SHELBY DALEANNA - Our wild ride in parenthood

We are moving!

2012-02-07T20:48:00.003-05:00

Well not our house, just the home of the blog!

We have moved.... Our new blog called Scribble that down! is located here.

Hope that you like it and the new style!

Leave a comment over there to let me know you found us!

Decisions.... Good thing I'm not a Judge....

2012-01-28T22:29:00.001-05:00

Well after a bit of consideration, I have decided to move to a new blog after all.... I know it wasn't long ago I said If it ain't broke don't fix it...

Either way, we have moved.... Our new blog called Scribble that down! is located here.
You can always find it by coming here first and clicking on the OUR FAMILY BLOG above in the tabs as well. Hope that you like it and the new style!

Leave a comment over there to let me know you found us!

February No-Spend Month?

2012-01-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

Okay, now how many of you have ever heard of something like a NO SPEND month? C'mon, let's get a show of hands.... Well, to be honest, I never had, until last year... when my friend Amy at Our Family Our Story did hers.... It inspired me to join her this year!

I in turn would like you to join us! What it is basically, is just a way that she devised to save a chunk of money so that she could have a weekend getaway with her husband just by scrimping for 1 month... My goal is to try the same, except that with that savings, we are working toward paying off some debt...

I'm not saying that we are in financial trouble or anything, we are just not where we could be.... or where I would like for us to be... And why should I not TRY to change that! So this was one of my resolutions for the new year!

We will start by doing a few basic things....
1. We will set a budgeted amount of cash aside for spending
2. We will show all receipts for any spending
3. Monthly bills etc, will be paid as normal (no extra stuff though - movie rentals etc...)
4. One trip per week to the grocery store, and only listed items may be purchased (no add-ons)
5. No eating out, No ordering in, We must cook and eat at home. (I think this may be the hardest...)

This doesn't seem like much, but I'm hoping that we will see that we can get by with less. Isn't that a great concept? I will also be looking into ways of saving on groceries and cable/phone/internet... With those being some of our larger expenses I think that if we trim some of them down, the long term savings as well as the simpler options will really begin to make a difference.

So what do you say? Interested in giving it a try? C'mon, what have you got to lose....

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2012-01-26T06:51:00.000-05:00

Welcome back friends! I come to you with good news... No new blog! I will be staying right here and using this one.... why fix something that just ain't broke right!!

In all honesty, I had created and test out an additional blog and just was not happy with what I was coming up with. So here we are and you can look forward to more random gibberish spilling out of my brain....

And now another glimpse of why you all stay tuned....

This was taken the other night while out to dinner to celebrate the year of the Dragon!

So one thing that I was thinking of changing is the name and address of this blog... Anyone done that? I know that they allow it, I'm just wondering if it refers you to the new site, or if it just leaves people hanging.... Leave me a comment if you have any experiences related to that....

Until next time (which won't be all that long..... I promise).

Long Overdue...

2011-12-18T08:48:00.001-05:00

Well my loyal friends... if you are reading this, you are one of the few... the proud... and now the disappointed...

I was trying to get back into the habit of posting, and well... it slipped into the great abyss that many of my hobbies have become. Shelby is doing so well and is so active, that between normal day to day things and just trying to spend more time with her... it's just been busy. No excuses, just happily busy.

We have run the gamut here on this blog, and I've tried to get it printed as a book for us to have a record in the future, however we cannot seem to find anyone that is capable of doing this yet.... Not that there aren't many places that say they can, but it always ends up being too large....

I just must have written too much it seems... So what should we do???

Well, I think that is simple... I will just start writing a bit more.... HA HA!

Seriously though, I am again going to try get better at this. Facebuuk is great, but I like the small bit of anonymity that this blog has provided to me as well as the fact that I am unlimited in the number of characters that I can express myself in. Combine that with the ease in which that blogger has become, and I think that it will be a great way to get rid of some feelings that I tend to carry around lately... So hang on folks, this could be a shift in the direction of the blog.... Or should I just start another and leave this intact as the adoption blog... decisions... decisions.... hmmm...

Stay tuned....

100 Good Wishes Quilt

2011-08-27T08:54:00.000-04:00

Many of you that have been following for a while know that when we had our baby showers we asked everyone to bring a quilt square of material. What most didn't know until at the shower was what on earth we would be doing with them.

Well, let me just say that I am proud to show off the final product! I had fully intended to do this myself, as I have done some creative and challenging sewing projects in the past, but this one really mattered, and I just wanted it to be fantastic, and I think I made the best decision ever in having it made for her instead.

I have pulled together some of the pictures from the process and you can see how it turns out if you cheat and scroll all the way to the end...

This is where it started.

Everyone that brought or sent quilt squares
to her shower contributed to this project.

Silk that we brought back from China.
Traditional Dragon and Phoenix pattern. (this is the dragon)

Silk that we brought back from China.
Traditional Dragon and Phoenix pattern. (this is the phoenix)

A coordinating silk that we also got while in China.

A year and a half later, and the material was still sitting... I had trimmed them and had attempted to lay them out in some type of order to get started, but had no idea how to make this as great as I wanted it to be...

And then I met Amy and her mom from Baby Zebra Designs at a consignment sale... While looking over the toys and clothes I glanced over and was drawn to her unique approach at quilting. Not your normal quilt as far as I was concerned... a modern spin on it and it was exactly what I had been looking for.

I was speaking with her mom about what I was thinking of, and she reached down and pulled out a sketch pad that Amy had been working on while greeting potential clients.... I knew then that this was the way that we would go.

This was the sketch that we started with.

I took that and turned it into a digital version with color and added some things to it to see if she could work with them and make this as special as we hoped. Her hard work and energy on this project was awesome!

We then met again, to deliver the materials and to introduce her to Shelby. I wanted her to meet the woman that would be making this treasure for her... I wanted a chance for their paths to cross and to make a connection so that later in life she might remember this experience from more than just receiving gift.

And then we waited.... but not for long!

Here is what you have all been waiting for....

Golden thread used to make the golden pig, symbolizing the year she was born.

Some extra texture added to it...

This was actually one of the many things that drew me to her work,
I love that she throws in extra textures and fancy stitches
and stuff like this to make it interesting.

July Fireflies Logo

This is the yahoo group for families that submitted paperwork to China in July of 2006. Many of these folks helped keep me sane (or as close as I get) during our wait for Shelby. Some of these same folks are just now on the list to be getting matched VERY SOON! I am still in touch with them through this group and just want to say I am ecstatic about that!

Chinese Characters for LeLe - a pet name given to her by her foster mother.
LeLe = (pronounced La La) meaning Happy, Enjoyable, Music

I tried to incorporate as many things into this as I could,
and just kept coming up with more...
The leaves on the tree are made from more quilt squares, a total of 38,
as that is the number of months that we waited to meet her.

The lady bug (symbol of good luck in Chinese adoption) with the proverb
"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet,
regardless of time, place, or circumstances.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

And now for the big reveal!!!

Words fail me.... Yes... me!

Amy did a wonderful job on this and I am just floored by the results!

I have also included her side of the story below... taken from her F@ceb00k page.

This was taken the day that we picked up the quilt!

Shelby wanted a picture with her and Miss Amy.

Shelby's Wish Quilt
by Baby Zebra Creations

     I just finished making a very special quilt/wall hanging for a little girl who was adopted from China. This was probably my favorite project that I have had the pleasure to create so far.
     I met Chris at a craft show last Spring. She approached our booth and asked if I would be able to make a quilt for her if she provided the fabric. She went on to explain that she had adopted her daughter Shelby from China about 2 years ago and for her shower, she had all her guests bring a swatch of fabric with the intentions of making a quilt. This was to honor a tradition in China for a Wish Quilt (usually made by the child's paternal grandmother) to be presented to the baby at his/her Naming Ceremony (1st birthday). She was overwhelmed by the task and I told her I would gladly help her.
     We came up with block pattern to incorporate her swatches. These blocks would surround a central tree design where each leaf on the tree would also use one of her swatches. She had also purchased some silk while in China and wanted to incorporate that as well. The silk made a lovely frame around the design.
     This project was continually evolving even after construction began! Chris provided artwork for the 4 corners of the quilt: the Chinese symbol for the region of China where her daughter was born, the Chinese symbol "lele"-the pet name Shelby's foster mother gave her, a golden pig for the year she was born, and a logo for a support group for families waiting to be matched. I was able to turn the artwork into embroideries to incorporate them into the quilt.   We also incorporated the Chinese proverb "a single red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break" by turning it into the flight path of the ladybug (a good luck symbol). Even the number of leaves on the tree are symbolic - 38 is the number of months it took for them to be matched.
     Chris and Shelby came by yesterday to pick up their quilt. It was very bittersweet to see it go, but I know it will be well loved! Thank you Chris and Shelby for allowing me to create this very special item for you.

Thank you from the very deepest of our hearts!

We are forever grateful to you for your efforts
and we will treasure this always!

Our Second Gotcha Day - 2011

2011-08-11T07:20:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe it, but Shelby has been in our arms for 2 years now. We treated her to her first movie in a theater... A BIG ONE... an IMAX 3D movie at the Whitaker Center. It was a documentary on baby animals called Born To Be Wild. It was literally so cute to see her reaching out to touch the stuff that she was seeing on screen. Luckily it was just us and a few other families scattered around the theater... she talked the entire movie!

Here we are in the theater after the movie was over...

She loved it!

And the best part... it was only the beginning of the day!

Next stop, the Harsco Science Center in the same building!

Welcome to her store where everything is 5 dollars...

except, 2 pieces... they were 2 for a dollar!

Our little monkey ~~king~~ queen!

