The Simple Things In Life...

Mia's New Desk

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

Over the summer, the President of the private college where Russ works, asked us if we'd be interested in the bedroom set their high school daughter has now outgrown. We took the bed from them after we repainted Mia's room and made it a new, big girl theme of TinkerBell. Well, this week, we were finally able to get the desk, the hutch, and the swivel chair. Mia sat down in the chair and it didn't take her long to figure out she could spin until she was dizzy. Apparently, Baba spins her much faster than I can, too. However, I don't think I'll be spinning Mia any more because she went flying off of the chair the second time I tried to be "faster than Baba". Thankfully Mia didn't get hurt too badly, I just had to kiss her 'dirty' toes. That made her laugh and I knew she was okay.

Mia LOVES drawing at her new desk, and has found that she can even play the teacher's roll so much better when she's playing school at home. We have to knock on her door to enter, we have to call her Miss Goodman, and leaving her room for dinner corresponds perfectly with when her students have lunch time.

The silly girl even asked me, "Mom, do you think I look older when I'm sitting at my desk? Not OLD, but just older?" My response was, "Yes. You look like you're almost six years old now." We'll take it one year at a time and try not to rush through the stages she's entering now as being too much older like she wishes.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch Day!!

It was a cool October morning, but sunny and absolutely beautiful for the pumpkin patch.

Hay Ride with Baba.

Lookin' Cute

1st Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Russ is on sabbatical this semester so he was able to take Mia to school on her first day of kindergarten.

I thought about her all day...wondering what she did, what new friends she'd be making, who she would play with at recess, and if she'd be totally worn out by the end of the day.

Mia got to ride the bus to my school at the end of the day. I was outside waiting for her, and when I saw her bus come, I couldn't stop smiling. She stepped off the bus, threw her arms wide open, and she ran towards me saying, "Mooooommmmmmyyyyyy!!!!" with a smile on her face, too.

"How was your first day of school?" I asked her. "It was good," she said.

Later, in the evening, I told Mia that my favorite part of my day was when she got off the bus and met me outside of the school, and that I wished I had my camera with me. She said, "We can do it all over again tomorrow and you can take a picture."

So we did:

I hope you have a wonderful school year, Miss Mia!

Painting Mia's Room

2011-07-28T06:13:00.001-07:00

The reason for the first few pictures is to show how Mia's room has changed over the years.

2006 - 2007

2007-2008

2009

2010

New bedding...TinkerBell!! Fall 2010

And....2011...this is Mia painting the first few strokes of

"Spring Leaf" or what we called

"TinkerBell Green" paint on her peach walls.

Not the finished product, but this shows the end of Day 1.

I really like the color we (I) picked out to go with

the TinkerBell theme.

We are also showing off the new headboard and footboard

of Mia's bed.

Painting Day 2:

Mia loved being on the step stool and using the roller.

Russ thought I was crazy to let a 5-year-old paint with the roller, but

Mia did a very nice job.

Day 3: Putting the pieces back together

in Mia's room.

Is that TinkerBell?

Sidewalk Chalk Day

2011-07-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Mia and I had a fun time using some sidewalk chalk despite the heat, humidity,

and beads of sweat rolling down our cheeks.

Mia started of with "I 'heart' U Baba and an ice cream cone.

Then, she wrote, "I 'heart' U Mom.

I was a little surprised to see her write 'Mom' because she usually writes 'Mama'.

We've been decorating Mia's room with TinkerBell stuff and we're

hoping to get a wall decal that says, "Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust!"

This is my design idea, but Russ came up with this saying

from the movie as an idea for the decal.

LOVE IT!

Mia told me that she was making something very, very special for me

(with the chalk drawings) and for me NOT TO LOOK.

I told her that I wouldn't look at her drawing if she didn't look at mine.

"Deal!"

Mia peeked...she walked over towards me while I was still drawing (see picture above) and said,

"That is nothing compared to what I'm drawing for you."

I really didn't mind that she was quietly walking over my way

to see what I was drawing...I was actually excited and proud of my drawing

I call it:

-Sunshine, Lolipops, and Rainbows-

and just knew that she would love it.

BUT when she said that, I had to explain to her how rude that sounded.

She did say that she was sorry and that she did like my drawing, but

that I would like her drawing so much more.

Ha!

Here's what Mia was busy working on:

"See - it says, "I Love you Mom" and it has a heart, and another heart,

and another one, and another one, and another one, and I even

put "M-O-M" in a heart, too. There are three sunshines because

that's how much I love you!"

Now, how could I possibly compete with that?

My last drawing was of a bear giving Mia a rose...

Mia smiled and said, "Awwwwwww."

Saying Good-bye

2011-06-12T07:09:00.001-07:00

Mia is done with preschool which means she will be going into Kindergarten in the Fall.

But, it also means that she won't be needing to go to daycare any more, too.

Stacey took such good care of Mia from Jan. 2007 (Mia was 13 months old)

through June 2011 (Mia's now 5 1/2).

Thanks for taking such great care of our little girl.

We also had to say good-bye to our pastor and his wife (Pastor Jim and Jane).

Thank you both for picking us up at the airport when we got Mia,

and for all of your support over the past nine years.

Ballet and Tap

2011-06-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

Mia was in ballet and tap this year.

She did an amazing job on stage as she

performed both of her dance routines.

Here is a picture of Mia with her friend Alexa.

This year, Mia wore the same outfit for the two different performances, and

danced to the songs "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" (tap) and

"It's a Small World After All" (ballet).

Riding My Bike

2011-06-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what is missing from Mia's bike?

Let me give you a hint...

This is going to take a lot of practice!

And hopefully, not too many of these:

Don't worry, Mia didn't really crash. Baba was just showing her

what it would be like if she did crash and what to do.

Mia's Preschool Graduation!!

2011-05-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

I was so excited that I was able to take off from work for

an hour and a half so I could see my little girl graduate

from preschool. Lucky for Mia to have

both parents in attendance.

Russ used his SLR camera and for some

odd reason a few of the pictures won't load

in the right direction. I kept them on this page

anway because they are just too cute.

The children entered the gym in one long line

with their green paper graduation hats

(that didn't want to stay on their heads).

The only thing missing was the the "Graduation March" -

but don't worry, Russ and I hummed it to ourselves.

Mia was ALL smiles!

We started off by saying the pledge,

and then the children had a little performance

for the parents.

Here's a (sideways) picture of Mia

"pounding out" the ABC's:

"Freeze dancing"

Mia's name was called for her to recieve her 'diploma'.

Mia shakes her teacher's hand:

Can you find Mia?

I had to get back to work, but Mia took Baba

back to her classroom for cookies, lemonade,

and to show him some of the projects

she had done at school and was

going to be able to bring

home with her.

Mia's ABC books

Mia and Ms. Candi

Thank you, Ms. Candi, Ms. Wendy, and Ms. Coleen for

making Mia's school year so much fun.

Ms. Candi - we loved your newsletters, your passion for children,

and the time you gave to make each child feel so loved.

Ms. Coleen - we loved every single craft...you are so creative and so brave!

Ms. Wendy - we loved having you at Madison and at Jefferson so

Mia could ask you to tell me hi when you saw me, and when we did

see one another - you filled me in on how Mia was doing. Thanks

for loving her so much, too.

Honey Creek Resort

2011-05-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's May...and we are all happy to see the snow is gone, Tulip Time has past, and school is about done. This was a much needed break for us all. John, Beth, Nathan, and Isaac - Mario, Maritza, Mateo, and Maya, and the three of us traveled to the Honey Creek Resort because of their indoor pool that is so kid friendly. All three families stayed in one very large cabin - we made our meals there, played games there, all slept there, and had a blast!

Here's how the kids slept:

Mia and Maya on the top bunk.

The picture above and below are of Mateo...he slept in the single bed.

The kids were all in the same room which made it difficult for them to get to sleep,

but they finally did.

Nathan and Isaac asleep (on the bottom bunk).

Mia fell asleep, but notice that little Maya wasn't too sure

about sleeping way up there...she decided she wanted

to sleep with Mom and Dad.

Day 2: We drove over to the main hotel area and got to the indoor pool. Check it out:

Kids - What do you think?

