Thankful Thursday

This will be a short one because tomorrow is a VERY special day and I am working on a VERY special post!

I am thankful for:

• My sweet Harry's spiritual soul. The other day in the car, he said, "Mommy, I have a lot of questions only God can answer. When I get to heaven, I am going to ask him all of my questions."


• Will's honest soul. I was giving Will some money that we owed him the other day and he took it for a few seconds and then handed it back to me and confessed that Dad had already given it to him. I saw that he was tempted, considered his options and did the right thing! Good job, Will!


• that Kate did rather well (I think) on her "pre-school" interview yesterday morning. She will not be attending pre-school for a while but they invited her to come work with the Montessori materials this morning while they observed her. I had NO idea how she would do but I think she did great! She was very interested in the work and although she did not want to take turns, she ended up being very patient and well behaved. In fact, she does not play with toys much at all, so I might make some pouring, spooning, cutting work to entertain her at home! It was kind of funny because when I put Kate on the waiting list for this school (Harry went there too) we did not have a name yet. So her application reads...Baby Girl Ourlastname.


• that my husband is very understanding of how hard it is some days to stay home with a toddler. Some days, it is great but some days it is lonely and boring. He gets that.


• for the sweet and encouraging note my friend Leslie sent this week.


• for all the kind and uplifting comments people leave here everyday. They really mean a lot to me.

Finally, I am thankful for my smart and dexterous little girl. The other day, I needed to run down to our basement for a second. I shut the door behind me so Kate would not fall down the steps. We just put these door handle safety gadgets on it because Kate can open the door knob now. Well, these are not really designed for the kinds of knobs we have and they can accidentally push in the lock. So, I was locked in the basment and Kate was wandering around upstairs. I went outside and walked up to the kitchen door. Luckily, Kate came immediately to the door and laughed at me. I asked her to unlock the door and let Mommy in. She waved and blew kisses and laughed. After a few more requests, she unlocked the door and let me in. I am so thankful for that!

Valentine Jammies

Little Miss Kate was freshly bathed and her in new Valentine Pajamas (50% off here). I wanted to get a picture and she was working it for the camera. She would do some poses and then come sit in my lap to see them. It was hysterical! I asked her to lay down and put her face on her hands like this and she did it perfectly! Then, she sang the itsy bitsy spider while I snapped away (with Dave accompanying her). What a ham! I put them all in a slideshow below but these top 2 are my favorites (in case you don't have the time or interest to sit through the slideshow).

She was doing well on the potty and now she cries and REFUSES to sit on it. Every time we get her to sit on it---we have success. It is like she is taunting me, "I can do it. I just don't want to." Maybe it was/is too soon. Not sure what to do. Parenting is so humbling. Even though I have done this twice before I still don't know what to do.

My Latest Obsessions

I love when people share some of their favorite finds. So, here are some of my latest great finds.

When winter comes, I crave more fattening foods. I think it is because it is cold and my body craves fat to keep warm. These are SO good that I must share them with y'all.

These spinach, bacon, cheddar and egg souffles are from here. They are so incredibly wonderful. I do not want anyone telling me how unhealthy these are. I love them. So, please do not ruin my love affair. I find myself craving them and making excuses for being near them in the morning. Sometimes as Kate and I are patiently waiting in line, they sell out of the last one. My heart just sinks. That is how good they are. If you are worried about fat, don't try them. Because once you try them, you will be hooked!

Dark Chocolate Almond Laceys
I have always loved this style of cookie and I want to learn how to make them. I get these at Whole Foods and they are delish! I could eat a whole container in one day (but I don't).

I got this sweater in navy blue here. It is SO cute. The buttons are white knots. I love all of the navy blue that is out for Spring. This color is cute too...I just have a lot of green and I am trying to expand my horizons.


And of course, I need to share one of my favorite little girl dresses. These are from Princess Linens.

Kate has this dress in chocolate and blue corduroy (see below). It is adorable and we will be getting one for summer in the pique fabric. Apparently, Suri Cruise has the one above (but hers is not monogrammed).

They do run small, so order a size up. I will be getting Kate a size 3 and most of her clothes are either 24 months or 2. The one she has on below is a 2 and it fits perfectly but there is no room for growth.

And last but not least...I know I am really late to jump on this bandwagon but I LOVE this show.

