Pictures from Christmas

Christmas in Syracuse

Santa found us at Nanny's house. And he was very good to all. Elisabeth got a new computer (the new XO kind where 1 gets sent to Africa and the buyer also gets one), a cell phone, new Heely's, a new jacket, clothes, a guitar game for her Wii, Uggs, and many other little things including a great stocking from Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Shane :) Her grandparents and aunts/uncles spoiled her silly. Isabella got a Red Flyer push wagon, Elmo toys, Little People ark, talking teddy bear, clothes, and a stocking from Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Shane. We have had a wonderful time playing with Liam and Lucy and will miss them very much when they all leave on Friday night. I will post pictures tomorrow....

The cutest things kids say and do....

Say..
Elisabeth shared with me the reasons why she wanted to get married. Here they are...
1. She wants a big diamond ring.
2. She wants to wear a pretty wedding dress-no lace, though.
3. She wants someone to catch the mice in her house for her.

Do..
We now lovingly refer to Isabella as a "CCD" - Candy Cane Destroyer. Every, and I mean every, candy cane she sees-she ripes it off the tree, breaks it in half, and sucks the life out of it. She will do this in private and public, fruit flavored or peppermint.

Getting ready for Christmas

This morning we went to the Corner Room for breakfast with Santa. Isabella has seen Santa Claus at least 100 times and prefers to continue to see him from far, far, far across the room. I tricked her into sitting on my lap close to him for the picture. Today, lucky for us we got a table near him so she could stare while we ate. Unfortunately, he left at 11 so our quiet breakfast was cut short :( This evening, I got time away with a friend. WHOOOOOO HOOOOO!! Todd stayed home with the girls while I went out to eat and shopping. Walking around the mall with no stroller and no whining was heavenly. We were supposed to get hit with a whopping 2-4 inches tonight but it looks like we are only going to get a little sleet. People around here absolutely FREAK at the thought of snow. They buy their milk and bread months before the "bad" weather hits and then nothing happens. Syracuse gets a foot of snow and life goes on.

Only 10 days left until Christmas!!!

Nanny's Visit

While Todd is away in Georgia on a golf trip, Mom decided to come down to PA and have an 'all girls' week. We went to church yesterday and then to The Garden's restaurant at the Penn Stater. It is a super huge buffet (the good kind) that made us all extremely ill. Isabella found the reindeer in the lobby and decided to climb on for a little ride.

I added a photo of Isabella and Elisabeth last year....how Isabella has changed :) Elisabeth is still a beauty, if I do say so myself!

36 hours and counting.....

since the last we diaper!!! How cool is that?? I am sure she could backslide or have accidents but WOW!! She did attempt to poop today in the middle of lunch but I grabbed her and got her to the toilet on time. She also enjoys watching others, mainly me, use the potty. Today she was standing there and all of sudden she screamed "poopy" (which she uses for pee pee) and started jumping up and down and clapping for me. It has been awhile since I got applause for going to the bathroom :)

Somewhat formal photos

This is my attempt at 'at home' photos. It didn't go so well. Elisabeth was the perfect model-Isabella was the complete opposite. After a full bag of M&Ms, promises of kitties, and many threatening remarks, these are some of the good ones and funny ones!!

Christmas Photos

I got weak this weekend and bought Isabella the most adorable Christmas outfit-a red skirt with fur trim and attached panties and a matching jacket. I tried the skirt on her last night to see if it fit then took it off before bath time. She decided she would put it back on-by herself. Wrong end, Isabella.

Pee Pee on the Potty

We have attempted to start potty training Isabella...don't tell my doctor, though. She would have a cow! We also aren't obsessed with it-if she goes, she goes. She does hold it for 2 or 3 hours at time and she knows how to wipe. I took her diaper off the other day and she waddles over to the baby wipes (she had on a dress and tights), got one out, and proceeded to wipe herself. She is too funny! She points to the toilet and says 'poo poo' and then to the candy and says 'm m'. She doesn't quite get it that you have to actually PEE before you get a candy. I think we will eventually end up with owning stock in Charmin and Hershey's and still have her in diapers :)

Elisabeth is also doing well...she just got an A+ on her States test...she had to memorize 16 states, spellings, where they are, and their capitals :) She is so smart!!! She and Isabella have set up a restaurant in our living room (lucky me). Well, Elisabeth sets things up and Isabella destroys them:) Elisabeth has also started playing with her dolls again...I couldn't find Isabella this morning (yes, Mom, I had the gate shut at the top of the stairs) and she was in feeding Elisabeth's doll a bottle. I am hoping she starts loving dolls-Elisabeth has every Lee Middleton under the sun!

Isabella's Trip to Build-a-Bear

Elisabeth, thanks to my father, has an entire collection of Build-a-Bear animals....clothing for every season included. Why would a reindeer need a bathing suit?? Anyway, Mom decided it was time to start Isabella's collection seeing that Dad has Elisabeth covered. The only thing about Isabella is that if she doesn't like something, she lets you know right away. We walked into the store and showed her the kitty cat. You can see her reaction from the pictures....and no, Nanny did not spring for summer or winter wear :)

More pictures of our holiday...

Here are pictures of Isabella eating spaghetti at Spaghetti Warehouse. It was about 7 pm at night and she was STARVING!!