If you're going to show the children how to get across the pool by hanging on to the net,

be sure your drawstring is tied tightly.

Even Russ thinks this doesn't look too safe...

Tulip Time 2011

2011-05-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Before Tulip Time officially begins, we try to go uptown to get some photos of Mia with the tulips.

Today, she wanted to wear her Easter dress and look like a princess.

Russ took her uptown and she posed for every picture.

The first Wednesday in May is the Klompen Classic (a 5K) and it officially marks the beginning Tulip Time.

This year, Russ and I ran in the Klompen Classic, but the kids got to have their fun run first.

Mia participated in the run and believes she truly received first place.

Here I am pinning on her bib number (all kids' bib numbers were #1).

After the race, every child is given a ribbon and a popsicle.

As Mia received her ribbon, she looked up at us and said,

"I think I won. I got a ribbon!!"

And we said, "YOU DID!"

We are so proud of you, Big Girl.

Spring Break 2010

2011-03-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Russ and I decided it would be fun to head up to Minnesota for Spring Break. Some friends of ours (through the Chinese adoption group), the Millers, live up there and said we could even stay with them if we'd like. So, we stayed with the Millers for two nights, and got a hotel with a very kid-friendly pool area for the third night. Here are some pictures of what we did...

Day One:
We got to the Millers's house, stood around in the kitchen and had a great time getting caught up with each other. Christy made a great dinner for us and we got to meet Kelsi's boyfriend. While we were eating dinner, a few deer ran through the woods in their snow-laden backyard. It was beautiful.

Day Two:
This morning, we saw a couple of foxes running through the backyard. Amazing!
Mia went to school with Lucy and had a great time. Then, Christy took off work around 10 am, bringing Mia with her, and the four of us shopped at the Mall of America. In the afternoon, Mick, Kelsi, Danielle, and Lucy joined us at the mall. We had so much fun shopping, playing at Nickelodeon Universe, and eating dinner. Danielle even tried on some prom dresses for us. Lucy and Mia thought she looked like a princess.

Day Three:
Russ, Mia, and I spent several hours at the Minnesota Children's Museum http://www.mcm.org/.

Mona Linda

The Post Office

At this point, the place was so crowded and Mia was a bit intimidated by all the kids and the noise level. We weren't sure if we had made the right decision with coming here. Mia was very shy and clingy. She didn't want to "deliver mail" or really participate in anything.

Mia and I went to the "Dr's office" and got to look at all kinds of x-rays.

But when we saw a store for her to go shopping...we saw a whole new Mia.

"Come here, Mommy. I think we need some corn."

"We need milk and eggs, too."

Look who got to run the cash register!

"That will be $6.83, Ma'am."

Mia: "But, I don't have any money."

Baba: "Well, then I guess I'll just have to put you to work."

Mia: "Okay!"

Mia had a blast checking out all the other kids.

Mia: "Let me get your change, Sir."

What really sealed the deal with us knowing we made the right decision was when Mia found the kitchen/restaurant area. She spent at least 30 minutes "making meals" and "waiting tables."

Then we spent another 30 minutes (at least) watching Mia play in a tub of bubbles.

We eventually made it to another section of the museum...LEGOS!

This is Princess Mia sitting on the royal throne...

...standing in her royal castle (about to slide down)...

...and now she feels trapped. Will her prince come and save her?

This might be the cutest turtle you've ever seen...

...and this one will definitely be the silliest turtle you'll ever see!

Um, Russ - I think the turtle shell is for the kid. Ha!

Later, this evening, Christy and Lucy came over to our hotel to swim. The girls had a great time together.

Day Four: Today we are heading back home...but at least Mia is heading back in style!

Love the Sketcher Twinkle Toes shoes!!

Let's Go Steelers, Let's Go!!

2011-02-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Snowy January

2011-01-23T14:36:00.000-08:00

SNOW Much Fun!!

Mia is getting a ride on the snow shovel up and down the driveway.

Can you tell how deep the snow is? Can you see the smiley face on the tree?

Mia's snow angel...

Baba and Mia are rolling the snow to make a...

...oh no! What happened here? Mia, are you being silly??

...We made a snowman! (*Notice, if you can, the Steeler hat.)

The Party Hat...

2011-01-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Mia made little paper hats for some of her stuffed animals, along with one for Bono (our cat), and the three of us. It would make sense to pile all the stuffed animals, Bono, and the three of us together for a group picture, but I guess it was a lot more fun for 5-year-old Mia to take individual pictures.

Bono:

Brownie:

Big Bear:

Blue-Blue

Bun-Bun (or is this one Hop-Hop??)

Tex-Bear (even though he was a gift from the Grand Canyon):

Pluto (Plutes, for short):

Baby Shamu:

Big Girl Mia:

Mama:

and Baba:

Updated Rockin' Chair

2011-01-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

This little rocking chair used to be mine.

Although I had forgotten about it, one person did not. My mom saved it and made some cushions to match Mia's teddy bear decore for her baby room, and then gave it to her. Mia loved sitting in her little chair to read books.

Now that Mia's a "Big Girl," Nini updated her chair.

Thank you Nini!!

Princess Mia Pancake

2011-01-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

Me: "Mia, what would you like for breakfast this morning?"
Mia: "Oh, let's have pancakes. Can you make a princess pancake?"
Me: "I will try my best, but I cannot guarantee anything."
Mia: "Okay."

I was thinking for sure that it would be impossible to make a princess out of dropping batter out of a 1/4 cup measuring cup. BUT - I have to admit, I was tickled pink when I saw the results:

When I flipped her over I was in awe..."I did it! I did it!"

Mia had fun decorating her, too. "Mommy, it looks like Princess Mia!"

Mia is "Star of the Week"

2011-01-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

Mia is "Star of the Week" at school and we were to make a poster representing her. Here's what the three of us made:

(click on the picture to enlarge it)

Sadly, the kids did not have school on Monday (teacher in-service day) and then we got dumped on with 7" of snow and did not have school on Tuesday. Mia is anxiously waiting to share her poster at school with her friends.

Santa 2010

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

When I asked Mia if she wanted to go uptown to see Santa this year, she said, "No, not really. I got to see him last year." When I told her that she could wear her new Christmas dress, we got a different answer. "Really? I can wear my new dress? Okay! What are we waiting for?"

After she was dressed and ready to go, she started posing - modeling/showing off her beautiful dress.

"Yes, Santa, I have been very good."

"I would like Sea World Barbie and anything Tinker Bell."

Other items on Mia's wish list for this year include: arts and craft anything (glitter glue, tape, paints, paper - plain and construction, markers, etc.), Color Wonder (Explosion), ruby red slippers ("So I can look like Dorothy."), a horse for Barbie, books, puzzles, scrapbooking supplies, stickers, etc.

On our way out of the building where Santa was, we stopped in our tracks. Right outside the doorway was a group of high school students singing Christmas carols. What a joy it was to hear their beautiful voices.

Lookin' good, Ray-Ray!!

Mommy, Wow, I'm a Big Girl Now!!

2010-11-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Mia FINALLY went three whole weeks with no accidents in the middle of the night or during nap time. We promised her that if she could go three weeks in a row she would be able to pick out new Big Girl bedding. She graduated from her toddler-sized bed and into a twin-sized bed. We went to Target and she picked out Tinkerbell sheets, comforter, curtains, lamp, and even some Tink-pj's. The theme came from the Tinkerbell alarm clock and Tinkerbell jewelry box she already had and loved.

She LOVES her new BIG GIRL bedding and can't wait for us to transform the rest of her room (paint, take out the teddy bear lamp, curtains, and rug). In time, she will have the prettiest BIG GIRL room ever.

We are so proud of our little, I mean - BIG GIRL!

This one I couldn't resist...it's the Attack of the BIG RED DOG!

Mia, Mia, Mia Ballerina!

2010-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Mia had a blast Trick-or-Treating with her friends this year.

We went to the college to get treats on Wednesday evening (see first picture). Mia was so soft spoken, we almost had to leave and return back home. She was a little over-whelmed by all the decorations and so many people (college students dressed in costume) in the hallways handing out candy. However, I think that night was just good practice for when we ventured out into the neighborhood with all her little friends because there was nothing shy about her on Halloween night.

