I was telling Abbie that I have to go to my friend Cindy's salon tomorrow and get my grey hairs colored brown again. Abbie asked, "Why?" I told her, "Well, those grey hairs make Mommy look old, and Mommy's not old, is she?"

"No, Mommy, you're new!"

Thanks, Sweetie!

May I Recommend...

LL Bean's Junior Book Pack!

All my girls are very petite for their age, especially compared with their American-born classmates. When it came time to shop for a backpack for Hannah to take to Kindergarten, well, they were huge! I'm not kidding - almost as big as she was! Then my friend, Betty, told me about LL Bean's Junior Book Pack. That summer, we were visiting Al's family in Maine, so we stopped by the LL Bean Store (a little piece of heaven right here on earth, thank you!). Hannah tried a few on and they were the perfect size for her! They are still large enough to hold standard-sized folders, notebooks and binders - there's just less empty space. And at $19, they're an incredible value! You can get backpacks a little cheaper at Target and WalMart, but they're not nearly as well-made. Hannah's has lasted through Kindergarten and First Grade, and she'll use it this year for Second Grade as well - it still looks great and all the seams are intact. Today I ordered one for Rachel to take to Kindergarten. They come in solid primary colors and a few really cute patterns. No, no Hello Kitty or Barbie, but hey, kids go through those phases pretty quickly anyway!

So for those of you with children who are a little smaller - especially many of our "China Girlfriends", I highly recommend these backpacks when it's time for school!

We Found Her "Currency"!

Abbie, though completely capable physically, has had no interest in using the potty. I have tried all the tricks, including M&Ms and other bribes. When I told her that she needed to use the potty consistently in order to go to preschool in the fall, her reply was, "That's OK, I don't really want to go to preschool." (Insert frustrated Mommy sounds here.)

So a couple of weeks ago, I found a local church that was holding a VBS that included preschoolers as young as three years old. So all three of my girls would be able to attend. As long as Abbie was potty trained. So I did what any self-respecting Christian mom would do - I prayed. And I admit, not just because I wanted Abbie to have the VBS experience (though I knew she'd love it), but also because it would be good for me to have a little break - just three hours a morning for five mornings. That's it. Lord, please let her use the potty so she can go to VBS and I can get some extra stuff done without all the extra "help"!

I approached Abbie with the plan. She would learn to use the potty over the next two weeks, and then she could go to VBS with her big sisters - just like the Big Girls! "But Mommy," she replied, "who will stay with you while we're all at VBS?" I saw where this was going. Me: "Ummm... uuuuuhhhh..." Abbie: "No, I don't want to go to VBS. You'll be lonely." Oh, honey, really, I'll manage!

But then, she gave it a little thought, and said, "OK, I want to use the potty!" Hallelujah! Day One was a Monday, and she stayed dry all day! Granted, she went potty about a hundred times, managing to squeeze out a couple of drops most of those times. Did I mention that I sweetened the deal with an M&M each time she went? Being the generous little soul she is, she insisted on giving each of her sisters an M&M, too, to help her celebrate. Day Two was dry, too! Day Three, there were a couple of accidents. Then for the rest of the two weeks she was totally dry! Woo hoooo! It seems we have, in the words of Dr. Phil, "found her currency", her motivation, the thing that will do the trick! She, and her sisters, are having a wonderful time at VBS, and we have tackled potty training in the process!

So, am I totally nuts to be a little sad that another one of my children is growing up and becoming a "Big Girl"? It was nice not to have to spend money on Pull Ups the last couple of weeks, but boy, my baby isn't a baby any more! Oh, and her little fanny looks so tiny in her pants without the extra padding! And she loves her new Tinkerbell panties!

Thank you, Dear Daughter!

Yesterday morning, as I was running around preparing breakfast for the girls, Hannah studied me carefully and said, "Mom, you're the size of a teenager!"

She's still wondering why I gave her such a huge hug...