Thanksgiving 2007

We made it safely to Syracuse last night and had a wonderful meal with my Mom and Dad today. It was quite difficult being without the mall but Mom and I are planning on being up at the crack of dawn to get our shopping done :) Elisabeth thoroughly enjoyed the apple pie and Isbabella attempted to help Nanny knit a sweater!

Kids and dogs

One of Isabella's favorite things to do is cuddle with our dogs. Unfortunately, 2 of them don't appreciate her affection. Maggie and Thomas, both Peke-a-Poos, were here long before the kids came. Blake, a Brussels Griffon, is much more tolerant :) As you can see from the picture, Maggie (the brown one) is growling. She is a female...need I say more???

New Look....

Big changes are happening around here...starting with my 'new look'. Do you like?? Also, I decided to password protect my blog for awhile in order to keep Isabella's story away from those that are questioning how she came to be with us. The entire Vietnam/American international adoption community is buzzing about the recent NOIDS (notice of intent to deny an adopted child's admittance into the US) and most are putting the blame on the agency AND the parents who chose the agency..without having a clue WHY the NOIDS were issued. We happened to have adopted through one of those agencies and although we remain supportive of them and sure of the legality of Isabella's adoption, I just don't want everyone reading her story and making accusations. Truthfully, those that are pointing fingers and being all high and mighty are really pissing me off. So, for now, only invited readers will have the opportunity to view my incredibly funny and informative blog :)

Laughter....

Last night while I was making dinner, Elisabeth and Isabella decided to strip down and dance. I had the immence joy of listening to this while I completed the very mundane job called 'cooking'.

HELP THE BABIES

There are 4 families who recently received NOIDS which, in essence, means the United States government will NOT give them VISAS which allows the babies to come home from Vientam. The reasons are unclear but has something to do with the orphanage side of things. No matter what the reason, though, these families are grieving and needing to begin their lives WITH their little ones. Please go to the following website, click on SAMPLE LETTER, print them out, and then mail them to the addresses indicated. This will only take a few minutes but will send out a HUGE message to the right people. THANK YOU

www.bringedenhome.com/

Cyber Boutique for World Child Orphanages

We are starting something new and fun on the World Child Vietnam Yahoo Group and because I can't send out the pictures to everyone that is a member, I need to use this blog to post the information for everyone!!! We will be selling quilts and other things made in Vietnam to raise money for the orphanages. Some of the money will be designated for the Tet fund since that is getting close but they are also getting ready to redo the floors at Bac Ninh for the HIV and baby rooms. WC needs to raise $6125 for that!! Either way, it goes for a good cause. I received one of these quilts, a wall hanging for Halloween, from a friend and it is beautifully done and very colorful:) Check out the attachments and check below for the pricing of each quilt. Please make your checks out to World Child Foundation and mail them to:

World Child

18627 Brookhurst Street #368

P.O. Box 9200

Fountain Valley, California 92708

All quilts and wood items are handmade!

The quilts are done by a cottage industry run by a family WC knows. JJH actually supplies a lot of the designs to them and then they make the quits, we buy them, sell them, and return the profits to the orphanages. The money in the first place goes to support mostly women in areas where otherwise they would not be able to work. Then the profits go to support the orphanages. And again, they area all hand done to a very high standard. The wooden boats are also hand made in VietNam. They are from the South and are all over the place there. It is a traditional handicraft in VietNam.

Saigon 2007 QUILT (4 available) $85.00 + $20.00 shipping/insurance
•Tabs can be used for hanging on the wall or they can be taken off the tabs to use as a throw or a baby quilt
•It is 47 inches by 51 inches

Mother Goose QUILT (4 available) $75.00 + $20.00 shipping/insurance
•Tabs can be used for hanging on the wall or they can be taken off the tabs to use as a throw or a baby quilt
•It is 43 inches by 47 inches

Sunbonnet Sue QUILT (2 available) $75.00 + $20.00 shipping/insurance
•Tabs can be used for hanging on the wall or they can be taken off the tabs to use as a throw or a baby quilt
•It is 47 inches by 47 inches

Boats (15 available) $15.00 + $10.00 shipping/insurance (same price for 2 boats)
•Come on a built-in-stand
•It is10 inches by 9.5inches

Barbie Girl Video

While in Vietnam, we would spend many nights down in the lounge of our hotel listening to a group of nightclub singers. When they would see us come in with Isabella, they would always sing "Barbie Girl". She was only 2 months old at the time but for some reason she LOVES it! Todd found the video on YouTube and she wants us to play it over and over....

Halloween 2007

Halloween this year was a hit!! The partying started at Elisabeth's school ... Elisabeth was a gothic vampiress and Isabella was a bumblebee. After dinner, we went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood...Elisabeth got dressed up again (we tried the fake blood dripping down her chin but she hated the taste) and Isabella was a unicorn (Elisabeth's outfit from when she was little). Isabella LOVED collecting candy and would continue to grab candy and put it in her pumpkin as long as the neighbor gave her access to the candy bowl. She got us some good candy, too!!! As you can see, the family will be on a sugar high for the next year!! Elisabeth suggested we just save it and hand it out next Halloween :)