With every house that had a front porch light on, Mia would ask me, "Can I go ring their doorbell?" and then she would yell out, "TRICK-OR-TREAT!"

Thankfully, she didn't say the rest of that little saying...you know what I mean, "...Smell my feet, give me something good to eat."

The award for most creative costume goes to the homemade Lego! He was such a trooper, too. Although he couldn't walk nearly as fast as the other kids and although he needed assistance from everyone that gave him candy (he couldn't get the candy from one hand into his bucket in the other hand) - he refused any help from us and wore the costume all night long. I'm sure he slept very well that night.

Fun times had by all!

"Mr. Stripey"

2010-09-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

This summer, Russ and I took Mia to the state fair.

There was a butterfly house that Mia really wanted to go into because she just loves butterflies. Russ took her in and they came out about 10 minutes later with a little caterpillar in a container.

Mia loved that the caterpillar was black, white, and YELLOW (her favorite color).

She named him "Mr. Stripey."

Unfortunately, Mr. Stripey lasted just a few days. He climbed up to the top of the container and we got really excited thinking that he was preparing to spin his cocoon. However, after taking several pictures of him, we noticed that he went back down to his leaf and that he didn't look so good. (*Was it the flash from the camera that messed him up? We'll never really know, but that's our guess.)

The next morning I asked Mia, "How would you feel if Mr. Stripey doesn't spin a cocoon?"

Mia said, "That would be okay. I kind of don't want him to become a butterfly. I just want him to be a caterpillar forever."

I had to inform her later in the day that Mr. Stripey had died. Russ asked Mia if she wanted us to dig a hole in the ground outside to bury it. She said, "Nah, just throw it away."

A few weeks later, a co-worker, Ann, brought me a caterpillar from her back yard. Before I could get the little guy home to show it to Mia, he had already started attaching himself to the lid of the container. Here's a picture of what Mia saw when she got home.

On Day 2, Mr. Stripey had completely spun his cocoon and Mia was so proud of him.

On Day 10, we started noticing that the jade green with gold speckles cocoon was starting to turn black.

On Day 11, I took a picture because we could see his wing through the cocoon.

Day 12 - I bet Mr. Stripey is going to break free sometime today!

At 4:45 P.M. when we got home, this is what we saw:

MR. STRIPEY!!

We took a ton of pictures (using Baba's camera) so more pictures could show up here if not on Facebook relatively soon.

Later, after letting Mr. Stripey free, Mia made this picture:

When I asked Mia about this picture and why she hung it up outside of our back door, she simply said,
"I want to make sure that Mr. Stripey and his friends know where to come next year."

So, to all of our caterpillar and Monarch friends,

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO OUR HOME!

Hot Air Balloons 2010

2010-07-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got there, balloons were already filling the sky, and it was hot outside.

Thankfully, it was not scorching hot...it was actually bareable...

but a breeze would have been nice.

Mia n Mommy

Jack-in-the-Box (Yes, a hot air balloon - the largest I've ever seen.)

Friends of ours that were able to come with us this year...

"Catch this, Dad!"

"Got it!"

"Nice catch, yourself, Son!"

Proud father!

Very proud!!

We try to get to the balloon festival with our neighbors every year.

This is our neighbor...(husband not in photo.)

Her son is standing on stage (in grey shirt). He had a blast rocking out to the band's music.

Seriously, he didn't want to leave the stage. He was working it all night long.

Her other son was enjoying eating the blueberry flavored popcorn.

Can you see his blue teeth?

Mia and Baba are playing frisbee.

Did Mia catch it??

What a cutie-pie!

"Baba, I am so hot. Will you pour some of your water on me?

But don't get my new shirt wet."

"Hey - you got my shirt wet.

I think I need to pour some water on your head now, too."

Dump!

Fun times!

Sea World

2010-07-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Mia had no idea what Sea World was...we told her about it and even pulled it up online to show her, but little did she know just how AMAZING it would be in person.

Day 1: July 6th

We got to San Antonio on Tuesday, got to our hotel, and went out for dinner at Cha Cha's. Delicious locally-owned Mexican food.

Day 2: July 7th

Sea World

OMG...we got to feed and pet dolphins!! Coolest thing ever!!

Of course, I had to stand in line for over 30 minutes (in the hot, South-Texas sun) to spend

$6 for a tray of four fish to feed the dolphins. We were told to hold the fish up with one hand so that the dolphins could see it, and then with your other hand you could reach out and pet the dolphin. Easier said than done since they also mentioned that dangling the fish for over 3 seconds is considered teasing the dolphin. Well, if the dolphin would eat the fish and then stick around close enough to touch the little guy, we wouldn't have to stand in line again to buy more fish to figure out the process. Hummmmm....

Shamu made quite an impression on Mia.

Melting from the heat, and hoping to get splashed by Shamu.

After the Shamu show, we went swimming and had an absolute BLAST in their water park. Next time, wear swimsuits and rent a locker first...then you don't have to walk back to the car to get everything.

Day 3: July 8th

RiverWalk

Wait, who is that in Mia's lap? Yep, Nini bought Mia a Shamu!

Mia carries it with her everywhere we go.

Family photo on the RiverWalk - but hey, who is that guy?

No, we didn't buy him at Sea World.

We ate lunch at Rita's (okay place) and got some fun entertainment

while we were eating.

Remember the Alamo!

We're on our way to the Tower of the Americas.

In the gift shop - Mia made a funny face and we couldn't resist taking a picture.

You'll see how she inspired us to all be a little goofy for the day.

Wow! Look at all that water.

Silly faces!

Look what I can do?

There's the tower.

We decided to walk aournd the River Walk all day due to the rainy forcast. However, I think we would have been just fine at Sea World after all. Oh well. We had a great time walking (in circles) and just enjoying each other's company. We would have ridden on a boat in the rinver, but they weren't operating today because of the rain. Bummer! We did stop at a McDonald's for a snack and I ordered a small iced frap. They were out and had to make more which caused us to have to wait a while longer for my drink. Because of my wait they upgraded me to a large. My advice: Don't drink a large caffinated drink if you are sensitive to caffine. I couldn't go to sleep! For dinner, we went to a place called Sea Island Shrimp House - GREAT seafood!! Then, Russ, my mom, and I stayed up until 1am playing Farkle.

Day 4: July 9th

Sea World, again!!

Another day with rain in the forcast - but we're heading to Sea World again. We packed everything up because we're heading back to my mom's later today (Six hour drive back home.).

Beautiful parrot.

Feeding and petting dolphins again!!

And the highlight of our day was riding the Journey to Atlantis.

(watch this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJfwwMIqQn0)

So, the four of us got on the boat, front row, went up the ramp...and spun around. "Wow! This is amazing!" I said.

The four of us were just in awe of the rotation and seeing the land around and below us. We stopped, but were pointing in the wrong direction to move on to the next part of the ride. That's when I heard the lady behind us tell her friend, "Oh, I bet she doesn't know." I turned to her and said, "Don't know what?" As soon as she spit the words out "We go backwards." we took off - Backwards!! Did we scream?

Yes!

Then, we got to the other side, spun around, and thankfully, we went down facing forward - as we splashed water everywhere. I had one hand up in the air and my other hand just naturally went to Mia's chest to hold her back into her seat. *Motherly insticts I guess.* It's like hitting the breaks in the car and automatically sticking your hand out toward the passenger to hold them back.

Anyway, we got off the ride and Mia said, "That was scary!" Russ asked her, "Do you want to go again?" She responded immediately with, "YES!" So, Russ, Mia, and Nini went one more time. I decided that it was safer for my stomache to keep facing forward. Despite the rain shower, they loved the ride the second time just as much as the first.

Outside Fun

2010-06-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

It was a hot day in June and Mia wanted to play with the gardening hose...

...and clean rocks,

...take a 'shower',

LOVE THE SMILE!

...drink water,

...and spray YOU!

...And what she's doing here, don't ask...

All done.

Picnic on the deck with buddies...

Our Thirteenth Anniversary!!

2010-06-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 13th Anniversary,

Russ and Linda!

What an amazing 13 years this has been, too.

1. Moved to Oklahoma

& attended the University of Oklahoma.

2. Went to MANY (home & away) football games

and met many wonderful friends.