Our Own Little Chess Club

A few weeks ago, Al introduced Hannah to chess. He was a member of the chess club when he was in school, and he often wishes he had friends to play with now. It appears he has found a worthy opponent! Well, she's just learning, but she absolutely loves the game! And she hasn't just memorized how each piece moves - you can see she's actually working on strategy. "If I move my whatchamacallit here, Dad can move his thingamajig there." Recently, Rachel and Abbie were playing outside, but Hannah opted to stay on the deck with her Dad and play a few games of chess - she loves it that much! And we bought a beautiful set in China that they have been enjoying.

Your move, Dad!

Concentrating...

Recently, Rachel asked me to put her hair up in ponytails. This surprised me, as she usually runs screaming from the room if I even show her a hairbrush. Doing her hair for her ballet recitals is usually a nightmare - for both of us. So I was excited to seize this opportunity to do something cute with her hair!

When I was finished, I told her to take a look in the mirror. I asked her how she liked it. She replied matter-of-factly, "I think I look a little bit gorgeous."

Unfortunately, she hasn't let me do anything fun with her hair since...

100th Post!

My friend Debbie once mentioned that she can gauge how busy I am by how much I post to the blog. Evidently, I've been very busy lately! But I did have to mention that this is my 100th post! Some bloggers do something cool for their 100th post, like making a list of "100 Interesting Things About Me". Not only did I find that rather self-indulgent, but I ran out of material at about Interesting Thing #8. Some bloggers hold a comment raffle, where, if you post a comment to the 100th post, your name gets put in a hat, and the blogger (or one of her children, as is often the case) draws a name for a nifty prize. Frankly, I don't have anything nifty to give away without a trip to the store, so that's out. So, I'll just close this 100th post by saying thank you for dropping by and visiting our little corner of the world! And maybe someday I'll hold a little comment raffle!

Hannah's Birthday Sleepover

Last Friday night, Hannah had a few of her friends over for a birthday sleepover party. It was a wonderful time! The girls played outside, ate pizza and strawberry shortcake and drank root beer floats, did a craft, and gorged themselves on cheese popcorn and Doritos while watching "High School Musical" in their jammies. They finally fell asleep around 11:30 (I suppose it could have been worse). Also, one of the girls' little brother spent the night, as their parents were at a benefit that evening. I really expected to have to drag them out of their sleeping bags the next morning, but they were all up by 6:30 (lucky thing I had my coffee by then!).

At one point, while we were watching the movie, Hannah turned to me and said, "Mom, this is the best party ever!" That made all the preparations and lack of sleep more than worth it!

Hannah, Lydia and Stacey sitting on top of our play house!

The happy birthday girl!

For a craft, the girls decorated men's undershirts to make nightshirts to take home!

The girls (and Joshua) enjoying "High School Musical" and junk food!

Breakfast the next morning.

I also have to state for the record, that these children were all a delight to have in our home! They were very well behaved, extremely polite, and kind to the little ones. Their parents are doing a great job raising them, and they are all welcome in our home any time!

Daddy Daughter Dance, First Grade

Hannah and Al attended the Daddy Daughter Dance at Hannah's school last Saturday night. They had a very special time together! Rachel was really upset that she couldn't go, too, even though I tried to explain to her that she would be able to attend next year when she was in Kindergarten. So while Al and Hannah were at the dance, I took Rachel and Abbie to Portillo's for dinner. It seemed to make Rachel feel better!

Don't they look great?

Gotcha Day Party

We celebrated our seventh Gotcha Day with several of the families we traveled to China with. As I have said many times before, these families have become our dearest friends, and it's wonderful to see how close our children are to one another as well!

Hannah decided to wear a Chinese dress in honor of the occasion.


We tried to recreate the Red Couch Photo...

...and then added big and little sisters!


Just had to share this one! Even the little sisters have become the best of friends! Here is Rachel with Michelle, Amy's little sister.