while we were there:

Fortunately for most of us, life goes on. The sun still shines above the trees that still stand...

And flowers continue to bloom. PTL!

Devastated

2008-09-14T12:20:00.003-05:00

Houston and Galveston especially have been devastated by Ike. These are not my pics, but they show some of the terrible destruction. I'll post my own pics when I have power back home. We are bunking at a relative's house. Thankfully, the house is okay and the girls are okay...they are all the matter.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-11T11:03:00.002-05:00

If you don't live in Florida or the Gulf Coast, maybe you haven't paid much attention to the news. But we have a whopper of a hurricane headed right toward us. The big question: do we stay or do we go?

For now, I think we are staying put. But I'll post as soon as I can after the storm decides where it's going and makes landfall.

Stay safe!

September 11

2008-09-11T09:12:00.003-05:00

This day is always so emotional for me. I remember it so vividly and I can't believe it's been 7 years. God bless all of those who lost their lives, those who lost loved ones and those who survived but deal each day with physical and emotional scars.

I'm sad that we live in a world where my daughters will probably always have to hear about terrorism.

Off to watch the RNC!

2008-09-03T20:51:00.005-05:00

I'm so glad tonight is the night I get to hear Sarah Palin's RNC speech. I hope I'm not disappointed!

**Update at 11:04 p.m....she was FABULOUS!

The hurricane's not even here yet!

2008-08-31T08:48:00.007-05:00

This morning, I stepped out of my bedroom and into the hallway and the carpet was wet and squishy. I let the dogs out and came back to investigate. The sink in Lena's bathroom had sprung a leak. UGH! I called my father-in-law to come help me (Kevin & the girls are out of town) and he was able to get the water turned off. Now I'm left with a wet mess. I've got a fan on it and I'm trying to wet vac it. But I think I may need professional help.

Thank God I didn't go out of town with Kevin & the girls or we would have had an entire long weekend's worth of water in the house. And Hurricane Gustav is not even here yet. The fun never ends...

Lots of busy-ness

2008-08-28T11:19:00.009-05:00

Things have been a bit crazy lately. School started, my mom's still in treatment, work is nuts! Oh, and my computer at home is dead and in the repair shop, hence the blog post during my lunch break. One day at a time is my new mantra!

First of all school started for the girls on August 19th. Well, they were in school all summer because I work full time. But the new school year started on August 19th and the girls moved up to their new classes that day. Macey is in the twos class and Lena is in PK4. One more year until kindergarten!

First day of school!

Last weekend Lena was invited to a birthday tea party for her friend and classmate Autumn. Siblings were welcome but Lena really just wanted to have a day with mommy so we left Macey at home with daddy. Lena had a great time! It was a very nice tea party, complete with real china...fancy! I don't think I've ever heard so much squealing in my life.

Lena looking adorable in her tea party hat.

Tea?

Balloon artist making COOL balloons! She was great...I may have to hire her for a party.

Lena got a butterfly.

Time for cake!

Lena with Autumn, the birthday girl.

Lena with Stephanie, Autumn's mom.

On August 22nd, Kevin & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. I really can't believe it's been 10 years. He bought me a bouquet of tulips, my favorite flower. This pic was taken by Lena.

The dogs are not helping the craziness factor in our house these days. I think Barney is mad that Maggie is staying with us. We keep finding pee spots in the house. We had attibuted them to Maggie since Barney never used to do that but I caught him in the act yesterday. Who knows which ones are from which dog? I think we're going to have to start crating them both!

Barney

Maggie

Lena and Macey's Excellent Adventure

2008-08-16T19:08:00.006-05:00

This last week, the girls' school was closed to students on Thursday and Friday. But, I work there too and staff/faculty were supposed to work. It was an excellent opportunity for Grammy to take two vacation days from work and have a mini-vacation with the girls. :)

She picked them up from school on Wednesday and they hung out and grocery shopped to prepare for Thursday. Thursday Grammy and Papa took them to Stewart Beach in Galveston (both girls' first beach trip ever). Friday just the ladies (Grammy & the girls) went to a local mall that has a mini-museum. Lena especially loved digging for dinosaurs. They had loads of fun on their little vacation. Mommy missed them terribly! I was so glad to bring them home this morning. :)

Enjoy all the pics, courtesy of Grammy!

Love it!

2008-08-14T17:29:00.002-05:00

This has nothing to do with Lena and Macey, but I just love this pic. It warmed my heart today and I really needed it!

Last Day of School

2008-08-13T09:07:00.004-05:00

Today is the girls' official last day of the 07-08 school year's summer session. They are off Thurs, Fri & Mon and then they start in their new classes on Tuesday. I have mixed emotions. I am happy & excited for the change to the next class. But we have loved our teachers in the Ladybug class (Lena's class) and Butterfly class (Macey's class). I am so grateful for the wonderful teachers they have had!

Here's Lena, ready for her last day (with Louie the Ladybug, who spent the night last night):

Macey's ready for her last Butterfly day!

