Providence Children's Museum

While in Rhode Island visiting my mom, we took the girls to the Providence Children's Museum where they had an awesome time!

Funny how Rachel was completely unfamiliar with this old-fashioned public pay phone, complete with rotary dial!

Can we build it? Yes we can! And we'll look real cute doing it, too!

Hannah loved dressing up in the "olden times" clothes.

Women at work!

They loved this giant mouth in the exhibit about teeth!

This giant lady is actually a huge, comfy chair!

Abbie built some great stuff with the wooden blocks. Note to self: dig out our box of wooden blocks for quiet time.

Cousins!

My cousin David and his wife Kathleen live in Vermont with their four awesome children. We made it a point to get up to visit them for a few days while we were in New England for some great family fun!

Christopher, 7; Mi'Shell (Misha), 5; Nicholas (Nico), 1; Naomi (Omi), 2

Cousins!

We celebrated Misha's 5th birthday while we were there.

Omi sure did enjoy that birthday cake!

Christopher taught Hannah all about video games (what are cousins for?).

Auntie Kaye played Disney Princess Uno with the children (gotta get that game!).

That weekend was Barre Days, and we attended the parade on Saturday afternoon.

When you've got five little girls in the house, you've gotta play dress-up - complete with dancing to the High School Musical soundtrack!


My aunt is a professional artist, and she gave a little impromptu lesson to Hannah, who has been showing a real talent for, and interest in, art.

This was the first time we got to meet Baby Nico. If you know my cousin David, you'll agree that Nico looks just like his daddy!

Hannah and Christopher are wonderful friends! Christopher thinks Hannah is so cool because she likes "boy stuff" (dinosaurs, action heroes, Star Wars) just as much as "girl stuff" (dress-up, Barbies). I think she's the only one he'll let play with some of his Star Wars stuff because she "gets it"!

They had a great time doing "horsey rides"!

Abbie got so worn out on our first full day there that she fell asleep standing up, leaning against the couch!

Mayo Girl

This is what you get when you let your three-year-old put her own mayonnaise on her sandwich...
(HT to Mary at Owlhaven who posted a similar photo of her two-year-old buttering her own bread!)

VBS

We found a wonderful VBS for the girls to attend this summer (this is the same VBS that finally convinced Abbie that using the potty consistently was a good thing!). New Life Church in Yorkville did a fantastic job! We knew nothing about the church or their VBS program, only that they were using this year's curriculum by Group Publishing (we've enjoyed Group's programs in the past, so I knew the content would be good, but what the church's VBS team did with it remained to be seen). There were so many wonderful, enthusiastic, caring adults and teens on that team, and our girls had a super time at Avalanche Ranch! Rachel was really apprehensive about going on that first morning, and nearly cried when I left. Fast forward three hours, and she was crying when I got back to pick her up because she didn't want to leave! "I'm having so much fun!"

On Friday night, they held a party at the church and the different age groups got to perform the songs from the program. Hannah is a natural on stage - she loves an audience! Rachel just looked like she was having fun. And Abbie... well, we've got another ham on our hands. She was probably one of the youngest children in the preschool class - definitely the tiniest. To see her doing all the "moves" with the bigger kids, singing along knowing all the words, well, it was a real treat!

The best part of the week for me, though, was listening to them talk about what they learned in the car on the way home. Hearing all three of my girls talk about how awesome our God is just filled my heart with such joy! They all love God so much and it's inspiring to me!

And for one full week, I had three hours each morning to myself to get stuff done! The biggest task was to take three school supply lists and get as much of that stuff bought as I could. I got everything on those lists - one huge chore done before we left on vacation! I spent over $100 at WalMart, and that was before I bought Hannah and Rachel's gym shoes! I remember when buying school supplies meant getting a cool Trapper Keeper to hold all your stuff and a lunch box with your latest favorite cartoon character on it. We won't even talk about school clothes...

An Anniversary

Well, one year ago today our dossier was logged in at the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing. At that time, it was taking about 12 months from Log In Date (LID) to receipt of a referral. At this point, the projection is more like three years (yes, you read that right). The wait has been difficult at times for me. We've been so busy with the girls that the past year has flown by. On the other hand, there's always the feeling that there's someone missing from our family. And things in China just feel so... I don't know... volatile. So there's another reason I just can't wait to get our Sarah home. I figure that by the time we do get her home, I'll be about 46, and I'll be over 50 by the time she starts school - YIKES! But I just keep reminding myself that God's timing is perfect, and Sarah will be home with us at just the right time both for us and for her. And in the mean time, I continue to enjoy daily life with our three beautiful children who are home with us now...

I'm Back (More or Less...)

I know, I know, I've been gone a long time! Lots to share, particularly once I download a ton of photos! Let's see, there's VBS, Chinese Camp, and a two-week trip to Rhode Island and Vermont to visit my mom and my cousin's family. I should be able to post photos by the end of this week!

In the mean time, I came up with three very helpful "tricks" while on the road (or, rather, flying the friendly skies) with the girls (Al stayed home to work and paint the kitchen). Here they are...

1. I've heard of packing your children's individual outfits in ziplock bags so that each day, you can just grab a bag and hand it to your child and she can be completely dressed without having to dig through various shorts, tops, underwear and socks. A good idea, except my girls' tops outnumber their shorts by about 2 to 1. Instead, I got those huge, 3-gallon bags with the fancy zippers. I put all of each girl's shorts in one bag, all her tops in another, and labeled them with her name. I still had to go through two bags per girl each morning, but it was a lot easier than having to rummage through the stacks in the suitcase, which never stay separated. It especially helped with things like denim shorts, which all look alike! As I did laundry, I just put the clean clothes back into their appropriate bags. Unpacking was a breeze, too. The dirty clothes just went into the suitcase loose, and were immediately taken out and put into the laundry pile. Then I took each bag of clean clothes and emptied it into the appropriate drawer.

2. United Airlines wants each of your checked bags (or in our case, car seats) to have one of their little paper luggage tags attached. But to stand in the baggage check line with three little girls and way too much luggage and about 100 people in line behind you makes it tricky to fill out those little tags with your name and address. I took a bunch of return address labels and stuck them in the outer pocket of my backpack. I just stuck a label onto each tag and slipped it on each bag or seat. Quick and easy!

3. My mom and I wanted to take the girls to the wonderful children's museum in Providence. But I just hate trying to keep track of my three in a crowd of kids. So we didn't go until 3:30 in the afternoon. There were only a few families left, and the girls could enjoy all the exhibits and hands-on stuff without waiting a long time. The museum closed at 6:00, so that gave us a good 2 1/2 hours to enjoy everything, and gave us a definite end to our visit ("We have to go now, the museum is about to close."). I actually got this idea from my friend Sara, who goes to the local pool after 3:00 when the crowds start to disperse (and the sun isn't so hot).

More soon...

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...