She also liked the Hurricane Chamber with the 91 mile per hour winds!

She was dancing and having a blast in the event of an emergency!

I forget the name she gave to this... but she named this thing!

And specifically requested a photo with it.

Hmmm, a future electrician, or engineer maybe?

I'm not sure if her or Daddy had more fun here!

I know that she loved the shape puzzles though...

this was a 15 minute stop!

Then it was to the garage!

You can build your own race car, and then...

Get Ready, to RUN!

Shelby vs. Daddy, (and NO, he showed no mercy)!

Although, this one neither car made it to the finish line...

Caution on the track!

And then I needed the Gotcha Day picture for the year...

Have I mentioned she's 4.... and doesn't sit still for much?

(Hence the need for the high shutter speed.)

This was about as good as I could get!

And yes, she's so photogenic I could just spit!

LOVE this girl with my entire being!

Happy Gotcha Day to you Shelby!

We are so happy that you are with us!

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park

2011-08-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

We took a little day trip last weekend to go to a wildlife park nearby. I know one little girl that cannot wait to go back again! You can visit the Lake Tobias Wildlife Park site here! I will say it was only 10 bucks to get in and take a great safari ride in a topless bus! It really was fun!

Highly recommended!

This guy was more concerned with the banana's that were stashed all over the place than all of the people staring at him while eating!

If you know me at all, you know my affinity for zebras (and giraffe's)!

Don't tell... but I was so close to this guy who just stood there,
that I reached through the fence and touched him!

This little guy was just too cute!

Nana and Aunt Billie getting ready for the safari ride.

I must say... I really like this picture of them together!

My "boyfriend"...

Yes, it's almost pathetic that he's as photogenic as his daughter!

And then we have me and the Little Safari Queen.

I know they look like Ostrich's, but they are called Rhea's...
More importantly... look at all of those babies!

and these are the daddies, not the mommies!

And yes...

Bryan is such a goober that he wanted to taste the animal
wafers that they sell for you to feed the animals from the safari bus....
YUK! He says that it might be good with some salsa on it!

Anything to make Shelby laugh.... he's got a sickness!

Now the rightful owner of the wafer will lick it!

Just look at that tongue!

It was an awesome trip! Cannot wait to go back, maybe in the fall so it's not so "moist"!

Hey man, you got a light?

2011-08-05T06:56:00.004-04:00

No, it's not what your thinking... I just wanted to do a quick posting about a surprise I received in the mail a few days ago....

Apparently the electric company wanted to thank me for using their website! WOW!

You can visit First Energy and go through the Home Energy Analyzer for yourself!

I guess maybe I should have read the actual fine print on the page... because they actually do spell out that you will receive all this....

I had never even heard of a furnace whistle? Apparently if you don't change your filter it will get so clogged up that it will force air through the whistle and you'll WANT to change it then... Neat idea!

We had already started changing over the majority of our lights to the new bulbs, except for the ones we have on dimmers and the ones that need 3 way bulbs... I'm actually waiting to see the new LED ones that they are supposed to be coming out with!

There is also a SMART surge protector that will shut off the extra stuff in your entertainment center that they call vampire appliances... It explains that it will sense when the TV (main plug) is using a large amount of electricity and allow the "vamp" outlets to then get power... but when you turn off the TV (main outlet) it will then cut the power to the others... it does have 2 outlets that are always on, for your cable/satellite box as you don't want to cut the power to them because most download the TV guides and DVR stuff while you don't have the TV on.... How cool is that?

How about you? Do you or would you get excited over light bulbs? or how about that Surge protector?

Tying the knot...

2011-07-16T07:59:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that title is just "stringing you along"... Got any idea what this post is about? Yep it's me... doting on how perfect my little darling is yet again.... Do you ever get tired of that? Trust me, she's not, and neither am I, and we have a pile of dirty laundry sitting next to a basket of clean stuff in the corner of the bedroom to prove it! In all truths, it's been there for about 3-4 days....

But in the interest of the blog, this is what the post is about... Shelby has learned how to tie her shoes! I could almost cry... OK, I did tear up a bit, but I didn't fully cry.... I'm so proud of her, and yet I am just not ready for this to happen... this means that she's growing up... I'm not ready for that!

Here is the video... it's quite cute and I didn't edit it, just because I thought the end was cute!

Don't you think that was adorable?

We had been practicing just a little here and there for about 2 weeks or so, and not that much, as I had a hard time telling her how to do something in slow motion... and Bryan ties them differently, and well.. there just isn't enough time in a day. But alas, she is a persistent little thing and was practicing the other night on the little scarf/belt that was on her shorts... and just "nailed it"... She was so happy, and proud of herself...

My mom had actually bought the little sneakers for her for the summer, and when they were too big, I told her that we'd keep them and by the time she grew into them she'd have to know how to tie them... I guess that was a challenge for her, because she wanted to wear them because they look like big girl shoes. Needless to say, they are still about 1/2 to 1 size too big, but should be OK soon.... She wore them outside tonight to play soccer in the backyard, and didn't trip, so they must be OK....

* * * * *

I also wanted to share a little story about our dinner last night... I wanted to go out for dinner and we decided to try somewhere new... We live in a pretty small town, and there aren't many new places, but there are a few that we've just never been too... This one was Mei Lin's House... I gotta kick myself in the butt for not making Bryan take us there YEARS ago! It was awesome... The moment that we walked in, the owner greeted us, and immediately asked if she was Korean or Chinese... Shelby replied for herself that she was Chinese and that started a fury of questions... Where was she from in China?; How old was she?; What was her Chinese name?....

It was actually a dream come true! I had been wanting to make connections with some Asian families here in town and this lady was friendly, excited and hospitable! Turns out that she is from Fuzhou China as well! Although it is the other Fuzhou... in the Fujian Province not the Jiangxi Province... but still VERY CLOSE to each other...

She then showed us pictures of her kids (a teen daughter, and a son that is only 1 month younger than Shelby) how exciting! She sat us at a table and told us that Shelby would eat free, whatever she liked.... (Wow, she doesn't know how this girl can eat sometimes).... but that was nice!

Then she disappeared and a few minutes later she brought out her parents from the kitchen! She introduced us all and they Oohed and Aaahed over Shelby and she replied with the Xie-Xie that she knew... It was really a cool experience! They brought out a few "special dishes" for us and asked where we lived, and did we want to share our phone number and get together to have a picnic.... CAN YOU SAY AWESOME! That is how the food was too! I have only had that caliber of Chinese food while in China and in Chinatown in Philly! We have a new favorite place! And it feels alot like walking into Cheers (If you can remember back that far)!

Then to add to the evening, as we are getting in the car to leave, a car pulls in and a small boy gets out and he and the driver walk in to the restaurant. Just a few seconds later Mei Lin comes running outside to introduce Shelby to her son! We stood there and talked for a while, letting the kids stare each other down (so cute...) and then agree that we'll get together soon! Chances are that they will go to the same school and that will be great for them to know each other before hand! By this time I was floating on a cloud from being so happy...

It's funny how things turn out like this... We've been going to another Asian place for a long time, and I'd always secretly hoped that we'd get approached like this, and at that place they barely acknowledge that we are there, let alone that we have an Asian daughter... I guess this was just the right time and place to try something new...

What have you tried new lately?

It's going so fast

2011-07-12T20:02:00.002-04:00

Just had to get these posted quick.... T-ball is finished up for the year, and we saw dramatic improvement in the entire team. We were the Bumble Bee's and we had a great time. Now all of the kiddo's are off on their summer adventures and might be getting back together for soccer in the fall.

One of my favorites from the final game.

Still messing around with the new camera...

trying to get a good macro of a Bumble Bee about whooped me...

they are quick little bugs!

We then had a family picnic with a full magic show!

Cousin Tyler won a few bucks for giving correct answers...

Shelby and Samir pointing out that it was up his sleeve!

They were too quick!

Cousin Paige was a great volunteer, for this magic trick!

Brandon... We teased him calling him Brandon Beiber!

He's the oldest of the Great-Grandchildren, and by a few years....

but he always is a great sport about it!

Posted just to bug him... cuz we have that kinda thang!

And a beautiful sunset along the way home!

Does it get any better than that?

Sure it does... you know me!

Enjoy this little video of Shelby's last hit of the year...

We need to work on the speed of her bat, and the speed of her run...

but in her defense, they had all kinda checked out for the day by this time...

SO PROUD OF HER!

Post Number 450!

2011-07-07T21:06:00.004-04:00

Hmmm, what to post for such an important number.... really 450 isn't that fantastic is it? Maybe 500 will be something special? I'll have to start working on that.

I thought that I'd give you just a glimpse of some things that we hear Shelby saying around here.

"I have to wash my Arm-pips." - usually when I am rushing her to finish showering

"Time to do the Oppo-shits." - this was when she was playing soccer? Who knows, but it was hilarious!

"We're going to see a Madishin and the wabbit" - quite cute!

"I got a Wedgie" - this is probably the second most repeated phrase...poor thing, cannot keep them out of her crack....

"I want something that’s good and delicious" - she actually pronounces delicious quite well, and it's cuter than anything I've ever heard!

"NO WONAN!" - This is the number one phrase! and it usually is screamed!

We are still working on that "R" sound.... sometimes she'll nail it and other times, it's a lost cause... That's it, just wanted to get them on here before they disappear...

Gotta love those easy weekends

2011-07-04T09:16:00.004-04:00

Happy Independence Day! We are thoroughly enjoying this laid back weekend! Having some time to spend just hanging out is great. Here is a mere sampling of a few of our activities...

A really great picnic!

Finally being still enough to watch the fireworks.
(This was actually last weekend I forgot to take any at our picnic last night.)

