Girls weekend

Sophie had a cheer leading competition this weekend on Saturday & Sunday. This competition was 2 hours from our house so we decided to stay over and have some girl bonding time. Very fun, busy, and exhausting weekend. Friends, late nights, restaurants, swimming and a competition makes for a fun weekend.

Sophie and some of her team mates on Saturday during the competition. Sophie is a back spot. She is up front and on the right in this picture. She LOVES cheer leading and is very dedicated. So happy she has found an activity she really loves.

Practicing before the competition on Sunday.

Lily was loving every minute of being at the competition this weekend. All the girls were giving her so much attention. She loved doing pretend stunts with the girls. She ran around this huge conference room in between performances all day for two days. Hours and hours of running and stunting. She had a ball. When we left to come home on Sunday she was asleep in two seconds flat and slept the whole ride home.

We made time for the pool too. This was Lily's first time swimming in a pool. She doesn't look like she is having fun in this picture but she was. She was kicking and splashing around for about 1/2 hour. Not bad for the first time in an over crowded pool full of kids jumping and splashing.

This sums up the weekend perfectly. We were all so exhausted. Wish I could have been napping too.

Season's Greetings.............

Greetings from Crescent Hill Road! Hoping everyone had a joyous holiday. Can't believe how quickly Christmas came this year. The New Year will soon be here too. The year 2009 will always be remembered as the year Lily joined our family. We are so thankful and feel extremely blessed. Enjoy the pictures of her first Christmas with our family............


Our Christmas picture this year. Taken after a few threats to the big kids and bribes to the little one. Why is taking pictures of children so painful for them?

Finally, all FIVE stockings hang from the fireplace..........

Cutie patootie with her Christmas headband.

Sisters. Awwwwww.

Having fun with Auntie Josie and cousin Max.

My growing 12 year old baby. Where has the time gone? He is already taller than me and wears a size 11 men's sneaker. I am so not kidding.

Max, Sophie, Lily, Uncle Peter(Anthony's brother) and Gavin. Uncle Peter said he had to be in the picture with the kids because he was the baby of the family. No comment.

Three happy kids after opening presents on Christmas morning. Yahhhhh.

Lily totally crashed after our Christmas Eve celebration.

Lily with her favorite presents. Kitchen set, Bitty Baby, Dora Quad. She was so excited.

Fully dressed for the moment............ It doesn't last long.

My Elvis singing Sophie. So beautiful. Inside and out.

My cute, pregnant sister, Renee. So cute. We can't wait to meet this baby!!!! Hurry up June 5th. Lily LOVES Renee. She calls her Ah Nay Nay (Auntie Renee). Renee will make a great first time Mom. Can't wait.

Uncle Cody (Renee's husband) and Lily posing by the fire. Lily was being very cooperative with the picture taking. A Christmas miracle.

One of the three best Christmas presents EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SNOW!!!!!!!!

First snow of the season! The kids were so excited to see the snow this morning when they woke up. Unfortunately they couldn't play in it, school wasn't cancelled. By the time they got home it had melted away from the rain. Oh well, next time. I guess winter has rolled in. Waaahhhh. Not a fan of the snow, not so excited to see it this morning. A little is ok for the kids. That's enough for me.

Lily's first snow encounter. She is still in her pajamas and not really dressed for playing in the snow as you can see. We were coming home from driving the big kids to the bus stop. She kept saying "snow" over and over again. Once outside and standing in it, she didn't quite know what to make of it. She really didn't like getting wet (it was very wet and heavy, turning to rain). She wanted to stand in the garage and watch it fall. She kept reaching her hand out to touch it saying "cold". This hot blooded girl is from southern China and has never seen snow before. These 20-30 degree days are a big difference from the humid, sweltering 90-115 degrees where she is from. Ironically, she hates to be hot. You would think she would be cold here. Uhm, no. She HATES to be hot and is constantly taking her clothes off. She has major hissy fits when she gets hot.

The next snow storm I promise to have her "officially" dressed to play outside in the snow.

Thanksgiving, The Stink Eye and Nakedness....Huh?

This is the best fully dressed picture I could get of Lily on Thanksgiving. She was not being very cooperative with photo taking that day.

Notice the stink eye? She was turning her back to me and giving me this lovely look every time I came near her with the camera. Little rascal!

Hiding in the corner when she saw me coming with the camera!

I know the stink eye is under those glasses!

Yes, the backpack came with us. We still don't leave home without it. I'm the one with the stink eye now. This back pack is getting on my nerves!

Ok, this is where the nakedness comes in........ Lily LOVES to be undressed. Shortly after arriving at Grammy's house on Thanksgiving the clothes started coming off. It doesn't matter where she is, how cold it is........the clothes come off. She's not shy about it. This is how she spent most of the day. Nice socks. We are so thankful for this little stink eyed cutie!

Temper Tantrum Tuesday continued....

So it's not an ear infection. Her ears/tubes look great. Good news, I guess. The pedi thinks she is getting her top molars though. That could definitely explain the not sleeping at night, being cranky, not eating as much as she has been and the temper tantrums. I am always thinking whenever she is acting different or misbehaving that it is related to adoption issues. I guess I need to move on. Not all issues are going to be related to adjustment/adoption. She is just an appropriate 2 1/2 year old. Doing what a 2 1/2 year old does. Temper tantrums and all. Now that is good news!

Temper Tantrum Tuesday

Not a good start today. By 7:45 am a major tantrum was brewing. Over a Nutri-Grain bar. She could eat 10 of these a day if we let her. Of course we don't. So what comes next? Yup. A full blown, kicking, screaming, flailing, snot blowing Tantrum with a capital T that can last for A VERY LONG TIME!! I don't know what happened to my happy, silly, singing little girl I always talk about. Lately she has been a little out of sorts. Not quite herself. Unpredictable. I am always prepared for a tantrum when she doesn't get her way now. They seem to be happening more frequently again. I am bringing her to the Pediatrician today to check for an ear infection. She has been pulling a little on her ears. She had tubes put in when she had her palate repaired 3 weeks ago. I need to just rule out the ear infection possibility. I would love to blame this behavior on that. Some how though, I think it is still adjustment issues, post surgery issues and typical 2 1/2 year old behavior. Exhausting. Not fun. Tear inducing. Just plain miserable. I have never hoped for an ear infection in one of my kids before but today I am hoping for one. That sounds horrible, but true. If a course of antibiotics could cure these tantrums I would be thrilled!! I would even add being thankful for antibiotics to my Thanksgiving thankful list!

Hmmmm.........

Hmmmm....What happened 2 months ago today?

We were joined together forever! A family forever and ever!

Yeah!!