Jon and Kate plus 8

Whenever, I feel overwhelmed, I just go to my DVR and watch how overwhlemed Jon and Kate are. They make me laugh and they make me feel so much better. Actually, I am in complete awe of how Kate manages to get everything done. I think she is a great Mom. How does she do it? I also love to watch Jon and Kate snap at each other. They love one another and they get over it so quicly. They seem very real. And even with all of those kids, they eat organically. Kudos to them!

What a weekend!

Someone decided she wanted to use the potty! The other day, Kate took me by the hand to the bathroom and indicated she wanted to use the potty. I immediately put her on, but she got scared because it was too big. So, I called Dave and said, "Bring home a potty!" Today, Kate wanted to sit on it and she did both kinds of business in it. (I never thought I would post about such things but I am SO proud of her! She is only 19---okay, almost 20 months old). So, I have bought the little panties (Dora and princesses) and the reward M&M's--we'll see how it goes? Wish me luck!

(Any tips on girl potty training are welcome ---I only have boy experience.)

The bilingual talking Elmo Potty!

Elmo says encouraging potty statements in both English and Espanol.

A certain other little peanut lost BOTH of his top front teeth this week.

A root beer float was part of the celebration of this very important milestone!


We met one of the families from our travel group in town for dinner.

It was so much fun.

The gang---my boys made lovely faces:(

Isn't Lily beautiful?

Kate LOVED Emma's pink DS with puppy stickers! It doesn't get any better than that.

Right after these pictures, Miss Kate ran around and took a BIG fall. Her pretty little forehead now has a BIG purple egg and gash on it. Poor thing! And the weekend is only half over:)

Thankful Thursday

(These photos are old but I don't think I ever posted this collage and I came across it this week.)


I can honestly say that I am always thankful for my life. I am not a jealous person because I believe that we all have our joys and we all have our pains. I feel incredibly blessed because I think I have it pretty darned good. I certainly have much more joy than pain. However, sometimes I realize it is Thursday and I am "reaching" for something to write about being thankful for. Even if I don't post every single week, I force myself to think about what I am thankful for that week. It really does make me realize how very lucky I am.


So, this week I am thankful.....


~that I am beginning to come out of the fog. Next week will be a year since our referral for Kate. She has been home almost 10 months. I simply cannot put into words the love I have for her but she has really thrown our family for a loop. Or as my sweet hubby likes to say, "Kate kicked our butts." What do I mean? Well, for our family, going from one child to two was a piece of cake. It really was. But since Kate has come home, we have had trouble catching our breath. Her security and adjustment has been our first priority and EVERYTHING else has taken a backseat. I used to read a few books a week. I have read 2 books since she's been home (unless Fudge and Superfudge by Judy Blume count?). We used to have a date night almost every week. I think we have had one or two in 10 months. We used to entertain a lot and we are just starting to do that again. I am not complaining. I am not sure I even noticed it happening. But what I have noticed is that I am starting to read again and we are trying to find a sitter and have date nights again. I finally feel as though Kate has adjusted and we are adjusting too. I am coming out of the fog and for that I am grateful.


~for the wonderful community of Moms at MOPS. Today, I was the speaker at Mops. I was invited to talk about marriage and communication. This has been on the calendar for several months. As luck would have it, Miss Kate refused to go to the nursery this morning. It was not pretty. So, I brought her to the meeting with me. I had tears in my eyes walking into the meeting with her again and thought , "how am I going to get up and speak to all of these women with Kate?" God answered my request and all of my friends and table-mates offered to entertain Kate while I spoke. Kate was an angel. She came up a few times but for the most part, she sat with my friends and was very well behaved. They worked very hard to entertain her and I am so grateful. Thank you fellow Moms for helping us out today:) I know some of you read this now (thanks to Pip);) I am also vey thankful for all of the kind comments people gave me after my talk.


~for the special surprise my friend received today. I am so happy for you.


~for the great time I had this weekend shopping with my friend, Elissa. We went to the big city for a very long day of Spring clothes shopping for our kids. Oh, just wait until you see the bathing suits and dresses I bought!!!!


~for the fun and relaxing dinner we had with friends Sunday night. I had a few glasses of wine for the first time in a long time and we enjoyed entertaining again.