Both girls are excited!

Macey with her lead teacher Sharon. She has LOVED this woman!

Macey & her assistant teacher Elizabeth. They are outside as I type having a mexican fiesta for the last day of school, complete with pinatas!

Lena & her asst teacher Laura. Her lead teacher Ashley actually left FBA a couple of weeks ago for another job...wah!

Lena & Macey at the FIESTA!

On Tuesday, Lena will a Dolphin and Macey will be a Puppy! Yippee!

Grammy is keeping the girls for the next few nights and they are having a mini vacation to the beach and maybe a museum. Hopefully I can get those pics from Grammy & post them next week.

Pep Rally!

2008-08-06T21:41:00.002-05:00

This summer, Lena took cheerleading at school along with several of her friends and some girls in other classes. She seemed to enjoy it! Today was their last day and they gave the parents a little pep rally! It was so cute! So here are a few pics (I have video too but no time or energy to mess with it now...check back later!)

北京欢迎你 / 北京歡迎你 / bĕi jīng huān yíng nǐ/ Beijing Welcomes You

2008-07-31T09:37:00.003-05:00

I just had to share this video. It's a song made by lots of Chinese pop stars called "Beijing Welcomes You" for the 2008 Olympics. I have no idea what they are all saying, but it's a catchy song! :)

You'll notice that Jackie Chan is in there...he's a pop star in China! Who knew?

FCC-Houston Swimming Party Fun!

2008-07-26T23:02:00.008-05:00

It's been quite a week for me. As I mentioned a few posts ago, my mom started treatment for her cancer this week. Right now, my brother and sister-in-law are taking her for most of her appointments and I am filling in when they aren't able to take her. Even though I'm not doing much of the driving right now, I am emotionally exhausted. Thankfully, I have these two angels to keep me busy and smiling!

Here are a few pics from the week.

First of all, we got some new hand-me-down dress up clothes from Lena & Macey's cousin Hannah and Macey is all about a Tinkerbell dress that was part of the bunch. She insists on wearing most of the time when we are home. How adorable is she??

Here's Lena just making a silly face.

Today, we got out the Playdoh and went to town. We really had a great time being creative. Notice that Macey is again wearing the TB dress.

Finally, the highlight of my weekend was the FCC-Houston swimming party. We went last year too and had a ball. It was held at the Quillian Recreation Center at First United Methodist Church. They have a small pool called the Noah's Ark pool that is great for kids, complete with slides and all. The girls had a blast! Our friends Jade and Jasmine and mom Nancy were there too (they've made my blog a lot lately, huh?). The four girls had so much fun and were so cute!

Annabelle's Wish for a new bathroom

2008-07-25T08:53:00.003-05:00

Would you want to potty here?

If you have a heart for the orphans in China, please click here to go to Annabelle's Wish blog. They are a non-profit whose mission is to serve China's orphans. They are trying to raise money to help put a new bathroom in the Shizong orphanage. The "facilities" they have now are horrendous. Please go to the Annabelle's Wish blog to donate!

Mom starts treatment today...UPDATED

2008-07-23T10:04:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to say my mom has her first radiation appointment today at 1 p.m. Please say a prayer for her.

Update: Mom has now had two radiation treatments. I believe she'll have 35 total. I think the second went better than the first just because the "unknown" was gone. This evening (7/25) we have her first chemo. Keep the prayers going up!

Weekend fun!

2008-07-20T21:06:00.004-05:00

Busy weekend this weekend...here are a few shots...

Ice cream anyone?

Oh, my face is clean...I'll have to use the ice cream package for my mustache...

Maggie, my mom's dog, who is staying with us while mom undergoes cancer treatment.

Saturday birthday party...Lena's blue mouth...

Jasmine's blue mouth...

Danielle's blue mouth...

What's better than playing with friends?

Lena, Jade & Jasmine

Danielle, Jasmine and Lena

Macey wearing Lena's Statue of Liberty crown

Groucho Marx Statue of Liberty?

Hope your weekend was a blast too!

A day at the ranch!

2008-07-12T19:34:00.006-05:00

Today, Kevin & I took the girls to the Oil Ranch in Hockley, TX, just up the road from us. We had purchased tickets at the Families with Children from China auction back in March. It is now $12.95 per person to get in and we got the entire familiy in for $20...a steal! We were blessed with a really nice day. They have tons to do there. We didn't get to do it all as we were just worn out. But we had a blast! Here are our pics.

Lena with a mini Statue of Liberty:

Posing with a bronze horse:

Macey's pony ride (with mommy):

Lena's pony ride:

Clowing around with daddy:

Clowing around with daddy:

Macey watching a horse eat hay:

Petting Daisy the cow:

Girls waiting for the train:

Macey on the train (sorry for the terrible shot..)

Lena on the train:

Oil Ranch family pool:
This pool was super for us because it's only 2' and 3' in depth...perfect for the girls!