This is what happens when Shelby and Mommy
are home alone together for a little bit too long!

She commandeers my head!

But then I get to see this! That smile of her's....

It's a wonder I get anything done around here...

As promised, here is the T-ball photo as well.

I know, I know.... can she possibly get an cuter...

Answer is... I'm afraid YES.

Check out this video from yesterday's picnic!

Round 1

Not quite big enough to go the entire way down...
We had soaped it up and she flew down it earlier...

But wait it get's better...

Round 2

Needless to say, it was quite the hit.
Our little dare-devil! Not the least bit afraid to try it!

We had to physically remove her from it 4 hrs later... at about 9pm.

I think her toes are still wrinkled!

Hope that you are having a great holiday too!

Beautiful thoughts,,,,

2011-07-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

I was speaking to a co-worker today when I realized that since I had not been posting things to the blog, she had not had a chance to see one of my favorite pictures... and neither have some of you! What a terrible shame... So Marlene, this one is for you! Well, and me (the doting mother of a future super model and lucky wife of that man in the picture).

Isn't that the sweetest baseball picture that you've ever seen! A friend of mine actually took the picture as I was on "bench-mom" duty... And YES we know that the 1st base coach isn't usually supposed to touch the players let alone hold their hands... but darn it that's just too cute! She's growing up so fast! I'll try to post the actual t-ball pictures later this weekend....

I do have to give a quick shout out to some of our July Fireflies that are getting referrals right now though! Wahoo for you! We all filled out paperwork and submitted to China in July 2006 and they are just now referring to some of those families that are still waiting. Here is a link to their site if you want to stop over and say Hi!

What's for dinner?

2011-06-30T07:01:00.001-04:00

It's me again, back to the goofyness of my work day... Yesterday the highlight of my day was on the radio when I heard this: Radio Ad !! I'll let you go and listen, but come back when you are finished!

Momentary pause in conversation....

Now I'm totally ignoring the creepy remarks.... This has got to be one of the best moves yet for the beef association.... Sorry to all the veg-heads that read this... I love them too, but I love me some steak! And now they may have just topped the Sam Elliot voice that I have loved so much.... (maybe a little too much, if you ask Bryan), with Matthew!

Wow! That marketing department better get a HUGE raise! What are your thoughts... Do you feel like grilling somethin? Mmmm!

Silliness is the name of the game

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000-04:00

Just have a few moments quick to jot this down, but I just had to share this picture... It's a cell phone camera, so don't be to picky with the quality...

Shelby and I were out "scoopin' the poop" while we let Ronan run off some energy... We basically walk a grid in the yard to look for stray dog poop that we may not have cleaned up yet. It's not that bad really! She actually likes it!

Anyway, we picked a flower and then the magic started happening.... you know that random moment when a four year old realizes that they are funny, and they can make Momma laugh.... too cute I tell ya!

Well this time I whipped out my camera phone and started snappin' and here was the prize winner... I think we can all give a "wink" to the one voted most laugh out loud funny! (pun intended)

We then had a T-ball game and once again she still had enough energy to run the bases afterward... Holy crap I wish I could harness some of that! Now, I wonder what Tuesday might bring....

Hello to my old friends

2011-06-23T10:34:00.000-04:00

It's been a while again.... I have actually been thinking of taking down the blog, and when I went in to look over the stats, what do I find.... I still have a few loyal readers!

I am actually listed on AJ Panda as one of their favorites right under Rumor Queen and Salsa in China.... WOW! what a compliment! That gives me a renewed interest in posting and blogging. I used to find it almost like therapy and then when faceb--k made a splash, I was temped by the dark side.... quick short one liners and all of the interaction... I think that in my heart I have been missing the release that blogging gave though.

So I am back, and I will be trying tackle some of my more adventurous things... discussing how to properly fold shirts, what kind of shoes to wear with capri's and yes... Shelby!

Here is to a refreshed spirit and interesting conversation... yeah right, if you're still reading after all this time you know me better than that!

As a little bonus, I have a new favorite of Shelby to share with ya!

This was taken at the Philadelphia Zoo just a little while ago.

It's Gymboree from Nana, and WAY TOO CUTE!

Happy St. Partriss Day!

2011-03-17T06:58:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Partriss Day!

(This is what Shelby is saying to people today!)

How could I not post that!

Just look at her GROW!

2011-03-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

We just cannot believe our little tumble-weed has gotten this big, so soon! At four years old, she is standing tall at 39 inches! Just look below at how much she has changed!

We have only had her home for 19 months, and she has grown through 2 pant sizes and the ones that she has now are starting to look like capri's!

And then there were three!

2011-03-09T20:52:00.000-05:00

Suprised? Yep so am I... I cannot believe that time has been going so fast... I am going to try giving the blog a better effort, but in the meantime, I wanted to post some of the stuff we have been doing...

Whoa! She's going for two!

2011-03-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

Get a load of this.... BONUS POST!
Yes folks you get not one but two posts on the blog this time! I'm trying to catch up with all my slacking!

Here is what the month of February found us getting into:

Who... a post on the blog?

2011-03-09T20:30:00.001-05:00

Yes, it looks like the poor ol' blog is sufferin'.... It used to be my sanity... I guess you could say that I've lost mine now.... I have some borrowed from Shelby.... but it's only on loan... She'll be taking it back in about 15 more years!

Meanwhile, here is what January found us getting into.

Whew.... The holidays are over

2011-01-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a whirlwind of a holiday. Finally catching up to it though, as I am home from work today with a little girl that has a bit of a fever.... It's giving me a chance to play catch up on a ton of stuff that has just been sitting though... including this post!

In case you didn't get one in the mail or see us on Facebook, Merry Christmas!

This was our card this year. I say in the mail, but I'll have you know, I only mailed 3 this year!

Believe it or not, did this in just one take!

This is just a notch above cute now isn't it!

This is a really good one of Bryan's nieces with Shelby.

They are getting so big...

Shelby actually requested this picture with Ronan.

One of her first gifts... She loves this Fancy Nancy character suddenly.

And then there was Christmas!

Meet "Lele" her new doll!

Let's just say, this was a big hit!

As in GRAND FREAKIN' SLAM!

Another big smile with another goofy looking hat!

We love them!

I think someone has been hittin' the playdoh!

And OMG!

The matching Pj's were the second best thing!

Flip and Flop, taking a little nap.

Just had to get a picture of this!

And YES folks that is a spoon on a splint!

This is a needed attachment because he's learned how to break them! Yes he can break a splint! He's also got a beautiful white plastic cone that goes along with it. I haven't updated the blog on his status, but he broke 3 bones in his paw in early December. He got spooked by a retractable leash and tried to run through the fence in the backyard. He'll be fine in a few weeks, but it was a bit scary for a while.

She tucked him in and then tried to take back her pillow.

Playing the "Monkey King" with her new blanket from Nana.

It's a daily occurrence!

And now bring on the new year!

Practicing already to be ready for Chinese New Year!

Still here....

2010-12-20T06:58:00.001-05:00

Sorry to kinda drop outta sight there for a while...

We are busy getting prepared for Santa!

I hope to soon come up with some type of cure for exceeding bloggers limit, and will be working on that later in the week... (in my spare time).

Here is an old favorite that I like to whip out every holiday season...

We've all got a cousin Eddie in the family....

Careful..... If you don't agree, it could be you!

Just so you can understand the magnitude of blogger at capacity.... I had to delete (they are archived) some photo's from my web gallery just to get this tiny little thing up...

Don't worry, I'll be back again someday! (your were supposed to be singing that as you read it!)

You never do know...

2010-11-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

While I am still trying to figure out how to proceed with the blog, I had a very interesting morning...

Back story:

I received an email from Shelby's foster family a few days ago and it was just a short one, acknowledging that they received some photo's that I sent to them. However, when I translated the letter using a free utility, the translator referred to a name that we had never heard of before. I wasn't sure if the translating tool was not functioning correctly on a name, or if there was some type of typo or something, so I asked her about it in a follow up email.

Fast forward to this morning:

I check my email to see that I have a reply from the foster mother. She answered our question that it was the name that they called her while at their home. Not the official orphanage name for her, just a family pet name.

乐乐 (Lele) - meaning happy, glad, enjoyable, musical

this suits her so much better than the name she was given at the orphanage...

娜若 (Na Ruo) - meaning elegant, graceful, fragile

This is the opposite of what she is....

How cool is that? Just wait, it gets even cooler!

This morning as Shelby was waking up and she came to my room to find me, she was still pretty groggy and half asleep. I greeted her with "Good morning Lele." She opened her eyes and shot me a look that she was quite surprised.

She then proceeded to tell me "No mommy, I'm Shelby now." She became just a bit confused and I realized that maybe I should have waited until she was more awake to test that out... I explained to her that "Mama in China" (as we call her) used to call her by that name because she loved her. It seemed to help, and I explained also that she was both names, kind of like when I call Daddy "Babe" or when we call her "Sweetie or Kiddo" that it was just a nick-name. She's fine with that for now.

I just cannot believe that we learned this though... It makes perfect sense though as she never really responded to "Na Ruo" while we were in China, and how it was so easy to teach her "Shelby".... she never heard "Lele" from us.....

We are just so happy that we have this connection for her to know stuff like this. I just had to share it while I was still feeling so happy!

Ohhhh Nooo!

2010-11-24T06:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I finally did it this time.... I seemingly have exhausted blogger! I was attempting a post and got a message that my storage capacity has been reached.... Who would have thunk it!

So I guess, I will have to figure out if I need to continue the blog..... Hmmm. It's funny, I've actually been wondering if I should start a new "Family Blog" and leave this one up for the adoption stuff, or if I would just not blog anymore... I mean is there anyone really reading this other than a few people that I already email/chat or faceb--k with anyway?