3. I graduated and got a job teaching.

(No longer living off of $1,000 a month!!)

4. Russ graduated with his PhD and got a new car.

5. Russ got a job in Iowa.

6. We moved to Iowa and celebrated Russ's 30th b-day.

7. I got a job as an associate in special education.

8. Russ helped coach soccer at the college.

9. I got a job as a 4th grade teacher.

10. We moved into a bigger house.

11. We went to China to adopt a little baby girl.

12. Our lives are centered around a sweet little girl who is growing

up way too fast.

13. Our little girl is now 4 1/2, had her first dance recital, and will be starting

pre-school this fall.

I, also, received 13 beautiful roses from my hubby. We went out for dinner (at Applebee's)

and had a relaxing evening at home.

Thank you to our family and friends for your support, for being amazing role models for us, and for loving us over the years. We wouldn't be who we are today without a little of YOU in each of us.

"JUST DANCE"

2010-06-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was Mia's first dance recital.

There were three other girls in Mia's group.

The girls danced to the song, "Wish Upon a Star," and they

each did a great job acting the part of a princess...Cinderella.

This program started at 1:00 PM and was not over until 4:30 PM.

Somewhere in there, Mia fell asleep on my lap (after her dance, but before the finale).

Although she loved watching the other performances, she must have been wiped out

because she slept for over an hour.

Here are a few pictures:

Mia with her dance teacher, Miss Rachael.

Each child had their name on a letter of the

words "Just Dance" hanging up on the wall.

Mia was able to take the "T" with her name on it.

Mia, we are so very proud of you. You did an amazing job on stage and we know you loved being up there. We look forward to getting the DVD and sharing it with the family and with friends.

We love you,

Mommy and Baba.

Third Time's A Charm

2010-06-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Dress Rehearsal #1

"Wish Upon A Star"

Yes, there are four girls in this group and half of them are from China! Can you find Mia?

*(More ballet recital pictures coming - the recital is on Saturday!)

Who's that guy on the bench with a new hair cut?

Andre Agassi?

Chris Daughtry?

Why - it's Russ Goodman!!

Linda, Russ, and ??? guess who... (try #1)

Try #2...getting better...

Try #3...The third time's a charm!

And Mia.

I see a monkey in the tree!

After eating out tonight, we walked around uptown...looking at flowers, taking in nature's beauty, and enjoying one another. What a beautiful day.

More Random Mia Pix

2010-05-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

Mia got a hula skirt for her Zhuzhu pet and had to

show off how cute it would be if he matched her.

So cute!

Thank you, Nini!

Mia LOVES going on bike rides these days.

One day, I had to show her how to step back on the pedals to stop the bike because she kept riding the bike into the grass in order to stop. When I asked her why she was doing that, she simply stated, "That's how I stop." A few days later I walked beside her as she rode her bike and we went down the street quite a ways. It was pretty flat the whole way, but she kept asking me to hold on to the bike so she wouldn't fall. I placed my index finger under the seat and eventually told her that I wasn't holding on any more and that she was doing it all by herself. What a boost of confidence and what a BIG grin I got out of her then.

The very next day we took the same path. Mia said, "Mom, I don't think you need to hold the bike this time. I think I've got the hang of it now."

Thank you Grandma, Grandpa, and Summer!

There was a carousel at the mall and we couldn't pass this one up - it was beautiful!

And, of course, Mia had to ride it again.

Thank you, Baba!

A Favorite Moment

2010-05-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

The weather finally started getting warmer (and dryer).

Mia asked if we could play outside on her swingset.

I said, "Sure. Would you like to get some books and blankets?

We could get all comfy cozy and read books in the "club house."

Mia responded with, "YES! This is the best day ever!"

Student Teacher

2010-05-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Class 2009-2010

Class Clowns 2009-2010

Group Hug!

It Must Be TULIP TIME!!

2010-05-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Klompen Classic 5K, Wed. 5/5/10

time 31:59

Marathon Weekend

2010-04-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

We drove a little over 10 hours for Russ to run his first (and last) marathon in Oklahoma City. We got there Friday night and spent the night with our college buddy Kristine and Justin, and their two kids Addison and Beckett. It was GREAT to see them again and to meet their friend Katie from Las Vegas.

On Saturday, our families drove up to OKC from Texas to support Russ in his run (which happens on Sunday). We all met up at the Arts Festival and it was wonderful to have some family time, although it was extremely short.

Cousins: Summer and Mia

Nini, Mia, Summer, Aunt Melanie, and Grandpa are looking at the fish, ducks, and turtles.

After spending several hours eating and looking at art work, Mia and Summer spotted a fun "ribbon" area.

"Look! Mia looks like Baba when he runs!"

We topped off the evening by eating at Zio's Italian Restaurant and having one of the best servers ever.

Sunday morning, we were all up and out the door at 5:30am. We got Russ to the Starting Line right on time. I was very impressed since we had so many of us and two kid-o's. Way to go fam!

What you can't tell from this picture (unless you look at Mia) is that the wind was a lot stronger and colder than any of us had expected.

Russ (far left) is making his way to the starting line!!

Good Luck, Baby!!

While Russ was running, the rest of us headed back to the hotel for breakfast. I was getting antsy when everyone decided to go back to our rooms and started watching the race on tv. I wanted to know where Russ was.... Russ's dad found info online and we were able to track him as he finished the 5K, 10K, and half marathon. It was so exciting! Thanks, also, to a friend back home - Lisa - who was able to send me updates once we left the hotel.

We caught up with Russ at Mile 22.

We were there at mile 22 in plenty of time. We stood around waiting for over 30 minutes. It was nerve-racking and I was ready to burst into tears. Why? I have no clue...I think I was just excited for him, nervous that we'd missed him, and my pride in him was overflowing. I was able to control myself when we finally saw him, and I even joined him for a short while. I ran with him and asked him, "Do you need anything? How are you doing? How are you feeling? I have chapstick and gum..." He said, "My whole body is cramped up. I had no idea that my achiles, which is a tendon, could cramp up like this. Both of them are killing me." He leaned on my shoulder and with a smile said, "Where am I?" "Mile 22," I told him. "You only have 4 miles left. You can do this. I am so proud of you!!" He then said, "I will see you at the finish line. You have plenty of time to get there. It's going to take me awhile." We kissed and he continued.

Later, I found out that he started hitting his 'wall' at mile 18 because of cramping. He did his best to convince his body to just keep moving. He even told us that seeing us at mile 22 was very motivating and is what kept him going.

I ran back to the car, where the family was, and we took a short break so my mom could go to the bathroom. We found an Arby's close by. My mother-in-law mentioned that she was going to order food for Summer since it was after 11am. I thought that was a great idea, so I ordered food for Mia and myself (to go). Before I knew it we were all sitting at the table eating. In a panic, I asked my father-in-law if we had time to do this. He said, "We have a good 45 minutes at the rate Russ is running right now." I said, "Ok" but wanted everyone to move it along.

We hustled back to the car, found a great parking place close to the finish line and got there at the 5 hours and 5 minute mark. We stood around for about 45 minutes...seeing everybody but Russ cross the finish line. My sister-in-law and her husband, Melissa and James, walked to where the finished runners were and did not see Russ. FIL walked back several blocks to see if he could find Russ still running. The rest of us stayed put not wanting to miss the big moment. I got nervous thinking and almost feeling it in my gut that we had missed him. I called my friend, Lisa, for a tracking update. She said, "His numbers aren't showing up right now." Then, I had that sick-to-my-stomach feeling that maybe he didn't finish. Maybe he was with the medical crew somewhere between mile 22 and 26.2.

I left the "finish line" zone, carrying Mia, to look for Russ. We jogged several blocks down searching frantically for Russ. Where was he? Minutes later, I got a phone call from my mom saying that he finished 45 minutes ago and was wondering where we were. I ran back - still carrying Mia, and fell down. We were both okay, but I did put a hole in my favorite pair of jeans and skinned up my knee. There was very little pain at the time...I just wanted to get back to my husband. Overjoyed that he was okay, still alive, and done, I nearly knocked him over when I first saw him. I couldn't control the tightness of my squeezing arms, the tears that fell, or the swelling of pride my chest. He finished! He did it!