Girls swimming:

Macey cooling off in the pool:

Lena in the pool:

Have small kids and need sleep?

2008-07-05T21:22:00.001-05:00

This funny story was shared by a fellow mom, although she has many more kids than I. Ring true for you?

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:
'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Happy Independence Day!!!

2008-07-04T09:03:00.001-05:00

Home 6 months and catching up

2008-06-30T22:03:00.005-05:00

Today, Macey has been at home 6 months. It is unbelievable to me. I mean, in many ways it feels like it has flown by, but it also seems like she's always been here. I just love her; she is pure joy and such sweetness. I'm so blessed to be her mommy.

I've been behind on the blog, as I mentioned in my previous post, so I haven't shared any new pics recently. So here are a few...

First of all, Lena got a new swimming pool for her birthday, much to Kevin's chagrin since he had to blow it all up. But the girls have enjoyed it several times in the Houston heat. This was the first time they played in it.

A few days after Lena's birthday, my niece Megan had a dance recital. I knew there was no way Macey could handle it, so she stayed home with daddy and Lena and I went on a date.

The rest of these were taken tonight, just to document Macey's 6 month anniversary home. She & Lena are true sisters now, mostly loving and playful, and they have the normal sibling fights. I doubt Lena could live without her. Hasn't Macey grown so much?

I am one happy & blessed mommy!

Blogging again

2008-06-26T12:33:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it has been over three weeks since I have blogged. Well, right after Lena's birthday, my mom got very sick. She lives two hours away and I had to make a few extended trips to be with her. Long story short, she has been diagnosed with cancer and is now living here in Houston at my brother's house for a while. Yesterday she began a series of appointments to be evaluated at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Hopefully next week we'll have a treatment plan in place and she can get started. Sounds like radiation & chemo for about 12-13 weeks, but we don't know for sure just yet. Keep my mom in your prayers...

The girls have handled this all pretty well. Mommy being gone has been hard but daddy and grammy have taken great care of them. Now that my mom is here, they are all good!

LENA IS 4 YEARS OLD!!

2008-06-01T21:48:00.016-05:00

Today, my sweet baby turned four. I really can hardly believe it. It seems like minutes have passed since she was first placed in my arms at 10 months old. We had a busy day celebrating all day. First we had a birthday breakfast. Then we opened gifts from just us. Then we hung out and relaxed for a while. After lunch, Macey napped while Lena and I ran to the store for cake, ice cream and balloons. Then it was time for the party! We had it at a place called Pump It Up and it was great! They were so helpful and nice. After the party, already wiped out, we had dinner at Grammy and PaPa's house. Finally, it was time to come home and get the girls to bed. I believe they'll sleep well tonight...

Here are some of my favorite shots of the day, a few courtesy of Jasmine's mom Nancy (thanks Nancy!). Sorry...there are a lot today! It's not everyday that your first baby turns 4. :)

Birthday doughnut

Ready to light candles

Yummy!

Macey eating too...one of her favorite things to do!

Lena with her gifts

Yea! A hoola hoop!

She really wanted a banjo...she's so happy to have one!

Letting Macey play with it too...

Sitting in the gift bin at Pump It Up

Macey playing

Macey LOVED playing with this ball.

Lena sliding with Jasmine and Jade

Did you see her face??? Here it is again!

Mommy & Lena slid together too!

Backyardigans cake anyone?

Queen for the day...

Happy Birthday to me!

Lena and Macey with Jackie

Lena with Jasmine and Jade

Friends Autumn and Siani

Lena with Shelby and Corbin

Two sweet sisters

Lena and Jasmine

Lena's own laptop!

Lena and Mommy

Lena and Mommy

Last day of school!

2008-05-31T15:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of school at FBA. Of course, since I work year-round Lena and Macey will be in the summer program along with many of their friends. But quite a few of their classmates are only there during the regular school year. So yesterday Lena's class had a end-of-year party. I'm so blessed to work there...I was able to go to the party too! They had it right on campus in an area called Promiseland, complete with an indoor playground and bowling lanes. We had a great time. Monday when we go back and they are in summer school, Lena gets to take a break from the uniform. The girls are also taking tumbling this summer and Lena is taking dance. They'll also have "water days" where they play in the water. It's going to be a great summer!

Here are pics from the last day of school:

Tomorrow, Lena turns 4!! I can't believe it!

Happy Memorial Day!

2008-05-26T20:40:00.005-05:00

These are just random photos from the long holiday weekend. :)

First of all, Miss Macey has a shoe fetish. I refer to her as "Little Imelda" quite often when she is into her shoe mode. She almost always wears shoes around the house, seeks them out and puts them on just to play. Often they are my shoes or Lena's shoes. She just loves shoes. So Kevin got two pairs of ladies high heels from a patient who was going to sell them in a garage sale. Macey has been wearing this one pair all weekend long. How cute, right? She's in her nightgown because she put the shoes on as soon as she woke up.