Just trying to decide.... Until then, no more pictures.... I know... bummer huh? Just when I was making a bit more effort to post.... Let me know your thoughts.

Day out with Thomas

2010-11-23T05:59:00.000-05:00

Another day, another photo update. Sunday, we ventured to the Lancaster area to ride on Thomas the Train.... Not sure that you can really see from here, but she was pretty excited!

Disclaimer for relatives reading this - Please don't go buying any Thomas the train stuff for her!!!! She watches it only occasionally... it was more about the experience than the toys! In fact given the choice.... she chose a puzzle and a t-shirt over a toy train!

I didn't notice that big support rope in the way when I snapped this....

Here is an enlarged view... you can see that she's excited.

We hadn't even seen Thomas yet at this point!

And here he is... pulling in to the station now!

I was actually quite surprised at the lack of safety around a train.... No barriers... just a rope to tie off where a line should form. That would by the way, only slow down an adult chasing a child that was running right underneath... However, I guess that I can just be very happy that Shelby listens to us beautifully!

The conductor came around to collect the tickets.

He was a sweet ol' guy!

A quick shot of us while riding through the country.

And of course we needed one of Grammy and Pappy!

This one is just full of attitude isn't it!

Love that! What a neat little day trip!

More later on the rest of the trip.

Few updates....

2010-11-22T05:51:00.000-05:00

I have a few updates to do, and I am trying to keep in order.... so here are a few random shots from "Around the House"... yes technically that is what it's organized under in iPhoto.... because, well... they are just from there... enjoy!

I really love this coat and wanted to get some pictures of her in it...

as you can see she was not willing to cooperate that morning...

This one, was a quick cell phone pic at the stop light.

She has the glasses on outside of the hat, "because they are cold mommy"

I was trying to get a picture of Ronan while sleeping like this, "someone"
decided they wanted their picture taken too! Ended up really cute huh?

Typical night... these two bookworms!

If you notice.... she's reading out loud to Na Ruo (her doll)

Just one last shot of the cuteness that makes us smile every day!

Quick trip to treat!

2010-10-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

We had a quick trip back home to my parents house Friday night for a Halloween party for kids. Of course, Nana had to get in on the action...

We missed the costume contest by a few minutes,
but I think they would have taken first place just with the cuteness.

This morning we worked on the pumpkin for at Nana's house....

I think he turned out pretty cool!

And we made some "spicy" pumpkin seeds.... Mmmm!

A little mix that I came up with on the fly,

but the cayenne pepper makes it awesome!

Happy Halomooo!

2010-10-29T07:08:00.001-04:00

Not much else to say today, other that I know one little girl who had a blast last night!

She was a little quiet at the first house and was unsure of folks handing her candy... then after we told her it was OK tonite, she let loose!

We had her singing the old "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!" song! And added a "Mooo!" at the end. Once she realized that if folks thought it was cute she got extra candy..... she laid it on pretty thick and loud! She's such a character!

We came home, got a bath and she went right to bed, and more importantly... right to sleep, poor little heifer was tired!

Just gotta share this

2010-10-24T07:44:00.000-04:00

I know that not many folks have had a chance to read yesterday's post yet, but I just absolutely HAVE to share a story from last night...

We decided that since there was a town Halloween parade that Shelby could put on her costume and we'd take Ronan for a stroll to watch it with us. We live about 4-5 blocks from the parade route.

Here she is in full costume...

The world needs more cowbell!

We arrived about 15 minutes before it started and the spots curbside were all taken and crowded. We chose a small spot next to a tree with some grass, that we parked the stroller and Ronan on. It was actually on the back edge of the sidewalk instead of the curb. So if you can imagine.... people would be walking in between us and the folks along the curb.

We had a great time, Ronan was really good, didn't seem to mind the crowd or the loud noises and lights at all... (in fact, he fell asleep toward the end of the parade!)

Here is the little guy, all tuckered out, sleeping.

So all is going well, and the floats are coming down, and they are passing out candy.... Well due to our location on the back of the sidewalk, they would have to throw some over top of the folks at curbside in order to get it to Shelby.... So what do you think happened....

After she watched the other kids getting up and running after the candy a few times she asked where was her candy... Not whining, just asking...

We stepped up behind the curbside folks and when the next guy passing stuff out came along I got his attention, and he handed her 3 lollipops.... It was such a joy to her! She was so happy, she ran back to her stroller and Daddy to show him what she had gotten.

Then... She turned to me and said... Here mommy, this strawberry one is for you, and here daddy you can have the purple one.

My heart just about melted right there on the spot.... We both got down on our knees, and gave her the biggest hug and thanked her with a big old kiss on the cheek and told her how great it was that she shared them with us.

She didn't ask for anything more the rest of the parade, just waited for the next float and danced with me to the drums. There is not much else to share about it, it was just a moment that I thought I needed to share. She is just the ultimate joy!

A few notable appearances in the parade...

Yes folks, that is Elvis, driving that van...

He has officially left the building!

And what we hope to have won best costume!

This was so funny... people were laughing as she walked past.

Very creative! I've seen the cartoon, but this was hilarious!

We are back in black... or so you might say!

2010-10-23T17:07:00.000-04:00

We have some very exciting news to share with everyone! We have been looking for a little while now, and have finally found the back of Shelby's closet! HA HA! This is the after photo....

As you can see, we had a little too many clothes for just one three year old girl.

This is the before...

And now... for the black portion of the post.

We found a little black and white kitten in the backyard... the poor thing was very scared and we thought that maybe we would be able to find him a home... As it turns out, we have fallen in love with him and will probably keep him unless someone says that they really want him.

Meet Louie!

Isn't he handsome?

He's really just half of our awesome news though!

Here is the second half!

Meet Ronan!

Our handsome new addition to the family!

I have not yet fully recovered from the loss of Tequilla,
but instantaneously today, my heart grew larger!

Just watching these two already make me smile inside and out!

Here is a good shot of him. He's mixed breed, we think that he's Doberman and German Shepherd. Just look at those ears.... He's awesome already.... Reportedly the sad suck who dumped him off told some folks that he was Doberman and Wolf... we're not sure about that, but it could be. My parents had a mix breed of a German Shepherd and Timberwolf named Brutis and he has the same body shape to him...

Either way, we think he's just the cutest! Amazingly the cats and Shelby and he are all getting along together very well! YEAH! So that is what's up in this neck of the woods.... How about you?

Kick in the butt...

2010-10-16T08:03:00.000-04:00

Well..... I am kicking myself in the butt this morning to get this posted. I have been a bad blogger lately... I can't pass the blame, so I will try to make it up with some new pictures...

Sometimes I just can't believe how lucky we are to get to see this face everyday!

Looks like she's quickly becoming quite the "car chic,"
while helping Daddy and Pap "fix" her jeep.

Up and running! Look out!
(Try not to look at the hillbilly battery hookup...)

MORE POWER.... It's supercharged already!

We stopped for a shot of this beautiful sunrise
on the way to a Fall Foliage Festival with Nana.

Ooooh.... Look at my spider!
So much fun, and only a buck!

Yee Haw! I get to ride the white pony!
She was so excited, waited patiently and did not complain.

Then Pappy showed her some real horsepower!
Look at those smiles!

I'll end with this bit of truth in advertising.
Isn't she just the cutest?

Warning this just keeps getting cuter!

2010-09-22T06:39:00.000-04:00

Is that even possible? Yes it is... here is the proof!

I just love the way that her eyes almost squeeze shut when she is smiling!

I must admit, she was posing for me,

although it was supposed to be to show off the new floor...

Needless to say, the floor didn't stand out, she did!

Her and Daddy are still watching football together.

I am too, I just don't get all dressed up for the couch!

Again, posin' for mommy...

We were getting ready to head out to Chinatown

for the Autumn Moon Festival.

Mmmm, This was the best rated noodle house in Chinatown.

We now know why! AWESOME!

You can actually watch them draw them out after you order!

Can't wait to get them again already!

A shot of the crowd... such a beautiful day for this!

Another shot of the friendship gate.

a little history.... It was the first friendship gate constructed in the United States!

And Philly's Chinatown is rated as one of the best in the USA also!

New York and San Francisco are much larger, but they rate just a "bit" better...

My big girl... She was determined to get her face painted....

Last time she had a chance, she chickened out.

Not even a bit squeemish this time.

We watched a performance of the Monkey King.

As you can see, Daddy thought that it was too loud.

But if you look at that smile... She loved it!

She loved it alot!

Then we marched in the lantern parade.

She was obsessed with the Dragon!

She looked for it all day, so we were relieved that she got to touch it!

We had a wonderful time, with some friends that we met up with there. Had an awesome dinner, and got to visit with their daughters (both from China) and made plans to do this again! It was very nice, as normally when we go there is in for New Years, and it's always cold, so we end up shuffling from store to store just to keep warm.

A sweet little treat for you all

2010-09-21T06:16:00.000-04:00

This should make you smile for the day!

Shelby reading Brown Bear from Hebnix on Vimeo.

Shelby reading Brown Bear. Not really reading, she's got it memorized pretty well.

I'm such a slacker...

2010-09-17T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is... TA DA!

The new floors are wonderful.

I wish that we would have done them years ago...

I still have a few things that need done in here, but just aesthetics... Like maybe pulling the blanket from under the entertainment stand and adding the pads to the bottom. That green recliner also needs recovered... but I'll get to it here sometime... Now I am realizing that the picture is outdated already.... I have 2 beautiful orchids sitting on that cabinet on the right... (clearance, but none-the-less beautiful).

