Our Journey

Chinese New Year

2012-01-30T10:44:00.002-08:00

Year of the Dragon

This year we stayed home and had a little celebration with just the four of us. It was a lot of fun!

We had our decorations out, Chinese food, and Chinese music playing.... which reminded me of the music (I miss that music) that we heard every night outside of the White Swan Hotel.

It brought back memories of a baby Lily sleeping in the crib and Jeff and I watching (from our big window) the light and music show every night.

With our 50 degree temps this January we were able to get some outdoor photos of the littles in their Chinese outfits.......

Lily LOVES a photo shoot and was super excited to wear this cute little winter suit.

She also loved that we tied her long hair in these cute knots.

The sun was just starting to set.....

Beautiful Lilybug....

Ty was also happy to take some photos (in exchange for some Ipad time) and pulled out all of his poses....

This is his favorite pose.....

He insisted on wearing this hat for his photos...

I love this picture.... he is growing up so fast but this picture reminds me that he is still our

Ty baby.

He thinks this face is so funny...

We made paper dragons.....

Our giant lantern..... Lily and Ty love this lantern because they think it looks like them.

We've been putting this book out for years now and they still really enjoy it.

Lily's favorite new book.

Ty laughed his head off (his words) when we read this cute book.

He loves shrimp....

Going back to 2011 for a minute....

2012-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

As I am going through pictures I just realized that I never posted pictures from

Ty's 6th birthday (in October)...

We had a small family party at home and he LOVED all of the Angry Birds!

It was such a fun day! I just had to share..... even if we are in 2012 now...

We always hang a birthday banner ...... the littles look for this first thing on their birthday.

The Angry Bird line up.....

Ty LOVED these...

AND... we found out that Hershey loves these just as much as Ty....

Such a cute birthday boy...

Check out the adorable Angry Bird Cake (he was so surprised) and he noticed that the balloons where Angry Bird colors... he notices everything!

Happy New Year

2012-01-06T06:57:00.001-08:00

Happy 2012!!!!

OH I had all the intentions in the world to do many posts in the month of December but the busy season and changing over to a new computer kept me from it.

AND... while it feels a little weird to post Christmas pictures now I am going to anyway...

Let me must say......We had a very Merry Christmas together and with our family!!!!

I always have this picture in my head of what our Christmas will be like....

WELL...

It never ends up like that picture in my head and I am not sure why I do that.

We had LOTS of time together which is nice but also put us on each other's nerves. I would look at other blogs where everyone looked to be getting along beautifully.... everything just looked so perfect.

I might have even wondered for a minute what in the world was wrong with us....

But Christmas is a reminder of the fact that there is only one that is perfect .... JESUS...

We don't have to be perfect..... life is not perfect.....

SOOOOO while our holiday was not picture perfect it was SO wonderful and I loved it!!

We are so blessed and so thankful!!!

Our 2011 Christmas Card....

When it came time to do our Christmas card I realized that I had no family pictures in 2011. SO.... out came the tripod... which is always great fun and so easy (not).

Note to self..... take more family pictures in 2012 and do the Christmas card way before December.

We usually put up 2 trees but this year (in an effort to simplify) we just did one. This is what we call our family tree. Each year the kids add the ornaments they make at school, we add a family picture ornament, picture ornaments of the littles, and I give them each an ornament on

Christmas Eve.

I love this Happy tree...

Lily and I baked LOTS of delicious treats.... which we shared with our neighbors and

Jeff's co-workers.... and we saved a few for us....

This year we did our Advent Calendar but we also did Bible readings for each day of the Advent season. This was a great addition to our Christmas.

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa N. we added this beautiful nativity set to our Christmas traditions. Hershey thought he was part of it and could be found in this spot each day.

We baked and enjoyed our birthday cake for Jesus... we started this tradition about 3 years ago. We sing Happy Birthday and have candles.... the whole birthday works.....

The littles get so excited about doing this!

Lily and Ty LOVED their new pj's from Robin....

(another fun tradition)

Lily with her favorite Artsy Girl doll.... just like her... an Artsy Girl...

Ty very excited about his Lego Kingdom Castle... he wanted this for a year.... he spent the next day and 1/2 putting it together... all 933 pieces.... (by himself).

Happy December

2011-12-10T18:48:00.000-08:00

I know these aren't necessarily Christmas flowers but the red and green of these make me think CHRISTMAS.

Thankful

2011-11-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving.... for family, friends, and health!

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is December and then comes Christmas. I am slowly getting into the Christmas spirit but before I really jump in I wanted to share these beautiful fall photos. Since it is still the last day of November I think it is a good way to finish up fall posts.... which I never really did because I was busy getting caught up with Disney pictures.

I LOVE FALL... I love the colors, the pumpkins, the warm sunny days, the cool nights, cider, apples, and everything fall.

Early in October (on a day that was unusually warm) we did our annual trip to the pumpkin farm.....

One very shiny pumpkin... which we did not get....

Thanks chicken for the bum view......

THE LAST Disney post

2011-11-17T10:00:00.001-08:00

I should say the last post until we hopefully go again someday.

FINALLY....

AND only 6 months later...

I am done with Disney photos.....

Oh how we loved the Polynesian Resort....

The back side of the volcano pool (those stairs on the volcano lead to the water slide)....

wish I would have taken a picture of the front side....

Ty went on this so many times I lost count....

Miss Lily striking a pose.....

After sending many clients to this character buffet we wanted to try it ourselves.

Let's just say we like the Chef Mickey breakfast at Cape May a lot better.

We got here early (with reservation) and waited......... If you've been to Disney you know that getting up and going elsewhere isn't always that easy or quick.

After an hour they seated us and apologized many times for losing our reservation.

They didn't charge us for the meal which worked out nicely.

However, by the time we were seated the characters were done making their rounds for that time slot.

Needless to say it was a LONG breakfast!

Ty gets really shy around the characters.....he decided to hide

when they came around.

Miss Lily is VERY happy to meet and greet the characters.

Mickey liked that Lily had on a Minnie shirt.....

(and who can miss the family in the background.... the dad was keeping the son from running into Lily's picture)

(a little blurry) Lily and Minnie having a moment about Lily's Minnie shirt....

I could hear Lily telling Minnie that her mom's friend Robin (Red Thread Stitches) made the shirt.

Magic Kingdom... here we come...

It was HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was 100+ degrees with what felt like 100 % humidity.

It wasn't as hot as China but it was hot.

AND... I had a fever that day which I am pretty sure the sun baked out of me.

It was still a really fun day but I wasn't snapping pictures like crazy.... so.... not too many pictures of our Magic Kingdom day.

The littles were so excited to be at the Magic Kingdom but 1/2 way through the HOT day they both asked if we could spend the next few days at the Polynesian pool. So we did.....

It's A Small World....

Pirate Lily (Pirate's of the Caribbean Ride)

Polynesian Resort Lobby.....

Time to go home.......

Good bye Disney World.......

We had a great time on the Disney cruise and at the Polynesian Resort!!! Being at Disney makes ya feel like a kid again and is such a fun family place! Can't wait to go again someday!!!!!

More recent photos coming soon.....

Polynesian Resort & Luau

2011-11-09T10:32:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not I am almost done with these Disney posts....

I love working on these pictures because it brings back such fun memories!!!

After our 4 days on the Disney Dream we headed to the Disney Polynesian Resort.

I have wanted to stay there for as long as I can remember. Jeff and I LOVE Hawaii and the Polynesian Resort really feels like Hawaii. From the music playing throughout the resort to the gorgeous Plumerias .... it just feels like Hawaii. We could have stayed so much longer!!!!!!

I've always wanted to go to the Luau at the Polynesian and for some reason we figured we would do that on the first night. Not the best plan... considering the littles were really tired!

The food was so yummy!!!!!!!!! This is just the start..... I would have taken more food pictures but I was trying to make sure Ty's head didn't fall in the food.

Here is Mr. Ty about to fall asleep... and he did fall asleep... then he had a big fit when he woke up.

But he managed to take this cute picture of Lily and dad when he calmed down.....

After the Luau the littles got their second wind.

This picture was their idea... they thought they were the hula dancers... and wanted me to get a picture of their act.

Taking a little break in the lobby to watch tv......

Shuffleboard

2011-10-26T11:54:00.001-07:00

Shuffleboard on the Disney Dream

Cousin Ivan and Grandpa N.

I love Disney but taking photos is no easy task.... someone was always in the background of my pictures... (no idea who the little girl is)..moving doesn't seem to be an option... if you do the picture moment is gone....

Golf... anyone?

2011-10-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Mini golf on the Disney Dream......

(FYI... my camera wasn't crooked.... this picture was hanging crooked)

Lily and Ty thought this "GOOFBALLS" bag was hilarious

Meet the golfers....

Ty... He LOVES mini golf....

Miss Lily... she loves it too and seems to be the hole in one queen....

Cousin Ivan... I love this pose

Ahoy... Pirates.....

2011-10-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pirates of the Caribbean night on the Disney Dream.....

Pirate Ty doing his signature head tilt pose.

He loves this pose... he will even tell you how much he loves this pose!!!

Thank you my very talented friend Robin at Red Thread Stitches for such a handsome shirt.

Very cute pirates... Lily and Ty with cousin Ivan....

LOTS of people in the background too (isn't it great how I left them all headless).......

Those hands in the bottom right corner are Grandpa N's.... when I saw him taking this photo I popped in to get one...

Our fabulous room steward did the cutest things with Lily's stuffed animals.... which she loved and still talks about!

Lily said, "How cute, they are all set up in my bed".

Back to blogging

2011-10-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back... to the world of blogging... I think....

The Littles are back in school (all day) and for the first time in 5 years I have time to work during the day.

Some of you know that I have a travel agency (home based) for something like 14 years now. Since Lily came home I have been working in the evening or whenever she was napping. Then Ty came home, we put our old house up for sale 4 months later, remodeled (well a builder did that part) our current house, packed everything while Jeff was driving 2.5 hours each way to work 4 days a week, moved, unpacked, and got busy with life the last few years. In all of that I still worked (during the evenings) from my home office.

Well, this year the Littles are in school all day and I am back to working during normal hours. The first day they were in school I thought back over the last 5 years and just took a big deep breath. It felt like we had been running a race the last 5 years. It was one big happy whirlwind. Now we are starting a whole new kind of race... maybe a new chapter is the better word.

The Littles LOVE school! It took a few weeks to get adjusted to full days and I'm pretty sure they're still adjusting (me too). AND..... while I miss them being here it is nice to have a little time to myself again. Now if I can only remember how to balance office work with the laundry that is lurking just around the corner...not to mention the long list of projects I would LOVE to get done.

We are not the only ones adjusting......Our kitten Hershey was NOT thrilled with them going to school. He does what he can to keep them from leaving.... blocking the door... .laying on shoes or coats... toting their socks away...etc...

AND.... he must feel that I need some company because he spends the morning laying right in the middle of my desk covering all of my work.

Back to the blog.... I was hoping to have this blog updated by now but obviously that hasn't happened. I have been working on the rest of our Disney pictures..... goodness that seems like a LONG time ago that we went there. At any rate I am going to finish posting the pictures and then who knows maybe I can get something new and fresh on here. :-) We can all hope.......

So a little rewind back to the Disney cruise.....

These are from our day at the Disney private island Castaway Cay....

When we arrived it was cloudy and looked like it could rain.... By the end of the day it was a sunny day at the beach....

Lily climbing Jeff.... she was tired of walking...

Picking up our floats.... I pushed Lily around on one of these the entire day....

Ty LOVED playing in the sand...

Lily DIVA dancing at our BBQ lunch......

Ty COVERED in sand (and I do mean covered)... plugging his ears when I told him it was time to go back to the ship......

Still here

2011-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

I KNOW... I know...

It has been FOREVER since my last post.

The littles are just about to return to school... SO.... .hopefully I will have some updates coming soon. Goodness I still have a lot of Disney pictures to post.... not to mention the endless amounts of summer pictures.

We've had a great but LONG summer!!! It is definitely time for school to start (for all of us).

I have enjoyed this time with the littles so much but my patience is wearing thin and fresh ideas to keep us busy are running out.

Not only have the littles kept me busy... I hurt my back (actually my bum... as the littles call it) about a month ago. Lots of fun summer activities (water parks, 4 wheel rides, hammocks that snapped, roller coasters etc) might have been the cause. Needless to say.....it made sitting, standing, and lying down all uncomfortable. After 4 weeks of physical therapy (and grouchiness) I am very thankful to say that I can finally sit at my desk without hurting like mad. Jeff was beyond patient and the littles were wonderful little helpers around the house... which I sure appreciated and needed!!!

During that time we have a new addition to our family... He is a teddy bear Persian named Hershey (because he is chocolate in color).

We brought him home about 3 weeks ago and he is super busy but the sweetest little guy. We all love him to pieces!!!

Hershey weighing in at 3lbs.

I woke him up.... which explains why his eyes look a little funny here.

MANY times this summer I have wondered (silently of course) if I am doing a good job at being MOM. I mean we have had A LOT of time together and I am sure I haven't been the sweetest mom in the world. One day... out of the blue... Lily walks up to me and hands me a penny.

I was unloading the dishwasher (for about the 1000th time this summer) and she said....

Mom, this is for doing such a good job this summer!!!! You've been such a good mom!

The next day she gave me 2 pennies.

Aqua Duck and Water slides

2011-07-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Back to Disney.....

I wish I had a photo of us on this FUN water slide. We went on this MANY times!!!!

The tubes for this slide hold 2 people and since the littles need a few more inches in height they had to ride with one of us. That was just fine with me... I loved it as much as they did.... even found myself asking them to ride with me. OH MY.....

This is the tube (Aqua Duck) you ride through and it takes you around the top of the ship...

When the littles had enough of the sliding with us they went on the slide that was just

their size.....

Dad spraying Lily and Ty in Nemo's Reef.... Lily and Ty were moving so fast in this area that I couldn't get a photo of them....

A quick hello

2011-07-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten our blog......

Ty thought he was being so funny closing his eyes every time I tried to take the picture.....

I am still working on Disney photos and hope to have some up soon.....

We are busy having LOTS of fun this summer. I am snapping pictures like crazy and hopefully one day before the littles graduate I will be able to get them posted.

Some things we have been up to......

Kelleys Island

Ty finished Tball and loved it

Ty lost his first tooth

Celebrated Lily's 5 year anniversary

4th of July parade, fireworks, and fun

Swimming

Bikes

Playing at the park

Slip 'n' slide

FINALLY....

2011-06-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

More Disney pictures....

There seems to be VERY little time to blog this summer.... Lily and Ty are keeping me VERY busy and I am pooped (not a good sign given the fact that we have 2 more months of summer).

At any rate.... back to the Disney trip.....

I am not promising that all of the photos are the best quality... the first day I was too tired to fool around much with camera settings and many times the littles were not super patient for photos.

I had big intentions to take LOTS of pictures. We traveled with Jeff's family and I planned to get pictures of everyone. Well... somehow that didn't happen. When we got home I was talking with Lily about it and she said, "Don't worry about it mom, we were on vacation".

(FYI..... the bracelets are for the kids club...helps them keep track of where the kids are)

Once we made it on the ship we headed straight to lunch.... all 4 of us were very hungry.....

it turns out that Ty was more tired than hungry....

After lunch and Ty's lunchtime nap we headed to our wonderful room.....

Oh my... that bed was so comfy!!!!

Even though Lily was tired she wasn't going to nap anytime soon.... SO.. the boys took a little rest in the room and Lily and I explored the ship.

We found the ice cream first.....

Lily suggested I get a photo of this mural.....

and the beautiful chandelier....

After dinner we took a quick walk and found Toy Story playing on the BIG screen....

This is about all we saw because everyone was ready for bed...

This was one of their favorite things about the cruise... THEIR BEDS....

Ty slept on the high bunk and Lily slept on the lower bunk...

They thought they were SOOOO cool....

Each night our pillow on the bed was turned to this side....

A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep....

Surprise

2011-06-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well... I was hoping to share a video showing the morning that we surprised Lily and Ty with Disney news... BUT... it was 4am and even with a little closet light on it is very hard to see the video and very hard to hear (I was talking very quietly).

SO let me tell you (and I realize this isn't as good as a video) how it all went down....

The week before we left was BUSY...Lily had 2 rehearsals for her tap recital... the kids were finishing school... I was trying to hide the fact that I was packing like a mad woman... the littles were tired from a busy week.

The night before we left Lily had a tap recital which ended around 10pm... the littles didn't get to bed until about 10:45pm (way past their usual 7:30 or 8 bedtime).

Needless to say at 4 am when I tiptoed into Lily's room she was TIRED.

I whispered... Lily.. time to get up... we're going to Disney World.

Her eyelids fluttered and she was trying hard to open her eyes.

I repeated.. Lily we are going to Disney today...

She said in a very tired voice.. TODAY... ARE YOU SURE....

It didn't take her long to realize we really were going to DISNEY.

She left her room to tell Ty.....

She didn't whisper quite like I did with her.... she told him we were going to Disney to celebrate graduating from school.

Ty was a bear... he was TIRED.... he wanted all of us to leave his room... he covered his head.....

We told him the whole family was going...

Lily asked if we could stay 5 nights.....

We told her we were staying 7 nights.... 4 on the boat and 3 at the Polynesian....

She was beyond excited and Ty was beginning to wake up slowly...

She was done trying to wake him and ready to get this trip moving....

Lily was dressed and in the car within minutes and Ty wasn't far behind (although still a little bear-like).

Eating egg mcmuffins at 6am.... we were the first customers that morning at the golden arches...

Where we've been

2011-06-02T17:31:00.001-07:00

We just returned from 4 days on the Disney Dream with Jeff's family (thank you Grandma and Grandpa N) and then 3 days at the Disney Polynesian Resort just the four of us....

What a fun week!!! We were not ready to come home!!!!!

BY THE WAY... the littles had no idea this trip was coming..... we told them at 4:45am the day of the cruise.

Let's just say they were surprised...

(we did get it all on video and hopefully it turned out enough to post)

More pictures coming soon.....

Mr. Marshall

2011-05-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Marshall would have been 14 yesterday....

Last Friday I had to put my dear little friend to sleep. He sat (purring) in my lap on the way to the vet... just as he always did.... no carrier for him.... and I thought about what a special little blessing he was.

When I brought him home at 8 weeks he looked like this......

I had just moved out on my own and decided I was ready for a pet.

Jeff and I took a little drive to a local pet store (we were still dating back then) and I saw this cute little gray fuzz ball.

The next day I was bringing that little gray fuzz ball home.

He was SOOOO cute and SOOOOO full of energy. He kept me up every night wanting to play. He dumped over my plants... he climbed the couch... he broke a few things.....I thought I was going to take him back he made me so crazy.

But he melted my heart when he purred, when he greeted me at the door, or when he fell asleep in my hand (he was that little).

Shortly after I got him I found out he had a digestive problem and the vet said he would maybe live 6 months. Oh my was that vet ever wrong.....

He kept me company when I lived alone... he became "our" pet when Jeff and I got married.... he moved with us to our first home.... then our second home... he slept with me when I was recovering from surgery or when I wasn't feeling well... he enjoyed Lily's bedroom while we waited for her to come home... he welcomed her home and loved her dearly.... he enjoyed Ty's bedroom while we waited for him to come home... he watched over Lily and I while Jeff was in China... he looked for Jeff while he was gone... he welcomed Ty home and loved him dearly... he moved with us to this house and seemed to like it here the most....he sat under the dinner table so Lily could rub him with her foot while she was eating...he waited outside the bathroom nightly when I gave the kids their baths... he went to each room while I tucked them in...then waited for me to come downstairs for the evening...

he knew our routine sometimes better than we did....

The last few months he started moving slower and in the last few weeks he started to have trouble walking. The vet said he had arthritis and it was pretty bad. They tried some medicine which worked for a few days and then one evening he could barely get down the stairs.

We didn't want to see him hurting and wanted him to go peacefully....

Peacefully he went...

We miss him dearly!

There will be another pet in our future but there was only one Marshall!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am SO VERY blessed and thankful to be their mother....

Letters and 3 years....

2011-04-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a letter that Ty's teacher sent home last week...

Ty is such a joy to have in the classroom!

He is so kind to others and willing to help out anyone who needs it.

I really appreciate him & we love having him in our class.

We're going to miss him next year!

Just wanted to let you know, you should be very proud of him!

Last month we celebrated Ty's 3rd anniversary. What a blessing he is and YES... we are so proud of him!

Ty is a joy... he is the best helper.... he is so caring... he is funny...he is sweet... he is stubborn... he is smart...he likes to look handsome...he loves to give kisses and hugs... he loves God...

he loves his family... and he loves himself!

He will always be my Ty Baby!!!!!

Ty's signature pose....

He laughed his head off when I showed him all the times in the last 3 years that

he has done this pose.

This might be a new pose.....

Mr. Cute Cheeks....

We are blessed to be the parents of this amazing 5 year old and to celebrate 3 years with him!

Tooth Fairy and business cards

2011-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

We've had some pretty exciting times lately.....

Miss Lily lost her first tooth and she couldn't be more excited!

She has been checking her teeth for MANY months now... just hoping that one would have a little wiggle. Well, we were in the car several weeks ago and here was our conversation....

Lily... This stinkin' tooth is driving me cookoo...

Me... Don't say stinkin'. I'll look at it when we stop.

Lily... Ok but I am about to lose my mind.

Me... We are almost there Lil.

Lily... OK... I'll try to wait.

I check the tooth and sure enough... it is loose.

Me... Lily, your tooth is loose!!!!!

Lily... What? Are you kidding me?

Me... No.. I am very serious..... it is loose!!!!

Lily... Oh my word... this is the best day ever!

Almost two weeks passed and the tooth was still in her mouth.

She wiggled it for days and then just got tired of the whole process and ignored it... she also decided if it was going to bleed she wasn't in a hurry to lose it.

One evening Jeff told her it was time to pull it and she decided SHE would do it HERSELF.

She sat in front of this mirror for quite a while... pulling and wiggling...

After about 30 minutes Jeff told her... You get 3 tries Lily and I get one....

Jeff's try was the winner and the tooth was out... she screamed, cried, and then laughed all at the same time.

Then she had to make some calls to share the news.

She was beyond excited to use this cute little tooth fairy pillow (thanks Amanda)....

The next morning she couldn't wait to tell me what the tooth fairy left......

MOM... she left me green money and her business card.

**I must admit I was a little teary eyed that my Lilybug was losing her first tooth...... It took me back to a moment in China almost 5 years ago (similar to the one below). She would smile so big to show off her 8 little teeth.... then I wondered how the time went by SOOOOOOO fast.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

This morning Ty was going on and on (because he was super excited) about his St. Patrick's Day party at school and he had to wear green so he didn't get pinched.

Here is our conversation.....

Ty... Mom, I have to wear green for my party today because it is St. Patrick's Day and if I don't wear green I gonna get pinched.

Me... Good idea Ty.. how about your Lucky Charm shirt.. that is green.... you won't get pinched if you wear that?

Ty... That's a good idea because it has a funny guy on it (leprechaun) and it is green. I SOOO excited to wear that to my party.

Me... Ty, do you remember wearing that shirt last year and you were SUPER excited to wear it on St. Patrick's Day?

Ty.... You sure about that mom?

Me... Yep, I bought it a size too big last year because I knew you would like it and want to wear it a long time.

After school....

Ty... Mom, you sure I wore this last year?

Me... Let me show you a cute picture of you in it... you liked your shirt so much we took a picture of you in it.

Ty.... I love that picture mom... maybe we take a new picture of me in my Lucky Charm shirt.

I so glad to wear my shirt last year and this year... maybe I can wear it next year?

Click to see last year's picture

I am squeezing him pretty tight because he thinks it is hilarious to climb me or tickle me or anything that looks silly in the picture...

Climbing on mom.....As seen here.....

He kicked the table that the camera was sitting on which is why the picture is blurry.... which he also thought was so funny that we looked all blurry.....

Happy 6th Birthday

2011-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

WELL.... 2 weeks ago (February 11 to be exact) Miss Lily Feifei turned......

It is hard for me to believe that my little girl is 6.

It really feels like yesterday that she was turning 2.

Lily has been waiting for her 6th birthday pretty much since the day she turned 5.

It just happened to work out that we celebrated her birthday over about 3 days.

She was thrilled.

A Lily for a Lily.

Ty says.... MAMA there are 6 red things in the middle just like Lily is 6.

For her birthday she wanted a roller skating party.....AND... Grandma & Grandpa N surprised her with new roller skates. We surprised Ty with a new pair as well.... because these littles are like twins most of the time.. when one gets skates the other gets skates.

Roller skating gift bags (for her friends)... these were a lot of fun and very easy to make.

The boys had purple bags with black laces... per Ty's suggestion.

The cutest and most delicious cake! Thank you Christine!

Lily couldn't wait to see this cake... she was so surprised.

Let's just say that Lily and Ty LOVE to skate.

Neither of them are afraid and they both do a great job.

BUT

They each have very different skating styles.

Lily is very graceful and takes her time. She sort of glides on her skates.

Ty is FEARLESS!!!!! He runs on his skates and the faster he can go the better.

I think he has a future in hockey. He thinks so too!

He loves her Pinkalicious book.....

Pottery Painting

2011-02-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

SO... last month the littles and I took a trip with Grandma Glenda to paint some pottery.

We enjoyed it as much as the littles!

I can't wait to go back!!!!!!

**Side note... photos taken with my new little purse camera... Canon Power Shot S95. I still LOVE LOVE LOVE my SLR camera and especially when it comes to photo quality. But I sure love this little camera. It fits so nicely in my purse and I am not missing any snapshots or any moments of OH I WISH I HAD MY CAMERA. It also has video.

A little lunch break at Red Robin....

Mr. Serious Business Ty.... He wanted to paint... and paint... and paint...

AND

He wasn't happy when we had to finally leave.

Lily's color palette

Miss Lily applying her first coat of paint and wondering what grandma was up to...

Since Grandma was doing so well on her own Lily convinced her to help with her base coat application....

Lily adding another color to her masterpiece

Ty's frog of many colors...

When I asked Lily what her plan was for her pottery...

she replied...

MOM... It is for my doo-dads

Ty's frog of many colors is proudly displayed on his dresser

My pottery... Lily wondered if she could also use mine for her doo-dads....

Happy Chinese New Year- Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

Lily and Ty made these little rabbits to display with our Chinese New Year Decorations.

How Great Thou Art

2011-01-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

My Grandma.....

Four months ago she passed away.... and I can't believe that I typed those words.

Today I delivered 2 pieces of her furniture and mirrors to be refinished.... and today would have been her birthday. Which I thought was kind of neat.

When I was little I would ask my grandma if she was going to live forever to which she would say no. Then I would ask her if she was going to live to be really old to which she would say I hope so honey. I would go on to tell her that I didn't want her to ever die because I would miss her too much. She would rub my head and tell me not to worry about it that she wasn't going anywhere.

I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was growing up. My brother and I loved spending time with them. We were there every weekend, summer, or minute possible.

I never thought the day would come that she or they wouldn't be here.

I can still hear her voice!!

I miss her so much!!

Lily says, "Mom don't be sad.... she is with Jesus and she is still in your heart".

SO true!!!!!!!

When I heard How Great Thou Art (one of her favorite hymns) at church just a week after she passed away I knew she was right there... in my heart!!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-16T17:48:00.001-08:00

AND... I am only 2 weeks late saying Happy New Year!

We had a great holiday season and now we are excited about 2011!

I had high hopes of posting holiday pictures and somehow that never happened. I might get a few on here but I am hoping to keep things current on here this year.

SO.... ON to 2011....New Year's Resolutions?

Well, I like to call them New Year's Goals.

One goal for this year is to get organized! We moved into our house almost 2 years ago and it is time to organize 3 areas that I try to ignore...

1~The guest room closet... I know this doesn't sound too high priority BUT... This is a big closet and it is packed full. When we moved in this (and the basement) is where everything went that I didn't feel like unpacking or going through.

2~My office... This is a catch all for EVERYTHING. The little's artwork, school stuff, my business stuff, boxes, gifts, wrapping paper, craft supplies, ETC ........ you get the idea.

3~The basement... OH where to begin... toys... totes.... STUFF...

I keep a clean and usually pretty organized house so these spaces are making me crazy.

If I don't get these areas organized I am afraid I'll be on one of those reality shows... where someone does an intervention because they can't believe I have this much STUFF.

So... here is to 2011 and getting organized!!!!

(typed while trying to ignore all the STUFF in my office)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you for following our blog.... even though I am always behind in my posts!!!!!

The littles LOVE to stand in these windows right behind their Christmas tree.

They think it is so funny to stand in these windows and move their ornaments around.

Count down

2010-12-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

Every morning Ty gives me an update on how many days we have left until Christmas....

He is beyond excited......

Every morning I am thinking to myself..... OH NO I ONLY HAVE HOW MANY DAYS LEFT TO DO WAY TOO MUCH....

Lily's expression after warning Ty MANY TIMES that he is being a handful....

This was my attempt at a Christmas photo shoot....

NovemBLUR

2010-12-06T17:37:00.001-08:00

OH MY... it has been a LONG time since my last post. Not sure if I have any readers left. If you are still following along THANK YOU for your patience!

One day (early in November) I thought to myself... We are doing so well... 3 months into the school year and haven't been sick.

WELL.... nice job Tiffany for thinking that! Shortly after that brilliant thinking I ended up with the stomach flu and then a nasty cold.

Jeff and Lily also had the nasty cold. Ty somehow escaped it all. Let's hope it stays that way.

SO..... November was a blur...

AND...

I am behind on everything....

NOW....

December hits and all the busy of Christmas.

BUT.....

I decided I will not get stressed.

Being caught up is a thing of the past......Because I don't remember the last time I was actually caught up. I also don't imagine a day when I will ever be caught up.

SO.....

I am going to enjoy this wonderful holiday season and all of the blessings it brings.

AND....

Since I intended to post Ty's birthday pictures LONG ago I am going to post them now.....

SUPER T

Ty LOVES LOVES LOVES this shirt... he would wear it every day if I let him.

Another wonderful creation from Robin at Red Thread Stitches

He was so excited about his tractor party (his idea) and we had it at his favorite play place.

We did a little balloon launch.

Lily got Ty one of his favorite games (Connect 4) and he was very happy!

That is a hug in the last picture (bottom right).

He was so happy he insisted they play immediately.

Ty reminded her he was 5 (as shown in the top left photo) and thus began the competitive match of the 5 year olds.

Little Spiders

2010-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Several months ago the costume catalogs started to arrive....

The littles looked them over thoroughly.

Ty wanted to be Buzz Light Year and he thought Lily could be Jessie.

Ty and I thought this was a great idea!

Well, somehow Lily talked him into another plan...

**FYI... they came up with these poses on their own**

Ty thought he was so cool with his muscles....

They thought these lights (from Grandma & Grandpa N) were even cooler...

They are a light/whistle combo....

After a visit with friends they are off to trick or treat....

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ty is 5

2010-10-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

How did this day get here so fast?

TY is 5.

It seems like yesterday he was our little 2.5 year old TY BABY.

He had a fun tractor party (pictures coming soon.... that is the goal anyway), a little celebration at home, and a celebration at school. He LOVED celebrating his birthday and so did we!

Wearing a hat from school.....

The Shoe Club

2010-10-01T19:29:00.001-07:00

It's Official!!!!

Lily is in the Shoe Club!!!!

To be a member you must know how to tie your shoes.

Lily found out that if she learned this skill she could be in the club.

She is very determined and very good with her cute little hands.

She learned in no time flat and couldn't wait to show her teacher.

She is beyond proud of her new membership!!!

Back to School

2010-09-23T09:35:00.001-07:00

FINALLY.... a month later I am getting to a post about the big back to school event....

I thought with the littles both being in school 1/2 days that I would have all this extra time...

NO SUCH LUCK...

This is a long post........

I was using my camera and Jeff's for the back to school photos. In addition, I just put the thing on auto and snapped away.... which explains the odd lighting in some of them.

We had a little back to school dinner with their favorite stuffed shells....

While doing some much needed playroom cleaning I found these little buses that they use to play with. They both thought it was so cool that I found them just in time for back to school.

Lily's kindergarten had a phase- in the day before school actually started.

I quickly realized this phase-in was more for the parents.

Miss Independent walking a mile ahead of mom.

Lily and Mrs. H.... Lily LOVES her teacher...

Lily's words after her first day of school were....

MOM, My teacher is so bossy and sassy... and I LOVE that about her

Ty had an open house at his school the night before school started.

He was quite proud to show us his classroom/ big boy school.

His preschool is through the school system and he also receives speech therapy in his classroom.

Lily all ready to ride the bus.....

Ty not so happy that his school didn't start for another week and

his Lily was going to school without him.

Our little girl (or shall I say big girl) getting on the bus for the first time.... she said she was a little scared (just a tiny bit mom) but super excited...

I held it together up until I saw these little eyes in the bus window...

Then Ty ran (in the grass) after Lily's bus.....

He was so sad that she went without him....

Nothing a little X Box Connect 4 with Dad couldn't cure...

***When Lily came home she said, "I LOVE SCHOOL".

Here are some of her comments...

*I didn't even miss you guys.

*I have a new friend Ella. She has blond hair and blue eyes.... she looks different than I do... and that is why we like each other.

*Everyone on the bus knew me but I didn't know them... how do they know me?

*I love kindergarten.

Conversation between Lily and her afternoon bus driver....

FYI...When Lily started school it was 90+ degrees that week

Lily~ Do you have the air condition on?

Bus driver~ No air conditioner.

Lily~ Well, I am about to die on here in this heat.

Will you please open the window?

Bus driver~Sure.

Lily~ Thanks that helps a little.

The few weeks before school began Ty started to get a little anxious about it all.

I think the whole institution setting was worrying him.

He thought he was going to jail.... he thought when he was in China that was jail.

Because Ty adjusted SO WELL we tend to forget that he might still get worried.

We talked over and over about it all... assuring him and explaining things.

Seeing Lily come and go on the bus helped a lot. As did his open house.

We made sure that he knew he was only going to school and coming home to his family.

By the time school started his mind seemed at ease.

He loves his backpack but during his bus ride he has removed the little white tag and is working on removing his embroidered name.

Lily told him she was really proud of him.....

I can only imagine what these two were talking about...

Ty baby getting on such a big bus...... the tears started for me right at this moment....

Ty's comments about his first day

I LOVE my snack and recess.

I asked him if he liked his school...

I LOVE it mama!

Well, somehow we survived our littles moving on to buses and school and all the new experiences they are having.

Lily is full of funny stories about her days. She sings all of her new songs constantly. She tells us when all of the boys in her class get into trouble. She is loving kindergarten.

Ty LOVES glitter (his backpack is full of it) and any paint projects. He gets really excited if he has homework (I am sure that will change a few years from now). He continues to enjoy snack and recess. He is also known to fall asleep on the bus ride home. Hee hee

Family Photo.......

2010-09-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

SOOOO... it was time for a fresh new family photo.....

I set up the good ole tripod....

Messed around for probably far too long to make sure it was all good to go....

Then Lily must have dommed Ty (her word for bonking Ty).

He was ultra sensitive at the moment and had a BIG cry over the whole thing.

Just in case you feel really bad for him he was picking on her seconds earlier.

And then when I was getting all my settings right I snapped a few that I really like...

Just a practice shot... Jeff's sandals (behind his head) were later removed....

Lily and Ty could hardly stand not being in this picture.... in fact they kept jumping in....

The final result ....

I like this one the most... it is exactly where we are in life...

Ty making silly faces

and

Lily being Miss Lily.....

Life's a zoo.....

2010-08-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Am I behind or what??????
Is getting caught up even a possibility?

The littles are both back to school and I have some cute photos and stories to share regarding all that.... hopefully I can get that on the blog before the school year is over.

One of our last summer fun days.....
A trip to the zoo......

When did my little Ty baby turn into a little man.....

Lily wearing the perfect sunglasses for the zoo (her words).....

Seconds after I snapped this photo another monkey came to get this one's attention.
They went off to play and swing from everything in site.
The littles thought this was a riot and commented that it looked like themselves playing.

Because I like owls.....

Ty loves this bird... he thinks it looks like a little ball...

Momma Bear....

Baby Bear.....

I showed Ty this photo... told him it was a mom and her baby boy....
He laughed his little head off that I got a picture of their bums.
Then he said, "Just like mom and Ty".

REEEAAACH......

Just thinking......

2010-08-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

Fishing

2010-08-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

Rewind... almost a month ago to July 4th....
Jeff and the littles went fishing (not the first time they've been)... of course I was happy to go along with my camera.

A pond not too far from our house

Two peas in a pod

Soaking up some sun

Miss Lily... with her pink fishing pole.... Lily picked out these socks and pulled them up real high to go with her red tennies...She would much rather have flip flops on but Jeff requires covered toes for fishing.
(Lily informs me it is because dad doesn't want any fish hooks in our piggies.)

Cutie pie Ty in his little fishing hat

Not so happy here... Lily is catching more fish than him

Taking a little break... he is the cutest little fisherman

Catch of the day....
The littles caught about 9 fish....they (they being Jeff) threw them right back in....

Cedar Point

2010-07-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this place.... always have.... always will.... SO MUCH FUN...

BUT....

The day we went (a few weeks ago) it was 100 degrees and HUMID. Did I say HOT and HUMID?
OH MY WORD...
The heat almost (keyword being almost) reminded me of Guangzhou, China.....

We still had a great time and the littles loved riding the rides.

I'd love to say this was me parasailing BUT it was just me taking the picture...

I kinda like that they are in the #2 cart.... since they are quite the twosome....

THEY BOTH won a monkey....

More of swimming at sunset

2010-07-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

It seems our time spent at Kelleys Island is always magical in some way....
Some of our best memories are made there.... time spent with family.... with friends..... with each other....

One of our favorite things to do is to walk on the beach after dinner.... AND.... dip our toes in the water.....
Well, this particular evening we did just that....

The littles started walking in further and further... holding their little shorts up as high as they could... when finally I just said don't worry about it.... have fun....
To which they looked at me like I was crazy... and then their fun began....
They laughed, jumped, splashed, giggled, and enjoyed every minute of it. Watching them was truly magical!

Of course I had my camera right there ready to snap away... the sun was setting and it created the golden color in some of the pictures....
The quality of these isn't the best... they were moving so fast in and out of the sun to shade... I was trying to keep up with them.... and I was standing pretty far away....
Nonetheless I love these pictures. I love the fun they had. I just love these littles!!!!!

The littles thought this picture was funny with the adults playing (their words) in the background

Ty would dip his arms in the water and then bring them up like this over and over.... I love his expression here......

When I showed Ty this picture he said, "Looks like I'm praying Mama".

Kelleys Island swimming at sunset

2010-07-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

A little stroll on the beach turned into swimming in their clothes.... they had SOOOO much fun and the lighting was beautiful (but tricky).......

This photo turned out REALLY dark and REALLY grainy but I loved it nonetheless.....
with a little work in Lightroom it came to life....

More to come.......

Happy 4th Anniversary

2010-07-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

4 years ago we met Miss Lily Feifei.....

I took this picture around Easter.......when I looked at her through the lens it reminded me of when we first met her. She would (and still does) study everything. She looks at all the details very seriously.
Then the next minute she is silly (the reason we call her Silly Lily) and dancing around.
Lily has grown and changed in so many ways but moments like this take me back to my little Feifei sitting on the bed.... studying her toys... at the White Swan Hotel.... in Guangdong, China.... 4 years ago.

Daisies.....

2010-06-28T18:06:00.001-07:00

Summer......

2010-06-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Playing with their new bubble blowers....
Thinking it is super funny to point them right at each other.....

We are enjoying summer and keeping really busy! We've enjoyed some time at Kelley's Island, Vacation Bible School, Nature Day Camp, Movie Day, Storyhour, Father's Day, and LOTS of time playing outside. I have plenty to blog about but not plenty of time to blog.
Hoping to get back this week with more posts.....

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!!!

THE Recital

2010-06-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

Lily finished up her season of ballet with 2 beautiful recitals!

It was HOTTER than ever... 89 degrees outside..... a/c in the auditorium broken.... a big audience...... tired kids... tired parents.... 2 rehearsals that went later than Lily's bedtime......same 2.5 hour performance 2 days in a row....

If I sound like I am complaining I am not.... just painting a picture.....

BUT........
When she got on stage with her class she really performed! I was in tears from the moment she went on stage..... We are all SOOOOO proud of our little dancer (including Ty... he even told her so)!!!!!! She did all of her steps and did them so well.... so graceful. Some of her classmates were watching her to see what the next step was.

All of the students performed in the finale. For the big finale they partnered Lily's age group with an older girl. Lily was thrilled about that .... she loves older girls... and her partner was not only an amazing dancer she was so sweet and took such good care of Lily.

Lily took home a performance trophy (all of the dancers receive them) which she is VERY proud of. Ty was warned NEVER to touch it. He has attempted to touch the far out of reach trophy but realized quickly that was the worst idea ever.

(I keep meaning to take a photo of that most important trophy... will do that soon)

SO what comes next for our little dancer.... she wants to take tap dancing next season and can't wait to get her clack clack shoes. Ty thought he wanted to take tap with her but seems to be changing his mind.
HIS REASON.... Mom, too many girls in tap dance class......

Dandelions....

2010-05-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we received a call from Grandpa N that their neighborhood sledding hill was covered with dandelions... he thought that would be a good place for photos.

So we took him up on the tip... it was a good place for photos.... and Ty LOVES picking dandelions.....

Ty looking quite concerned when some other kids came to pick dandelions....

We're done......

2010-05-13T19:53:00.001-07:00

With preschool....

WELL... Lily graduated from preschool and she is more than happy to tell everyone she is going to kindgergarten soon.
She is ready to start kindergarten ASAP... in fact she mentioned once or twice in the last few months that preschool is ridiculous.

Ty will have one more year of preschool. He has been receiving speech therapy at a local elementary school (once a week). In the fall he will attend preschool there and he is really excited about it. During our once a week visit he spends 30 mins with a speech therapist and 30 mins with his future preschool teacher. He likes his speech therapist and he really likes his future preschool teacher. Judging by how shy he gets around her I think he has a little crush.
He even knows her favorite color is pink.

OH MY.....it seems I was just dropping Lily off to her first day of preschool... then I blinked and Ty was also in preschool.... in just a few months I'll be watching them both get on a school bus....

BUT until then....

We are going to have LOTS of summer FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

****Just a little note about my last post... the tiny vs. petite....
Lily has no issue with being told she is CUTE. Let me tell ya... she has no ego trouble. She just doesn't like the tiny comment and so far adults are the only ones that call her tiny. Her classmates don't say anything of the sort (yet) and I hope they don't. She is petite but she is mighty. Just ask Ty about that... she can still take him down in a second. I only mention this because (for some strange reason) he feels the need to test her strength every so often and it is NEVER a good idea.... because she isn't going to tolerate that kind of nonsense (her words).

****Thank you for all the sweet comments on that post****

Tiny vs. Petite

2010-05-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well it has been brought to my attention that Lily doesn't like it when people call her tiny.....

It is no secret that she is small in stature.... but she is MIGHTY..... and for some reason people tell her daily that she is tiny.

I've noticed the last few times people have said... OH SHE IS SO TINY...It is usually followed by... OH SHE IS SO CUTE... Lily gets very quiet afterward. I kindly point out to them that she is just the size she is suppose to be.

After noticing that this bothered her I had a talk with her today...
Me~ Lily what do you think when people say you are tiny?
Lily~ I don't like it mom. It doesn't seem very nice.
Me~ I can understand that.
Lily ~ Is it nice when they say that?
Me~ When people comment that you are tiny they don't mean it in a hurtful way. They think you are so cute and they don't think about how the word tiny might make you feel. Perhaps they should use the word petite.
I told her that she could certainly let people know she prefers the word petite. If in fact she is ok with the word petite. (of course I told her the meaning of the word)
Lily~ I like that plan mom! Petite sounds fancy!

Then I gave her a big smooch and told her she is my beautiful BIG girl!

2 years ago....

2010-04-19T17:47:00.001-07:00

(I'm about a month late on this post)

Two years ago....Ty Olsen came home to his family. I remember that day like it was yesterday!
The past 2 years have flown by. Ty has grown and changed so much!

Ty is such a sweet little guy. He is a helper. He is stubborn. He is smart. He is now sassy (no surprise where he learned that). He gives lots of hugs and kisses. He has a heart of gold. He loves computers and anything electronic. He loves math. He is determined. He tries so hard at everything. He loves his family and prefers it when we are all together.
He LOVES God and everyone (his words).

We are blessed to be his family!!!!!!

Ty.. just a week or so after coming home....
LOVE those cheeks...

2 years later...
Doing his silly smile...
I still love kissing his cute cheeks....

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION......

Ty LOVES marble games... so we got him this one for his anniversary. He has changed it a million times. He creates different towers, etc.
He LOVES it!

I was practicing some of my new shutter speed techniques and just happened to snap this right when this ball jumped into mid-air. Ty and I were so happy that I got this picture. He even jumped up and down yelling YEAH Momma!!!!

We asked him where he wanted to go for his celebration and this is what he said.....

So off we went.....
(that is Jeff on the left side holding tickets that the littles were accumulating)

We finished our fun day with dinner at Ty's favorite restaurant...
*The Olive Garden*....

Spring.....

2010-04-15T07:30:00.001-07:00

This is my attempt to get caught up on blogging... I took these just before Easter... with the intent to make Easter cards.
Well colds hit us and therefore the Easter cards never left my office.

They think they are so funny when they come up with these poses.... I think so too...
They both yelled.... MOM TAKE OUR PICTURE QUICK BECAUSE THIS IS A GREAT SHOT.

The littles LOVE to pick my flowers ... they give me little bouquets and we put them in vases... dandelions and clover are often included...

Just about EVERY time we are outside Ty rings our doorbell.... he says MOM YOU IN THERE.... I say NO TY I'M RIGHT HERE... he ignores me and repeats the process

OHHHHH I feel so blessed to be their mom...

Happy April... Happy Spring

2010-04-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

LONG TIME NO POST....... we have been SOOO busy. I know that I sound like a broken record when I say WE HAVE BEEN SO BUSY... certainly we aren't the only ones in the world that are busy. It just feels like the last month has flown by.

Sooooo....
What have we been up to? We celebrated Ty's 2 year anniversary, we all battled a cold or something, we've been enjoying fun in the spring sun, and we had a wonderful Easter.

I have lots of photos to upload and post. Just need a little time...

In the meantime....

Miss Lily giving one of her famous hugs to Ty and wishing him Happy Anniversary

Loving their Zhu Zhu pets.... they decided Moo and Tex are sister and brother just like they are.

Snap Snap...

2010-03-23T17:26:00.001-07:00

Lily is famous for making up songs...
Since I started taking the photography class she talks a lot about photos and cameras.
Yesterday she told me she had a song for me....Snap Snap....

You'll hear her mention a rock wall.... she was looking at a book on the counter that had a monkey climbing a rock wall.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

A day late that is....

With this cold/virus/or whatever is going around our house we didn't get to do much for
St. Patrick's Day. I'm hoping we can make an Irish dinner soon to make up for it.

Ty was thrilled to be wearing his new Lucky Charm's shirt.... Lily was super excited to wear green to school and let everyone know it was St. Patrick's Day.

We made some little books at home with details about St. Patrick's Day and the littles informed me they are ready to go to Ireland.
I second that motion.

In the meantime.......

Lily and I made these little paper leprechauns

Ty practiced setting the automatic timer on my old camera.....
He is hugging my neck so tight that my eyes could barely stay open...which he just thought was hilarious...

I dreamed of rainbows in Ireland....
I didn't find a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow... but Jeff and I had a great time in Ireland (about 6 years ago)

Lunch with a bunny

2010-03-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Lunch with the Easter Bunny that is.....

On Saturday we enjoyed a fun filled lunch with our great friends and the Easter Bunny.
We all had so much fun!
The littles made crafts, played games, and came home with delicious candy. (Lily's words on the delicious candy)

Jeff was sick so he stayed home....well.....2 mins down the road I could tell he was more than grumpy and not feeling well at all... so after a quick turn of the car.... we took him home.

I... for some reason..... always have this grand idea that I will take my camera to these events......and capture all these wonderful photos. It rarely happens. I'm climbing over people, trying to avoid a background full of strangers in my photos, fighting with strange lighting, etc........
Lesson learned... take Jeff's pocket sized camera!!!!!

At any rate... the littles had LOTS of fun and so did I!!!!!!

Can you help....

2010-03-12T20:49:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Robin at Red Thread Stitches has posted many times about this little angel in China......
I have taken this information below directly from her blog....

Last May this little girl won her way into the hearts of many....and we prayed. We prayed because Lucy carries with her the burden of a life threatening congenital heart disease and no family to call her own. So much for such a little one that waits in China. September came and we rejoiced when a family stepped forward and began their journey to adopt Lucy.

March is now here. Lucy should have been on her way home to the arms of her family and a medical staff that has been waiting to repair her little heart. Instead, we have a broken hearted family that is unable to proceed with the adoption....and a little girl waiting in China....still.
I've been told that if we can find a doctor and a hospital that is willing to help Lucy at no cost, then perhaps we can get Lucy here on a medical visa. So the mission has begun. The out pour of those wanting to help has been amazing. On this day Lucy's name was echoing across the states as people reached out to anyone they knew might be able to help. Once again we came together to pray for her. Hope is alive!

Lucy's diagnosis is this:
congenital heart disease (it consists of Mitral Atresia, ASD, PDA, Pulmonary Stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, and PAH), and left arm deformity

Lucy's surgery is considered very high risk. Some doctors and organizations that help orphans by providing life saving surgeries, do not want to take her case because they would prefer to take the case of a child that has a better chance of survival. It's understandable. But... EVERY child deserves a chance, regardless of the percentage that exists for them. God can take even the riskiest situation and turn it into a miracle of life. He is the Giver of Life. We just need to find that someone who is willing to focus on the fact that Lucy CAN survive...against all odds.

If you know of a Cardiologist/Hospital in your area that may be able to help Lucy,or you would like more information about Lucy, please email me at: redthreadstitch@aol.com

If you feel you would be willing to adopt Lucy, please email Marci at: MarciSK@Asiadopt.org
Lucy is listed with Associated Services for International Adoption (ASIA). www.asiadopt.org

A paperwork ready family would be most ideal but any family that is ready to move quickly would be perfect for Lucy. China is ready and willing to expedite everything, provide waivers for families that may otherwise not qualify, and waive certain fees. If you are already LID with another Agency, and are not already pursuing another child, ASIA would be willing to work with your agency to help bring Lucy to your family's arms!

_________________________________

We can do no great things;

only small things with great love.
Mother Teresa

Back to School

2010-03-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

For Tiffany that is.....

Well, not quite back to school but taking a class....

About 4 weeks ago I started taking a photography class with Rawsii (an 8 week online class with assignments due each week) . Christi is our fantastic teacher and the photographer extraordinaire. I have learned so much from her and from my classmates in these 4 weeks.
If anyone is looking to take a great photography class and learn a lot this one is awesome!

I've been taking photos with some of my manual settings for a while now but clearly had NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo idea what I was doing.
The class focuses on what our camera thinks with auto settings and how to operate it on full manual. That means choosing ALL the settings. No camera doing the thinking for me!
YIPPIEEE....

Lily LOVES that mom is taking a class and wants me to explain each assignment to her.
Last week was the first time I needed to photograph a person..... Lily was happy to model.
Ty was too but he thought sticking his tongue out or pulling his eyelids was hilarious so Miss Lily took over..... of course only after she informed him he was being ridiculous.

The assignment was to take a headshot....she said LET'S KNOCK THIS ASSIGNMENT OUT MOM... and then came up with her "serious smile"... shown below.

From our asssignment on shutter speeds....
I took this from the car outside of a local general store....
All the while I had the littles yelling at me from the backseat....
LET ME SEE THE PICTURE MOM.... WHAT ARE YOU DOING.... CAN WE GET OUT.....
DO THEY HAVE ICE CREAM IN THERE..... DO THEY HAVE CANDY.......
CAN I SEE THE PICTURE NOW.... WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT WATER......
CAN I BE IN THE PICTURE.... TAKE A PICTURE OF ME.....CAN I HAVE A PIECE OF GUM.....
I NEED A TISSUE.... DO YOU HAVE GUM IN THE CAR.... WHY ARE WE STOPPED....
Fast shutter speed

Slow shutter speed

The Band

2010-02-23T19:26:00.001-08:00

This could be the cover for their first single... hee hee

This picture is wrong (technically) in so many ways but I love it. I was fooling around with settings and didn't even realized I got this. They were warming up for their performance.

A few weeks ago the littles had a performance with their Chinese school for Chinese New Year. Their class was second on stage and they were SO cute.
Lily was in her glory... she LOVES to be on stage. She was moving, grooving, and playing her guitar. It was awesome.
Ty wasn't thrilled about the idea of performing with his class of 3 girls... until I reminded him that he would be 1 handsome boy with 3 pretty girls.... that seemed to convince him.
He did a great job and did all moves.
The crowd loved this little group!!!!!!

These are their famous guitars.... made with the help of dad, mom, and Grandma G.
The littles did all the decorating.

Their teacher chose this song for them.....moves and all....
WARNING..... it is a catchy little tune. We are still singing it and I wonder if it will ever leave my head. Lily suggested that maybe it should just leave my mouth.
Then she laughed and started singing it.... Ty joined in.... that was followed by them doing all the moves.

Happy 5th Birthday Lily Feifei

2010-02-17T20:36:00.001-08:00

Lily's birthday.......

Preschool starts 1 hour late with snow delay... Lily relieved that she will get to pass out her Valentine's cards, eat cupcakes that we made, and celebrate her birthday at school.
Grandma Glenda was also here. Lily was more than excited that Grandma was going to help us out at school.

Lily proud of her cake with 5 candles.... they decorate these at the beginning of the school year....

Lily thought she was SOOO cool.... each student has this at their snack seat for their birthday

Her PONY Valentine cards..... she keeps hinting that she is READY to ride a pony.....
on her own... NO help... She wants to ride in the field behind our house....

At preschool......After a delay (that really throws off a bunch of 4 & 5 year olds),
Valentine partying, birthday celebrating, and TOO MUCH sugar....

Home to take it easy.....

Next a little birthday celebration with Grandma Glenda, Grandma N., and Grandpa N.
The party was complete with Chinese take out.

Lily LOVES Mulan and reminded me over and over how nice a Mulan party would be.

LILY MULAN.... her words....

Birthday cupCAKE....
Lily and I love this new cake pan that makes a GIANT cupcake....
Ty says... I like that REALLY big cupcake momma...

When she was blowing out her 5 candles I thought to myself... how can she be 5 ALREADY.....It seems like yesterday she turned 2 (her first birthday at home)
A few lanterns....

Happy.....

2010-02-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day......

Happy Chinese New Year.....
Happy 12 years for Jeff and I....

The past week was full of fun and celebrating!

Lily had a great 5th birthday..... she is SOOO happy to be 5!

More photos coming soon....

In the meantime I wanted to share these of Lily & Ty in their Chinese outfits....

Hello February

2010-02-01T17:58:00.001-08:00

We are SOOOOO excited that February is here!!!!

This is always a fun and busy month for us.......

Lily's birthday... oh my... she is going to be 5... she is ready... I'm not

Chinese New Year... couple of celebrations for that... including the littles Chinese school performance
Our wedding anniversary.... which happens to be on Valentine's Day
AND Jeff's birthday

Throw in some other fun things and it should be a great month!

Black and White

2010-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

The other day someone asked me if I was in a funk....
My answer was..... maybe... then I wondered what in the world I looked like to prompt that ?.
January... or better yet... the one season I am not fond of (WINTER) makes me feel blah....

Then a few days later....
While eating breakfast with the littles I looked out the back door... from my breakfast chair... and the view outside was void of color. It was gray.....barely black and white.
The proof is below.....
This picture didn't capture the thin layer of misty fog hanging in the air.... which certainly didn't add much color to the scene.....

With December comes all the excitement of the holiday season. We get so busy in all the fun that I don't notice the lack of sun.

But January arrives and I notice.

Last January we were packing boxes, planning a move, and getting ready for a big change.

The previous January we were packing suitcases, planning for an addition, and getting ready for a big change. (Ty)

This year we are living our life as a family of 4.... in our home that we love very much!

We have SOOOO much to be thankful for... we have God, we have each other, we have family, we have friends, we have health, we have jobs, we have a home, we have food, we have clothing on our backs.... LIFE IS GOOD!

On that same gray day I took out my camera... something I have actually neglected in the last few weeks.... I took photos of Lily and Ty in their beautiful Chinese outfits (a yearly tradition) .
I thought to myself how thankful I am that even on such a gray day I am blessed with these little rays of sunshine!

Then I reminded myself that our gray view outside will be green again just like it was last year (this was taken the last week of April 2009)......

Pictures tell a story

2010-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

OK.. I haven't posted in a while.....
AND... I know I've posted A LOT of Disne*y photos....
BUT.... I was looking through some photos
AND... I couldn't resist posting this little series.....

Handsome guy

2010-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

I LOVE watching the birds in our bird feeders and so does Mr. Ty. He gets out our bird chart and points to whatever bird he sees outside....all the while yelling at me...
MAMA... Look there's a boy Cardinal....

We had this conversation the other day while watching a Cardinal at the feeder...

I said..... what a handsome guy....
Ty's reply was.... He's a handsome guy just like me Mama but he REALLY REALLY red.....
To which I said... he sure is.....

Is Christmas Over?

2010-01-07T18:12:00.001-08:00

Aside from all the Christmas decorations being down you might wonder if it is still Christmas in our house. The littles are still singing Christmas carols, watching Christmas movies, and talking about Christmas.

They were all set to head back to school this week (preschool, ballet, Chinese school).... or should I say I was all set for them to head back this week. Awful I know.... I loved having them home the last 2 weeks of December but they were ready to get back to their routine and so was I.
On Sunday they both had a slight fever and sneezing. Monday morning it seemed everyone was fine. Monday afternoon everyone is acting very tired and says they need to take it easy. At this point I was thinking OH NO... they can't be getting sick. Tuesday morning comes and I was wrong... they were getting sick... the littles have been home all week.

Monday afternoon watching a show to take a little break (Lil's words..... notice how they set up camp right beside each other.... Lily is NOT picking her nose by the way...)

A Christmas show in fact....
If you walked into our house today you would have seen them set up on the couch the exact same way with this exact show on.....

After a week in the house I feel like this slinky....hee hee
This is Ty's slinky after the New Year's Eve get together at our house....
This was the only damage after 6 kids under the age of 6 played together for 7 hours....

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!

We had a great New Year's Eve with wonderful friends! The littles and their friends even stayed up to ring in the New Year at midnight. Here I was thinking they would be having meltdowns by 10.... seeing as they've never been up later than 10:30...... that was only once.....WELL... I was SOOO wrong... they were having too much fun to call it a night. They even slept in the next morning.

Lily took this picture of Jeff and I right before the countdown....
Lily sitting on Prince Brady's lap counting down the minutes to 2010...
She always calls him Prince Brady....He is such a sweetie...
She even had him twirling her like a princess....

China?

2009-12-29T11:10:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas!
We sure did!!!

I know I've posted enough of the Disne*y stuff....... BUT I wanted to share these from Epcot's version of China.

We all loved Epcot and especially China. It really brought back a lot of wonderful memories!!!!

Lily LOVED Mulan!!! Mulan was so sweet with her and even spent a little extra time with her. Ty was busy hiding behind a door... even managed to get his hand stuck in the door....also repeatedly popped his head in and out of the door.....
Seeing Lily with Mulan brought tears to my eyes....even to a man waiting in line (I know because he told me). We were first in line (by chance). Lily walked up to Mulan, stood in front of her, and looked her deep in the eyes (some of you know the way that Lily does this) then just smiled the most beautiful smile. They had a little moment and it was so precious to watch.

My first attempt at night photos... with NO flash....

Ty says... LOOK LILY... LOTS OF PINK!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

Wishing you all a VERY Merry Christmas!!!!

Animals...ETC.....

2009-12-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

OK... I know you would all probably rather photos of the littles.....
but I had to share some of these from Animal Kingdom....

Check out the trunk of this "tree"

Silly Lily being herself.... she thought this face was funny when she made it.... she thought it was funny still today when I showed it to her....in fact she even did the face again...then cracked up laughing

The photos below were taken on a safari type jeep thing.... the drivers drive like crazy and warn you to set your camera on action and that they won't be making special stops for photos.... I was surprised that I got any photos...

cooling off....

I kind of like that the BIG KITTY (Ty's words) is a little blurry in this photo...

More from the land of Magic and Wonder

2009-12-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

One of the littles favorite attractions was It's A Small World....

Ty loves spotting the moon in the sky... when he spotted the moon in It's A Small World he was more than excited....

Lily thought these hula girls looked like her hula girls....
from a postcard that Grandpa & Grandma C. sent from Hawaii....

Ty says.... look mom... there's a China girl like Lily

Ty says... look mom... LOTS OF FOOD....

After our ride it was time for some lunch at Pinocchio's restaurant. The littles and I spotted this table right by the window that looks at the It's A Small World ride... they thought this was awesome and waved at everyone entering the ride.... I think they had just as much fun waving at everyone as they did on the ride...

Flying on the Dumbo ride...

Delicious dinner at the Polynesian Resort...Kona Cafe.... I LOVE this resort...
reminds me so much of Hawaii...
Check out Lily's umbrella's in her hair..... She was SO happy...
her dessert had Mickey and Minnie sprinkles on it....