On Sunday, we went to a nearby park for a dinner picnic & playtime with Grammy and PaPa. We love this park because it has great play equipment and it's really nice and shady. They also have grills and picnic tables.

On our way to the park...

Playing at the park...

Time to eat...

Oh, this park does not have any restrooms. So Grammy brought her little potty for the girls. :) Macey is starting to potty sometimes on the potty. I'm sure the other park visitors loved seeing our girls do their business...

Now, this was taken today. Does anyone else have children that love to be naked? My girls were supposed to be going to take a bath but they decided to play on this toy car first...

School photos

2008-05-25T11:05:00.002-05:00

I never posted the girls' school photos by themselves. How adorable are they??

Amazing young lady

2008-05-25T00:12:00.000-05:00

This girl (click here) is AMAZING! Please watch this video with a tissue nearby if you are a crier like me!

Birthday party

2008-05-24T18:55:00.001-05:00

Today we went to a birthday party for one of Lena's school friends, Danielle. They had loads of fun and weren't too cranky, even with no nap. :)

6 month visit & dentist

2008-05-23T08:52:00.003-05:00

Just a new pic of my family...

We took this photo b/c we had to have one of the entire family to give our social worker when she came for our 6-month post placement visit. She came last night and was amazed at Macey's adjustment, language, everything. It was a great visit. Just one more in six months are we are done!

I never blogged about Macey's visit to the dentist. She went on Wednesday. She had some gray/black marks on her teeth and I was really worried about decay. They don't have flouride in their water in China and I doubted her teeth had been very well cared for.

We showed up at the dentist and she went right in having a ball with the toys. She wasn't near as apprehensive as I thought she'd be when we went back. The hygienist said she just planned to brush Macey's teeth really well and have the dentist look them over. No cleaning? Well, they usually can't clean the teeth of a two year old...too much fussing and screaming. I talked them into at least trying to clean them. Well guess what! She barely fussed at all and they were able to do a complete cleaning! And ALL the stains came off! They were not decay. The dentist said it probably has to do with the iron in her diet, but she needs the iron for nutrition so not to worry about it. The stains might come back but they'll come off at the next cleaning. I guess we'll see. But he saw no sign of cavities at all and now she is Miss Pearly too, just like Lena!

I'll have to post some teeth photos so you can see them both. They look great!

Prayers for the Chapman family

2008-05-22T08:52:00.006-05:00

The message that I posted yesterday was extremely timely. You may have heard that the youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman was killed yesterday in a tragic accident (see story here). The Chapmans have three biological children and three children adopted from China. They have done a lot of mission work in China and started a non-profit called Shaohannah's Hope, which exists to enable children living without the love and hope of an earthly family to be adopted into "covenant homes." The Chapman family and their work both have a very special place in my heart. Please pray for their family.

Don't sweat the small stuff!

2008-05-21T19:13:00.006-05:00

A fellow adoptive mom shared this today and I loved it so much I had to post it. My girls are such gifts to me and I know they could be taken away at any moment. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you came to be my daughter and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day.............

Silly hair

2008-05-16T22:45:00.002-05:00

Lena likes to have a bunch of little pony tails all over her head. It's actually really cute on her because her hair has gotten so long. Thursday evening I decided to do those all over my head too. Lena thought it was fun. Kevin, of course, said my head looked big. :( Macey wanted to join in the fun but her hair is still too short. Do you think this will be the newest fashion trend?

Call her Miss Pearly!

2008-05-12T13:59:00.002-05:00

Today, Lena made her first ever visit to the dentist!

I was having a hard time finding a pediatric dentist with good recommendations in my area. Well, someone would recommend someone and I'd call to inquire and have terrible service on the phone. If my first impression over the phone is bad, I don't want to take my child there...sorry! Well finally I got to know a dentist who serves on the board of FBA, Dr. Deanna Barton of Plum Dental. Deanna doesn't work with small kids, but she recommended Dr. Joel Vela.

So I called Dr. Vela's office, Bellaire Pediatric Dentistry. And I was impressed from the start! The first phone call was informative. The follow-up calls were very helpful. Although I didn't know how Lena would be feeling about a visit to the dentist, I was actually looking forward to it.

We walked into the office and "Beauty and the Beast" was playing on the TV. There were quite a few cool toys. The office was bright and clean. My only complaint: we did wait a bit longer than I expected. But once we got in, it was great. His hygienist, Gaylynn, was wonderful with Lena! She had her teeth cleaned and never made one peep. She got to choose a new toothbrush (I was surprised she chose Snow White over Cinderella). Then Dr. Vela came to examine her and he was very happy with her mouth. He said the spacing in her mouth is great and went so far as to predict she won't need braces due to crowding. Of course, the teeth could still grow in crooked, but they should have plenty of room. He said he'd wait until next visit to take xrays but didn't see anything indicating there are any cavities. There was a little bleeding around the gums during the cleaning so they want us to brush better around the gumline. Besides that, it was a non-event! And Lena was so proud of her pearly white teeth, showing them off in the elevator and back at school. So sweet!

