Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Shopping With My Girl






 She loves going to the mall playground afterschool





The Mall Car Strollers


Playing on the rides at the mall


 Hanging out waiting for ice cream


 Caroline's Favorite Store






She loves the pizza

I love shopping and I have really enjoyed shopping with Caroline. I hear a lot of mothers say that they would never take a toddler to the mall. Well I take my three year old to the mall all the time. We have been shopping since she was an infant. I think it is safe to say it is a favorite activity for both of us.

She loves playing in the mall playground and she really loves to eat pizza and ice cream but the older she gets the more she likes to look at clothes. She is really cute about dressing rooms she freely tells me how I look in different outfits. She has no problem telling me that an outfit does not look good on me. She is just as opinionated about her own outfits.

Her favorite store at our local mall is Victoria Secret. She calls it” her Victoria Secret” when we go in to the store. She loves the lotion and soap section.



I sure hope she always enjoys being my shopping buddy



Monday, February 25, 2013

Sunday Snapshot:Greek Festival

Seven years ago Rick and I were looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon and ended up at our local Greek Festival. The Greek Festival is an annual even hosted by the local Greek Orthodox Church.


Seven years ago Rick and I had already begun discussing adopting but we had not really made any final decisions. We had recently gone through all of the fertility testing and many of the treatments. To say the least our emotions were raw. On that Sunday Rick was really just looking for a distraction. Ironically that little distraction has become a part of our story.

As we enjoyed our first Greek Festival we noticed a family with a beautiful Asian toddler and for first the time we really began to see that adoption might be the best way to find our daughter. That faithful day between a bottle of Greek wine Greek dinner , Greek Music and dancing and some Greek Honey puffs we decided to adopt. The nest day Rick and I submitted our adoption application to Living Hope Adoption Agency and began the long wait.

Year after year we returned to the Greek Festival. Every year we would see another family with a beautiful Asian daughter and we would smile and know that was God’s way of reminding us that our time would come too. In 2011 almost a year after returning from China we brought Caroline to her first Greek Festival and every year since we have continued to bring her back.

Yesterday we continued as a family to celebrate at the Greek Festival. One day Caroline will understand the importance of a simple local festival that began as a distraction but became a family tradition but for now she enjoys the bounce house and the honey puffs.





Ni Hao Yall



Enjoy the IPad and Daddy during Lunch




She loves the Bounce House at the Greek Festival

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Celebrating Presidents Day Weekend.


I love long weekend. Last week started off with Caroline being sick but a little illness did not stop her from having a great time over the weekend. Nara and Caroline spent Sunday Night with my mom and dad. Both girls love hanging out with my parents. Rick and I went to see the new Die Hard movie. I am a huge Die Hard fan. I know they are silly but I really love them.

We seldom get to go to the movies. We usually can get a babysitter for a few hours but something about being in a movie while my baby is home with a babysitter makes me a nervous wreck. We have been home from China almost three years and we have gone out to dinner, gone to weddings and gone to work parties while Caroline is with a babysitter many times but this was the first movie we have gone to since Caroline has been a part of our world.

 Ready to go back to school after a great weekend
 Having fun in the sandbox at Mammy's
Nara Loved Rocci (Mammy and Poppy's new dog)

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Saturday Fun


We started today with a visit back to the doctor. Caroline went to the doctor on Monday with a bad cough. She has recovered from the cough but today she woke up with an ear infection. By the afternoon she was feeling much better. We all went out to lunch and then we came home for a little outdoor fun











Caroline sitting crisscross on daddy’s car






Playing in the yard.


Helping Nara clean the porch

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day





I absolutely love Valentines in Pre K. I had the best time helping my three year old prepare for her school party.  Caroline has been sick all week but she was not going to miss school today.
We started talking about Valentine’s Day at the end of January. Caroline loves to count down for a holiday so I bought a Muslin Bag Valentine's Day Advent Calendar from http://adistenscloset.com/item_747/Muslin-Bag-Valentines-Day-Advent-Calendar.htm Caroline absolutely loved and it helped her with her numbers. The calendar started on February 1st and ended today. It was daily fun for the family 

Last night we stuffed bags and wrapped teacher gifts and picked out a Valentine outfit. (Non Catholic School Uniform)

I will post pictures later but let’s just say she was in bed tonight by 6 passed out from all of the fun. 










http://adistenscloset.com/item_747/Muslin-Bag-Valentines-Day-Advent-Calendar.htm



Monday, February 11, 2013

Sick Day

Caroline and I stayed home today. She started feeling bad on Saturday but was really not herself today. We started today with a trip to the doctor.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy Chinese New Year and a Happy Birthday




What a great weekend. Nara turned 14 and it is the Year of the Snake.  Our family celebrated both with lots of enthusiasm 








The Birthday celebration began on Wednesday night with a dinner of ribs and cookie cake. Caroline loved singing Happy Birthday to her sister. Nara then had a great time with friends at the movies on Friday and then dinner at a Japanese Steak House on Saturday with the family (including big brother Devon)



We have much to be thankful for and looking forward to a great year.





Ni Hao Yall