Spring is in the air!

So was the groundhog right? Should we expect an early spring? It has been sunny and in the 60's & 70's here and we are loving it! Annslee has been an outside girl from day one and so she is constantly asking to go outside. She isn't much on the snow and cold (as you may remember) but give her a little warm weather and she is good to go. For now I have even managed to convince her to keep her shoes and socks on but as the weather continues to warm up I am not sure that will last long.

The other day at Target she saw this huge purple ball and had to have it. Hey, it is a ball and it is purple..two of her favorite things. She had a hard time throwing it but kicking it while mom chased it was a lot of fun!

She decided to take a break in our neighbor's swing.

Once we got back inside I noticed she had lined all her babies up in Dada's chair. Not really sure why but they stayed that way until Dada got home. He tried to sit down but she firmly instructed him he could sit elsewhere : )

Our girl loves the dogs...Gabby doesn't look too thrilled with the hug but is good enough to tolerate it!

Look out Picasso!!

Amelia and Annslee had a playdate today at the Frist Center. They have a great area upstairs with different stations full of art projects for the kids to do. Most of the things were for older kids but the girls didn't mind because they just wanted to paint. They spent a lot of time painting and Annslee's artwork had a heavy purple influence : ) The lady helping commented on how serious the girls were about their work. They really did seem to be caught up in the moment. Tracy and I were able to just stand back and watch. They also built some "sculptures" and drew a little. All in all it was a great time and we will definitely do that again soon. You can see more photos on Amelia's website and remember to click on any collage to make it bigger.

Notice that she used the same brush the entire time. It was the only one with a purple handle so she refused to use any of the other brushes



I love how serious she looks at the easel and of course two girls running is alway a kodak moment. On the way home she enjoyed a snack since she didn't eat her Happy Meal (but I did)

The moment you have all been waiting for....her ARTWORK!!!

New PJs

I love Carter's pajamas and I really wish they came in my size. Annslee particularly likes the "tagless" feature as they really bother her. I found some on sale recently and had to get them.

Here she is talking to Dada on the phone with her Pig PJs



I was trying to get her to show me the pig and I ended up getting a lot of silliness!

For some more Pajama fun here she is in the windowsill. It seems this is one of her favorite places to enjoy breakfast and these days the only thing she eats is a Special K breakfast bar. I notice I have the same photo on here twice but I am too lazy to fix it ; ) The look of alarm in that one is because she is watching The Backyardigans (her favorite thing right now) and they must be about to do something??

Birthday party fun

We had to wake her from a nap to go to a party at the Jump Factory. She didn't really do much jumping but did enjoy the jeep, the balls and the cupcake!





Since the day she started daycare Annslee and Carter have been best friends!

Once we got home she and Dada took a "nap" together. Of course the puppy and Elmo joined in too!

Story Time

Monday was the Nasville FCC playgroup day and we went to Davis Kidd for storytime. I really thought she would be way too distracted (mainly by the train set) to pay attention. I was wrong..she stood there the entire time listening and of course making any animal sounds that the reader called for. After reading time they gave out coloring pages and since coloring is her favorite thing these days she was happy about that. We then went over to the cafe to eat. Annslee likes to act like she is going to give you a kiss then she puts her hand over her mouth...Mia's mama was the lucky recipient of the trick this time.




Guess who fell asleep on the way home? I can never resist getting a photo of her sleeping.

Ash Wednesday

Well, I had every intention of going to church but Dada was out of town and Annslee took a very late nap..excuses, excuses..... I thought about what to give up for Lent but always liked the idea of taking up a good thing instead. I got a poem about this in Bible study a few years ago. I was going to post it but only had the first four lines on an index card but luckily found the entire poem on S's blog so here it is. I have never been good at fasting ( I do love to eat) but maybe we can all try this kind of fasting and feasting.

Fast from doubt and feast on faith.
Fast from complaining and feast on thanksgiving.
Fast from pessimism and feast on God's promises.
Fast from unrelenting stress and feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility and feast on the peace that passes understanding.
Fast form bitterness and feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-centeredness and feast on service to others.
Fast from prejudice and feast on acceptance.
Fast from unkind words and feast on edifying others.
Fast from sickness and feast on God's healing power.
Fast from despair and feast on deliverance.
Fast from sin and feast on righteousness.
Fast from self and feast on Christ!

~author unknown

Wishing you a blessed Lenten season as we await the joy of Easter!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!

Well, the Year of the Pig is upon us and we definitely brought it in with style. We met up with Mia and her parents for dinner. The girls had noodles (for a long life), cabbage (in their egg rolls) for money and Annslee had a lot of broccoli (not sure what that is for). They had fun jumping around and giggling on the countertop. The lady who works there came over and said "you are doing good, the girls are happy" I don't really need the approval of our Chinese community..but it sure is nice : ) Oh, and we are doing well as parents..our girls are happy and so much fun!





