Grace- Two Years

Two years ago today Grace came into our lives. That day is still clearly etched in my mind. It is hard to forget our day touring the Forbidden City with sweat pouring off us, our flight to Fuzhou, and then being rushed to meet Grace. Upon meeting Grace a picture had to immediately be taken and Grace was pretty inconsolable. These strangers were holding her and she wanted no part of it. Those first few weeks Grace wanted nothing to do with Dallas. She wanted me to hold her all the time but I had to be standing up. Grace is still a little bit of Mommy's girl but she definitely loves her Daddy. Every day she asks a dozen times "Where is Daddy?"

Grace is one determined little girl. She knows what she wants and if it is in her power, she makes sure she gets it. She does everything with her whole heart. Her verbal skills are no where close to where they should be but she has made great progress. She is due to have another surgery in November. Her palate is too short so this surgery is needed for her to be able to form some of the sounds. Even with the language deficient you can clearly tell Grace is a bright little girl. She learns new concepts very quickly and problems solves well. Her speech will not slow her down.

Happy Family Day, Gracie Mei! We love you!

Gizmo

Zachary has been saving for a few months for a new puppy. Today we went to a shelter and he picked out Gizmo. Isn't he cute?

A Tribute to Dads

What a great tribute to Dads. Grace and Dallas are in the video twice and Julia once. Can you find them?

This and That

Are you wondering why I don't post as often anymore. Probably not but I will tell you anyway. Facebook is so much quicker. You can just post little blurbs. If you don't do facebook you should consider it. Don't forget to invite me to be your friend.

Today we are having a yard sale. I had to leave to bring Nick to baseball practice. When I left it was going well. What gets me is when you have great prices on clothes and someone wants to give you less. I am talking about .50 for a name brand kid's outfit in excellent condition. How much lower can I go? Then you have the family that just walks up and gives you 10.00. That is the kind of family I want to be. I forgot to mention, all proceeds are going to Love Without Boundaries. Nick and Zachary made some great signs. That reminds me that I forgot to take pictures.

Julia brought home her first bad behavior notice from school. We knew it was only a matter of time. She just doesn't know when to stop. Consequences don't seem to matter to her. One of her biggest problems is kissing. She won't stop kissing people. Of course she is also being disruptive and not paying attention.

Guess that's all for now.

Tooth Lost and Hannah Montana

I am back. I need to try and post once a week. When I don't I get so far behind I can't ever catch up.

Julia lost her first tooth today. She is 6 years and almost 10 months. We were beginning to think she would never lose one. She was so excited but would not touch the tooth once it came out. I think she agrees with her Dad and thinks they are alittle gross. I,on the other hand, am fascinated with teeth.

The other picture is of Grace or is it Hannah Montana.

Look What We Saw in Washington D.C.

Stay tuned. I promise I will be back soon.

Grace's New Delicacy

That would be crunchy cheetos dipped in peanut butter and jelly. Yuck!

Happy Birthday, Kristopher!

My Baby Boy is 17.

And yes that is a cheesecake. This is often Kristopher's choice of birthday cake. A boy after my own heart.

Last Grace Birthday Photo

More Birthday Photos

Stay away from my cake!

Grace likes her cake.

Grace is very suprised about her present.

Happy Birthday, Gracie!

Grace celebrated her 4th birthday on March 20. We had a fun time showing Maribeth around East Carolina University(my alma mater) and dinner at a Chinese Buffet. Grace insisted on an Ariel cake this year. She really understood what a birthday was and spent the day arguing with everyone that it was her birthday and that she was 4.

Happy 5Oth Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary on March 19, 2009. I have posted this picture before but it is my favorite of my parents so I am posting it again. This was taken at my wedding almost 19 years ago. How I wish I could turn back time...I would love to share that day with my Mom again.

Flowers in a Box

Do your flowers come in a box? Sometimes(used to be always) when Dallas goes out of town he sends me flowers. The flowers always come from Fed Ex and come in a box. The flowers are still beautiful even after travelling in a box.