But we are still loving the new grown-up look!

And we have even more storage for Shelby's toys behind the couch!

A little peek....

2010-09-13T07:05:00.000-04:00

Just a teaser for you guys to see what we have been working on...

Shelby was soooo excited to help paint...

It only lasted about 3 feet of the wall, then she was over it.

Bryan and Dad working hard!

Yep, you guessed it NEW FLOORS!

Not sure about that finish on the walls though....

Shelby wanted to help too!

She was telling Daddy how to get this board in right.

I wasn't quite happy with the paint treatment in the pictures above,
so we taped it back up for some modifications.

Don't know if I mentioned what a HAM she is...

That, and she LOVES tape.... Weirdo!

She also LOVES her camera!

She seems to like my tripod too.

Funny thing behind that is I haven't actually used it since last Christmas for our family pictures... She remembered what it was for though... Hmmm, wonder what else she remembers already....

I'll have the actual project pictures coming soon. As with any project around here, the hardest part seems to be in the finishing and the cleanup.... YUK!

A very quick, very small update, before we show off our project...

2010-09-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

We had a few things going on, and I want to get these out of the way before I post our secret project...

We had a family reunion for Bryan's side of the family.

Chef Bryan was again doing his duty manning the grill.

I tried to get a cute picture of Shelby on our quick walk in the woods while we were there. Most of the pictures that I got that day were with her making goofy faces at me... She's such a joker!

We managed to land a couple of tickets to the season opener of Penn State.

This was taken right after half time when the kickoff was returned for a touchdown!

We got a quick visit in with Uncle Bob and Aunt Nancy too!

This is what happens when Shelby gets to stay with Nana and Pappy while we go away... You guessed it, she gets to cruise around in her jeep... not to mention all of the gummies that she gets to "share" with pappy... She's not spoiled now is she....

Never Forget!

2010-09-11T10:22:00.000-04:00

Not much more to say.

This day 9 years ago was an awakening for many of us, in one way or another... It's not always all about us is it.....

This is a little song that always makes me even prouder to live here!

A view from below...

2010-09-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

While we have been working pretty hard on a few little projects so not much to post right now. I figured that maybe I'd share just a little glimpse of what shelby has been seeing...

She has turned into quite the camera bug (wouldn't know where she gets that...) She loves to take pictures all of the time. I've weeded out the ones of the floor....

Hopefully we will be finished up this weekend with our projects, and we can show the reveal!

I'm so anxious to show how much we have been doing!

Hope you enjoy!

Still here and having so much fun!

2010-08-18T21:52:00.000-04:00

It's been another busy week or so...

Shelby had a field trip to the park with her daycare. They have a wading pool and splash zone that all the kids loved! It was the entire daycare group, about 30 kids or so... such a blast!

Doesn't she just look like she's in heaven there....

Looking at her here, you'd think that she owned the place.

We also had a family picnic with some family at a park near my parents. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, and it was really cool to go back and see the kids in the family have a great time enjoying it!

A quick wave from Great Gramma and Great Aunt Jeanie.

And just who is this goofy looking guy strolling through the park?

AND.... Wahoo!

Shelby got her first taste of Kayakin'!

SHE LOVED IT (of course she did... what did you expect)

The whole gang!

YEP! I made them wear their candy bags for a picture
before we did the candy scramble! HA HA AH HA HA!

PS. Stay tuned... we have a secret project that we have been working on.... pictures to come very soon!

Happy Gotcha Day Shelby!

2010-08-10T06:38:00.004-04:00

This post is a very special one... So much so that I actually started working on it about 4 months ago... I made this video with clips of video and pictures of our trip, and then came back about 1 month ago and made it final..... You're seeing the end result.

Four years ago we started this journey, this "Wild Ride In Adoption" that we call it and here we are today, celebrating the absolute end of that portion. Our paperwork has all been done, no more meetings or anything else. She is home!

If you just found my blog and your reading my thoughts for the first time today.... I'll apologize now for being a bit scattered at times. But if your one of the 23,000 visitors that have stopped by in the last four years, then BLESS YOU!

This blog has at times been my lifeline to get out the feelings that would have probably finished off the bit of sanity that I had to begin with..... Lately it's been a photo journal of what we have been up to, but at the very beginning, we started this blog as a way of keeping our family and friends up to date with our progress, but most of all, because I loved to watch these videos of others while I myself was waiting to experience this.

I only hope that others that find this site in their searches of blogs on adoption see this video and love it as much as I have loved the ones I watched.

It will happen, maybe not on our timeline, but Shelby is living proof that it does!

Password is: China2009

(It has sound, and is about 9 minutes)

Meeting Shelby from Hebnix on Vimeo.
The story of meeting our daughter, adopted from China in 2009.

Thank you all!

A year ago today...

2010-08-06T06:35:00.044-04:00

It's hard to believe that just one year ago today, we were on our way to meet our little girl. I have tried to preserve those thoughts and feelings or excitement, nervousness, and love that we were experiencing, so that we can explain that to her one day.

When I look at her, I just fail to remember much of the struggles that I had while waiting. I do remember some... The frustration of not being in a position to do anything about things that I thought should have happened differently or on "my time-line" but then I think about the fact that there is a purpose to everything. There was a reason that we were to wait for her to be ready, or maybe it was her that was waiting for us to be ready...

We know that she had a wonderful foster family from the way that she can light up a room with a smile and she shows love and affection. We are so fortunate to know that much so that we can share with her when she is older. We already share that she had a "Momma and Baba" in China and she had a foster sister and brother. We try to show her their pictures once in a while just to reinforce that connection. She usually calls her foster brother by a name that is not the way that it's supposed to be pronouced, so we assume that she is calling him by a knickname... We can hope at least...

One day we hope to be able to make contact with them, and eventually return with her for a visit. (That is a long time from now obviosly, as we want her to be old enough to appriciate all that her birth country has to offer).

Tomorrow morning we have our final appointment with the social worker that we've worked with for her adoption. It's a wierd feeling of completion...

We were really looking forward to it at one point, but now as I think about it, I have always counted on that connection to our agency "just in case" we needed something... and here we are, at the end of our adoption journey. The final visit. It will mean that after this China isn't recording her progress, our agency is finished with her progress, just a little odd feeling. I know that what is important is that we are tracking progress, and that we are providing for and loving her, and those entities weren't really the ones doing that anyway, they were simply overseeing that it was being done.

Either way, she's been our's for as long as we've seen her in her paperwork... since our adoption coordinator uttered the words "You're not going to believe this, but we recieved an agency only listing, and she fit's your profile perfectly, are you interested in reviewing her file?"....

I tried to get an interview with her for this story,
but she said she had no comment at this time.

Then I offered a Popsicle, and she suddenly had a change of heart.

She is just too darn cute for words!

I attempted to get a nice picture in my favorite tree in the backyard...

She has already mastered the art of the most counterfeit smile ever...

But then comes off with this prize winner!

This is her in a nutshell folks... she was really screaming here!

Throttle wide open all the time, and we love it!

LaLaFULooza 2010 - Washington DC

2010-07-31T23:28:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we traveled to DC yet again. This time it was to celebrate with a group of adoptive families with children that are all linked together because they were all in the Fuzhou Orphanage. They range in age from just starting college, to about a year and a half old. We call them the Fu's.

It was really quite a sight to see all of the girls interacting and creating relationships that they will hopefully have for the rest of their lives.

FRIDAY

Friday evening was a pizza party and DJ

They had a banner that all of the girls and
parents wrote thank you's on to
present to the consulate on our visit.

Plenty of dancing and a great time.

Face painting...

Just had to get a group shot of these cuties!

Shelby chickened out and would only let her put it on her arm.

A beautiful shot from our hotel room!

Shelby was beat....

You can see a little of her unicorn face painting on her arm.

SATURDAY

Flag outside the consulate, perfect wind for a picture.

Fantastic art inside.

A group shot of the Fu's!

What do you think?

Was she having a good time?

She made a couple of great friends in sister's Callie and Jilaina. We spent a good part of the days with them and their parents. Hard to believe that, just due to where we were sitting on the tour bus, we made friends for a lifetime.

This shot was magical...

We hopped off the tour buses, and climbed the stairs in 100 degree weather.

We simply walked right to the best photo spot and the Fu's took over!

Everyone else just stood there in awe of them.

They are certainly a force to be reckoned with!

Another shot of the three amigo's!

Jilana - Shelby - Callie

We split off from the group and had a quick snack

before heading to the aquarium...

A.K.A. the 20.00 nap...

This little guy must've LOVED my camera lens...

he literally was swimming laps in circles in front of me...

such a flirt with his big flippers!

Shelby and the silly bands were quite the hit at the banquet that night...
She was awesome and shared them with all of the other girls with no problems.

We opted to hit the pool after dinner,
but actually had to wait for our turn,
we were over the capacity of people allowed in the pool....
Too funny! When the Fu's come to town, look out!

And a new favorite...

Look how cute she is!

This weekend is actually the first in a while that we get to stay home and get caught up around here. Shelby and I actually spent most of the afternoon playing and hanging out in our PJ's... gotta love days like that! Hope to work out in the yard tomorrow... gotta tame those flowers and shrubs!

Family Reunion - two weekends ago...

2010-07-31T22:18:00.001-04:00

I haven't had a chance to really put much together for a post... Let me just say a big THANK YOU to my uncle Darrel and everyone else that puts in all of the effort to pull this off.

This year the theme was game shows! We played "Let's Make a Deal," The Price Is Right," and of course "The Family Feud"... It's always a ton of fun. Enjoy the pictures!

The winning bid!

A couple of cute members of our studio audience...