~for the new activity my boys LOVE. They began Judo a few weeks ago and they are just loving it.

~that I have finally figured out how to do my own blog decorating. Thanks to those who gave me pointers. Once you figure it out, it is really fun! I am sure I still have a lot to learn but I can do what I want for now:)

~for the good news that another friend will be coming to visit soon.

See, if you really sit down and think about, there are always things to be thankful for!

Little Miss Sunshine

Well, we had a 5 day weekend due to snow and a school holiday and I am glad everyone (except Kate) is back at work and school today! Here is a little bit of what Miss Kate got up to this weekend. I was doing the laundry and usually Kate Emerson likes to help me transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer. However, since the boys were home, she wandered into their rooms looking for them. She was very quiet. Then Will started laughing and said "Mom, come see what Kate did!" This is what I found.

Uh-oh. How did this happen?



I better clean this up.

After that little episode, Kate discovered a ray of sunshine streaming through Will's room. She thought it was the funniest thing. She tried to catch the dust...I mean sunshine she saw floating in the air.

I love this sunshine!!!
This last one is really out of focus because she was vibrating with excitement.

And in case you are wondering...yes, sometimes Kate does wear a bow when she is in her pajamas. She doesn't like her hair in her eyes:0)

Happy Birthday Girls!

This adorable little girl is turning 2 today!

She is still in China but she belongs to this adorable couple (and their four boys)!

Please join me in wishing Maggie a very Happy Birthday today. Maggie's Mom, Denise will celebrate her birthday on Tuesday. So a very Happy Birthday to her too:) Denise found my blog and e-mailed me and it turns out we live close to one another. We have recently formed a friendship for which I am very grateful. In fact, our families will be celebrating the Chinese New Year together! I cannot wait for Maggie and Kate to meet and play together! We are praying that Maggie will be coming home very soon.

And last but not least...I do believe this beauty, LiLi is also celebrating a special birthday today.

Happy Birthday LiLi!

Thankful Thursday

It has been quite a week! I am thankful...

~for this adroable miniature ladybug teapot that my friend, Amber gave me and Kate. She bought the last one and I have looked everywhere (and on-line) for another to send a certain good friend of mine.

~to several people who nominated me in the past week for the Daily Dose and Blogging with a Purpose awards. I am so deeply touched by each nomination. Words escape me. Because I was distracted with major health issues this week (see below), I was unable to list my nominations and now almost everyone I know has been named. I love all of you guys and would nominate each and every one of you:)

~ that it appears as though Kate does NOT have TB. Kate had a positive skin test for TB so we had to have a chest x-ray. She definitely does not have active TB and it is unlikely she has latent TB. Nonetheless this has been stressful. Apparently, the treatment is really tough. I only post this here because I did not know that sometimes babies adopted from China will get a positive skin test based on an immunization they receive in China. My doctor did know that but apparently there are conflicting professional opinions on whether it really renders the test unreliable. Those of you waiting to adopt might want to tuck this away in case you need it down the road. Apparently there is a brand new blood test that is not clouded by the prior immunization and we will have that done soon.

~I had a difficult medical test this week also and had a severely negative reaction to the medication. I am so thankful however that just moments ago the doctor called to tell me that the pathology report was benign!!! Thank you, God! And thanks to those who prayed for me:)

~that one of my neighbors (Bonnie) rescued me and Kate this morning! It began snowing and I realized we needed some things from the store so Kate and I set out to get them. I grew up in PA and I know how to drive in a little snow so I was not worried. However, my car got stuck in the middle of the road in my neighborhood. About 50 of my neighbors whizzed past me fishtailing and giving me unkind looks as I sat there crying in the middle of the road. I was so afraid that Kate and I would get hit. I still cannot believe how many people just drove by and did not offer to help in any way. Finally, my kind neighbor saw it was me, backed up and drove me and Kate home. I am so thankful to her but so disappointed in the lack of neighborly love.

~that my sweet husband left work to come and rescue us even though we had already been rescued!