Miss Macey goes for her visit on 5/21. I'm not looking forward to that one as much. She does have some discoloration of her teeth around the gums which I am concerned could be decay. But the hygienist said based on my description that it may just be stains. I worry that in her first 2 years she didn't have flouride and probably didn't brush her teeth. I guess we'll see...

Class photos

2008-05-10T12:14:00.002-05:00

How cute are these?? (You can click on them to see them larger.)

FBA Family Fun Night

2008-05-08T21:04:00.003-05:00

This evening, we attended FBA's Family Fun Night, held in conjunction with the annual book fair. We shopped for books, had dinner, played with friends, took a family photo, got balloon hats made and finally had snow cones. We were wiped out and headed home!

I forgot to take my camera with me but took these photos of the girls in their "hats" before they took their bath and went to bed. Macey was just a tad tired and cranky...can you tell?? She perked up a little before I took the last one.

I get by with a little help from my friends...

2008-05-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

Lena has decided that in order to continue to sleep in her bed alone, she needs a few friends to sleep with her. Did I say a few?...

Spring fun in the sun!

2008-05-03T18:57:00.004-05:00

Rodeo Macey!

2008-05-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

This photo has been hanging in Macey's classroom since February. They took each child's photo with this horse during rodeo time. Once Macey had a huge meltdown when Grammy picked her up and she wanted to bring this photo home. Finally it was sent home in her backpack today. Cutie pie!

Camping anyone?

2008-04-27T21:26:00.003-05:00

This weekend, we took the girls camping at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park in Waller, Texas. We had heard that it was a great place for kids, a true family-friendly campground. And we agree...it was great!

We rented a small cabin that sleeps 4. It had a bathroom (with a very small shower) and a kitchenette. So we weren't really roughing it at all. I figured with two small kids, one still in diapers, I didn't really want to tent camp. Our cabin was right on the fishing pond, which was nice for Kevin.

We did take the girls swimming a couple of times which is not reflected in the photos. I never took my camera because I was afraid it would get stolen or wet. But they had two pools and a little water park area complete with slides. Lena LOVED that part! Macey had never been swimming I'd guess and she was very scared at first. But an hour later, she was going under water and trying to swim on her own. It was so cute!

They also had a craft time each day where you could do a ceramic piece or paint t-shirts, canvas bags, and pillow cases. We went on Saturday afternoon and painted pillowcases. No photos of those either yet, but they are really cute!

It Yogi Bear's 50th birthday this weekend so they had a party on Saturday. Lena got to meet Yogi, but Macey was scared of him (no surprise). The campground provided cake and ice cream and it was yummy!

All in all, it was a great weekend but I was ready to get home. Enjoy the photos...there are a ton!

Springtime fun!

2008-04-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

In Spring in Houston, it starts to get HOT! This year we've had a bit of a break. Not quite burning up yet, though it usually is by now. A week ago, our ceiling fan in our master BR broke. That would have been a HUGE deal a month from now, but we were okay without it for a day or two. Fortunately I know an electrician who installed a new one for us within days. Oh hail the wonderful ceiling fan!!

Our doggie Barney also needed a haircut terribly before the weather got too hot. You be the judge...does he look better (and cooler) before or after?

The girls' latest favorite thing to do is go outside and blow bubbles...but with a twist. At some point they insist on rubbing the bubbles all in their hair. It's such a mess, but they have so much fun! It's always an extra bubbly bath after that.

Tonight before bed, the girls were cuddled up together watching a movie. These sweet sister moments really melt my heart. They are getting along so much better these days!

Lena the photographer

2008-04-16T09:34:00.003-05:00

Lena has been learning to take photos with my camera. Not bad, huh?

Here I am!

2008-04-12T20:24:00.008-05:00

It's been over a week since I had time to blog. Last night was the auction fundraiser at school for which I am responsible. I needed to raise at least $130,000, but the past couple of years FBA has raised about $200,000 at these events. So I certainly didn't want to raise much less than that in my first attempt at the new job/school.

It was a rough week. There are so many last minute things that have to be done for a big auction/dinner for over 200 people with a six figure goal. I worked many late nights this week, much to my family's dismay. Especially Lena. She bawled Friday morning, "I don't want you to work late again!!" Oh, the tears made me feel so bad. But Friday was the last late night for a while.

We had quite a few last minute issues with the auction. On Tuesday I learned that my emcee could not be there. So I had two days to recruit a new one. After asking 2 others and not being successful, I was blessed to hear the name of Steven Murray, the communications director at HFBC. On Thursday, only about 28 hours before the event, he accepted the job. And let me say that he was AWESOME!

I also had a parent that was scheduled to speak to honor the teachers of the school. On Thursday she said she was losing her voice and may not be able to speak. I had a back up for her, but thankfully she was able to do it.

Finally, on Friday as we were setting up at the hotel, we had a missing set of jewelry. I looked for it for hours! It did eventually turn up but I was frantic.