The older kids got to play CONE-HEAD

The always popular CANDY SCRAMBLE

Just look at the all of that candy!

Is it any wonder
that they were all running around like this...

At least the silly bands were enough
to calm her for a while...

What a weekend...

2010-07-14T17:20:00.002-04:00

Yet again, not to disappoint you, a blast of pictures from this past weekend! We started with a picnic and some water slides at Lake Raystown Resort. Mmm, Mmm!

Dig in everyone!

Shelby loves this little move!

I bet you can't guess what color licorice I just ate!

A quick shot of the three of us.

One for Shelby's wall.

Another with Nana and Pappy.

We also took a "quick" ride on some Zip Lines.

A group shot of us all in our gear!

They were very fun, and we are already talking about doing it again!

You can't hear me screaming, but Ohhhh I was!

It ended up being much more fun than I had originally thought it would be.

The next day, we headed out for some fishing!

One of Aunt Amy's ponds... Sure is pretty huh!

She is renting it, but has access to 3 ponds and many acres for hunting.

It's beautiful there!

These were the two catfish that I got! The one on the right was 26 inches long! I love catching catfish, haven't done it in a few years, but I think we'll be doing it more frequently now that Bryan has a taste for them! Wahoo!

Shelby managed to reel in a few bluegills!

I even managed to catch a large mouth bass...
kinda small, but we kept him as he swallowed the hook...
No recovering from that...

Then as we were heading back to my parents house to cook them up...

I spotted this beauty!

She was standing when I first spotted her,

but by the time I had the camera ready,

she was jumping across the field pretty quickly.

She hit a good stride, and was gone in a flash...

actually headed directly for Amy's house,

just over the small hill in the background!

While us "grownups" got the fish ready to cook,

Shelby got a bath and ready for a long ride home.

Amy and her thought that the biker bandanna look was hilarious!

Mmmm! Just look at them!

Jack from Virginia's secret recipe!

Every piece was eaten!

Let me tell you it tasted awesome!

It was a long one, but we had a wonderful weekend.

Uh Oh....

2010-07-06T21:17:00.000-04:00

Accidents will happen... unfortunately this little girl took a spill down the stairs. All appears to be well minus a few layers of skin.... and a few added gray hairs on mom and dad!

We had ice on it for a while, but she didn't like it after a while...

Some Tylenol and she was doing cartwheels after a few hours.

I haven't posted any of the furry little things in a while, but they are doing well also.

Sue-Z likes to sleep anywhere!

Shelby loves to carry her around.

Squirrel enjoys lounging, but also has found that she likes to
stalk Shelby's feet.... we're working on that one...

My boy, Colonel.... He just oozes charisma....

How could you not reach over and rub his belly!

And this funny little monster!

She thinks that when I'm sorting clothes

from the laundry it's a free for all

and she wants to wear all the clean stuff...

And then she has her side job - The Kitty Whisperer

Here she is singing Happy Birthday to them,

while holding the red stick part of a

stray bottle rocket that was in our yard...

Yes that is a new friend... We call him Blondie.

Scrufellini is enjoying the free food and

I think that she may stick around for a while.

She brought a dead field mouse to us the other day... YUK!

Blondie is a handsome young guy.

He's a bit on the skinny side,

but we're working on that...

They hang out together in the back yard, and seem to be perfectly content for now. We'll it's bed time here, and I gotta run... There are stories to be read and kisses to be given!

Easy way out... yet again!

2010-07-05T10:36:00.001-04:00

Been a bit crazy around here lately so this post is a compilation of what we've been up to since the last one...

I managed to talk Bryan into getting a new camera! Wahoo... So I have been learnin' the new baby! He says it was probably a bad idea now that it's here, because now I am constantly taking pictures!... and he was right, it is almost constantly.....

OK, so put up or shut up right.... Here we go....

Let's start with a trip to Washington DC with Bryan's sister and family. What an awesome trip! Kinda like the Clampet's take DC.... but a load of fun!

This one is just too cute not to share... No, I don't enjoy seeing her cry! It was short lived, once I got the camera out... She's such a ham! This little outburst was when I asked her to help clean up the toys in the living room that were EVERYWHERE!

"Don't want to help!"

This section is just a sampling into how her mind works... Gotta love this!

Mmmm..... Strawberries and Blueberries

(and the wheels start turning.....)

Ah hah! It works! Look at me mommy!

I love to see her figure this kinda stuff out.... so funny!

And then we have this group...

When you hear "Daddy, I wanna jump you." Meaning she wants to crush the daylights out of your stomach with her boney little butt! She can't do this to mommy anymore because she got carried away and I think she cracked my rib a while back... So now it's just with Daddy. It's Ok.... I get lots of pictures, and big smiles!

Look at that grin! How can she be this cute?

This one is soon to be in a favorite spot!

It makes my heart melt to see them like this.

So that is what we've been up to lately. Just a whole lot of happiness. The great part about that is there is plenty more to come! We have a very busy summer ahead of us and I'll try to keep posting the sweetness!

Next stop... Who knows!

On another note.

You may have heard about the flooding in China. It happens to be flooding in the province where Shelby is originally from. The good news that we have is that from what we know, her foster family and the people in the area around the Orphanage seemed to be OK. They were evacuated before the levy broke. The bad news is that there were roughly 28 million of them. I am trying to contact some of the folks that we have networked with to see if there is a way that we can help. I may just end up sending a care package to the foster family and making it a bit larger than normal... and including some supplies instead of just pictures and stuff. I'll keep you posted with any details that I can get. So just keep those folks in your thoughts for us.... We are so fortunate that this didn't happen last year at this time....

Life is good... just a reminder...

2010-06-19T22:20:00.001-04:00

Today was a pretty easy day... Just hanging out around the house. It's been a while since our last "free" weekend... We were able to enjoy the day quite well.

This is Fairy Princess Shelby...

look close, she is wearing fairy wings.

The canopy I've had in her closet,

and just decided that it was silly to save it....

for what I have no idea.

She loves it and played most of the morning with it.

This is our new tree in the front yard.

Just wanted to get a picture of her next to it
when we planted it, to watch them both grow...

Look at her cheezy little grin...

She was so excited about the pool.

Yep, it's even big enough for Bryan to lay down and stretch...

Whew, I dunked my head!

A great day for splashin' around!

As you can see, we are enjoying our new chairs as well...

Thanks mom! I think that we were as tired as she was...

We had a visitor too... This is Scruffelinni (or Scruffy Kitty)... an adorable stray that keeps visiting us... So tempted to bring her inside to stay. I'm justifying not bringing her in with the fact that she'd probably miss her freedom. She's got a small nick missing from her ear, and gorgeous golden eyes. She just kinda shows up when we are outside, and wants her rub-down... Funny thing is, when the neighbors come home, she runs to meet them in the driveway, just like she does to us everyday afterwork.

Confession time...

2010-06-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

A while ago, I posted some pictures of some things that we thought were odd for a 3 year old to be doing... Lining up shoes in her closet, separating out things by colors, etc... while I'm sure some of it is just her learning things, some things seem very ingrained into her personality. I truly think that the root of these behaviors is related to her foster family and the culture that she had been exposed to for the first 2 1/2 years of her life. I really think that most of them are quite endearing...

Like lining up her shoes....

even though they aren't in the closet today for some reason...

She was playing with her clothes and things in her closet

while her cousins were here the other day...

And the little designs that she comes up with while cleaning up.

I like to think of this as her creative side...

But as the title of this post eludes to...

here is the confession...

She is after all, a THREE YEAR OLD!

This was taken just off camera

of the shoes that were all lined up so pretty.

And this was just to the side

of the designer stack of blocks in the tote...

She leaves quite a path of destruction in her wake!

She is just like any other kid her age after all...

And we love her all the same.

I also wanted to post the picture below in my last post and forgot... This was just before bringing the girls from our travel group home last August. If you compare the pictures, you can see easily the changes and growth of all of them!

Can you believe how much they have grown?

I also must give a HUGE shout to my July Fireflies Secret Pal who just switched to the waiting child program for her daughter Kimi! She is not matched as of yet, but I have a great feeling and will be wishing lots of ladybugs her way! They have 2 beautiful boys right now, that have been adopted while waiting for little Kimi. They are due for some paperwork from China to be headed their way!

Another photo blast...

2010-06-17T06:43:00.000-04:00

OK folks, Here is yet again a quick photo blast of what we've been up to. I know it's getting to be a habit huh... No content, just all pictures.... C'mon That's what most of you are here for anyway!

Look out Daddy....

Her first modeling job at a car show....

Reading to her babies Debbie on her left and NaRuo on her right.

A trip to Knobles with the travel group!

We called this one "All the way from Nana-chang, it's the Chinese mob!"

I just gotta say that all three of our girls are doing very well.

Big sister "S" (the only one looking at the camera)
is doing great too and enjoying being a big sister.

Such a FUN Day!

I'm pretty sure that she liked this horse...

Uh, yep she REALLY liked this horse!

Shelby and her riding buddy!

Look out! Daddy is behind the controls!

Cruisin with her peeps!

Ahh, the pink elephant. Elusive creatures as they are...

once she spotted it, she had to ride it!

Wahoo! So fast even the camera couldn't focus.... HA HA!

The three amigo's!

Cannot believe how big that they have gotten in such a short time.

Very cool idea for the heart shaped glasses from another mom.

So cool to have a new picture of the three of them.

Shelby getting a little punchy with taking all of these pictures!

Going UP!

And coming down....

Poor thing, just as we decided what to get on next,

we look at her and she's out!

Honestly... The time stamp

from the last picture was about 1 1/2 minutes!

Good thing Daddy can handle carrying her...

