Fall Festivities

I'm behind.  WAY behind!

Being a mama and a school teacher gives me precious little time to do anything other than be a mama and a school teacher.  But boy, do I love being a mama!  Just look at what my kiddos have been doing this fall!

We LOVE the zoo!  Here is a cute picture from one of our recent trips to the zoo. 

 

You gotta take a rest at the zoo...it's a big place!

This is a trip we took to a local apple orchard.

 

Miss Y pulling the wagon!

 

 

 

Miss Y checkin' out the apples!

 

 

 

Miss M getting ready to take a wagon ride.

 

 

 

Miss M and Miss Y on the wagon!

 

 

Admittedly, we are not big Halloween people.  As long as we keep it friendly, fun and not icky/scary/gory, I'm okay with it.  Neither one of the girls likes seeing the scary decor in the stores.  They both turn and walk the other way. 

On the big day, the girls had fun dressing up and collecting sugary treats!

 

Miss M as "Dancing Olivia" and Miss Y as a zebra.

 

 

Miss M (Little Miss Plan Ahead) decided in August that she wanted to be "Dancing Olivia".  Not just Olivia, but Dancing Olivia.  If you don't know who Olivia is, check this out.  She was determined to have a fun costume, and we had a great time shopping for costume pieces!

 

This was all so new to Miss Y, and she wanted to be another famous character, but decided on being a zebra.  We had a great time hunting for "zebra wear".  She even has a tail made from a zebra scarf (sorry that didn't make it into the photo!)  Baba made the zebra top from a white zip hoodie and a thick permanent marker.  Go Baba!

 

 

Miss Y's Birthday

We were very blessed as a family to be able to celebrate Miss Y's first birthday at home.  We had family and friends gather for the celebration.  There was a pinata, gifts, cake, and fun!

 

The requested birthday cake style.

 

 

 

 

How does this thing work?

 

 

 

Having fun with a favorite birthday gift.

 

 

 

First Day of School!

Today was Miss Y's first day of school!  We are so proud of her!  Baba took her to school and walked her to her classroom.  She had her backpack, her lunch, and everything she needed for school.  Miss Y had met her teachers more than once, so she knew who she would be spending the day with. 

 

The official First Day of School Photo

Of course, Mama was worried all day!  I prayed - a lot!  Oh, how I wished I could have been a fly on the wall!  When the day was done, Miss Y walked to my school.  She had so much to tell me! 

We are so proud of Miss Y and how much she has grown in the short time she has been home.  I praise God for her!

We are also so thankful for our school staff.  They have made great efforts to make Miss Y feel comfortable and happy at school.  They have had some wonderful ideas and have made sure she is getting the support she needs to be successful in school.

Miss Y is growing so much on the inside.  I am so proud of her, and I am so blessed to be her Mama!

Pizza!

Miss M is quite certain she can cook.  She cooks for her babies all the time, so of course she can cook. 

Miss Y was quite certain she could not cook.  Well, I was out to prove that theory wrong!  (Hee, hee!) 

Cooking does not have to be complicated or difficult.  Miss Y's first cooking lesson was making tortilla pizzas.  She was resistant at first, but she really had a great time. 

These pictures are the pre-baked final product.  Both girls have asked to do this again!

Miss M, clearly proud of her culinary skills.

Miss Y, looking forward to eating, but not thrilled that Mama captured this on camera!

Both girls loved their lunches that day.  There is something about eating what you have made that makes it so good to enjoy!

PT? No problem!

Miss Y is having much success with PT.  Praise God for the wonderful therapist here in our town!  He rocks!  Anyway, Miss Y has several exercises to do daily.  Although she does not like them, she does them.  Sometimes, Mei Mei Miss M helps.  :)

Everyone has their own exercise ball.  That just makes sense, right?

Here Miss M is helping Miss Y with a floor exercise.  She has to roll the ball while propping herself up on her elbow.



Most of the time, Miss Y does her PT on her own, but sometimes Miss M has to be right there in the middle of it all!  For such a little girl, she has great concern for her Jie Jie. 

Way too cute!



Chicago Reunion!

Last weekend, Miss M had a reunion with her "China Sisters", the other girls adopted from the same orphanage on the same day over two and a half years ago. we spent three days in the Windy City with four other wonderful families.

Unfortunately, not all of the families could make it this time, and they were all greatly missed. Miss Y was also with us, and really enjoyed her first major trip since coming home in April. Poor Miss Y sprained her ankle the day before we left, and we spent three hours in the ER. This was her first major injury in life, and she was scared! Yet, all she could think about was going to Chicago! Every few minutes in the ER, she would ask if she could still go to Chicago. She was so excited!!!

Miss M loved the time with her China Sisters! Here are some photos of our weekend!

Dancing at Navy Pier.

Doin' the Locomotion!

Windy City photo.

Both girls!

Miss Y, Miss M, and me at pizza dinner.

We all had so much fun, and it was so hard to leave.  Looking forward to the next reunion and hoping all the families will make it there!

My Little Princess...

Miss M definitely does not act like a "princess", in the way that makes me cringe when someone says "princess".  Her version of being a princess means she gets to wear a princess dress, high heeled dress up shoes (mastered just before the age of 2, I kid you not), a tiara and bling.  The more bling, the better!  (That's my girl!)

Here she is, rockin' the princess look!

She put most of the bead necklaces on right after this photo.  Makes you want a princess outfit, too, doesn't it?