His time - 4 hours 59 minutes.

I am so proud of you, Russ!

Way to go!

A special Thank You to our family for driving up to help support and cheer Russ on through his first marathon. It was wonderful to have you all there.

More Marathon Photos...

2010-04-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday...on our way to pick up Russ's packet we noticed a lot of painted buffalos out and about, and Miss Mia had to have her picture taken with one.

Sunday...after the marathon, Grandma, Grandpa, and Summer gave Mia a bike!

Sunday - on our way back home:

Needless to say, everyone was pooped after the long weekend!

Easter

2010-04-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mia did not get her picture taken with the Easter Bunny this year, but

that's okay because we know we have the

Cutest Little Bunny in the World

in our house:

Getting ready for the Easter Egg hunt uptown...

Russ shaved his beard off the other day and Mia asked him to keep part of it. So, he kept a mustache. I understood that the beard was to help protect his face while running in the cold temps, but I wasn't a big fan of it. Nor am I a fan of the 'stache!' It was all in good humor.

Thank you Aunt Melissa and Uncle James for the cute dress.

(Sorry I'm distracted by the tv and won't give my mom a real smile.)

This picture is one of Mia's favorites. "I love all of my animals."

2010-04-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

We hosted one night and had two other couples at our place...along with seven other kids. As chaotic as it was at times, we all had a great evening.

Ella, Mia, Mateo, Maya, Issac, Addison

(Nathan and Layla not shown)

Ella, Mia, Mateo, Maya, Isaac, Addison, Nathan

This is the shirt that Russ, yes, Russ made for Mia.

Awhile back, Russ asked Mia what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said, "I want to be like my Baba." We asked her, "Oh, do you want to play soccer?" She responded with, "No, I want to be the coach." Russ took Mia to the store to search for iron-on letters and for an orange shirt (for his U14 team). Once home, he got to work and now Mia doesn't miss the opportunity to wear her shirt to his games and tournaments. Go Coach Baba!

Spring Break FUN!

2010-03-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break - Mia went to daycare on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday...while we cleaned out closets, graded papers, went to work to get "caught up" at least for a little while, and to just have a LAZY day to watch a movie - to relax - and enjoy the quietness.

However, my favorite day was on Thursday, when my husband kicked Mia and me out of the house from 10 AM until 4 PM. Why, you ask? Well, he was having a party with his buddies. They played Risk, ate pizza and junk food, watched some March Madness, and whatever else they did, I don't really want to know. As for Mia and me - well, I had a hair appointment at 10 AM, then we played uptown for about 45 minutes and had a picnic lunch on the square. At noon, I had a dentist appointment. Mia told me, "I really don't want to get my hair cut today, but maybe the dentist will clean my teeth for me." How many four-year-olds say that?

It was a GEORGEOUS day, so we did a little shopping after the dentist appointment, had an ice cream treat, and then we went to the 'wooden park' where Mia played until her little heart was content (for two hours). I still hadn't received the "OKAY" to come back home yet, so Mia and I went to the library until I got the phone call. What a fun day!

On Friday, the three of us went shopping and then we took Mia to the Science Center for the first time. It was so neat and Mia loved everything about it. Here's the first thing she wanted me to take a picture of:

Yes, this is a turtle, and Yes - he was HUGE!

During the week, I had noticed on the news that they were reporting live from the Science Center. They weren't there when we were, but the "green board" and tv were there. So, Russ and Mia got to pretend like they were doing the weather forecast.

This is what I could see...

...and this is what it looked like on the tv they had sitting beside the 'green board.' Too cool!

Moving on...we went to another section of the center and saw that children could make a rocket out of paper and then launch it. So, Russ stepped right in and helped Mia make a rocket.

Taping it together.

Taping on the 'fins' - what do you call those things?

Ready to lauch in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Blast Off!

After the rocket is launched, there is a little alley where it falls down to and the kids can pick up their rocket and launch it over and over again. And, that's just what Mia did.

Sorry that I don't have any more pictures because after the Science Center, and after dinner, we went to a hotel that had a water park indoors. Although the water was heated, it was still chilly. We all got into the water and Mia was thrilled that she was able to "touch the bottom of the ocean." Ha! We played in the water for close to three hours. What a blast! We will definitely be going back to that one.

When we returned to our hotel room to get ready for bed, we noticed out our window that we had received several inches of snow. YUCK! Go away already, would you? Don't you realize that Sunday will be the first day of spring??? Crazy!!

Saturday morning - we went out for breakfast, did some more shopping, and headed back home. It was a great get-away, but it's always so hard for me to face reality again and know that Monday morning...and my 5:40AM alarm clock....will be back once again.

February Pix

2010-02-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

February was a blur for me, but mostly because I am so ready for the winter-blah's to be over and done with soon! Mia kept us entertained and sometimes, she even entertained herself. Her favorite things to do during the winter have been to: dress up like a princess, dance, color/draw, arts and crafts, play her guitar, play "Mommy" with her dolls, play with her princess dolls and castle, and read books.

While I was making dinner, I could hear Mia reading a book, but I didn't realize she was laying on the back of the loveseat.

Something else that kept us all laughing out loud was when we told Mia to put on her pj's. She grabbed her pajamas and laid down on our bed. She saw that we were putting our pj's on, too, but she took my pajama bottoms (pants) and put them on...

She bounced all over our bed looking like a starfish (or like Maggie in the Simpons). We couldn't stop laughing at this silly girl.

One of my students brought me roses for Valentine's Day.

A week later, my hubby stopped by the school to deliver a basket of beautiful flowers for me.

For those of you wondering what he did that made him need to buy & deliver flowers for me, he didn't do anything wrong. He's just a wonderful guy that still loves me - even after 12 1/2 years of marriage.

Now, say, "Ahhhhh, how sweet!"

"Horton Hears a Who" Artwork by Mia

2010-02-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

So, we watched the Dr. Seuss movie "Horton Hears a Who" (based on the Seuss book) and immediately afterward, Mia went to draw a picture. Not five minutes later, she produced her artwork. Take a peek at what she did and compare her artwork to a movie image I found online this morning. Not bad for a four-year-old, eh?

Mia says she plans, when she grows up, to be an artist AND a haristylist. Can't wait for her to support us in old age. :-)

Love to all,

Random Pix...and Stories

2010-02-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

Mia is so inventive. She rolled a piece of purple construction paper and taped the ends together. She gave it to me and said, "I made you a hat." Sadly, it didn't stay up on my head and she was frustrated. However, she decided to punch holes on the bottom and put a string around it so it could tie under my chin. Once I put it on and tied it, she was so proud!

For Christmas, Mia got a princess bed tent amongst many, many other fun toys. I held the tent back for another day to make it that much more exciting. Well, it was a BIG hit! She played with it in the living room for one day and the next day it went on her bed. Can you tell by the grin on this girl's face that she is SOOOOOOOO excited? She loved it so much that she couldn't fall asleep. It was well after 10PM and she was still giggling inside her tent.

Mia and her Prince Baba

The next Taylor Swift....

"I'm getting married. Do you like my shoes? I am Cinderella. Oh, Prince (AKA Baba), did you find my glass slipper anywhere?"

"I love Valentine's Day. Can I draw a lot of pictures for you?"

Valentine's Day presents from Nini...Thank YOU!!

Snowy days....

This is the snow drift on our roof...

These last four pictures were taken this morning (2/9). We got 8" of snow, and it is -8'F with a wind chill of -23'F. Needless to say: no school today!

BURRRRRR........

Family Portrait!

2010-02-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Mia drew a picture of Russ and me on our wedding day:

Immediately after I took the picture of her drawing, she said, "Wait! I have to do one more thing now."

I asked, "What do you need to do now?"

Her response, "You'll see."

"Now our family is complete."

Arts & Crafts (from Snow Day #6)

2010-01-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

We had a wintery mix of snow and ice so Mia and I did a lot of arts & crafts.

These are marshmallow dogs. This idea came from a Strawberry Shortcake

book of Mia's. Does the puppy look anything like Pupcake?

The book's suggestion for the spots and the face was to use food coloring. I thought, "No Way!"

So, I got creative and we used Hershey's chocolate syrup and painted with toothpicks.