Overall, the event was a great success! We raised $216,000 for the school and everything went off without a hitch. Here are photos of the auction all set up. It was lovely! (You can click on the photo to see it larger..)

I promised Lena that today, we could go to the park and play since Mommy has been gone so much for work. We had a beautiful day today, breezy and sunny and perfect! Here are photos from the park:

Tonight the girls and Daddy planned to sleep in the tent in the backyard, camping style. Kevin made a fire outside and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. But not long ago, Macey decided she couldn't deal with sleeping in the tent, she wanted her comfy bed. So she's in there sleeping now while Kevin & Lena are asleep outside. And I have a little peace alone...

Camping anyone?

3 Years since Gotcha Day!

2008-04-04T07:50:00.001-05:00

Three years ago today, Lena joined our family! What a blessed, blessed day for us! She has grown and changed so much since April 4, 2005. And everytime I think I love her with all my heart, I find a way to love her even more. Lena, you are definitely my angel!!

Referral photos:

Gotcha day:

At White Swan:

April 2006:

April 2007:

April 2008:

Reflection

2008-04-01T08:59:00.003-05:00

At this time 3 years ago, I was boarding a plane in Houston with my wonderful mother-in-law, June. We were on our way to Beijing with a brief layover in San Francisco, on our way to bring Lena home.

As long as I had wanted to be a mother, reality had set in that I would indeed be a mom in a few short days and I was a bit nervous. But more than that, I was so excited to be meeting my daughter, who had been waiting 10 months halfway around the world for a family to call her very own.

This is the Gaoming SWI, where at this time 3 years ago, Lena was spending her last few days with her Gaoming brothers and sisters.

HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-23T22:48:00.000-05:00

It was Macey's first Easter today and we had a ball! Here are my lovely girls!

Macey's very first hunted Easter egg!

Lena hunting for eggs:

Macey hunting for eggs:

All done...look how full our baskets are!

Traumatic first haircut

2008-03-22T23:11:00.003-05:00

Today, I had errands to run and I planned to take the girls. Both girls were due for a haircut so we made a stop for that. Lena's hair is getting long and she wants it that way. It just needed the dead ends nipped off. Macey's is super short already but she still had a lot of very thin hair on the ends that had grown before she came home. It's starting to get thick and shiny but that old stuff was not looking good so she needed a trim too.

Lena has never been good with haircuts. But Macey has been great with doctor visits and such. I thought surely a haircut would be no big deal, right? WRONG! Macey freaked out and screamed the entire time! I wanted a cute first haircut photo but this was the best I could do:

Lena, of course the big girl, did SUPER and I didn't even have to stand with her. She was a total peach! Here's the evidence:

Next we went to Costco and then lunch at Wendy's. See the new fresh haircuts:

Cute huh???

Tonight Kevin went fishing and the girls and I just hung out. They went to Grammy's for about an hour so I could grocery shop in peace and we made cookies after I got home. Yes, my idea of baking cookies are the pre-made, pre-cut ones that you just "break and bake". Bummer. Maybe next Christmas we'll make some real ones!

Baby and bear

2008-03-21T23:08:00.001-05:00

These are just too cute, I couldn't resist. Macey LOVES her baby and her bear!

Doctor day

2008-03-19T20:20:00.006-05:00

Today, both girls had doctor appointments. Ugh, I was dreading it.

I'm on Spring Break this week but Lena and Macey's preschool is open, except for Good Friday. I took them to school Monday and Tuesday but there was no point today since we had appointments anyway. So we just hung out this morning and then headed out for the first appointment at 1:30, Macey's 2-year-old checkup (albeit about 6 weeks late). So the girls had no nap and they were a bit cranky upon arrival at the office. Surprisingly they both cheered up fairly quickly and did great!

Macey was incredibly cooperative throughout the appointment. She stood nicely on the scale, stood nicely to be measured, sat very still for the exam, etc. She is a big girl! She was 34.5 inches tall (50th percentile) and 29 lbs (75th percentile). Her head was also 50th percentile but I don't have the exact measurement in front of me. She did have to have two shots and wasn't at all happy about that!

Next we headed to Lena's pulmonology appointment. She has been seeing this doctor regularly since we got home from China for asthma treatment. Gradually over the 3 years, her asthma has gotten better. So as of today, we are released from regular appointments with the pulmonologist and we are down to two meds per day for allergies only. YIPPEE!!! That was wonderful news!! We still have the rescue inhalers if we need them and we are still considered a patient of this doctor if we ever need to see her (the pulmonologists at Texas Children's Hospital are hard to get in to see if you are a new patient...sometimes it takes 6-8 months, not good if your lungs aren't working huh?!)

I have to brag on Lena. Today was the first doctor visit where she totally cooperated and was not scared. In the past, even if Dr. Raber was only listening to her chest and looking in her nose and ears, I had to be right there, often holding her down and there were often tears. Today, she jumped right up on the table, laughed and chatted with the doctor, and did it all by herself. I just sat in the chair with Macey and talked to the doctor. My little girl is growing up too fast. Oh but she is still tiny...only 30.5 lbs and 38 inches tall, not much bigger than Macey!.