The moment you have all been waiting.... Billy Joel and Elton John photos. It was a great concert. I have to admit I enjoyed Billy so much more than Elton. Elton did sign autographs for those lucky people on the front row, though. Can you imagine 2 guys over 60 that can still sell out an arena that holds 20,000 people? They definitely both still got it. I have to admit the last 2 times I have seen Billy in concert I have been concerned about him having a hard attack. He always has sweat just pouring off him, he can't keep still. Even while sitting on the piano bench he is constantly bouncing around.

Did I ever mention that Billy Joel was the very first concert I attended? I was 19 years old and Dallas took me to see him with some of our friends in Chapel Hill. I can still remember that concert clearly in my mind. Billy is just as good now as was then, 22 years later.

A Huge Thank You to my friend, Paige, for making this weekend possible. She came and stayed the night with our sick kids so we could go to the concert.

Happy 70th Birthday, Dad!

I admire the way my Dad has dealt with the hand he was given. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, his retirement years have not been what Mom and him had hoped for or dreamed about. He has certainly made the best of the situation. He has changed so much since the father I knew as I child.

The Good and the Bad

Good-Nicholas made the track team at the middle school. Did I mention he also made the Middle School JV Baseball Team(everyone who tried out made it)? Afternoons will be very busy here. There are already times I need to be in two places at once.

Bad- Zachary has been out of school since Tuesday. He has the flu. I took him to the doctor Wednesday and he tested positive. The doctor told me to keep him away from everyone. Too late for that. We are now waiting to see if Grace has it. She woke up from her nap with a little fever. Tomorrow will tell.

What Will Julia Be When She Grows Up?

Julia is learning about occupations in school. This has led to some interesting conversations.

Saturday after visiting the zoo:
Julia: When I grow up I want to live at the zoo. I want to live in a cage.

Yesterday after coming home from school:
Julia: I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

First thing this morning:
Julia: When I grow up I want to be Spiderman.

What Kind Of Pajamas Are You?

I usually don't post these quizes because they usually aren't very accurate. I have to admit this one is very much me except for the elegant part.

You Are A Nightgown

You are a bit old fashioned and elegant. You aren't very casual. You are well mannered and modest. You don't make a fool of yourself. You tend to be a bit reserved, and it's hard for strangers to get to know you. You are likely to not let anyone outside your bedroom see you in your pajamas.

What Kind of Pajamas Are You?

Her Last Days

Can you imagine watching your child pass away? There is a family who adopted their daughter from China when she was one year old. She is now 5 and she is dying of Luekemia. At this time she is beating all odds and fighting until the end. Her parents are trying to do some of her favorite things with her..taking her to Toys R Us, the pool, manicures, etc. It just breaks my heart. The one thing she wants more than anything is to meet Hannah Montana. Alot of adoptive parents(including me) wrote Hannah's publicist begging to make this possible for this little girl. I don't know if this little girl has enough time left for this to be possible. I hope Hannah's people make it work. This little girl is a fighter and deserves this last wish. If you would like the caringbridge website, send me an email and I will give it you. I don't want to post it on here without permission. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Am I in Trouble?

Does Horton See a Who?

Airport Conversations

Why do people in airports feel the need to share more information than they would share with their best friend? We were sitting in the airport Tuesday morning and this lady and man started talking. It all started because another lady cussed at her 4 year old son. So this conversation leads to the man travelling all the time. He has a 35 year old son so you can guess about how old he is. The lady asks "What does your wife think about you being gone so much?". Part of his answer was we are old school and the other part I just can't share with you. I couldn't believe he actually said it and the lady he was talking to seemed alittle shocked, too. She didn't say anything for a couple of minutes and then said it is never too late to be happy.

Of course, your thought might be why am I sharing this conversation. I really don't know. Maybe just to have a blog entry for today or maybe because everytime I think about it I can't help but laugh.

Back in Florida

Zachary and I are in Florida, for one more night anyway. We have a way too early flight in the morning. I don't know what I am thinking when I make these flights. Is it really worth the few bucks I save? The good news is we should arrive back in Raleigh at 10:25, just in time to get Zach to school so he will count as there for the day. As long as he is there half a day he is officially not absent.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nicholas and Alivia

I read about this free photo editing program on someone's blog. I decided to test it out. This photo was taken over Christmas. It is Nicholas with Alexa's little girl. Nicholas is a natural isn't he?