Then, Mia decided that she wanted to make Pupcake (Strawberry's puppy) out of a paper bag.

The last thing she chose to do was to make cinnamon and apple sauce ornaments. Russ helped her with that one because you know how much I love to make messes. ;-)

I took this picture from the front door. Double click to enlarge it so you can see the ice.

This picture is absolutely amazing...double click on it, too.

The day after all our snow/ice, and on the way to dropping Mia off at daycare, she said, "Oh wow, Mommy, look at that. You just missed the best icicle." When we got to the daycare, they were shoveling their driveway, so we made a loop around the block. We were able to pass the "best icicle" house again and I am SO glad we did. If you look above the fence, you'll see the deck awning. It is covered with a million icicles.

One last picture...

Where oh where has our sunshine gone?

Oh where oh where could he be?

Needless to say, we're sick of the snow -and - all of the ice!!

Footpainting

2010-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

I have to start this blog out with a beautiful smile:

Now, we've all heard of fingerpainting, but how many of us want to make an even bigger mess and do 'footpainting'? Baba does!!

I think the pictures do a great job telling the story, so enjoy...and listen carefully for the laughter that filled our house.

Castles, Ballerinas, and Cats - Oh My!

2010-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

"Aren't these the most beautiful snow castles ever?"

"I wish we could live in them."

I will have to give her an E for effort and an A for creativity.

Here are some Beautiful Ballerinas though!

"Mommy, I drew Bono! Do you like his big tail?"

I have to say, I didn't notice the tail first. I am wondering what Bono ate for lunch! Oh, and look at those fancy letters. ;-)

2010-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, after a fun time in Texas for the holidays, we made it back home Saturday evening.

Mia woke me up this morning and said, "My tummy is hungry." I asked her what

she wanted and she said, "Pancakes, please."

When I asked her what shape she wanted this time she said, "I would like a star

and a reindeer." "Okay," I said up for another pancake challenge.

Not bad, huh?

Later in the day, Mia and I went for a short walk and played in the snow. It was very

powdery snow and yet still a load of fun. Russ stayed inside to watch his beloved

Steelers. (Go Steelers!!)

Messages we made for our family back in Texas:

and

Mia kept eating the snow from our yard, and later from our neighbors' yards. When she saw some dirty snow and I told her not to eat it, she soon learned about why we don't eat yellow snow. :-)

It was cold outside (7'F, feels like -5'F) so we didn't stay out for long. As much fun as we were having, Mia didn't put up a fight about it being time to go inside the house. I think she was just as cold as I was and just as ready to be in a warm house as I was.

As soon as we walked in the front door - chilled to the bone - my wonderful husband had cups of hot cocoa ready to serve to us, and he even had the little space heater turned on and aimed at the steps as we climbed our way upstairs. Who says Russ can't multi-task when there's football on tv?

Holiday Pix

2010-01-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

I have to admit - as much as I enjoy blogging, I hate being downstairs in our cold basement (that's where our computer is). So, for today's entry, you will notice that there will be a lot of pictures and stories. Sorry it's taken me so long to share them with you. I will do my best to blog the rest some time this weekend.

One Saturday morning, before Christmas, Mia requested Santa pancakes. I was curious as to how I would do that, but once again, I was up for the challenge.

Mia got a new dress from her grandparents and her cousin Summer. However, the matching shoes were too small. So, while we were down there visiting during the holidays, we were lucky enough to exchange them for the right size. (She wore the dress and shoes last Sunday to church, but this photo was taken before Christmas.)

Mia loves using our camera.

Here are some pics that she took:

...Oh, I must have deleted all the other pictures (one of each stuffed animal she brought with us, her cousin's stuffed animals, pictures that were hanging on the walls, the candy dish, candy canes, etc.). She was, and still is, obsesed with taking pictures. She is becoming quite the little photographer though, and I am most proud that she's able to take pictures of people and not 'chop off their heads' the way my grandma always seemed to do.

One of Mia's favorite gifts for Christmas was a cot with a sleeping bag that snaps to it. She was thrilled to have her own bed in our room so she didn't have to sleep on her pallet (on the floor).

Mia - Russ - Summer

We went to Holiday in the Park at Eight Flags (that's what Mia keeps calling it)...okay at Six Flags. It was the perfect day to be there because the sun was shining and the temps were in the 40's. Comparing that to the previous snowy and icy days with temps in the 20's - we were exstatic and did not complain.

Grandpa looks a little scared back there as he's biting his fingernails, but I assure you that he had just as much fun on this ride as the kids (Summer, Mia, & Russ) did.

Mia and Summer had a great time flying!

Oh, and notice Mia's her new hat? Too cute.

Why pay a photographer at Six Flags for their pictures when you can take it yourself?

Aren't these girls adorable?

Mia got to go on her 1st rollercoaster...the Mini-mine Train!!

How cool is it that this particular ride just happens to be the first rollercoaster that I ever rode, too?!

Summer rode on the mini-mine train with Russ...sitting right in front of Mia and myself.

The lines were extremely short, so we were able to hop right back in line and ride it again.

Mia's favorite part at Six Flags was getting to drive the old-timey cars. One of the workers there told Mia that she did such a wonderful job with her driving that she had earned her driver's license. Not only did she talk about that for days, she also kept asking me when she was going to get her license. Sometimes it's not easy to explain why some people are 'just being silly.'

As for New Years - we spent it with Russ's family and I would share more pictures, but we were all in our pajamas. This is the only picture I think the adults would agree on sharing:

Summer made it to mid-night and was able to have some sparkling grape juice "wine" with us. She even got to wear the party hat with us, throw confetti, toot horns, and join in on the group hug. Sweet little Mia slept right through it all. It must have been the new comfy bed she got for Christmas.

School Stuff in Dec.

2009-12-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the kids playing at recess...

...here is a fort in progress ...

...here they are slidding down the big hill...

...and my favorite - the kids dug out the snow and made a tunnel. The girl

in the blue coat (left) actually demnonstrated for me that she could go in on that side

and end up through the hole you see on the bottom right.

This is a picture of a cake that a parent of one of my students made. It is two cakes

long-ways side by side, and enough candy to make the game board of CandyLand. Lots of time was

invested to make this one.

Here's the crazy part: the student's dad came in to serve the cake to the students. He brought in the left over candy for the class. He said, "Well, if a student doesn't get the kind of candy he/she likes then they can get some that they do like." Oh My!! Do you see the corner w/ all candy canes? Or the corner with all the lollypops? Each of those corners became a "slice" of cake per student. We spent thirty minutes serving and eating cake. How in the world was I supposed to continue teaching after that???

Random Pix

2009-12-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Mia's amazing drawing of Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. If you double click on the picture it should enlarge it for you so that you can see her drawing better.

Saturday morning, Mia requested pancakes. I asked her, "What shape do you want me to try to do this time?" Her response, "I want a star, please. And, I would like chocolate chips to make it a smiley face." That she did!

This is a picture I took with my cell phone last night. After a long evening of swimming at a local hotel, Mia was wiped out and fell asleep within a matter of minutes. I just thought it was so precious that she has her book between her face and arm, and that both of her arms were straight up. Sweet dreams, my little princess.

Christmas Program at Church

2009-12-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

I know this photo is dark, but Mia is standing in the middle on the front row - in a dark green dress with the white fuzzy cuffs. This was at the Christmas program (the story of the birth of Jesus) at church today.

Russ took Mia to rehearsal yesterday, and he said that she knew all of the hand motions but didn't sing any of the songs. Funny - she sings them in the car all the time. (Away in a Manger and O Come All Ye Faithfull) She, also, told Russ that she didn't want to be an angel, or put on any costume at all. Later, she asked if she could be an angel (only because her friend Nona was an angel), but there weren't any angel costumes left. So, she was a 'townsperson.' And what a great townsperson she was!

During Children's Worship (which is during the rest of the church service) the kids gathered in their Sunday School room to have a party. They had party hats, cupcakes, and got to sing happy birthday to Jesus. Just when they thought this day couldn't get any better, when the cantata was over the parents picked up their kids and took them across the sanctuary to visit none other than:

Mrs. Claus and Santa! Mia was excited to see them at OUR church, but I think it really did catch her off guard because she had nothing to do with sitting in Santa's lap today. However, she was much more interested in the brown bag filled with goodies that Mrs. Claus gave to each child. Inside was an orange and a variety of candy.