After all the doctor visits, I took the girls to TCBY for a yummy treat! Here are photos of our doctor day!

Waiting room (this was the second appointment...I didn't get any at Macey's appointment darn it...I forgot!)

Oh, this is Macey's new cute "cheese" face...nice huh?

Macey was engrossed in "Monsters Inc." playing in the waiting room.

My big girl, doing it all by herself!

Yummy yogurt!!

Just random cuteness

2008-03-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

No updates today, just the random cuteness of Lena and Macey.

Easter Dresses!

2008-03-14T05:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the girls and I shopped for Easter dresses and shoes. They picked out the cutest dresses! Here they are:

I'm not going to tell you which dress is for which angel...you'll have to be in suspense! Oh, and I didn't photograph the shoes.

Oh a very happy note, after I get off work today I'M ON SPRING BREAK until Tuesday, March 25th. YIPPEE!

Easter Bunny visit

2008-03-12T20:59:00.005-05:00

Tonight, Grammy took the girls to see the Easter Bunny! Lena apparently jumped right up on him, just as she did Santa Claus in December.

Macey was terrified! I'm finding lately that she is just such a tender heart, afraid of many things. She was terrified the other day of a McDonald's happy meal toy. Grammy says she was also scared of some stuffed ducks at the mall. Poor baby. No Easter Bunny this year!

And what a difference a year makes!!

Check out Lena in 2007:

And 2008:

My girl is getting so big!

Rodeo time!

2008-03-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

Each year at this time in Houston, it's RODEO TIME! The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is a Houston tradition.

We didn't actually go to the rodeo, but today Kevin & I took the girls to the rodeo carnival and the livestock show. We had a ball! I think the pictures tell the day better than I could. Enjoy!

BTW, Lena has wanted to ride a ferris wheel for quite a while so she was really excited to finally get to do it! Macey couldn't ride anything because she was too short. :(

Girls watching Dora!

2008-03-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

These sweet sister moments just melt my heart...

Home two months...

2008-03-02T14:23:00.003-06:00

and she's already a Texan!

And a chef, like her Papa!

Random (& fever part deux)

2008-02-28T15:47:00.005-06:00

Not much has happened this week that is exciting. Well, last Saturday, the girls spent the night with Grammy! It was the first time since Macey has been home and Kevin & I were ready for a grown up night. We just went to dinner and then came home and watched "American Gangster". But it was a nice break, although it's so quiet without the girls here!

Last Sunday was birthday party day! Our nephew Corbin was celebrating his 4th bday and our nephew Connor was celebrating his 5th...and the parties were 1.5 hours apart! The first party started during our typical naptime so I put the girls down a little early. Fortunately they were tired from partying with Grammy the night before. :) We got up at 1 and headed to party #1. We were there about an hour and then had to head to party #2.

Connor's party was at a local gymnastics place so it was a ball. Lena climbed all over everything like a monkey. Macey climbed around a little but most stuff was too advanced for her age. She did jump on the trampoline (well I jumped and held her) and she thought that was fun.

Of course, Macey's favorite part was the cake and ice cream! Here are a couple photos of the girls enjoying that. Please notice the chocolate all over Macey's pants!

On another note, Macey's hair is getting so thick and shiny! It was really thin and unhealthy when we brought her home. She actually needs a trim just to make it a little neater. But look...I can make little pigtails now!

Finally, I had to leave work early yesterday and bring Lena home b/c she had a fever. Grammy picked up Macey and they hung out a while together. Grammy hasn't gotten to spend much alone time with Macey so it was nice for them. Lena has not had a fever all day today so we'll be back to school/work tomorrow.

Later Gators!

BUSY, BUSY WEEK....

2008-02-18T07:26:00.014-06:00

It has been a busy week for us!

Last Sunday was supposed to be Macey's 2nd birthday party but she was running a fever (she was on day 3) and we had to postpone. Monday was my first day on a new job...not a good time for a sick child! Thanksfully, Kevin was able to stay home with Macey on Monday and Tuesday. He did take her to the doctor on Tuesday but they decided it was just a virus and nothing could be done but to wait it out. She had no fever after Tuesday morning and I took her back to preschool on Wednesday. She was NOT happy to go! :(

Wednesday was also the day that Lena had been summoned to the local USCIS office to swear-in and receive her certificate of citizenship. Let me explain: Lena was adopted in 2005. However, Kevin did not travel to China so Lena's adoption was not considered final until we readopted her in the United States. We did that in August 2005. I just never got around to applying for her COC because I just didn't feel like doing the paperwork and I didn't want to pay the large fee ($200 or so). This past summer, the fees were due to go up so I finally decided to get it done. I mailed the app for COC in July and never heard a word back until about 2 weeks ago. We received a letter that said show up and swear-in on Feb. 13th.