As you can see, Annslee really enjoyed her eggroll and as usual ate all the fortune cookies. Hers basically said she has a secret admirer...she better not!



The girls are so sweet together! Yes, you are seeing this right..Annslee's shoes and socks are off.



After dinner we went to the mall and the girls loved the play area...especially when their dads were rocking them in the boat.



Not sure what eating ice cream on New Year's will bring you..but she LOVED it!

School Party for Chinese New Year

I went to Annslee's school to do a Chinese New Year party for her class. We had a lot of fun telling the story of the Lunar New Year and making lion masks. I hope in years to come Annslee can join in the presentation..this year she merely wanted me and Dada to hold her.

Riding to school in style!

We had a lot of fun with all the activities and the kids. I don't know that they learned much about Chinese culture but they are only two after all....maybe next year.

Here are the cookies I made...I don't think they really say anything but if you do read pinyin and they do...please tell me if it is too bad : (

Valentine's Day, beauty salons and Elmo

This post is a little late but we did have a good Valentine's Day! I didn't get many photos because I was too busy with the video camera. She was so funny squealing with delight at all her loot. Dada brought Mama flowers and Annslee a balloon and some books. She also got a bag of York Peppermint Patties. Those are my favorites but now Annslee eats them all...actually that started last year on Valentine's Day! Dada says he is so lucky to have two Valentines : )




She and Dada had a beauty salon going. She loves to brush hair and it looks like she enjoys having hers done as well.



This is Annslee's morning routine. While we get ready she is in bed watching Elmo on her portable DVD player..rough life huh? Also notice that she is not wearing the top to her PJs in these photos. Usually she insists on keeping on the shirt she wore all day when it is time to go to bed. It just isn't a battle I feel is worth winning. I wish PJs came as separates..I would buy bottoms only : )

A shout out to single parents

Dada was out of town all last week and let me just say...Single parents ROCK!!! Seriously, I knew you worked hard...I knew you had a lot on your plates..but man! When we went to China in 2005 we had 11 families in our Hubei group and four of them were adopting as single moms. I have a whole new respect for just how difficult that is. I was late for work every day last week, I was tired, tired, tired, I didn't sleep well (Dad not home and of course Elmo disruptions) Then to top my week off we find out we aren't finished with our dossier afterall (read journal on Malia's site about that) Needless to say, I am looking forward to a less eventful week : )

Dada...we missed you!!

Seeing Red

We have a problem and it is one that is affecting my sleep..and those who know me know that is not good. We had a "seeing red" episode last week around 3 am and it happened again this morning at 1:30 am. Annslee starts crying so I ask what is wrong. She still has her eyes half shut, she is still lying down but HUGE tears are streaming down her face. She is literally inconsolable. I ask her what she needs? What can Mama do for you or get you? She points towards the bedroom door and does her Elmo song!! What??? Basically she wants to go out of her room, into the living room and watch Elmo...NOW. I tell her it is night time and we are not watching Elmo. I swear you would think I told her that Elmo was gone forever or something...she lets out a heartbreaking wail and the tears really flow. I pick her up, hold her and rock back and forth. All the while she is doing her Elmo thing . I need to upload a video...basically she shakes her head back and forth singing "ahahahahaha" ...her version of Lalalalala ... Finally she fell back asleep but you guessed it..when she woke up this morning right after asking for milk she was back to her Elmo song!


I ran across this photo..it is one of my favorites from last summer. I think I will take a lesson from her own Mama skills and try this approach with her when it happens again..ha ha



*I sent a few photos to my agency last summer for them to choose from to use in their newsletter and I sent this one as a joke. THIS is the photo they used!

An early Valentine present

Well, it wasn't the ideal location but who cares. Last night as she went "poo poo in the potty" my sweet girl said I Love You!!! We constantly say it to her and we use the motions..you know point to yourself saying I , hug yourself saying Love and then point to the other person saying You. Well, she did/said it to ME!!! Dada wasn't here to witness it so I got out the video camera (yes, we got off the potty first) and I had her do it again a couple of times so Dada could see it when he got home.

You need to understand that she really isn't talking much. At 28 months she is saying less than 20 words and they aren't all very clear. We spend most days hearing only Mama, Dada, off, ooff (the dogs), ice (ice cream), hi, purple, orange, and really not much else. She has a lot of signs, she does sounds for all the animals and "sings" the Elmo song...but her vocabulary is definitely lacking. We are having her speech re-evaluated. We had it done last year but she was literally "off the charts" in her developmental, social and adaptive skills so they thought she would catch up fine in her speech. Let me also say that we are not concerned that she won't talk..we always say "no one goes to Kindergarten not talking, not walking and not potty trained" We know that kids do things at different times but we do want to get her help if we can. I know she is frustrated sometimes and so are we.