~I am incredibly thankful for a message Nikki sent me this week. She sent me this devotional:

Come to me and rest in my loving presence. You know that this day will bring difficulties, and you are trying to think your way through those trials. As you anticipate what is ahead of you, you forget that I am with you - now and always. Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur. Do not multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to me and relax in my peace. I will strengthen you and prepare you for this day, transforming your fear into confident trust. (Matthew 11:28-30; Joshua 1:5, 9)

I do not know Nikki that well (only through the blogs) but I needed that exact message this week. There were several things I was worrying about. I cannot even express in words how much it helped me. Ironically, I had another friend who needed it and I passed it along to her. God works in wondrous ways! Thank you Nikki!

~that American Idol has begun! This is really the only TV show my dear husband will watch with me. Whenever it is on, it is like our little date. I am thankful that the judges are being kinder and gentler this season too.

Confessions of a recovering perfectionist

Shira commented on a recent post that she wishes she could have a little of "my potion for perfection." I smiled and laughed out loud when I read that comment. First, thank you Shira--you actually made my day. Secondly, I have a confession to make...MY HOUSE IS MESSY! And I am disorganized these days!

Yup, that is right. I used to be a perfectionist. Oh yes. My medicine cabinet was alphabetized, my pantry was perfectly organized, there wasn't any goopy stuff on the shelves in my frig! You could drop by my house at any time of day or night and it was pretty immaculate. In fact, one day my husband suggested that we mess things up a bit just to seem more welcoming. A cleaning woman once told me that she heard my house would be the best job to get because it is already so clean.

Those days are long gone. Somehow with two kids I kept it together. I could still get it all done. But oh about 9 months ago that all changed. First, the school papers started piling up. Then, I noticed the receipts from shopping were not getting filed. Finally, there was a lump of clothes on my once pristine closet floor (GASP!). I was driving myself crazy trying to get it all back together. Then I decided to let it go. I thought...I could make myself exhausted and stressed over trying to have a perfect house OR I could get on the floor and play with my toddler. I am on the floor a lot. And yes, you could still drop by any day or night but you'd see a "lived in" home now. I figure it will look this way until Kate is in pre-school. By the way, my closet is still arranged by season and color--light to dark. I am not THAT messy! Although, there are usually some clothes and bags on the floor these days.

Now, if only I could get Kate to do a little more of this...

or this....I might be able to get back to my perfectionistic ways!

Like mother, like daughter.

Happy Birthday Staci!

Today is my wonderful friend, Staci's birthday. Staci is Kate's godmother and was the most incredible source of support and empathy during the three year wait for our adoption. She is one of the best mothers I have ever known. She has four amazing children and she somehow makes time to connect individually with each one every day. I have known her for about 10 years and I have never heard her yell at her kids--ever! That is the kind of person and Mom she is. Staci is the kind of friend everyone needs. I can tell her absolutely everything and she always sees my point of view! I love that about her. She is an incredible listener and amazingly generous. I am so blessed to have Staci in my life. She is one of the most giving people I have ever known. I love you Staci!

Elissa's shower

Yesterday, I hosted a baby shower for my dear friend, Elissa. It was such a nice day and after the shower, Elissa and I went to get pedicures and manicures together. I loved spending that time with her. We cannot wait to meet little Jack Mason!

P.S. I am still in the "playing around" stages of the blog design. I am learning a lot and practicing some things. So, this header is not a final product at all. It is simply my very first attempt.

Quick Thanks!

Even though I am posting less, I want to take time to be thankful. Today I am thankful

~that the killer migraine that rendered me utterly useless yesterday is gone!

~that Kate had a great check-up. She is 50% in weight (25.6 lbs) and 90% in length (33.5 inches).

~that Kate says "I love you" freely now (see below). I feel as though the boys were born loving me but with Kate I had to earn it. It is a great feeling.

~that Will had the confidence to audition for his school play. After his audition, we went out for hot chocolate and went in one of those photo booths and made silly faces for the pictures. It was special Mom and Will time. He has the photos on his bulletin board. Those booths are not flattering to women of a certain age!

~ to Michelle, Denise and Kimberley who all nominated me for blogging awards yesterday. Because I was so sick, I have not had a chance to post about it. But I was honored, touched and humbled. Thank you.

~ Sweet Marina got her referral for her beautiful daughter this week. You must pop over and see her gorgeous Sarah. Congratulations!

~this one is shallow, I know ...but Spring clothes are arriving in the stores and therefore they are arriving at our house too. I don't know how that happens but it does. Check out the adorable shirt in the photo above from the G*P. I love it! Spring and summer clothes are my favorite for Kate Emerson.