Here's another one of Mia's buddies at church...Jill Xena!

We sat with Jill during fellowship and once Mia was done eating her snack, she went up to the manger to see the baby Jesus. She thought it was hilarious that the baby doll was naked. She took the baby doll out and held it up for all to see. (This reminds me of the book "The Best/Worst Christmas Pagent Ever.") Mia played with the baby doll, wrapped it up in the blue blanket, and then proceeded to stand for all to see - and she began singing Away in a Manger and doing the hand motions to go along with it.

My child does NOT like to be in the spot light with everyone else, she wants all the attention for herself. Go figure!

Snow Day #3...

2009-12-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

As a child these were my FAVORITE cookies that my mom made...I found the recipe online and Mia and I made them. Can you tell which candy cane cookie is Mia's? She wanted to make a big one. Her's is the biggest one. ;-)

Thanks, Mom, for making wonderful memories for me and for taking the time to make candy cane cookies. YUM!

The Rest of Snow Day #2

2009-12-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

After lunch, Mia said she wanted to help me do the dishes. She cracked me up because she started out with washing the dishes on the left side of the sink (as shown in picture) and put them on the right side when they were ready to be rinsed. Before I knew it, she was taking the clean dishes back out of the right side of the sink and back into the left side so she could wash them again. ;-) What can I say, the girl loves to clean. I wonder where she gets it?

Just keep in mind that this is not a typical outfit that I would be seen in while cleaning...or doing anything else. I really don't know where she gets her outfit ideas.

(Pajama shirt, hot pink panties, blue tutu, one purple sock and one green sock.)

Later, after Mia's rest time, we made a batch of chocolate chocolate chunk cookies. Mia wanted to help:

While stirring and while dropping the dough on the cookie sheet, Mia learned that we don't lick our fingers until the end.

This was a scene later in the day that I couldn't pass up taking a picture of...

1. Yesterday, I put a smiley face on the tree trunk - can you see part of it?

2. The reason I took the picture was because of the two sticks pointing up out of the snow. Now obviously they fell from the tree, but I had a mental image that it was Frosty the Snowman covered up - drowning - in the blizzard we were experiencing.

SNOW DAY #2...

2009-12-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

This morning when Mia woke up, I told her, "You are going to laugh when you see the snow this morning." She asked, "Why?" and took off running to the back door. I opened the blinds and said, "Look!"

Jokingly, she asked, "Can we have a picnic this morning?" We laughed so hard. That is a picture of her little picnic table and umbrella on our deck. You can hardly see it.

Snow piled up on the deck:

Hey - Where's our grill?

Our new landscape and our neighbor's car...

My crazy husband shoveled our driveway this morning and the street so he could be the dedicated professor that he is and get to work. I am sure the students will just love him. His first class was at 9AM and he left around 8:20AM so he could take his time. The street plows came around 9AM. You can see that the snow covered the driveway up again just in that short amount of time.

SNOW DAY #1...

2009-12-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Mia wanted to play in the snow so at 9:15AM we were bundling up - which took at least 10 minutes for both of us to be ready. Mia is wearing her purple snowbibs, pink snow boots, her Strawberry Shortcake hat, pink mittens, and her pink & purple coat. Doesn't she look adorable?

The minute we got outside, I was shocked at how nice it was temperature wise. Mia headed straight for the area under the tree, made Snow Angels, and then started digging around. We made tracks in the snow - all over the yard, and then I went to the garage to dig out her beach pail and shovel. She had just as much fun using the tools in the snow as she did on the beach in Mexico just five months ago.

We made snow castles...but Mia kept calling them "Sand Castles." You won't be able to see the snow (or sand) castles due to the whiteness of everything. Can you even tell that there are two streets back there behind Mia? ;-)

This is a picture I took of our driveway after I spent at least 20 minutes shoveling. It was very disheartening to see snow covering up what I had shoveled within a matter of seconds. And, I still have another half of the driveway to go. Blah! As much fun as it is to play in the snow, I hate shoveling the heavy stuff. It is definately a workout.

*Later in the evening, at 6PM, I went uptown to get my hair cut. I was there for a little less than two hours (okay, I got hair highlighted, too) and I had to literally dig my way out of my parking spot. The drive home was not a problem - the problem was getting up our street and up our driveway. Thank goodness for cell phones. I called Russ and he came to my rescue. It took him over 20 minutes to get my car out of the middle of our street and safely into our garage. In the meantime, another car was trying to get up our street. It was sad that my car was blocking the road for him, and just as sad that his car just couldn't make it up past our house on its own. He, too, had to call for assistance. A friend of his had to tow his car up the hill. WHAT A CRAZY NIGHT!

More Presents??

2009-12-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Cute magnet from Nini when she went to Rome. Mia loves how the legs are magnatized, too. *The purse is not pictured, but she has been busy carrying it around this afternoon.

It's LITTLE MERMAID! "Mommy, she goes in my castle!"

Mia enjoys reading books and has found several from the library that she really likes. This is one of them: If You Take a Mouse to the Movies!

"Another Ariel!! I think this one can go in the bathtub!!"

Mia can't wait to take her next bath. It will be so much fun having Ariel in there with her. When Mia takes baths, she lays back to get her hair wet. EVERY TIME she does that, she will ask me, "Mommy, do I have mermaid hair?" because of the way it floats around in the water.

Card from Nini:

Mia's 1st "My Little Pony" - too exciting!

Mia, also, got two cute shirts and a pair of sparkly jeans (also not pictured).

Moments after opening presents, Mia was playing with her new Ariel doll in the castle. She was introducing Ariel to the other princesses she already owns. What fun - she has Cinderella, Bell, Snow White, and now Ariel, too.

THANK YOU NINI FOR EVERYTHING!

Princess Mia!

2009-12-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Mia's favorite princess is

SNOW WHITE!

She, also, loves Cinderella and Auroa!

Mia will have LOADS of fun playing dress up (like a princess)

and having matching shoes to go with each outfit.

Mia got more presents in the mail:

Pretty, red velvet princess gloves, an apple purse, & a gold necklace...

...and some cute plaid shoes to go with her new Scottie dress!

THANK YOU GRANDMA, GRANDPA, & SUMMER!!

Friday, 12/4 - 5:15 PM, PreParty!

2009-12-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, we celebrated our baby's 4th birthday.

Our Baby? What happened?

Growing up, I always heard adults say how quickly I grew up and how fast time flew by them, but I had no idea that it was going to be that way for me, too.

We waited years on end to have a child...

We waited over two years to go get her...

...and look at her now!

Mia wanted a princess birthday party this year. She picked out her cake:

Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother...

Mia got a lot of presents (this is just what we brought)...

Mia picked out her balloons (2 pink, 2 purple, and a princess one, of course)...

...and this is the table setting:

During the Party

2009-12-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

Mia and her BFF from daycare!

Baba is helping Mia figure out how to play the games...

...yeah, right - Mia is probably showing him what to do!

Yep - that's what I thought. Look at all those tickets!

See, you can tell that I was actually having to show Mia how to do SkeeBall!

While all the kids were playing, one of the kids hit the JackPot on this particular game. It was spitting out tickets for over 10 minutes straight. The kids were going wild, and so were the adults. We were all laughing in disbelief. The more the machine spit out, the more we laughed.

Lots of tickets...

...and more tickets...there are more on the table, can you see them?

Woah - can you see all of those tickets laying on the counter, too? This was added to the 1,236 tickets that we had already redeemed. Every child attending Mia's party was able to get the prize that they wanted. It was GREAT! Thank you Nathan for winning the jackpot and for sharing your tickets! What Fun!!

It's Birthday Cake Time!

Everybody sang Happy Birthday to Mia and then

she made a wish and blew out the candles.

Russ did such a wonderful job with cutting the cake so that each child got exactly the piece that they wanted. Luckily for us, there was the same number of decorations (pumpkins, trees, etc.) on the cake as there were kids.

Mia's quote for the night:

I asked her, "Mia, what was your favorite part about your party tonight?"

"Ummmm....I liked the cake. It was so good!"