BUT...she said I LOVE YOU...so for now...that is enough!!

Brought to you by the letter P

P is for Panda! Now that Annslee can say panda she likes to point them out to us. When I saw these photos, sent by Mikayla's mama, I had to smile. They are just the cutest little things. Annslee has a stuffed panda that her cousin Payton gave her before we even had our referral. Honestly, it has been sitting on top of her bookshelf ever since and only got attention as we turned out the lights each night. As part of our very long bedtime ritual she would always reach up, touch its toes and I would say "nite nite panda" then she would turn off the light (usually with her foot ) However, now that she says panda he is off the bookshelf and actually gets a big hug and kiss each night...lucky guy!

SICHUAN, China

One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.

The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July, 2006. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days. The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds.

The pandas are due to stop suckling by February, 2007 just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.









And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a photo of Annslee's pandas. This was a picture we used in our dossier for China so her room was a lot neater then than it is now.

Real Beauty

Being a girl is sometimes tough especially during the teen years. How much tougher is it when being a girl may be the only reason you were abandoned? How much tougher is it when you don't look like your mom and dad? How much tougher will it be for Annslee? I have to admit the beautiful girl who "wants to be a blonde" probably touched me the most. When will she notice my hair is not the same as hers? When will she notice her eyes are not green or blue like mine and dad's? What can we do to build up her self esteem? I know all too well that we are currently living in a dream world where we are just mom, dad and daughter but there will be questions. Some of the difficult times ahead will have nothing to do with being adopted or Chinese. All girls, at least all the girls I knew, went through times of self doubt, loneliness, confusion, etc... Annslee will too and we will be there holding her hand and raising her up. We want her to know how truly awesome she is!

During some searching I found this...it is the Singapore version of the same commercial!

Just for your information...yes, all my 80's friends this is the Cyndi Lauper song and it was sung on this commercial by the Nassau County Girl Scout troop. The commercial aired during the 2006 Super Bowl.

Wardrobe Malfunction

No, it didn't happen with Prince in the Super Bowl last night (thankfully) but my daughter has them pretty often. Here are a couple...







This kid totally cracks me up. I never know when I walk into a room what I will find. Luckily, I usually have a camera close by to capture these moments. I sometimes marvel at the joy of being TWO!!

Year of the PIG

Today we went to our first of three upcoming Chinese New Year parties. When we were in China we picked out some fabric and had a jacket made for me and a matching dress for her so we wore them today. I was so happy her dress fit so we could look alike.







Today's party was the large FCC one so there were lots of people there and fun things to do. The first thing we did was go to the craft tables. Mia's mama was working the front door so we had "twins" today. The girls had fun making necklaces and dragon ornaments. After the crafts they both got fans and then had fun falling down and laughing. (click on collages to make them larger)


What party is complete without food?? PF Chang's catered and it was great. Annslee and Mia enjoyed the noodles the most as you can see. Then we got our fortune cookies ( I think Annslee had five of them..she is soooo fortunate). One of hers said "Many pleasurable and memorable adventures are in store for you" I thought that was pretty cool and couldn't help but think of our upcoming adventure to Vietnam. However, her next one said "Reach for your dreams..start with the spring rolls" I guess PF Changs made some of these up themselves ; )


The local Chinese Arts Alliance graciously volunteered to come and perform their Lion Dance. Annslee had been talking about it and kept saying she was going to say "ROOOAAARRR" to the Lion. Well, about halfway through it she decided being in Dada's arms was the best place to be. They were great but they were large and loud!




We had a great time at the party and look forward to our next two coming up. Next year we will be really busy going to CNY and TET parties!

Jenny sent me a couple of photos of Mia and Annslee..one from this year and one from last year. WOW...have they grown up!

SNOW!!

It snowed!!! Well, only about an inch but still it was a pretty snow that stuck to the trees. Last year Annslee was not happy about the only snow she saw. She is from Hubei and it is known as one of the three furnaces of China so I didn't really expect her to like it. However, this year she seemed excited to see it out the window and she was eager to put on her snow suit so I thought maybe she will love it this year. When we first got outside she liked watching the dogs run in it and finally let me put her down so she could touch it. She smiled and laughed for a minute....







Like I said, she liked it for a minute...





Here is a picture from last year...not much has changed




When we came inside she wanted her boots and socks off immediately (no surprise) but kept part of her snowsuit on..silly girl.



Sasha decided she wanted to watch Elmo too!