She said it!

I have been saying "I love you" to Kate about a million times a day. I sign it to her and I sing it to her and I say it to her. I have dreamt about the day she would finally say it back to me. Will has had success having her repeat "wub you." (Leslie heard it the first time on the phone) My friend, Elissa even got her to repeat it. But my darling, Kate Emerson would not say it to me. Tonight as Dave was carrying Kate to her room to go to sleep, I blew her a kiss and said, "I love you." She blew a kiss back and said, "I love you." I about fell over! Those were the sweetest words I have ever heard!!! I had a tear in my eye:)

So, tonight Tuesday, January 8th at approximately 7:50 p.m. Kate told me she loved me for the first time. Heaven.

One Year Blogiversary!

Today is the one year anniversary of when I began this blog. How time flies! Honestly, I had never even heard of a blog before and then somehow, I came across this adorable family. I think I spent hours reading their story from start to finish. And then I found them and them and I was hooked. It was so wonderful to know that there were so many other families out there going through the exact same things we were experiencing.


So, about a month before our referral I started this blog as a way to share the news and our trip with our long distance friends and family. I never imagined that I would find such a supportive network of Moms and Dads and other adoptive families. I am truly grateful to each and every one of you that has cheered us along on this amazing journey. This blog as been a great outlet for me and it has grown into more than just a way to update our long distance loved ones.

You can click here to read my first post!

Hope

There is a lovely family that needs help to bring a baby home from China. My friend, Kimberley has told me about them. The Mom is sewing these adorable dresses to help make money for their fees. International adoption can be very costly and this family needs to raise money quickly or the file for this child will be returned. Please consider purchasing one (or more) of these dresses to help bring baby Hope home. Hope has a medical condition that is very near and dear to my heart and I hope she can be united with her forever family very soon. Click on the family's website to read more. Or to inquire about the dresses, click here.

This dress is named "The Kimberley" (not after me, although that IS how my name is spelled but after the wonderfully altruistic, Kimberley from the 7th Diamond)

The dresses look adorable and they are a bargain at $20 plus shipping!

Closing the curtains a little

When we lived in Houston, I used to love to walk around our neighborhood in the evenings. The houses were close together and we lived in a great neighborhood. It is the kind of neighborhood where there are adorable 2 bedroom cottages next to behemoth old and new houses. It is a neighborhood filled with professors, physicians, artists, lawyers, widows and young families. Many university students lived in the quarters above the detached garages. We lived near the art museum, Rice University and the medical center so there was an eclectic mix of people.

What I enjoyed most about the walks was not the exercise but peering into people's living rooms for an instant. Being the social scientist that I am, I invented whole life stories in my head for the families that lived in each house. The small darkened homes belonged to single professionals who were workaholics. There was the lonely, eccentric gardener and the vibrant empty nesters with the great art collection.

In many ways, I think blogging is like those walks. We allow people a glimpse into our "living" rooms. I am grateful that I have the opportunity for a glimpse into your lives. We live in a hilly neighborhood of new construction now. The house are spaced far apart and the "great" rooms are all in the backs of the houses. I don't walk often.

I have been surprised how many people peek into this room everyday (anywhere between 400 and 600) and I am happy to share with you all. This month I have a lot going on and I feel like I need to close the curtains a little bit. I blogged a lot in the last month because I wanted a quick and easy way to document Kate's first Christmas at home. Now, I need to take some time to get things accomplished. I am hosting a baby shower for one of my dearest friend's very soon and I need to get ready for it. I will still post but not as much. And I will still peek into your living rooms but probably a bit less for a few weeks.

I wish you all a very happy new year. One thing our family started doing last year was writing down our wishes/hopes/dreams for the coming year. It was fun yesterday to read what we wrote last year. We all hoped to meet "Lili" which is what we called Kate before we named her. She has surpassed all of our dreams! The rest of our wishes were too personal to share here but I was surprised how many of them actually came true. I think if you put something like that down in writing, sometimes you make it happen. I hope all of your hopes for 2008 are fulfilled!

And because I love to post photos...here is one of Kate trying on the shoes of one of Harry's friends. She ended up getting them on and walking around the kitchen. Oh, she is SO cute! She may need a pair of little red Chucks.