Then, Mia got to open all of her presents. Here are a few pictures (of many):

We ended the evening with a scoop of ice cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles on top of it.

Delicious!

Ballerina Girl

2009-12-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

Mia is now taking ballet - and in her words, she feels like a "real princess!"

Here are a few pics I was able to get before she got ready for bed tonight.

Not ready to smile just yet. *Just to let you know, that is a sticker on her chest that she got from her ballet teacher this evening for being such a good ballerina.

"I don't want to stand up. Can I just sit like this?"

"Yes," I told her, "as long as you don't smile."

Mia said, "Okay. I will stand up so you can take a picture."

I said, "Thank you. Or, you can just kneel. That looks cute."

"Okay, I will do that, and can I smile?"

Mia is getting a "Bouncy Ride" from Baba...

Mia enjoys being silly with Baba.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

Mia woke up at 6AM needing to go to the bathroom. Then, she crawled into bed with us. She was WIDE awake. Why is it that during the week she's hard to wake up (at 6:45am) and on the days where we can actually sleep in, she's up at 6? Is that Murphy's Law???

Anyway, she asked if she could go draw pictures and Russ & I both said, "Yes!" So, thirty minutes later she came back into the bedroom and was starring at ME while I was sleeping. I woke up and there she was - that sweet little face with a big smile.

She said, "Mommy, I am starving. Can we go eat now? I want to make the turkey pancakes for breakfast. I can I help you make them? Do you want to see the picture I drew for you?"

TOO MANY QUESTIONS...

Here's the ADORABLE picture that she made:

...and here is a picture of the "Turkey Pancake" we made for breakfast this morning.

While making the batter for the pancakes, Mia asked me (totally out of nowhere), "Were you in Nini's tummy when you were a baby, or were you in somebody else's tummy?"

I said, "I was in Nini's tummy."

She asked, "How does a baby get food when in the mommy's tummy?"

I told her that there was a cord attached to the belly button and had nutrients for the baby.

Thankfully, that's all she needed and the discussion was done.

She is really starting to put it all together.

Many blessings to YOU today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mia & Santa

2009-11-23T17:18:00.000-08:00

Mia got a new dress in the mail today...perfect timing (Santa Claus)!

I got her dressed up and we went uptown to visit Santa.

Mia said, "Can I wear my hair down because I

want to look like a princess. I love my new

dress and sparkley shoes. Do I look like

a princess, Mommy?

"Yes, Honey, yes you do!" - is all I could say to

fight back the tears of how quickly

my little girl is growing.

Santa asked Mia, "What would you like for Christmas this year?"

Mia responded with, "I want an umbrella."

Santa, "An umbrella?"

Mia, "Yes, I want an Ariel umbrella."

We are making progress.

Three years ago I remember Russ saying,

"If Mia doesn't want to sit on Santa's lap, don't force it."

Two years ago: "See if she'll just stand by Santa."

Last year: Mia sat in Santa's lap.

This year: She didn't want to leave.

Here she is showing off the candy cane that

one of Santa's little helpers gave her.

And...this is my favorite picture:

Doesn't she look so grown up?

Landscaping

2009-11-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

We were overjoyed when we got home one day (in Sept.) and

saw this:

I REALLY wish I had a better "before" picture for you to see, but this

particular area was not an area we wanted to remember. Look behind

Mia's slide and that's pretty much what the landscaping looked like -

A MESS!

Railroad ties, rocks, wild bushes, and we never knew from one year

to the next what flowers would sprout in the spring or fall.

Anyway, we FINALLY got our act together and got the help

the side of our house so desperately needed.

Here are a few more pictures of the end result:

We are so happy to have such a beautiful front/side of the house now.

It really makes a difference!

Halloween '09

2009-10-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, here she is...the cutest little Bedtime Bear in town.

I couldn't decide which picture was the cutest, so I put them all on here.

Mia, Nathan, and Isaac waiting for some sweet, sweet candy!

Mia, Nathan, and Isaac (the StormTroopers) ring the doorbell and wait for more...

We went Trick-or-Treating with our friends again this year,

and the dad's pulled the kids around the neighborhood

in our little wagons. The kids had a blast, the weather

was perfect, and they brought home a LOT of candy.

Mia really got into it this year and actually ENJOYED going from

door to door, ringing the bell, and saying,

"Trick-or-Treat!"

I'm sure that having her two buddies, Nathan and Isaac

with her helped tremendously.

Isaac's quote of the night, "I want two, please!"

(At every door.)

Nathan's quote of the night, "Let's go faster!"

(In the wagon.)

Mia's quote of the night, "I loooovvveee candy!"

(Every few minutes once we got home.)

Pumpkin - CAKE -

2009-10-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled..I saw a cute idea in a magazine,

looked it up on the website

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/dh/spice-pumpkin-cake

and made the pumpkin cake on my first try!

I'll have to let you know how it tastes, but for now, he is a beautiful center piece on our table.

Dress Rehersal

2009-10-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Which costume will MIA be wearing this year for Halloween???

Pumpkin Carving!!

2009-10-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Baba helped Mia get the pumpkin carved. He showed her how to make the lid, how to scoop out the seeds (and the gooey, stringy insides), how to make eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and Mia even got to help.

Mia scooping out the inside...

Digging for more...

"The insides feel like gross."

"Look at my pumpkin. I wanted his mouth to look like he was hit by a car. He has a frowny face."

We don't exactly know what she meant by "hit by a car" - where do kids get this stuff???

Baba was even able to carve a mini-pumpkin in the side. Good work, Baba!

Sunday...at the park

2009-09-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors invited us to meet up with them and two other families at a park by the lake on Sunday evening for the kids to play and for us to all have a picnic. The kids had a blast and played very well together all evening!

They enjoyed playing in the sand and just digging:

I know it looks like Mia is doing all the work here, but the boys actually dug this ditch in the sand earlier in the day. When everyone else was playing on the swings and equipment, Mia ran for the shovels when nobody else was using them.

Here are some friends:

What's it gonna take? TEAM WORK!!

Mia and Ella playing ball...

And, how cute is this of the two girls walking side-by-side, ball in hand, and just enjoying the day they have together?

Soccer Tournament Weekend...

2009-09-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

We got up early (6am) Saturday morning, got donuts, and were on the road to Soccer Tournament Game #1, which began at 8:45 am. It was a beautiful morning - and the girls played well. They never did score, but neither did the other team. They ended in a tie.

After spending the day shopping, at 5:45pm, the girls had their 2nd match. One of the player's younger sister played with Mia during the game. They were showing off their gymnastics skills. Mia was doing forward rolls and Ally was doing cartwheels.

This is a random shot I got of Mia just running around having fun!

Later, Ally was wrapping Mia up in a red blanket and rolling her down a small hill. I could hear the girls' laughter...so I grabbed the camera:

During the second half of the game, Ally set up a little reading nook for the girls to read their books to each other. It was ADORABLE!!

Unforunately, the girls lost this game and the one they played on Sunday morning. Good luck with the rest of this season, girls!

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2009-09-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

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I'm Gonna Hold You In My Arms Forever...

2009-09-10T18:10:00.001-07:00

...and I'm never gonna let you go...

Tonight after Mia's bath, she said, "Here comes Mama's favorite part!" "Oh, what's that?" I asked. She said, "You always say that you love to hold me when I get out of the tub." Which is very true, I say it every time. There's just something still baby-ish about being able to hold my little girl. So, she asked me if I could just hold her forever and forever. (There seems to be a pattern with this forever and forever stuff - I wonder where this is all coming from??!! She's also on a kick right now with informing me that she doesn't want to grow any more. She wants to stay this size so she can always be our baby. It's tough to grow up - isn't it?)

I told her, "Okay, we'll just stay right here all night and all day tomorrow. I won't go to work, you won't go to daycare, we won't play outside, we won't eat anything for breakfast - lunch - or dinner, we won't watch any movies, or color, or read books...we'll just stay right here in the bathroom. You can stay in your forever arms - forever and forever. UNLESS - we get Baba to take a picture of the two of us and we can always see in the picture that you are still my little baby... we're trying to 'freeze time' or 'savor the moment' or 'cherish the time we have with our little girl who is growing up too quickly.'

FOREVER ARMS!!