All the way back to the car!

A perfect ending - to the perfect day!

A little out of focus, but so was Daddy at about this time...

Another visit to Aunt Billie's house.

She loves to jump,

so I figured we'd harness some of that energy!

Just one last glimpse of cuteness before I end the post!

Our little celebrity!

2010-06-10T06:25:00.001-04:00

I'm back, and feeling better. Actually for a few days now, but haven't had time to blog until now. Thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts! I picked her ashes up the other day, and had a small meltdown when I opened the card from the crematory... They actually saved a little piece of her hair and had it mounted in the card... Along with the card that the Vet's office sent which had an inked stamp copy of her paw print.... Who wouldn't tear up at that.... The healing has begun though and I now see that she was ready. It was me that wasn't.

Anyway, Oh blah dee Oh blah dah... Life goes on...... We are all doing well with everything and getting ready for the busy summer schedule that we have ahead of us. Bryan actually has an interview on Friday and we are hoping that he'll be back to work again! Although he has thoroughly enjoyed his last few months at home with Shelby part-time... She is definitely a daddy's-girl now..... That in itself is a blessing in many ways. I love the fact that she has bonded so well with him while he's been home and I can see it in his eyes now too. He feels more confident in being with her. Not that he wasn't before, but she was let's say a little more attached to my hip than his for a while.

This was the shot in one of the nearby papers. Some of you have already seen it, but I thought that I'd share with those of you who might not have!

The funny part is that we had 2 dresses to choose from that were Red, White and Blue... We had one on Saturday another on Sunday and when the parade came on Monday... she wanted a "new dress Mommy" and wouldn't wear the one out of the dryer that was from Saturday.... I told her if she'd have listed to me... she would have made the front page instead of page 2! She's such a clothes horse....

Our little celebrity!

Shelby NAME (3) CITY - adopted in August from China,

this was her 1st Memorial Day parade in CITY.

I can hardly believe the cuteness!

Goodbye to my Punkin

2010-06-02T12:41:00.001-04:00

I have too few words to talk much right now,

other than to say that "Tequilla you were loved."

Yesterday we laid my "punkin" to rest.

Outside in the grass, on a beautiful day.

I left a little piece of my heart there that day.....

She is no longer in pain, and I'm sure that she's still with me in spirit.

I've always loved this song, but now I see the true beauty in it.

It's a Rob Thomas song, Now Comes The Night

When the hour is upon us

And our beauty surely gone

No you will not be forgotten

No you will not be alone

And when the day has all but ended

And our echo starts to fade

No you will not be alone then

And you will not be afraid

No you will not be afraid

When the fog has finally lifted

From my cold and tired brow

No I will not leave you crying

And I will not let you down

No I will not let you down

I will not let you down

Now comes the night

Feel it fading away

And the soul underneath

Is it all that remains

So just slide over here

Leave your fear in the fray

Let us hold to each other

Until the end of our days

When the hour is upon us

And our beauty surely gone

No you will not be forgotten

No you will not be alone

This is the way I will remember her...

Dancing with me.....

Taken in 2001 shortly after we bought our house...

and look no gray on her face!

She hadn't been able to do this in quite a few years with her hips....

I miss her terribly, especially in the quiet.

I'll be back.... Just need a little time.

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T22:16:00.000-04:00

So much going on this past week...

Here is the normal photo history!

Isn't this helmet just a riot!

I know she's got quite the pumpkin on her, but it's huge!

I was trying to clean up the other morning, and found this...

We had a picnic to go to Saturday,

they had a great place for a few pictures...

You know me.... can't pass an opportunity like that.

She spent a good bit of the walk

to the pond running away from us...

I was able to grab a few while she picked flowers though

She's such a cutie!

Really like this one...

with the sun shining through the trees

She wouldn't get too far ahead without turning around.

A few of you haven't seen this face before...

This is GRUMPY Shelby!

It was time to walk back...

Ta Da! Grumpy Shelby is all done!

Our girl is back, the grouch never lasts very long

Hilarious! She's such a card!

Look at that face!

Oops, She fell down, but that didn't stop her...

We had a lot of fun getting this shot!

If you look closely, you'll see she spits alot!

At Billie Jo's she got to pee outside!

Too funny!

2 words folks! Slip-n-Slide... or is that 3 words?

Either way, tons of fun! Thanks Aunt Billie Jo!

Shelby and Aunt Mimi, always a good time!

Ready for the Memorial Day Parade!

She caught the eye of the local newspaper photographer...

stay tuned for a possible celebrity debut!

Happy Memorial Day Folks!

We hope that your holiday is as good as ours was!

Weekend Getaway

2010-05-20T06:47:00.001-04:00

Finally getting a chance to post this... We had yet another great weekend.

Our first Fishing Derby with Pappy and Nana

C'mon Pappy, let's get started!

So, this is how we do it...

OK, I'm ready for a walk, nothing biting yet...

Let's go find a better spot!

Cool, Look at the ducks, they like potato chips too!

And finally, a fish! Wahoo!

I'm still not touching it!

We also had Opening Day for T-Ball.

Very cute to see all the kids on the field!

Aren't I just the cutest little short-stop?

I liked playing on the bleachers,
we went the whole way to the top too!

Is my hat on straight?

Watching the introductions of the other teams.

Just a shot to show you just how much of a SHORT-stop she really is!

They are all 3 years old!

But she is still cheez'in! She loves it!

Look at that determination!

And the backwards hat... She has her own style!

She ran all the way to first base then threw the ball... Too funny!

At home goofing around, wish it was in focus...

And this bit of cuteness....

Couldn't you just eat those cheeks!

I try, but they just keep getting cuter!

How about a little posting...

2010-05-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

I know I am slacking on here folks... I've been busy, with work and with the family. Ahhh, that has such a sweet ring to my ears... the family.....

Speaking of family, some good news for part of my blogger family. My blog pal Amy and family over at Our Family Our Story have announced that they are in progress of adopting a son!

My blogger pal Donna and family over at Handsful has announced that they are in process of adopting a son as well as moving to another state... they have a lot going on right now!

And my blogger pal Angie and family over at A Little Pink In Our Blue World has some gorgeous pictures of her daughter at one year after Gotcha Day.

I have to admit, that while we are still sort of adjusting to life with Shelby and all that happens when you have a child, I am finding myself envious of them.... to be able to jump right back into adding another kiddo again, would be so awesome. I am so happy for them to be able to expand their families!

I know that if and when the time is right, it will happen for us again, and I am very happy with the little fireball that we have. She literally makes my world stand on end... sometimes for the good, and sometimes not so good, but we are so in love with her that all of those long days, and months we spent waiting, don't really surface anymore.

She has started T-Ball. Yes, they allow them to start at 3 here... She loves it too! Here are a few pictures from her last practice...

She's got a little work to do at batting, but she doesn't to all that bad.

She tends to hit the "T".... I'm thinking that it's because of her height....

But who knows.... she may just need to keep her eye on the ball better.

Gotta love this....

She looks like she's reaching for the fence!

She does very well with the whole ball playing thing. She can wait her turn, share the 1 pink helmet with the other kids (I'm not a huge fan of that... I keep thinking about lice...), and she has quite the arm on her! They have been joking around that she is our pitcher... Very Cute! She is probably the smallest out of the kids, but not tiny.... so we'll see how that works for her. Opening Day is today, with their first actual game later.... Wahhoooo!

She also got a very good report on her Parent-Teacher meeting this past week at her Daycare. She was marked either Working-On-It or Good on everything, and there were only 3 things marked Working-On-It! Everything else was Good already! And Oh, yeah.... She is not the one that eats the glue! I was worried about that.... HA HA!

I also stumbled into a great new blog that has got my brain pumping lately... It's called Centsational Girl, and she does all kinds of really cool re-purposing stuff and document's it very well. Check it out! I know I am just itching to get started on our bedroom... We did it first when we bought the house, and it is in bad need of a redo! So stay tuned, I may have a project to work on here soon.... Still making some decisions on colors and styles etc.... you know me, gotta have some type of plan.

Hodge-podge...

2010-05-02T15:06:00.001-04:00

Been away from the blog for a little... I'll try to catch you up...

We had another great weekend, Nana came for a visit and we made it to some consignment sales... I say made it to, but I mean we kicked butt at some consignment sales!

We had 3 big bags full of clothes, some new books, a new purse, an old wooden school desk, and the best thing found this weekend.... a kiddie seat for on the back of my bike! Can't wait to get it hooked up and take her for a spin.... I'm thinking tomorrow morning at the latest!

Shelby with Daddy before our March for Dimes walk last weekend.

Aunt Billie Jo had a pool waiting for me at her house.

C'mon in.... the water is only partially cold!

But it sure is fun!

No splashing? Who invented that rule?

Once the squirt guns appeared,

it wasn't clear who was having more fun...

I'm pretty sure who won the battle though...

I just thought that this old stump looked pretty cool.

Some pretty flowers are on the way.

Shelby liked the ants on this one...

Some cool looking buds on this tree.

680 miles, 12 and a half hours

2010-04-19T21:33:00.001-04:00

That is the time and distance that our little traveler
put under her belt this past weekend!

We saw the tight rope walkers.

Shelby loved the elephants, especially the baby one...

I think that Bryan liked these girls best...

There were 6 white tigers.

The whole gang as we were leaving the stadium.

A thoughtful little girl she is...

Don't let this fool you, she's NOT bashful!

And one for the scrapbook with Nana and Pappy....

Can't tell who looks happier?

First time ever we saw her face....

2010-04-16T04:00:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to post these pictures for quite some time now, and was saving them for just today!