The appointment was supposed to be at 10:30 a.m. Well I guess they asked about 250 people to be there at 10:30! There was a line wrapped around the building and they were only letting so many folks in at once. We had to wait quite a while and it was chilly outside. I had not brought Lena's sweater because I didn't realize we'd be outside so long. I held her most of the time we waited and snuggled her to keep warm. Then another family loaned her a jacket. Oh and Lena had to potty while we waited outside too. So Grammy took her in the bushes and wrapped her coat around her. You gotta do what you gotta do, right??

We finally made it in and it was pretty anti-climatic. A guy had me signed a few papers and gave us the COC. There was not even a real swearing-in ceremony for us because Lena is under 14 years. We didn't take any photos there; there really wasn't anything to photo but also we were told no cameras were allowed (although others were taking photos...nice huh?).

We did go to lunch afterwards with Grammy so here are a couple of photos from lunch:

Finally, I have my COC!

Mommy is so proud!

Thursday morning started with a bang...Macey was NOT happy to get up for school. She kicked me and scratched me...it was not pretty. We finally made it to school and I didn't hear a word all day. But when I picked the girls up, Macey's teacher said she had fallen asleep on the playground at 10 a.m. and slept until 1 p.m. They took her temp and there was no fever but she was clearly wiped out. That night after dinner and bath, at 6:30 p.m. she told me "night night" so I put her to bed. She slept like a log and was a new angel on Friday morning. She just needed her rest. Friday was uneventful. Thank God!

Saturday afternoon we had the FCC-Houston Chinese New Year celebration! We had been eagerly awaiting its arrival. It is always such fun every year and I bought new dresses for both girls when we were in China bringing Macey home. Here are lots of photos from the party and before:

Girls ready to go to the party!

Macey dressed for CNY!

Lena ready for CNY!

Girls having fun!

Macey busy with her booster seat strap.

Lena pouting about something at the CNY party.

Girls posing with the Dragon!

Finally, on Sunday we celebrated Macey's 2nd birthday! She was actually 2 on Feb 2nd. We had a ball and she raked in the goodies. She did fairly well with the new people but thankfully she had met most everyone already.

Big birthday girl!

Look at me..I'm 2!

Macey and Daddy

Macey and Mommy

A Mickey birthday cake...

Blowing out the candles

This cake is YUMMY!

Yes, it is yummy!

Party friends....

Cousin Jessica

Cousin Katie

Friend Siani, cousin Shelby and big sister Lena

I LOVE my new cell phone...now I don't have to fight with Lena for hers!

Fever

2008-02-12T10:01:00.000-06:00

Well, I'd hoped to be posting photos from Macey's birthday party this week but it was not to be. Macey's party was canceled b/c she's been sick. She's had fever since Friday off and on. Kevin is taking her to the doctor today as I just started my new job yesterday. I'll probably stay with her tomorrow.

My main goal is to get her all better. Plus, we have a CNY party we are supposed to attend Saturday and we are trying to have her party this Sunday since we had to cancel last week.

Please pray for my sweet angel to get all better soon!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

2008-02-07T15:31:00.000-06:00

Okay, I stole this photo from the other Macie's blog. Jill, I give you the credit! But I loved the picture and I wanted to say HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to everyone! It's now officially the Year of the Rat.

SPIFFY BLOG!

2008-02-07T11:02:00.000-06:00

My blog has been spiffied up by Sharon at Spiffy Blogs! She did a great job, don't you think??

Doodlebops Live!! and other random things

2008-02-03T21:15:00.000-06:00

Today, Kevin & I took the girls to see the Doodlebops Live (thank you Kenny and Jenni for the tickets!!). Lena was so happy to go as she saw them last year and loves to sing and dance to their tunes. Macey wasn't scared or crying really but was a little apprehensive during the first half of the show. However, she danced after intermission! It was so cute.

What a difference a year makes...here's me with Lena at the Doodlebops in January 2007:

And with both my girls in February 2008:

On another note, my mom and others have been asking where the photo is of Lena in her new school uniform that I promised a few posts ago. So here she is in her chapel dress that she wears every Wednesday:

And with Macey, just because we can't have too many sister pictures on my blog!

Oh, this is another example of how messy Macey is when she eats. This is after she put the bowl of noodles on her face to try to get the last few out:

Finally, Barney decided that sleeping on the warm, clean laundry was the best place to be.

Ciao for now! Oh, and YIPPEE New York Giants!!!! WOO HOOO!!

Happy Birthday Macey Leigh!

2008-02-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Today, my youngest angel turned two!!

We started out the morning with a big breakfast of pancakes (Macey's were complete with two candles), turkey bacon and scrambled eggs. It was delicious. Macey didn't know what to think about having candles in her pancakes. She was a bit upset about it.

Then we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the zoo. It was beautiful out today, about 70 degrees and sunny! Perfect zoo weather!

Here are photos of the day: