Fortune Cookies and Cafe con Leche

Oh, Kindergarten!

2012-01-19T17:27:00.000-05:00

Today Leah and I had an appointment to "tour" her new school and Kindergarten class for next school year. I was excited, she, not so much. Once the tour ended, she was ecstatic, me, not so much. I went into panic mode. It is a perfectly lovely school and the speech and language programs seem to have been designed for Leah, but, I think those people think my baby is all grown up!

I am used to small Catholic schools where everyone knows everyone and we look out for each others' kids. Where the cafeteria ladies know the children by name, there likes and dislikes and security is tight. Not by armed guards but by little old ladies, nuns, and other staff whose only job is keeping everyone safe.

My attack started the second the tour started:

1st stop- Cafeteria
Tour Guide: This is where the children have lunch. The children are given a lunch number the first day of school, the teacher "drops" them off in the cafeteria and they proceed to the line, choose their lunch, give the cashier their lunch number and go find their table, sit with their class and wait for the teacher to return for them.
Little Voice in My Head: What?! My child has to remember a lunch number ( like a credit card number?). My child will be "dropped off". No adult to lead her to the place she is supposed to go to? Wait, this is Leah, what about the 42 million things that will distract her on the way to that line. What did you just say, sometimes the line is long and she has to wait her turn and may only have 15 minutes to eat because she waited"patiently" for 15 minutes to give her number to the cashier?
Tour Guide: Down this hallway is the restroom they use if they need to go during lunch. The raise their hand, ask the cafeteria monitor for a pass and walk (unattended) down the short hall, 2 doorways and through the clinic and to the bathroom.
Little Voice in My Head: What?! Alone? Will she find her way there? Back? What about the 42 million distractions along the way? OK, seems I will volunteer to be Cafeteria Monitor.
Tour Guide: Down this hallway are the kindergarten classrooms. The rooms are divided into learning centers, they have computers and there are only 18 children in the classrooms with 2 teachers. The restroom is in the classrooms so they don't need to leave the room. they do have music, art, PE, Spanish and (One more thing I can't remember) with different teachers,
Little Voice In My Head: OK, classroom is nice, well equipped, everyone seems really nice, none of the children are crying, nice art work on the wall, seems like a happy place.
Tour Guide: At this moment the speech class is meeting, would you like to see that?
Me: Yes, please. (The shaking has started to pass)
Little Voice In My Head: Wow, this is amazing, the teachers are phenomenal, almost animated, the children are excited, paying attention, talking, engaging in conversations with each other and the teacher. Soooo much language happening here. The teachers are giving the right kind of cues to encourage communication and the children were so receptive and learning so much! there were 8 children and 2 teachers! Doing the happy dance! Now I have to block the lunch thing to get through the summer!

Disney Again for New Year

2012-01-10T23:57:00.000-05:00

In EPCOT at the entrance to the Nemo ride

Hands in the mouth of a shark!

Parade on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom

Leah in "Torelli's house. That's what she calls Cinderalla's Castle.

In line at the Haunted House

Our own Disney "Must Do"....Dumbo ride

Another farewell to Disney and still no character pictures. Leah loved Snow White's Scary Adventure and the Haunted Mansion was not too bad, but heaven forbid she see a character, even a princess, there was no way she was going to get close enough for a picture. I am sure the screams could be heard from the space station. When I figure out how to put my camera phone pictures in here, I'll add the ones from New Year's Eve, including her dance video

The Circus is in Town!

2012-01-06T22:59:00.001-05:00

Leah's favorite were the elephants. She waited and waited and the excitement in her face when they came out was priceless. When she saw them do this she said "aaaawwww". Except now she wants a real elephant in the back yard.

The circus is not like it used to be. It was OK, but certainly not the "Greatest Show on Earth". I don't know if it is because the Disney generation has seen and lived Disney Magic and not much can compare. Or maybe the PETA people blocking the entrance to the arena with posters and chants. I am not sure where I stand on this but I certainly don't want animals being abused. There were very few animals to begin with, we expected animals, and in reality that is what my daughter wanted to see. Yes, she has been to the zoo, but there's something about seeing them up close interacting with people. But we did have fun and it was Leah's (and David's) first time to the circus.

The Last Batch of Pumpkin Bread

2011-12-30T09:10:00.000-05:00

Mimi's 23rd Birthday

2011-12-28T08:44:00.000-05:00

The cake Mimi wanted we could not get in time, so I told her I would bake her favorite homemade recipe. Cute ha?

I finally made it in a picture

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:21:00.017-05:00

Christmas Eve we went to my sister's for just a little while as we had to head home to wait for Santa. We had to get his milk and cookies ready, food for the reindeer (yes the reindeer like beets too, every store around here was out of carrots). We also had to say goodbye to our elf, Elf, since we knew he would head back to the North Pole with Santa tonight. We hope we get a really nice elf next year too. He didn't really get into mischief, we just never knew where he would end up in the morning. Since he was always in high places Leah would always say, "Oh, he fly ober d'er now".

Gingerbread Family

2011-12-20T18:58:00.000-05:00

Right before we left for Disney we went to another holiday event at Gaylord where you can decorate a gingerbread house or a gingerbread family. We opted to do the family as we didn't think the house would travel well. Leah ate more candy than ended up on the family!

Leh got a kick out of Daddy giving each member of the family a very large nose!

Sure, this Santa is OK.

ICE! And Snow! In Florida?

2011-12-19T16:54:00.047-05:00

We went to Gaylord Palms Resort for the day the Monday before Christmas. They had so many fun and festive things to do. The weather has been on the warm side all season long and I was ready for some "snow" to get us the the Christmas spirit. the resort is very nice even without the Holiday stuff and we had a ball!

This is in ICE! This year they called it "Shrek the Halls" and it featured all the characters made of ice. It was beautiful and a chilly 8 degrees!

This is an amazing and huge dragon that filled an entire room. It too was made of ice.

An ice sculpture of an angel. See the candelabras? Also ice!

Entire ice Nativity. Stunning

Then next door, (for an additional fee, of course) there was SNOW! Leah loved this one the best.

We got to make snow balls and through them at this troll thing they had. It was the only place you were allowed to through snowballs.

Perfect throw! Looks like we have another lefty pitcher in our family!

This is the creature they were aiming at

Going down the slide. ICE had a slide too made of ice, but she didn't like that one. It was in the beginning of the experience and she was still a afraid.

Playing in the snow!

Closest thing to a picture with Santa we are going to get this year.

Pictureless Update

2011-12-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I got a computer at home again for my personal use. Unfortunately its not my VAIO. Boy do I miss that thing! The one I'm using is the dinosaur I had in my old office and it was just collecting dust so Ed brought it home and Danny installed a wireless gizmo so I could have internet without the cables running through from his room where the main connections are.

I will upload photos sometime next week as this computer is painfully slow and I just don't have the time right now.

But I will tell you that Leah did amazing in her school's Winter Recital, my daycare's Christmas Pageant was AMAZING AND and the studio's Christmas Program is Saturday. It has been a hectic yet really fun season (despite the scrooges that broke into my house) and we are all looking forward to the time off from work and school for the next 2 weeks.

Violated!!

2011-12-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

Well, our home was broken into yesterday morning "ish". How dare they! I had gone to take Leah to yet another speech evaluation, more on that later, Ed was at work, Mimi had left to the gym around 11 am, and Danny was home fast asleep! Danny had arrived home from work at about 9 am after being up for 27 straight hours. He had locked himself in his room and passed out. Needless to say he did not hear a thing until about 11:55 am when Mimi returned form the gym and started screaming when she saw the mess in our house and her jewelry box missing. They took lots of things, including my laptop but we are all safe, thank God.

We called the police, filed the report and are now dealing with our insurance company. The thieves made such a mess in our house that it s going to take me all weekend to clean up and then the black powder the detectives use to retrieve fingerprints. I am guessing they were looking for Christmas gifts. Sorry to inform all you thieves out there, we don't keep them at the house, and we do have a safe deposit box at the bank. So basically, you took many things of great value to us, but you won't be making much money off any of the items you took. The pictures in my computer were the most valuable things to me. A history for Leah. Adopted children are missing a piece of their history and you just took another. Shame on you! I am sure you will get what is due.

To my bloggy friends, any ideas as to a good site to store pictures and videos. I am glad I have the blog but I have not updated like I would have liked so there are things that are not in it. For now, I will update from work and maybe Santa will replace my laptop for Christmas.

Leah's Preschool Holiday Show

2011-12-01T23:58:00.002-05:00

Our little ham hamming it up! She does move around a bit half way through the program cause she had to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to, (cause you know she's in charge!)but she is the second from the left. At the end she excitement is clear!

The Search for a Tree

2011-12-01T15:22:00.007-05:00

This year, I decided I wanted a different type of tree. We had always had a Frazier Fur and for some reason I have never been really satisfied with the way the ornaments would look and how difficult to cover up any patches of thinning branches. I read somewhere that with Douglas Fur the ornaments hang better. So the search was on. We visited several lots before finding as close to the perfect tree. Here the tree is almost done with the princess on her way to her Christmas Recital at school.

Mini Photo Shoot on the Way School Holiday Show

2011-12-01T08:45:00.001-05:00

The tree was not done, we didn't even have the tree skirt, but I'm glad I took these pictures with the only camera I had left. Today was a busy day but I had hoped to get the tree done in the afternoon. Leah had an appointment for a speech evaluation this morning, and after that I intended to take her to school, come back and finish the tree and clean up a bit, and after I picked her up from school the plan was to make sure she took a nap before it was time to get her ready for the school's holiday show. Well, our burglars had other plans. On the way back from the evaluation, Mimi calls to inform me our house had been broken into. So instead of all those things we spent the rest of the afternoon with local law enforcement taking pictures and dusting for prints, etc.
But we did manage some pictures.

Milk Shakes and Carrousel with a friend

2011-11-30T15:50:00.004-05:00

The mall has a new carrousel and I promised Leah I would take her after school. Our friend Destinee came with us as we pick her up after school. Needless to say they had a great time.

Leah's Report onThanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving morning I woke up early, as usual, and had cereal with milk and a glass of orange juice with Mommy. As soon as I finished, Daddy woke up and wanted waffles, so I thought, why not, I'll have some of those too! Mommy was already up as she cooked a large pork shoulder over night that needed out of the oven at 4:30am to make room for the turkey and other stuff.

Soon after breakfast my brother came home from work, he works nights, and started to clean out his room. Wait a minute, something special must be happening, my brother is cleaning out his room. The he went to sleep to be sure he was up when the guests arrived and he had to go back to work by midnight.

Then the Macy's parade started and Mommy called us to the family room. It was the first time I clearly understood the excitement. Almost lost my mind when I saw Dora!

After the parade, the preparations continued. I played outside in my pajamas cause no one took the time to change me out of those, hehe!

The house smelled amazing. You know we still have 2 kitchens so Mommy was cooking in one and Mimi baking in the other. I wanted to taste everything.

Then people started arriving. First Wita came. Then Tip and Lou, then my most favorite cousins, Chris, Hanna, and Sophie arrived with their parents. Then my cousin Lucas, who I haven't seen in over a year, arrived. It took me a minute to remember how much fun he was to play with and in no time was chasing him around. I even put my favorite cologne on him while I had him in a headlock as he asked my mom if boys could wear this. It was great because he smelled like me the rest of the evening! Lucas had arrived with his dad and a little bit later his mom arrived with both his grandmas. We all got to write on a piece of paper what we were thankful for, which we read after saying grace, then we ate. After we ate, my Godparents showed up. It was a fun day for me.

Mommy was too busy to take pictures so we have none! I hope the people who took pictures send my mom some. My godmother usually has her camera so I hope she is reading this!

Wow, what a week! Oh, its only Monday?

2011-11-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

That is how I felt at about 2:00. I starting taking a sewing class today with my friend Delia and i am so excited. I have been meaning to do this for quite some time and never seemed to have the time. Let me tell you that this year I have made it a point to find the time to do things I enjoy to keep my sanity. Things can get kinda crazy really quick around here so I took advantage of the availability of the class and made no excuses. The next thing we will tackle (Delia and I) is a photography class we have been talking about for the past 5 years! So as soon as the Christmas program at the day care is over, the Christmas dance recital at the studio is done and the holidays are enjoyed, we will schedule our photography class! Sooooo excited!

Feeling Yucky!

2011-11-04T11:49:00.000-04:00

Caught some weird bug yesterday. Sore throat, body aches, congestion, sneezing, vomit, YUCK! Been in bed since last night. Woke up a little better except I have no voice. They say a cold front is coming in later today. As much as I love cold fronts (or at least our Florida version of one), gonna have to stay indoors.

Alfred Hitchock's "The Birds" (In Miami)

2011-10-29T19:25:00.000-04:00

On her way to a friends party after the attack.

I remember watching this movie with my aunt as a young child and being freaked out. Special effects have come a long way since then and kids nowadays find this type of film hilarious rather than scary. As was the case with my 2 big kids when I rented the movie from Blo@#%ckbusters years ago for them to watch a "classic" Needless to say they laughed at me for being scared by such "comedy". Mimi decided her Halloween costume this year would be "Melanie" from The Birds. Hilarious! Taking these pictures in the rain is also something Alfred Hitchcock would find entertaining!

She Bowls

2011-10-26T22:37:00.000-04:00

Daddy only explained what to do with the ball one time

Highest numbers people! Despite being the youngest!

You did great, take a bow

We went to a birthday party at a local bowling alley. Leah had never been bowling, we were so proud to see how she figured it all out rather quickly all by herself! She was actually more interested in dancing to the music that was playing. She did not stop dancing the entire time we were there. She even did the robot! My funny bunny!
Hope you had a great birthday, Gabriel. We had a great time.

Disney

2011-10-24T22:56:00.000-04:00

On our way to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. "Yes, I will pose for a picture with the characters this time"

Rest up, we are going to keep the little one up past midnight!

We are here!

Met up with my brother Mike and his family on the way to the Magic Kingdom, Leah posing with Ethan and Aunt Dana

Little Red from the Hood!

The scariest monsters in Disney!

Mimi and Sophie in Winnie the Pooh ride

Do these count as characters? This is as close as we got without screaming and sheer terror!

Tow of Leah's favorite cousins

Not easy getting a clear picture of moving targets! Where are the big kids? I'll get you next time!

Pumpkin Patch Day One

2011-10-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

I took Leah for some photos today at the pumpkin patch. We were bored and it finally stopped raining briefly so we ran for the camera, the costume and went to find the perfect pumpkin. We also bought some of Joni's pumpkin bread. It was yummy.

Leah's Favorite Things...

2011-09-22T19:51:00.000-04:00

This post is the beginning of a series of posts of things I never want to forget. Being that we have 2 adult children, I am all too aware of how fast they grow up. I wish I knew about blogging when the other 2 were little. Danny and Mimi are only 15 months apart and watching the two of them grow up was the best part and time of my life. They were funny, bright, happy, silly and terrible all at the same time! And I loved every minute of it! More on them later as I have to take my fading memory to places I haven't in a long time.

For now, while its fresh in my mind, Leah's favorite things.

Since day one, we knew she had quite an ear for music. At one and a half she had rhythm and could move and clap to a beat regardless of tempo. And boy can she dance!

Her first favorite character was Elmo. He was also the first she could name. Her love for Elmo was deep. She could not get enough.

Next Came Dora the Explorer. Of course, she pronounces it "Dowa the Exploder". Hahahaha! Too cute! She always looks forward to watching Dora on TV (well, for the 2 seconds she watches tv before she moves on to the next activity or toy

Barney is a big favorite. She knows all of the songs that Barney has ever sung! Her favorite being "If All the Raindrops were Lemon Drops and Gum Drops, Oh What a Rain that Would Be" She even knows the dance routines they do on the Live Shows. She also loves The Wiggles. Hopefully they will both have local live shows in 2012.

She really likes Curious George and watches him every morning. Although I am not sure he has been a good role model for our "monkey"!

For a Brief period she was obsessed with iCarly, but Mommy put a stop to that. She would watch it with Daddy while I was working in the evenings until I realized, "Hey, that's a teen show"!!!!!! And so not appropriate for my 4 year old! Cute show, but, no.

Now she is so into Pinkalicious. She loves those books. Her brother brought her a new one today and she was so excited when she saw what he had in the bag! We read it 17 times before she finally fell asleep.

She also likes Publix, the Dumbo ride in Disney, the pool and the park. Does not like live characters at all, even the ones mentioned above.

Mimi Goes RED!!!!

2011-09-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

Before

After

A Small Catch Up Picture Post

2011-09-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

Lunch at Lime with Mimi

Leah sportin' a mustache

First day of Pre-K

Holding Mimi's hand in the parking lot of school upon arrival

About to enter Pre-K class for the very fist time!

Another day during first week of pre-k

Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys

Vero Beach Labor Day Weekend and I was not about to let the water touch me today!

Last picture Mommy took before we went to get a new camera!

Summer 2011

2011-08-17T13:31:00.001-04:00

I always mean to update the blog more often as I hate doing updates. I am going to stop promising myself and others that I will update more often. The truth is that the problem for me is uploading pictures. Sometimes i can do it, and sometimes my computer won't let me upload only the ones I want to. Then there is the act of living life, which really takes all of my time! This summer has been HOT and not nearly as long as I needed it to be. We planned so many activities and for one reason or another only accomplished half. Which is not a bad thing, we did get to rest some. And then there has been the RAIN the second half of the summer. But we did manage to make it to

the beach

the park

the movies

the library for story time

lots of yard sales

lots of shopping

lots of eating out

lots of organizing at home

lots of Monkey Joe's and Little Java's

Museums

Way too many birthday parties

Lunch with FCC

4th of July Parade

Ballet Class

Reading other blogs

( lots of beautiful children coming home!)

We had plans of going to Disney, but its been so hot that I just changed our reservation for October. Hopefully we will get to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Hopefully the Warrior Princess won't be afraid of everything!

Work seems to be calming down so I will go back to part time at the daycare and part time at the studio. We are also working of our Modification. I pray that it all gets approved soon, its been way too long!

Leah is Better ....

2011-07-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

Thank you for all the calls, texts and emails, Leah is better and home. Thank you all for joining us in prayer, they were answered. It is so scary to see your child have any kind of seizure that you automatically think the worst. But thankfully, the cause was somewhat minor. It was a virus that caused the vomiting and fever; and the rapid rise in fever is what caused the seizure. The ER doctor says that febrile seizures are not that uncommon and don't cause any harm other than falling and getting injured as a result. Shortly after arriving home from China, Leah had her first seizure, during that time an EEG showed she was not prone to seizures and would not need anti-seizure meds, this is still the case, except the doctor wants her to see an neurologist because the seizure lasted a little longer than it should have, and since she has some complex neuro issues they want to be sure nothing has changed in the development of her brain. Fevers are a concern though, we have to control them better as now it appears that she is prone to febrile seizures. Fortunately she is not one to develop a fever for any little thing. She slept for almost 20 hours straight after the medicine they put in the IV to stop the seizure but is now back to her crazy, silly, adorable self.

Prayer request

2011-07-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

My name is Lidi and I am a friend of Daisy. Daisy just called me and asked me to post this message for her. Please stop and pray for Leah. Daisy is at the emergency room with Leah right now due to Leah having a seizure. Daisy had been taken Leah earlier today to an urgent care facilty and was told Leah had a virus. Daisy shared that Leah had a fever this afternoon which spiked a bit and caused the seisure. Please keep Leah in your prayers. Please pray for the Suita family. I will keep you posted as I hear more. Thank you.

Three Years ago Today...................

2011-06-30T07:10:00.001-04:00

On June 30, 2008 we were in the Civil Affairs office on Nanjing waiting for our baby to arrive. The labor pains lasted 3 long years of paperwork, tears, anguish and anticipation. All of that seems like a lifetime ago and every day I thank God. God knew we needed to wait for our perfect child, the one that was meant to be part of our family. We could not have had a more perfect child.

Today, Leah is a bright, beautiful, happy little girl who loves music, dancing, playing in the water, painting, reading books, and being as active as she can be. She is a comedian by nature and keeps us laughing and entertained all day long. Tonight she is "starring" in her 4th ballet recital. She is a little ham and always steals the show. I can't say she is the most graceful dancer, but my girl can move! She's got moves that no one has ever seen! Sometimes she ignores the planned choreography and is off doing her own thing. I guess she can feel the music and thinks, "No, this moves works better, my teacher (sister) was mistaken"! I hope someone video taped so I don't have to wait for the one we ordered. I was only able to watch from the side because, you see, when your sister is the owner of the studio, your mommy is pretty busy too backstage. But nothing was going to keep me away. And as expected, she had the audience cheering and laughing. I will post the pictures and hopefully video soon.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T17:28:00.001-04:00

I woke up early this morning to watch the Royal event. I could not wait, I was a teenager when Will's parents were married and I felt just the same excitement then. The ceremony was beautiful. I had lost all hope of one of my children marrying a royal until Leah woke up! When she came out of the room and asked me what I was doing, I told her that I was watching Kate become a princess. As those that know Leah are well aware, she does not sit still for anything and does not watch TV, but she was glued to the TV during the Royal Wedding and kept asking when the Prince and Princess were going to dance. Then she tells me she wants to "go there with Mommy" and wants us to wear hats. I waited until the "kiss" to leave and take her to school. On the way to school she told me she was going to kiss a prince like Kate! Hope renewed!!!!

Later this afternoon, I was still watching coverage on TV ( I know, I'm obsessed). Her brother picked her up from preschool today and when she walked in the door and sees the coverage on TV, she started shouting "I saw that!" Then she sat with me and watched Oprah's coverage of the wedding.

I Love "Papa Diosh"

2011-04-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

How amazing is it when you hear your 4 year old say that she loves God and he wants to go to church everyday! I have to, (although hate to) admit that we were all more active in church before Leah. There really is never an excuse not to go to church, so this isn't an excuse, but you see, being Catholic, our church does not have Sunday school, or a nursery where you can leave children while you worship. They are expected to sit there with you and listen, quietly. We all know Leah does not do "listen", and "quiet" is a foreign word to her. Our only option for our extremely hyper, loud, although cute as a button, 4 year old is to sit with her in the church or go to the baby cry room. The baby cry room has no air conditioning ( not good in Miami), smells really bad, and you can't hear the sermons, prayers, etc. because of the loud children and even louder parents. So we sit among the masses and work really hard at trying to keep her just a little still and just quiet enough so everyone around us can hear. She is quite the comedian.Yes, and then there was the booty dance to one of the hymns. So we try to go to the 8:00 am Mass because its not as crowded, if we miss that the 11:00 Mass is crazy so we have been not going every week. I know, BAD. However, Leah loves church and says, "I love Papa Diosh" everyday( in Spanish we say Papa Dios meaning Father God) with such emotion that it is a beautiful sight. What amazes me is that we have been distant from church, yet she gets it, feels God's love, and loves God! How awesome is that? She is learning to have some control, and that past 2 weeks she has been pretty good, so maybe my little is growing up!

Think You’re Too Old To Adopt?

2011-04-02T07:56:00.000-04:00

Think You’re Too Old To Adopt?

I woke up early this morning unable to sleep anymore and since I finally got my computer back from the shop, decided to visit the sites I used to love, and missed.I found this link under "Adoption Stories" in my agency's website. Of course it caught my eye because we are one of those 40 somethings that "started over".

The truth is I have never, or at least not yet, felt old! I am also in a lot better shape physically, mentally, and financially than I was in my 20's. Raising our first 2 was awesome! We couldn't have asked for better kiddos! This time around, we are wiser, and look at the world differently and I am enjoying parenting the same way I did before but with some experience under my belt. My husband on the other hand regularly reminds me that he does feel old at times. Although he is only 1 year older. I also never even thought about age when we started the adoption process. Oddly enough the age question was brought up shortly after we came home and every once in a while by some within our family. (Mainly on my side!) Sometimes it was brought up by silly little comments like "Make sure you don't spoil her so people don't say she is like that because she has old parents". (The spanish saying "Hijo de viejos", is the statement I heard but it gets lost in translation,lol). And then there is the one that whenever she sees pictures older parents, some of who now make up my new circle of friends, only notices the age and has to always say " Oh they seem older" . I don't curse, but. WTF!?!?
I could go on and on, but I won't.

I am grateful that I have thick skin, and most grateful for the adoption community that has taught me so much. And when I read a post like that I am reminded that we did a good thing. I am also thankful for the old friends, no pun intended, that supported us through the process and encouraged us with positive actions and comments. And to the others, sorry we don't call so much anymore.

Disney, OLOL Fair and "A Day with Thomas the Train"

2011-03-22T20:41:00.000-04:00

It has been a busy, yet very stress-free month in some ways. Work has calmed down some. although we are now preparing for re-accreditation. But we went to Disney World so that always fixes everything. We met up with friends from our China travel group and that was great. We had not seen them since China!

Leah loved the train that you can board at the entrance to Main Street and wouldn't get off. We must have gone around 12 times before we bribed her into trying another ride. She just loves trains.

The we went to the Fair at OLOL after Mass one day. She loved it and now understands that you have to buy tickets to ride. She keeps asking me if we have tickets each time she sees a ride of any kind! Ha!

Riding with Mimi

Then it was off to ride Thomas the Train! I can't begin to express how excited she was. She loves trains and when she found out we were going to ride Thomas, she nearly lost her mind. When she saw him coming down the tracks while we waited, she started screaming and waiving her arms up in the air as if she was at a rock concert. She started chanting "Thomas, Thomas". She and David were great, even without a nap! But it was hot! Poor baby drank a gallon of lemonade on the way home before falling asleep.

One by one.........

2011-03-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

Leah, Ed and I went to Disney last weekend to meet up with travel mates from China. More on that later because on the way back, Leah vomited in the car while eating a banana. We thought she had gagged on the banana as she was fine the rest of the night. The next morning I drive her to school and get a call an hour later that she was vomiting. I went and picked her up assuming she picked up a bug in Disney, called the doctor and was nursing her with fluids.

Well, like dominoes every single person in the house got it a day or two from each other. So this house became like a clinic for the past week with no time to do much else. It was awful but we are all finally healthy and I will pot pictures from Disney soon.

The Party!

2011-02-13T20:46:00.002-05:00

Leah had a great time at her party. Family and friends made it for a fun and happy day. Leah looked forward to her "Bouncy House" and all of the kids jumped for hours. It was all we could do to get them out to eat or play with something else. I will let the pictures tell the story, but my baby looked so beautiful.

The party room

Oh yes, it was an ice cream party

After pizza, they got to make their own sundaes

Balloon lady made lots of different balloons

We played pin the cherry on the sundae

Godmother and Sister

Pinata time

Beginnings of a conga line?

So, so cute

Loving my bounce house!

Yes, that is lipstick on the dog!

2011-02-10T19:40:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post this for a year. I had left my purse in Leah's reach and she got into my make up case. She had lipstick all over her hands and clothes, after I washed her up, I went back to finish dinner. As I am cooking I am thinking how strange that it was everywhere but on her face. Suddenly I hear my husband laughing and he tells me to look at the dog. Well, at least she knows what part of the body it belongs on.

Strawberry Fields, Forever!

2011-02-07T19:28:00.000-05:00


We had great weather this weekend so we decided to go pick strawberries. Leah calls it "pick up strawberries". She had so much fun and thought it was the best ting ever.

Until the moment I told her she couldn't eat them until we got home because we had to wash them! She gave me the look of disapproval.

So happy with her findings.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday, Baby Girl!

2011-02-02T16:04:00.000-05:00

My little is 4 years old. NO!!!! I am not ready for her to grow up! Boy was she excited "all day". I did not get the chance to post yesterday because of all the excitement. What a cutie she was. We got up in the morning and she jumped out of bed shouting "Leah happy birday!" Eyes wide and big smile she ran around the house announcing it. We had a birthday breakfast and went to day care loaded with cupcakes and goody bags for her class party. I dropped them off and was to return at 2 for the party.Mimi and I returned as they were getting up from nap. . Her teacher says Leah was super excited all day reminding all it was her birthday and they didn't think they would get her down for nap.

The party was a lot of fun and then we left to the park to play and for a short photo shoot. On the way to the park she opened some presents in the car that we had decided not to give her in class. She was very excited with her Cinderella (Relly) and Wok with all stir-fry accessories. From there we went to the studio and had more cake with our studio family and friends. Once home we spent the evening eating pretend stir-fry prepared by Chef Leah.

Me and my sister

Yes, I am a nut!

I am 4 fingers old!

Can we stop now?

Christmas 2010: My Longest Update Ever!

2011-01-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is. It has been only a couple of months but so much has gone on it feels like a year. Leah and the rest of us are doing great. As some of you know, I have been running child care centers for a LONG time. Fifteen years ago I started my own and 2 years later I had 4. Yep, too much, especially with a baby. So I sold 3 and decided to keep just 1. Well, some really nasty people decided that they wanted my daycare and would stoop to underhanded and somewhat illegal tactics to steal my students. Of course, you reap what you sew and their moves backfired, but not before costing me many hours and days of major problem-solving and days of non-stop explaining on the phone while trying to repair the damage. There were days I thought the day care would have to close, but with the help of some wonderful people we have prevailed and soon life will be back to normal. We were all consumed by this nightmare but tried to continue with life as usual for the sake of the children. So despite all this we had a great holiday season.

Leah had lots of cute activities at school. She had to dress like a farmer one day; I had prepared cute daisy dukes and red cowboy boots and Dad said no. He said he looked more like the farmer's promiscuous daughter so we did farmer instead!

Thanksgiving weekend we decided to venture out to Bass Pro Shop's Winter Wonderland and try to convince Leah to take a picture with Santa. She was all excited and on the way was showing us how she was going to smile and pose with Santa. When we arrived and she saw the Bug Guy himself, you could hear her screams clear through the mall. When we promised she didn't have to go anywhere near Santa she calmed down and waited patiently for the remote control cars. As soon as it was her turn she ran, grabbed the remote and said, "Mommy take a peeeeshur" and she turned and smiled and forgot all about Santa.

Then the killer cold fronts started. We are in Florida and the weather is not supposed to be in the 30's. Someone needs to remind Mother Nature. But it allows for some pretty cute outfits!

Then it was time to go get the Christmas tree. We had a warm day and ran to the tree lot.

She asked, "Daddy, why he hurt my tree?"

After the tree was up, but not decorated, we went to the Storage place to get our lawn stuff. This year Leah was really into the deocarations and loved helping.

We then decorated the tree the following weekend. Yes, it was up without an ornament for an entire week!

Winter program at day care. I will post the video later because as usual Leah stole the show. The entire school spoke about the little "animated" girl until the school closed for Christmas vacation. I will warn you that the video is very bad quality because Dad could not stop laughing long enough to keep the camera from moving!

OK, you have already seen this outfit you say? You are right. I bought it with the intention of Santa Picture! So we headed out again and tried going with a friend. Tis time, again, she showed me how she would smile and pose with Santa, and was excited she would take a picture with Santa and her friend David. The second we drove into the parking lot, there was total silence in the car. Those of you that know us, know Leah does not know "silence". Suddenly a little low and raspy voice said " I no like Santa Clauth"

But we got out of the car anyway and rode the small train at the food court.

Then we returned home and took more pictures b the tree.

The week before Christmas we headed to Disney World. This time the big kids decided to stay home and catch up on work related stuff and parties with friends. this is the smiley face when we told her we were off to Disney.

We went to the Marketplace first and rode the train and "Caballos"

We stopped for a picture and Leah wanted a picture of her hugging the snowman.

The highlight of evry trip to Disney for Leah is the Dumbo ride. She just loves it. She reminds us regularly how she rode Dumbo with Daddy this time.

This year we had a visit from Santa's Elf on the Shelf. We was quite a funny guy, we never knew where he was going to be when we woke up in the morning.

Christmas morning was great. All three kids woke up and opened gifts at the same time. We only have pictures of the little because the big ones didn't want their pictures taken. Well, I took some anyway but didn't post them. Leah's favorite Santa gifts were her B*rbie Jeep and hand held Leap Frog.

Then we celebrated Mimi's 22nd birthday before she went out for ice cream with friends.

Update Coming Soon!

2010-12-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

I have been asked more than once where our holiday update is. Well, my lap top blew up! I have no computer set up at home, ( long story, construction, etc) and since the office is closed for the holidays, I haven't even been there. My son's lap top is a mac and I HATE IT! I can't figure it out. Boy do I miss my VAIO! The only other computer at home that is connected is in my son's room and going in there is hazardous to my health. So, I promise to update before the week is over with pictures, but I will tell you this, IT WAS THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! It was slow paced even though we went to Disney, and quite restful. The kids seemed to really enjoy the time together and their carefully thought out presents from Santa this year. Stay tuned.......

Happy Birthday, Mimi

2010-12-28T15:25:00.058-05:00

Twenty-two years ago today, we were rushing to the hospital as I went into labor early. Everything went so fast but I remember arriving at the hospital and being told there was no time for an epidural or drugs of any sort as this baby wanted out! Then without another word and only one push Michelle Nicole entered this world. Oh my goodness what a beautiful baby she was. She had no hair. a round, beautiful little face and i remember long slender fingers. From that moment on we were attached at the hip. Wherever one of us was, there was the other. I went nowhere without her. Mimi, as we have always called her, was the perfect child. Sweet, kind, beautiful, a good student, teachers' pet, well you name it, Mimi was it. Achievement became her norm, and because we were so used to it, we often forget to tell her just how very proud we are of her. All through her life she has worked hard at everything, but dance was always her passion, and just as she was in a hurry to be born, she has been in a hurry to accomplish her goals. Mimi was not yet 21 years old when she opened her own dance studio. And although we always knew what she was capable of, I am still amazed at times of her ability to create. She is so talented that I often just stare at her in amazement, but her talent is equaled by her determination. Isn't she just the most beautiful daughter ever?

Happy Birthday Mimikins, we are so proud to be your parents and thank God everyday for blessing us with the gift of you.

Computer Virus!

2010-11-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Well folks, this post was supposed to be titled "Happy Thanksgiving". Got as far as the title and I decided to google an image for the post. Guess what? I got a virus. This is what I get for being lazy and not taking my own picture and downloading from the camera. Needless to say it ended rather abruptly and I decided to forget the computer until Danny could fix it. Of course this had to wait while I got a piece of glass out of his foot! Yes, the boy stepped on a piece of glass while he was cleaning out his room. He dropped a glass jar earlier and thought he had swept out all the pieces.

So, to recap Thanksgiving. It was probably the most relaxing I have ever had. I opted out of leaving my house or cramming way too many people in it and was able to enjoy my children and a few friends. It was great to be able to sit around the table, eat and enjoy actual conversation. I don't think this has ever happened. I have never been able to do this. Usually there are so many people, whether here or at my sister's that no one really eats together because there is no room. Usually you serve yourself buffet style and find a space to uncomfortably eat. Not to say that we have not enjoyed previous years, but this year I needed peace. Besides, I was planning on doing Black Friday before the sun came up! (I bet you're thinking, "I thought she said she wanted, needed peace?")

Well, I did venture into the stores. Went to the big toy store first. They were opening at 10 PM on Thanksgiving and advertised major deals. I figured bow hard can it be, there aren't that many small kiddos to shop for and Santa had already taken care of most of Leah's requests except for the Weeble Tree House and a toy cash register. Lets just say I would have decided to stand in the endless, zig-zag of a line that was going through every isle in the toddler and preschool section of the store, there was no room to walk these very isles because this is where the line started and people and all of their purchases were crowding. Some lady tells me she had already been in line for almost 2 hours. What!!@#$%!!!!!! So after walking around not finding what I was looking for, I left empty-handed. Later in the day, Mimi and I took Leah and went to a couple of places that people must have forgotten because there were no lines and we were able to get really nice deals for some of the children in the family. We picked up out Advent candles, new Christmas coloring book for Leah ad well as a DVD and bought all the holiday crafting stuff we needed. Then we sealed the day by meeting Ed at the tree lot and got our tree. While he was getting that ready I started dinner. It was a great day!

Pumpkins, Candy, Silliness and Fear!

2010-11-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

We visited the Pumpkin Patch a few times this year. Leah loved running around and carrying as many pumpkins as she could. She loved the scarecrows and took a picture with one of them. We went with our friends Lidi and David on one occassion but David was not in the mood for pictures. Who could blame him, this year the patch had so many fun things for them to do and play with. But we managed to get a couple.

Hamming it up after school one afternoon

Then it was finallly time to wear our Minnie costume to school. This was pure excitement because we purchased this costume during 4th of July weekend in Disney World and she has been wanting to wear it to school. I finally told her she could wear it on Halloween because she had to wear her uniform. I was hoping it would still fit. On the way out Leah wanted a "peeeeshur" with the scarecrows.

She really did not like trick-or-treating. We went to 2 houses, she hated kids in any type of mask and this is the face I got when I was asked to take her home. So we went home and handed out candy instead. We had more trick-or-treaters than usual. She really didn't like the masks coming to our house either. But it was just Leah and Mommy and we had lots of fun playing on the living room floor with all of her Zhu Zhu Pets and their gear. Can't beat that!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-09T06:56:00.000-04:00

We had a very nice weekend in Marco Island and Ft. Myers hanging out on the beach and visiting friends, old and new. This was a very nice ending to an exhausting summer. I hope not to ever have a summer like this ever again. I am usually optimistic and usually say "it could have been worse"; and yes, it could have been, but I can't even imagine. We all had so much work it was hard to even breathe. But it is thankfully over and we celebrated with a much needed break.
This was the first time that the big kids did not go with us so reality was hitting me hard! Yes, they are grown up and have independent lives. : ( They had other plans, so Danny watched the home front and Michelle was out of town with friends.
So, for Ed, Leah and I the highlights included lots and lots of beach time, spent times with friends and met a bloggy friend, Trish, and her family in person for the first time. What fun that was! The three most precious little girls and their wonderful family, Mom, Dad, and big brother, made for the perfect ending to our trip before the drive home.

Loving the beach!

But I wanna go this way. Daddy

Cuteness!

Leah loves her new friends Hannah, Hailey and Taylor

BIG Catch-Up Post

2010-09-06T19:36:00.001-04:00

You will be happy to learn that I have loaded the pictures to the computer without the help of my big kids! This is very exciting, but I am still trying to figure out how to load only a couple at a time. But that is for a different post. Today we will cover our summer!
Leah Says:

We went to the park a lot and I made Daddy do all kinds of stuff! I went to swimming lessons all summer long with my friends David, Alan and Brian. I really liked swimming and waved to Mommy when I spotted her watching me through a window! I also visited the Miami Children's Museum. Then we went to Orlando; there we went to Medieval Times. That was so much fun! I cheered for our knight the entire show. And guess what? I think he won because of the cheers from my family! Then off to Disney! I finally got to ride Dumbo with my Mommy! She has been looking forward to this for a long time but the line was always too long or broken. I guess since it was pouring there was only a 30 minute line! After Dumbo I danced through the entire It's A Small World ride. I took a picture with Mulan! She is the first "Character" I allow anywhere near me without complete terror. Maybe next time I will come close to Cinderelly, as I call her. Then I dressed up like Minnie.

When we came back from Disney it was time for Hannah's birthday party. She had monkeys! I wouldn't touch one those. Although they are Hanna's favorite animal, she almost didn't touch one either! Hannah's birthday always marks the last week before school starts again!

Then I went back to school! Now I am in the 3 year-old class. Look what Mommy made me for lunch!

He is 23 Today......Where has the time gone?

2010-09-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

Twenty-three years ago today has to have been the most exciting day of my life. I had my first child and only son. I had to be induced so I was nervous (more like petrified) but Danny was the most wanted, planned and anticipated baby of the century. First grandchild, great-grandchild, nephew, well you get the picture. I was in labor for 11 hours and then Dr. Leon exclaimed, "Its a Boy", and placed the most perfect little person in my arms. When they took him from me to clean him up, my husband disappeared. He glued himself to his new baby and forgot about me! Needless to say our world centered around this perfect little person. What a great baby he was. He ate well, slept well and made parenting him very easy and fun. Ed took a month off of work to be home with us and it was great. We both lived with a camera around our necks and got pictures of "everything", including middle of the night feedings.

Fast forward to today. I can't say everyday was a walk in the park, we did go through the teen years where everything I said he disagreed with, but we are very lucky parents as that was the worst of it. Danny is sensitive, brilliant, extremely well spoken, always sees the best in people and is always willing to help others. Needless to say we are very proud parents.

Happy Birthday, Monkey!

Where's Leah?

2010-08-14T09:27:00.000-04:00

Two Years Ago Today...................

2010-06-30T00:51:00.000-04:00

.......we received our third bundle of joy that we call "The Munchkin". We experienced so many emotions in the tear-filled room at the Civil Affairs office in Nanjing. When we first entered the room some of the children from our travel group and other agencies were already there. It was a moment that everyone in the room had waited for and dreamed about for a very long time. Part of me felt like I was having and out of body experience, almost like I was watching this happen to someone else. Leah was the last child to arrive from our travel group so we were able to keep busy taking pictures and video for the other families. Finally, after a while, our guide gets a phone call that the van carrying our Leah was pulling into the parking lot. We ran to the window and saw the head nanny and director of the SWI carry her into the building. I will never forget the moment I saw her. She was so perfect and so beautiful. When they entered the room the other families had already received their children so we were all just waiting for Leah. The second they walked into the room I went up to the director, who was holding her, and I took her from him. She cried and cried but was easily distracted. She very quickly realized we were her mommy, daddy and sister. She would not go anyone but us very early on. The rest of the time in China was magical, everywhere we went, people could not get over just how beautiful Leah is. Although we all missed home, we now miss China and are looking forward to taking Leah to visit one day.

In the past 2 years Leah has grown so much. She is wearing a size 5 and is just 3 years old. Sometimes I forget she is just 3 because she looks so much older. She is hilarious and keeps us laughing all day long. She is a bundle of energy, loves music and dance and everything Dora. She is also stubborn and determined and doesn't give up until she accomplishes what she wants. Leah is loving and very expressive and hugs, kisses and says I love you all day long. The dogs are still trying to get used to all the running around and chasing, but we have already explained to them she is just trying to play with them! She still uses her fake cry when she deems necessary and still gets us every time.

She is now enrolled in group swimming lessons and loves the water. She wants to go in the pool everyday. She is basically able to speak and understand both English and Spanish and I catch her translating words back and forth all the time. She continues to take ballet and can show you every ballet position when named. She loves to play the drums and/or dance while daddy plays the guitar. Her musical ability stuns us regularly. She can clap or stomp to the beat of any song all the way through and not miss a beat. She is remarkable.

We feel so blessed to be your parents, Leah, we love you very much and thank God everyday that He chose us to be your parents.

Marco Island

2010-06-10T00:51:00.000-04:00

We went to Marco Island one day over Memorial Day weekend. I don't even remember which day.Life has been sooooooo hectic. I have had so much work that I never know what day it is. I am training a new secretary at the day care, the studio started summer camp this week, have had lots of doctor appointments, and lots of work being done at the house(outdoors). As soon as i have a moment I have to order our new kitchen cabinets so the new kitchen can be started. I have so much to catch up. Today was Leah's last day of school. Summer camp starts on Monday. I won't be sending her all summer but I think that if I keep her home too long, it will be tough for her when school starts again in the fall. On Friday she starts swimming lessons again. I am looking forward to that. Our pool is being resurfaced this week and I expect to use it a lot this summer. It has been so hot I can barely stand to be outside. One day last week as Leah and I walked to our car across her school parking lot, she says "Mucho hot, Mommy". (Yes, she is now using spanglish, love it!)

Two Years Ago

2010-04-17T23:57:00.006-04:00

How is it possible to love this much? Two years ago today we saw our baby's face for the same time. It was like giving birth. On April 17, 2008, I received a call that would forever change the lives of every member of our family. It was bigger than winning the lottery and only the birth of Leah's 2 siblings can compare. On that day, God decided that we would be the parents of the most perfect baby, Leah Mei. To describe Leah is not easy. There are so many aspects of her personality that make her so special. She is so loving and sweet and at the same time so strong and resilient; she is smart, can dance like I have never seen some so small dance; she is FUNNY, she keeps us laughing with her silliness. She is also very tough and can "play" rough and keep up with the boys, she is observant even when you think she is not listening. She has so many interests and is so well-rounded and we could not be prouder to be her parents. She is ACTIVE and tirelessly is on the go every minute of every day and we love it. And love her. Happy referral day baby girl, we love you more than words could EVER describe.

First Week of New Preschool

2010-03-16T23:29:00.005-04:00

All I have to do is get the camera and say "pose".

First day of school

Second day of school

Third day of school

Bentos have been a hit. She loves them!

This last picture is of Leah's first "homework". The teacher sent home a sheet of red construction paper and since it was the week of Valentine's day, we were to make a Valentine's Day card for Leah that would be displayed in the hallway and the children were to search for their cards. Mimi picked her up from school that day and they searched for the masterpiece for a picture. It is now on the refrigerator at home and Leah loves pointing to the pictures and naming Mommy, Daddy, Mimi and Danny.

2010-03-16T23:02:00.003-04:00

The first quarter of 2010 has been a very busy time for us; not bad busy, but very hectic with lots of birthday parties. We have not had a single weekend of rest. March has seen many new students at the studio and Princess Michelle decided to paint one of the studios. I am moving my business, our plumbing at home is having "issues" and it is still cold in Florida. Those of you battling snow storms would happily trade us our "cold", but I have seen weather on the 30's, 40's and 50's for way too long. It is March and this is FLORIDA! Mother Nature needs to get it together! We did have a day of 72 and it was wonderful. Leah and I spent the entire morning outside playing, planting and cleaning. She has this little toy from a kids meal somewhere and wouldn't put it down. She took it with her everywhere and had little conversations with it. She asked me to take her picture with it. How cute is that?

Look Who's Talking!

2010-02-23T16:33:00.005-05:00

When Leah turned 3, all therapy with the Early Steps program ceased. This is because it is only for children up to the age of three. I was mostly concerned about the speech therapy because I knew her speech was still delayed. Once they outgrow the program they are retested and the public school system takes over. I was not happy about this at first. Those of you that know me know my issues with our public school system. However, as luck would have it, the most wonderful early childhood program that accepts children with mild disabilities and language delays happens to be in our neighborhood. I visited twice and observed the classroom and was impressed. Suddenly I am excited about this. Could it be? Leah can go to a wonderful program FOR FREE? NOT!!! Turns out that when my baby is tested, she does not qualify for speech! Yes! This is good news! Sort of. Her expressive language is still below average but her receptive language is the opposite. Our little munchkin understands more than she can express. Well, we knew this! BUT SHE NEEDS TO SPEAK! Hence, my issues with the public school starting to be clear? So although the speech class is for children that cannot speak, if they can understand its OK that they don't speak. This is a fine example of our tax dollars at their best. So, they qualified her as developmentally delayed because she is not potty trained completely ( this is another post) so she can get into a program. I guess they figured at least she is in. Except that the program they wanted to place her in was not in our area school! I would have to drive an hour each way for her to attend 2.5 hours per day. But I visited anyways with an open mind. Turns out that the teacher speaks with a very heavy accent that I could barely understand. Under normal circumstances I don't have an issue with this. I mean, really, we live in South Florida, accents are everywhere and I love that! But my baby needs to learn to SPEAK! How is this helping her? Does anyone recall the movie "Nell" with Jody Foster? I figured Leah would come up with her own language that only she and this teacher could speak. So, after speaking with our neurologist and pediatrician, I decide to just place her in a regular preschool program. After all, Leah is one smart cookie, I figured being around other children would help improve her language anyway. The trick was finding one with a curriculum that I liked and small student/teacher ratios. After searching America, I find a wonderful program. Leah started 2 weeks ago. It was a hard decision because we had tried this once before and it was not a good choice. Currently she was a sitter that watched 3 other children but she was the oldest and I could see it was delaying her even further. So she started this new school 2 and a half weeks ago and WOW! All of a sudden she is talking up a storm. Sometimes she forgets that she can just tell me what she wants and I have to remind her to just use her words! The first day of school she told me to "sit down". I was shocked! That was fast! Then she lines us all up and makes us march around the house as she says, "march, march" with every step. How cute is that? Today after she woke up from nap we went outside to play with bubbles. She had me start then took the stick from me and said " Leah do it". I freaked out! I couldn't believe it! Then she gave it back, took it again and said "my turn". OH MY GOODNESS! her MRI indicated that she many never speak! I was so excited I interrupted our bubble session to call everyone! Leah thought I was nuts and kept saying "come on". Who needs speech therapy? Preschool children learn best from each other! I was trained to know that, why didn't I trust that? Regardless, my baby is talking and this is a miracle!

The Birthday Party!

2010-02-20T07:56:00.005-05:00

On February 14 we celebrated the big event. Since it was also Valentines Day and the first day of Chinese New Year, we had a day filled with celebrations. Leah had a wonderful time as did all in attendance. My Clubhouse was the perfect location for the party. It has something for everyone. It is very safe for the little ones as they can roam on their own, run, jump, climb and be safe. It makes a big difference when you have the place to yourself, unlike some other places that have several party rooms and more that one party going on at a time. Leah was a great little hostess. She played with all of her guests and greeted everyone at the door. Her usual cuteness and sense of humor kept everyone entertained. Who needs to hire a clown?

My big girl going down the big slide by herself

Happy Birthday!

Loving her cousin Chris

One happy birthday girl!

Leah Turns 3!

2010-02-01T23:18:00.008-05:00

Our little turned 3 today! What a proud mommy and daddy we are. When we look back at last year's birthday pictures and first months home, its hard to believe how much Leah has accomplished. Yes, she is on hyper mode all day and a challenge to keep up with, but the love that pours out of this little body, and the sunshine she spreads to everyone she meets is a gift to our entire family, her family at lasy. We will forever be grateful that God has chosen us to be her parents.

She woke up this morning and knew it was her birthday as we have been telling her she was going to turn 3 for a few days. Even though when we asked her how old she was today, she still says 2. It took us forever to reprogram her and get her to stop saying 1! But she knew today was special. She wore her "Birthday Girl" shirt and wanted to dance, (picture 1). Later that morning her friends at the sitter's house sang "Happy Birthday", only she is the only one that knows the song word for word. Later we did it again at home after dinner. Finally she wanted to pose with her dog Roxy.

Happy Birthday, NeNe, we love you soooooooo much!

Mommy, Daddy, Danny and Mimi

The Leah Show!

2009-12-12T18:25:00.004-05:00

This video is of the dress rehearsal for the Holiday Dance Recital. Leah had her own choreography going on! She certainly moves to the beat of her own drum! Watch her tutu. I have come to the realization that she is more of a hip hopper than a ballerina, but she has to be 4 in order to take that class. So now we will continue in ballet until she is old enough. We will let her decide but are pretty sure she will choose hip hop as she loves that music and dance. Tomorrow is the actual show,(after I glue the tutu to the leotard) stay tuned for more cuteness!

Triangle Park

2009-12-12T10:19:00.010-05:00

My Silly Goose!

2009-12-08T21:29:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned how adorable our Leah is? She is a ham. Today I kept her home and decided to take her to Triangle Park on Miracle Mile to see the Christmas decorations and play in the park. On the way each time Mimi and I looked back at her in her car seat she gave us a look. She was excited and knew we were going somewhere with a park.

We are Ready for CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-05T09:34:00.005-05:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"! My entire life, I have waited for this time of year with excitement and anticipation. It is interesting to see that everyone in our home also feels this way, but for very different reasons. I love the shopping, the cooking and baking, the excitement and joy in my children, the way that everyone you meet is cheerful, friendlier and happier and of course the holiday parties. Mimi also enjoys baking (Clan favorite "Brookies") and shopping but I think her favorite thing is getting to hang out with her cousins. She plans for weeks, prints Christmas Carols and makes everyone go caroling with her (even in the rain!) Ed and Danny mainly enjoy the food! Actually, Ed seemed to enjoy putting up our holiday lights and lawn decorations this year. He did it earlier than ever and in record time and without me even mentioning it!
This year our tree is a bit different. We used a few less ornaments and made sure non-breakable ones were on the bottom.

Potty Training Update

2009-11-15T11:58:00.002-05:00

This is day number 6. We had a little setback after day 3. Leah became a little sick to her stomach which required a diaper, if you know what I mean. (No pictures with this post!) So we basically had to start over. After the experience of day 4 she became petrified of Mr. #2 and avoided the particular tile where he "landed" like the plague. Even after it was all cleaned up she remembered the incident and took the "long road" to avoid that tile. Needless to say the potty was also in the dog house. Slowly, which much bribery, she came around again and sat on the potty. When she felt she needed to go she would bolt out of the chair. Then the bribery became more intense and without a moment's notice, SUCCESS!!! She made #1 in the potty! I cheered, danced (no pictures of that either, she clapped asked for more Reece's Pieces and all is well. This morning we did not watch any of the videos, instead we watched "real, human" children on You Tube potty training. I think it helped because the examples on the videos we have are either cartoons or little furry monsters. Maybe she couldn't relate and needed real children to set the example. Whatever it was, it has been a good day. YEAH!!!!!

Potty Training - Day 1

2009-11-10T17:08:00.005-05:00

We did it folks! Dove in head first and there is no going back now. Since I decided to keep Leah home this week, felt it was a good time to finally get it done. We attempted once before but the truth is she just was not ready. We watch all the potty training videos in the car, in the house and have read all the books. The first day was not bad. She finally went in the potty! At first she thought she had done something wrong, but we cheered and danced and gave her stickers. I think she is starting to understand. I ask her questions and she knows the answers, but sometimes she looks at me like " you want me to do what? why?" This is our third attempt. The first two times she just didn't understand but now she does and I am not giving up. I am sooooooo open to suggestions, so please feel free to share your potty training success stories. Leah's 22 and 20 year old siblings are potty trained so I know I have done this once or twice before, why can't I remember what to do?

Sunday Meal - Boliche, Cuban Round Roast

2009-11-08T17:52:00.005-05:00

Boliche (Stuffed Eye Round Roast )

3-5 lb Beef eye round roast
4 Chorizos, quartered lengthwise
3 Tbs. capers
3 Tbs. green Spanish olives w/pimentos
1 large green bell pepper
1 large onion
1-2 heaping Tbs. oregano
6 cloves garlic
3 Bay leaves
2 packets Goya Sazon con Azafran
2 large pinches saffron
1can tomato sauce (29 oz)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. Goya Adobo seasoning
1 package Badia Cilantro
1 cup red wine

Cut slits into eye round roast, and stuff with quartered chorizos (follow the grain of meat) lightly rub meat with adobo seasoning. Brown the meat on all sides in a sauté pan to seal in the juices. Remove and place in a large covered roasting pan. In the same pan, as the beef was browned, add saffron, garlic, onions, peppers, bay leaves, oregano, olives, capers, and the Sazon seasoning. Sauté until the onions are translucent in color, deglaze with red wine, turn heat down and simmer about five minutes. Add the cilantro and the tomato sauce and stir well and pour this mixture over the beef, and roast at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs. - 2 hrs., or until meat is tender. Turn the roast over and baste with the sauce once in a while to assure full flavor penetration and even cooking. Serves 6-8

I like to serve this with white rice and maduros (fried ripe plantains) and a lettuce and tomato salad.

*Note that any brand names used is because I have not found others in my area, I am not endorsing in any way and you are free to use any brand product you have in your area market.

Let's Get Cooking!

2009-11-06T17:53:00.003-05:00

It's officially my favorite time of the year. The anticipation of December makes November the most exciting month. Everyone keeps asking me what is on the menu, so I thought I would include some of my favorite recipes during the next few months. My kitchen is "international" but I will start with a Cuban dish at the request of my friend Norma. I haven't decided which one but I am open to suggestions. On Sunday I will post it. Stay tuned.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T19:16:00.004-05:00

"Nancy Drew" solves mystery. Yes, this man did lose his head.
Leah kept up with the big girls with no trouble.
Nancy Drew finds a lost baby monkey
Leah partying started earlier in the day with David at Town Center
What do you mean its time to go home and I can't eat all my candy.

Halloween

2009-11-01T18:45:00.003-05:00

Halloween is not my favorite holiday but seeing the smiles on the faces of my children makes all the crazy running around worth it. Why is is that the simplest of holidays come along with so much work? The week started off with Danny having car trouble, and then Michelle getting sick and having to go to the doctor for a strep test. She didn't require antibiotics but the doctor did say she was suffering from exhaustion. I'm still trying to keep up with my own job while I help Michelle with her studio in the evenings. I did get to finish Leah's costume and Michelle put her costume together and I thought I we were done. Suddenly Michelle learns she needs yet another costume for a party she was going to later. Nancy Drew was great for trick or treating with Leah and the cousins but not sophisticated enough for clubbing with friends later. So the search goes on for the perfect costume. We find it and here it is the day before Halloween and all costumes and accessories are in order. Danny was not doing anything this year as he decided to spend Saturday working on his very neglected car. Then I remember I better get to the pumpkin patch right after Leah's speech therapy for some pictures before they are out pf pumpkins. Well is was empty but I did manage to get some pictures with the costume. Our little Pocahontas was a hit at the pumpkin patch.

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

2009-10-23T15:18:00.002-04:00

I am still in disbelief! I am going to tell this story from the beginning, so hold on tight. It is no lie that Ed and I are no spring chickens, and parenting a two year old after the two big ones left us tired and dry, has been a bit of a challenge. Not a bad challenge, a perfectly wonderful challenge, but a challenge. One that I welcome and love and would not trade this "perfect" child for the world. `Our challenge is not our child but re-training our old, tired bodies for the extreme hyperactivity of our two-year-old. Let's just say we have been literally running a marathon for a year and a half without sleep. However, for the past two weeks, Leah is becoming more a little girl and less a toddler. The speech and occupational therapists have noticed too. Her language has improved so much and I have actually taken her shopping twice without the stroller, which serves as a restraint! PROGRESS!! But today! Well, as most of you know, she has been experiencing sleep issues. And although we have had good nights and bad nights, she still wakes up every night. For 2 months she has been starting off in her bed (which in itself is a miracle) and at about 1 or 2 am wakes up and comes to our bed. While in our bed she still has night terrors in her sleep. Most of the time they last less than a minute but they happen every couple of hours. For the past week there have been no night terrors!!!!!! Then this morning I was awakened by Ed saying "bye" when I jumped out of the bed realizing Leah wasn't in it! Yes, people, she slept soundly, in her own bed, ALL NIGHT!!!! Will it last? I don't know, but we will celebrate regardless. Thank you. God, for the gift a good night's sleep.

One More Chance!

2009-10-11T11:08:00.005-04:00

We have been awarded one more chance! I know I was more excited than Leah!. Thanks to Jasmine! Leah's little friend Jasmine started "Fairy Ballet" class last week. They really enjoy playing together so Mimi let Leah try out the class one more time. Mimi also has an assistant now, so its a little easier. As the parents watched from the window, I was almost too afraid to look but the other parents told me to come see that they were all doing great. Great is was. They were all so cute. Leah seemed to stay with the group better so Mimi's assistant, Chelsea, was able to get a couple of pictures. She is still learning to listen and follow directions but she seemed less distracted this time. It was a huge improvement. The children are allowed to bring a stuffed animal or doll to class and she even shared nicely. At the end of each class the children get to color a picture that goes along with the theme of the week. That part is too much for Leah as she is still unable to sit and work on one task for over 3 seconds, but we are working on it and this will help her with that as well.

Leah's First Expulsion

2009-10-05T22:15:00.003-04:00

Leah has been expelled from Mimi's "Fairy Ballet" class. The studio has a wonderful program for children ages 2 and a half to 5. Leah started in September. We were all worried about how she would do but she surprised us and followed directions, got along well with others and did great. The program is really cute and the girls seem to love it. She did so great that I decided to enroll her twice per week instead of once. BIG MISTAKE!! Saturday's class has another little girl who is just like Leah (Minus the hyperactivity) and the 2 of them together was more than Mimi could handle. Let's just say that the only thing that was not happening in that class was actual ballet. Mimi was so angry the last time she asked me not to bring her back. I was so sad that it has taken me a couple of weeks to write this post. What, you ask, could this sweet child have done to put her loving and doting big sister over the edge? Well, where do I begin? Michelle's exact words were "she is very distracting to the other girls who pay no attention to me because they watch Leah to see what weird thing she will do next". This class uses lots of props, Leah plays with the props when she is not supposed to, takes things away from the other girls, when coloring a picture of first position she scribbled on the other children's papers, she no longer follows the steps and does her own wild dance instead, in which of course everyone then stops to watch her. OK, she is only 2. Michelle didn't start ballet until she was 3. We will give it some time and start over. Despite this rocky start she is still my favorite little ballerina and I have hope that she will calm down some by the time she is 3.

Mimi Opens New Dance Studio

2009-08-08T09:13:00.007-04:00

Our older daughter, Mimi, started her own dance and performing art studio. Quite an accomplishment for someone so young. "Meems" has always worked very hard at everything she does and we are very proud of her accomplishments. She is still in college and hopes to attend her classes in the morning and teach in the afternoons. Our entire family has come together to help her; Dad, her brother Dan, and uncle Rich installed her dance floors, installed doors and walls, etc; her uncle Mike who lives in Phoenix is doing the studio's website, her aunt Ly had organized a team to paint, which is made up of cousins, Mom has organized the office and procedures and advertising, and Leah is our model and her images adorn the walls at the studio. We needed "art" for the walls so we dressed Leah in a tutu and let her play. Check out some of the images below. Who needs to purchase art when we have access to this face?

"Arroz con Huevo Frito"

2009-08-05T22:44:00.002-04:00

What???? OK, let me explain. White rice and fried eggs is a very important dish for our 2 older children. They would be extremely happy to eat nothing else the rest of their lives. They were horrified that Leah would never experience such pleasure because we were told on "Gotcha Day" that Leah was allergic to eggs. Imagine the horror! Well, one day, in the car,on the way to Disney, we stopped at a McDonald's for breakfast. Michelle ordered an egg mcmuffin. Suddenly, I look back and Leah had taken out the egg and was eating it. Imagine my horror imagining the worst of allergic reactions. Well, nothing happened. Leah is not allergic to eggs. The pediatrician asked me to try again. I did and nothing happened. Danny and Michelle were so happy that they made her a plate and sat, camera in hand, to watch her eat it. Leah loved it.

Leah Rocks!

2009-07-26T09:42:00.005-04:00

We have always known that Leah loves music and dancing, here is a preview of our little rocker imitating her sister as she was listening to the rock group Paramore.

Michelle was listening to music as she dried her hair, Leah insisted on "helping" but could not resist the temptation to move to the beat

Dad was playing guitar and needed a drummer! Of course we had a volunteer who shakes a mean booty.

She has a thing for watermelon..

2009-07-23T10:07:00.006-04:00

↓↓↓ Chinese Watermelon Art.... never seen anything like this ↓↓↓

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If Leah's obsession for watermelon continues, shes having a watermelon party with these carvings and these cupcakes↓↓.... end of story.
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Our funny, funny child!

2009-07-22T21:23:00.022-04:00

Everyone that knows us knows that Leah is a lot of fun. We literally spend the days laughing with her and at all of her craziness. I was really behind on posts but rather that entertaining you with each of her sillies, I thought I would dedicate this post with some of Leah's funnies.

We don't know why but she found Home Depot hilarious!

We took a trip to Ideal Baby Store for a new car seat. We decided not to take her in the stroller thinking how difficult could it be, two adults, one 2 year old, we had it under control. HA! She ran around touching everything and tried out some of the car seats and even a bed. Isn't that a joke, she hates beds! Finally after chasing her around the store she decides to "hide" behind a dresser and shout BOOB! (She means peak-a-boo).

On this day she decided she needed a monkey tail. She wore it all day and was not happy she could not bathe with it. This is an important tail to our family you see. This was the tail off of a monkey that belonged to Leah's older brother when he was little. He is now 21 so the tail, not the monkey, has history. He tore the tail off the monkey, played with that for years and we never saw the monkey again. But the tail lives on. One day, Dad decided to wear the tail around the house to make the children laugh. Well, he forgot all about it and went to the grocery store wearing it. Oh what I wouldn't give for the surveillance tape from that day.

I read in a friend's blog once how interesting it is when Daddy dresses the children; usually not matching, etc. Well when this Mommy came home one day, I found a ninja! He swore she liked it, but is this a happy face?

If she even smells a camera, she shouts "cheeeeeeeeeeese" and poses. Here she is in pajamas way past bedtime but I couldn't resist.

Not your average trip to Olive Garden. This muchkin is into everything and we are usually exausted by the end of the day, after we literally had to remove everything from the table to keep her from throwing it (she's a lefty and if major league baseball saw her, women will be allowed to play baseball) anyways, the waiter asked if we wanted "cheese" and that was her cue to break in a pose and shout "cheeeeeeeeeeeeeese" at the top of her lings.

Gotcha Day 1st Anniversary

2009-06-30T19:13:00.007-04:00

One year ago today we celebrated the arrival of our third child into our family. Each time a very different experience, but each time a very special time in my life. What a gift it is to be a parent. My children have given me so much joy that words could never express. Leah's arrival was a long time coming. For so many years we prayed for her, cried for her, and the wait was very difficult. Many times I felt it would never come. But on June 30th, 2008, she was placed in my arms, rather, I grabbed her from the director of her SWI before the poor man knew what was coming. I laugh about it now, but I imagine he must have thought this poor child was going to a lunatic. But at that moment, after waiting for so many years, then on top of it all, Leah was the last baby in our group to arrive, I just wanted my baby. It seemed like forever that I watched and enjoyed and cried with other families in our group as they experienced their moment. Now it was my turn, suddenly all I could hear was my heart beating and Leah crying. She was scared and confused but she never once rejected us nor did she ever try to pull away. I felt that although this was so confusing to my littlest angel, she could feel how much we loved her and knew we would always love and take care of her and somehow trusted us. Despite the fact she loved and missed her nannies, I knew she knew we were her forever family when just hours with us she would not go to strangers or anyone but us three. I have very mixed feelings about this day. It will always be a very special and important day for me. How can it not? I love this child more than life. But at the same time, it was a sad moment for all of the children. We all knew their lives were going to change for the better, but they did not. They were all scared and confused and for this my heart aches.

David's Birthday Party

2009-06-07T09:16:00.004-04:00

This is the first time Leah sat by herself at a birthday party and ate with all the other children, like a big girl! The party was at the Little Gym and after they played in the gym they went into the party room, sang Happy Birthday, and ate pizza. Yes, Leah ate it. But what excited her the most was using a regular cup. She was so happy that we did not give her a sippy cup in front of her friends! Now, everytine we are at the gym, she points to the party room and sings Happy Birthday.

Leah's Spring Photo Shoot

2009-05-16T07:18:00.005-04:00

The Sunday before Mother's Day we finally got around to getting Leah's first professional pictures done. This was the third attempt. The first had to be canceled due to a hurricane warning, for the second Leah was very sick and nothing was going to get in the way this time. It was 91 degrees, she was cranky, and a sinus infection was lurking its ugly head, but we got through it and the results were great. There were too many to choose for this post, my favorite ones were her serious expressions where you can capture her stunning features. Am I bias? But isn't this one beautiful child?

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

2009-04-28T19:47:00.006-04:00

Leah is into everything! There are no barriers great enough for this child. We have tried every type of baby-proofing available and she has figured out how to get into the cabinets and drawers. We have now resorted to trickery and boobietrap-like, homemade devices. My favorite has to be the simple ribbon we have to tie in knots to keep her out of the kitchen cabinets. Here is our Houdini, first a cookie theft where she hid behind her sister's bed where I snagged her, then she got into the watermelon I was preparing to cut up for her.

Cover Girl Leah

2009-04-24T11:49:00.003-04:00

This picture was chosen as the "Photo of the Month" in one of Broward County's neighborhood magazines called the Advisor. No one needed to tell us we had a supermodel on our hands! My friend Lidi submitted the photo and the rest is history. What a proud Mommy and Daddy we are!

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

2009-04-17T09:10:00.008-04:00

A year ago today, we saw Leah's face for the first time. We were so not expecting a referral. Referrals at the time had a LID of January 12, 2006, and we were LID October 19, 2006. Who would have guessed that a simple phone call to Stephanie at GWCA simply to inquire about the special needs program would turn into our referral two days later. Only the hand of God could have led to the gift that is our Leah. The only special need this child had was a desperate need for a family, our family. There aren't words to express the emotion and love I felt for my daughter when I opened Stephanie's email to retrieve Leah's file ( at the time Chen Xiao Xiao) and see her pictures. What an amazing sight she was, and is. People always tell us she is so lucky, but in reality, I feel we are the lucky ones. Of all the children in China, God chose this one to be our daughter, and we could not have chosen a better fit for our family. Every parent thinks their child is special, but Leah is a walking miracle everyday. She was not expected to walk, talk, or develop normally. But I guess love has cured all of her ills. She not only walks, runs, and says more words everyday, she is a "normal", active toddler who keeps us busy and makes us laugh everyday. She is developing within normal range and seems a little advanced in some areas. We have been home for 9 months and she understands both English and Spanish and says words in both languages. The other day, in Spanish, I asked her to say "gracias" to someone who gave her something at the grocery store, well apparently she knew gracias meant thank you because she replied "thanks" in English.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T17:37:00.001-04:00

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-04-11T22:32:00.006-04:00

Leah found coloring Easter eggs was quite interesting. She was very serious and was concentrating on what she was doing. I have never seen her sit in one place for more that a second. The first few eggs were not so lucky. She put her finger through the first one, then smashed 2 by tapping them together as she cheered for herself for walking over to the table without dropping them! Once they were dry and it was time to put stickers on them, she preferred the stickers on her hand.

Update

2009-03-31T07:33:00.003-04:00

Wow! I have been a terrible blogger, well truth of the matter is, my daughter Michelle has been a terrible blogger. She started this blog for her little sister due to my limited computer skills and has failed to keep it up, so I thought I would. Please be patient with me as I learn how to do this. Posting pictures is another thing! Don't expect them too soon!

OK, the official update is: the Suita home has been quite busy. I am taking a college course to renew my certification, lots of homework, Danny had the flu, we finally finished moving my mom to Century Village, Leah continues going to "Gymnastics" and her Friday "Art" class. Luckily she only has Speech and Occupational therapies once per week and a behavioral specialist sees her once per week as well. Michelle has been really busy with work and school. Leah is doing remarkably well. Developmentally she is just about all caught up. Speech is the only part taking longer but is coming along. She is hearing bith english and spanish at home and seems to understand everything is just 7 months. We are awaiting the date for her hearing test and the Dr. thinks she has mild(correctable) hearing loss. which explains part of the speech delay. (Then again, her brother did not speak until close to three and look, he's a genius now!) Ed has been busy at work and also catching up on lots os stuff around the house. The dogs are there, Chloe getting old with attitude, and Roxy is the only one in the house as wild as Leah. Well, hopefully this entertains you for a while, Leah is getting into everything while I do this, so I will post more later

American Apparel Model???

2009-01-07T21:00:00.001-05:00

2008-12-24T13:21:00.001-05:00

The Suita Family wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas. For the first time in 20 years, we will not be hosting Christmas Eve dinner, it will be at my sister's house. Although it felt odd, I am very grateful to not have all the extra work on Leah's first Christmas home. I will be able to enjoy it peacefully, as the Birth of our Lord should be celebrated.

Readoption

2008-12-18T11:04:00.003-05:00

1st Day at School

2008-12-18T10:44:00.003-05:00

Leah started preschool in November. it was traumatic for mommy, but we knew it would be good for her and she really missed being around other kids. She only goes 3 times per week for 3 hours. She cried for only a few minutes at drop off but her teacher says she would be fine the rest of the day. It took exactly 4 weeks for her not to cry when dropped off. She seems to really like it now. these pictures are of her first day getting ready to leave the house for school, like a big girl, with a back pack.

1st Trip to the Zoo

2008-12-04T20:13:00.005-05:00

We took advantage of great weather and drove to Metro Zoo. Leah's favorite part were the flamingos at the entrance. She kept pointing at them and didn't want to leave the area once we had had enough of "flamingo watching"

Our 2 girls at the zoo

Carefully studying the zebras

Although we have a house full of giraffes, the real ones were a little bigger than Leah imagined. She decided mommy would feed and she would watch

1st Trip to Disney

2008-12-04T18:41:00.006-05:00

Not even 10 minutes in Magic Kingdom and she falls asleep.

More Halloween Pix

2008-11-13T18:21:00.004-05:00

Leah's First Halloween

2008-11-13T17:47:00.000-05:00

Leah was a fairy princess for her first Halloween. It was a crazy day. We tried to fit in too many things. We went to Weston Town Center with friends, Lidi and David, no sooner than we get there, which was a challenge to begin with, we realize, the event for the children, music, etc, is OVER! After wrestling the kiddos back in the stroller, it starts to suddenly and out of nowhere POUR! Needless to say, we left Weston and headed for home, where there was no sign of rain. Ed decided to take Leah trick or treating in the wagon. That was fun but Leah was clueless as to why we had to stop in every house and for no reason at all people were giving her candy we were not allowing her to eat. Back on the homefront Michelle was preparing the house to frighten the 4 children that came to our house this year. Underneath her scary Grudge costume, she was dressed in her real costume for a party she went to later that night with friends.

Update

2008-09-21T21:49:00.001-04:00

I will post pictures of Leah's Baptism & First Trip to Disney soon!

Leah & Roxy

2008-08-12T00:20:00.002-04:00

Leah didnt understand that that is Roxy's toy and that Roxy was playing with her. Leah was getting angry. Notice her face at the end of the video when she's hitting Roxy.

Poor Roxy...

<3

2008-08-12T00:02:00.003-04:00