Julia

Just wanted to share this conversation before I forgot it.

Before this conversation I was praising Julia for something. I can't remember whether it was helping me clean up or something she did at school.

Me: Great job, Julia! You deserve a reward.

Julia(very excited): Do I get a board cookie?

Does anyone else use that expression? We always ask "What do you want a cardboard cookie?" when they are asking for a reward.

This and That

The last few days I have been trying to figure out Facebook. I have made daily calls to my neice, Maribeth, to ask her questions. Why does it have to be so difficult? All I wanted to do is post a little note and it took me 2 hours to figure out how. I still have lots of questions about it. I have a call into my other neice, Leigh-Anne, to ask some more questions. I have passed Maribeth's field of knowledge about Facebook. I have heard Leigh-Anne is an expert. So we will see how much patience she has with her stuck in the old ages aunt.

The Braxtons are hanging in there. Nicholas is now on the middle school's baseball team so that ups our running kids around. His first game isn't until March so things won't get really crazy until then. I really need to find some extra activity for Julia and Grace. I have been saying that for over a year and still haven't done it.

I am missing Florida temperatures this morning. It was 3 degrees this morning. Too cold for me. I am now sitting in my house and my hands are cold and I have my turtleneck covering my nose to keep it warm. Thinking warm thoughts of Zachary and me going to Florida next weekend.

Tuesday's Snow

Tuesday we got about 6 inches of snow. It is the most snow Zachary, Nicholas, and Grace have ever seen. Julia spent the first 2 1/2 years in an area that it snowed continuously all winter and stayed below O degrees but she doesn't remember it. They had a lot of fun.

Julia and Nicholas


Grace and Zachary sledding


Kristopher Sledding


When Grace and Julia were tired of sledding they decided to dig in the snow. Why not, you do it at the beach, why not in the snow?

Yesterday at Our House

Stay tuned for more photos in the next couple of days.

Love Without Boundaries

As most of you know(all 4 of you)I now have a volunteer job with Love Without Boundaries. I have been meaning to write more about it but still haven't taken the time to do so. I am the Sanmenxia Foster Care Coordinator. I will save details for what I do for a later date. There is a contest going on now that could help LWB win 35,000 dollars. Can you imagine how many orphans that would help? How many children would be able to get the surgery they need to save their lifes? How many children it would provide a foster home for? Please check out www.lovewithoutboundaries.com to learn more about them. They are a wonderful nonprofit organization that helps orphans in China.
Below is the details of the contest as posted on Facebook. It doesn't cost anything to vote so please take them a moment to save the life of a child.

LWB has a chance to win $35,000 to help even more orphaned children in China, and we need your help! Casting your vote for LWB is an easy way to change the lives of children in need.

Simply visit http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/sweeps/smart_cookie_finalists09/entry/long/
Click on the circle next to the video about LWB. It is the first one, next to Amy Eldridge’s photo.

Fill out the rest of the information needed and click submit. You do not need to fill out the “about you” section if you do not wish, and you can opt out of receiving any information in the future from Cookie Magazine by checking “no” on the boxes asking which information you desire.

Each person over the age of 18 is allowed one vote. This contest is open to people in the US only, unfortunately. If you live in another country, you are not able to vote. Voting takes place from January 6th to February 10th.

Please forward the contest information to all of your family and friends and other yahoogroups. Together, we can win the contest and change many more orphaned children’s lives.

We're Back

We were in Florida for two weeks for Christmas so I am so far behind. I have so many pictures to post and maybe even a few stories. It won't be tonight, though. The kids had a great Christmas.

Nicholas was diagnosed with Strep the day before we left for Florida. Three days later he wasn't better and we had two other sick ones. Fortunately our old(not as in age)peditrician was willing to see them. Nicholas and Grace had strep, Julia had an ear infection and possibly on the way to strep, Grace had an ear infection and Grace was also wheezing. Thank goodness, two days worth of antibiotics had them all feeling better before the man in the big red suit came.

School is back in session and we are getting back to our routine. Oh, how I miss sleeping until 8:00. That is my ideal time wake up time.