One year ago today at 10:38 am, it became the happiest day in our lives until we landed in Jiangxi China to meet her....

It was the day that we saw her for the first time.... It's practically like a birthday of sorts.... I mean, we can remember everything about the day....

I won't bore you with all the details just check out the slideshow..... You may have seen some, but I guarantee that there are a few that are new to you!

Enjoy! I know we do, every day!

Our First Easter Weekend

2010-04-07T21:56:00.000-04:00

It was a great weekend, and I finally have a chance to post some of these...

Well to say that the Easter Bunny paid us a visit, would be a bit of an understatement. We had some travel, so we literally had 3 visits... One at our home, one at my parents and another at Bryan's parents... That's a lot of candy!

Oh, yeah, the silly head tilt!

She thinks that it's cute to do this when I try to take a picture now...

With a mouthful of candy, but a little better for the scrapbook...

Oh, my... this one turned out very cute!

And this too, needs to be in a frame! Look at that face!

The (new) Annual picture for Easter...

I found one!

That one right there Unckee Paul!

Nothing more I can say... Talent!

Such a Cutie-Patootie!

Ever been bitten by a mad Duck...

It's probably a little upset that the darn bunny is getting all of the attention. Luckily lotion cures her temper... Just a little dab will do ya! She loves her lotion!

Hope that you all had a happy Easter!

Weekend in Toonatown

2010-03-29T21:19:00.001-04:00

We spent this past weekend at Nana and Pappy's

for an Easter Egg hunt and a visit.

Picking up the first of quite a few eggs.

Not too shabby for her first try at an egg hunt.

Checking out all of the goodies.

Can one person get any cuter by just one day?

Add one handkerchief and instant cutie-pie!

Coloring eggs with Nana...

Shhh, I'm concentrating!

Isn't this just the cutest rain ensemble?

I have my own umbrella now!

Playin' in the rain...

boots are a little big, but they'll last for a while.

And not more that 1/2 hour later we have the ground covered in snow...

We are in toona-town after all!

More blogging... getting to be a habit...

2010-03-26T06:32:00.001-04:00

This post is a real mish-mash of things... I've been really struggling lately with getting everything done. It just seems that there is never enough time in a day... I want to do so much outside and play, but I have those darn grown-up things to work on too...

We broke out the Tonka trucks the other day when it was so nice. Bryan and I were working on finally fixing the fence that we had almost finished last summer... She played so well with them, she's definitely not afraid of getting dirty! LOVE THAT!

And just to squash any thoughts (Grandmothers and Aunts!) WE ARE NOT DOING A SANDBOX! She can play just fine with the rocks in the driveway.... Sand is just something that I don't want to deal with in the house... I'm giving you all fair warning....

Even Daddy stopped working for a while and got in on the action!

This is a funny one.... I tell her how beautiful her brown eyes are all of the time, and I asked her to stand by the window for a picture of them. She insisted upon having Sonya Lee in the picture too. Because "she has pretty eyes too" she said.

This one, was when we found that 2 "Itsy Bitsy" spiders had made nests in between the screen and her window and had bugs that they were eating.... Yep, She's not gonna be squeamish of bugs if Bryan and I can help it. Bryan loves to watch them and won't kill any! He sets them free. I'd just rather squish them, but I go with his "They eat the flies and mosquito's" approach.

And this..... the one that I wanted to get!

How could I not be sure to capture this. To look at the world through these eyes.... makes me feel really emotional. She's been through so much and has such resilience.... She is more beautiful than I could ever imagine and this captures just a tiny piece of that. I think that it will be framed... The only thing better, is looking at the real thing first thing in the morning! Speaking of which.... She's up and running!

Our first haircut!

2010-03-24T08:40:00.002-04:00

This is one that I should have posted in the last post, but somehow missed.... Can you believe that! I missed a cute picture of her.....

Just too cute to have missed!

We visited Cousin Jen for our first haircut. She has had plenty of experience and was great with the squirmy little worm.... Shelby was very excited that "SHE" was a big girl and getting a haircut.

Still going strong!

She wanted to see the pictures as I was taking them...

I guess to give her approval! Such a Diva!

All is well! No bandages required! Shelby was sooo happy! She spent the rest of the visit looking at cousin Jenn's bead collection for making jewelry and taking turns fixing Jenn's and Mommy and Daddy's hair!

A back view shot the next day, to show you how much we got cut.

Probably close to 2 inches!

And then... just after that picture....

She fell off the chair that Mommy had her standing on....

Yes, I am a terrible mommy...

I had her standing on a chair instead of sitting...

And I had to coax her to do it...

Then she falls and had a face plant onto the floor.... Shame on me!

All for the sake of a rear view...

I'm sorry sweetie!

A few minutes later, a pack of stickers and the ice pack is gone!

She's fine... back to what we call normal...

I have learned my lesson though...

next time I'll listen to the three year old!

Lot's of Pictures!

2010-03-22T06:36:00.004-04:00

Seven months ago, we arrived home with her, and we haven't been still since. She is a delight to have here and we are so lucky to have her in our lives.... Hopefully these pictures will show just what a cool little chic she is becoming! God is good!

Guess who?

Our little speed freak, on the BIG slide.

Another day, another bike ride...

Wahooo! More birthday stuff from Janis, Bill, Ella and Sylvie

Thanks guys.... these are some of my favorites!

Shelby in outer space....?

Oh yeah... we LOVE the big slide!

After our first consignment sale of the season,

a playdate with Taylor. Couldn't get one of them together.

Nice day for some outdoor pics, in the yard.

How cool do I look here?

Let me outta here! Grrrrrr!

Time for some silliness?

Don't gotta ask us twice!

Me and Daddy, waiting for that grill thing to cook our food!

C'mon mom, we're hungry!

More outdoor pics, she is just too photogenic...

I had the backlight setting on,
but I guess I gotta learn how to use the manual settings...

Hope that you enjoyed the great weather this week also!

So Grateful...

2010-03-10T08:24:00.011-05:00

We are really so grateful for all of our friends and family... We received yet another birthday gift... She is almost expectant now when she see's a delivery... She immediately asks if it's hers.

And such cute wrapping even after being shipped...

Thanks Tom, Robin, Solenne and Baby Roman!

We immediately got it out all over the floor and played!

We are working with her on the bicycle...

She needs to focus on where she's going....

Ahh.... The tongue.... it comes out when she is really excited!

A little encouragement and she's pedaling!

Even going up the slope of our driveway...

(It's not much, but for her, that's good!)

The end of the line....

Time to take it back inside and get some dinner started!

She looks pretty pleased with herself huh?

In other news... the title of this post hits us on two sides... After the birthday party, my sister emailed me to tell me the following story...

Last night after enjoying a great day with family and friends I came close to losing everything because someone made a stupid decision.
At about 10pm I was getting close to home and a drunk driver crashed in front of me and several others. On a curve he either lost control or didn't turn. He went off the road and up an embankment. Knocking down trees for us to avoid and there was plenty of dirt, snow and vehicle parts and glass flying everywhere.
You could barely see anything. Then his vehicle came back down the bank just missed another car head-on and hit the guardrail. Bounced off and hit it once again. Once we all got stopped we jumped out to check on the driver. He was so drunk he had no idea that he had even wrecked.
As we were standing with his vehicle he tried to give it the gas to get out of there. Luckily there was no front end left to the vehicle so it would not move move than like an inch or so. And thankfully he was two drunk to even think about putting it into reverse because he would have hit all of the other vehicles.
Once I saw that he was not injured I pulled my vehicle up ahead around the curve and turned my flashers on so that people would know slow down or stop. Most did, those that didn't had to jam on their brakes so they did not hit the vehicle or any people trying to help.
Of course there is no cell service n this area, so someone had to go call for help. The only thing he kept saying was "I don't know what happened".
Many emotions ran through me, from being scared to angry. Once all of the EMS and Police got there, I left, but I could not sleep much all night because I was so angry.
I am thankful nobody got hurt or even worse killed. But it really makes you think about so much. Because of his stupid and selfish decision their was so many lives that could have been changed forever.

After reading that, I realized how that wonderful day could have ended... So many people have not been so lucky. So many people are wishing that their family member was still alive to even write that. It makes me angry as well that someone thinks that they are above reprise enough to try and do something that is so dangerous... So I'm ending this post with the thought that I am grateful to still have my sister... both of them....

And for those of you who think just a few drinks doesn't hurt.... BOOO! on you! Nobody is immune to losing their life! Unfortunately you may not be the person that gets hurt when you crash.... Think about that next time you get behind the wheel.

And that's why I am grateful today.

Ta-Da! The birthday Party!

2010-03-07T19:43:00.003-05:00

Can you hear that? That's the sound of a happy little girl!

If only I could spell the sound that she was making...

Excited is an understatement!

Aunt Amy and Shelby getting a little hug!

Ooooh... The birthday song....

She was absolutely stunned that WE sang to HER.

Great job on the candles...

Course she did them one at a time, but she did great.

Ice cream cake! Mmmm... Mommy knew that would be a hit.

She doesn't much care for cake or pancakes and bread like stuff...

Way to many presents!

Mommy cannot wait to get her helping!

Especially scrubbing floors!

Cousin Emily was a great helper.

Shelby and her were inseparable almost all day!

Getting a little crazy... Too many gifts to unwrap!

And Ta-Da... The bicycle!

She was very excited and has tried riding it several times already... Yes, there is a helmet and after the party, we got the basket and horn and license plate and such all in working order. Ready to go... maybe a huge flag and some flashing lights so that people can see her from about... Oh, how does outer space sound.... I'm a little worried already, but I'm being cool about it. I wanted to get it for her, so now I have to get used to it.

Over all, she had a terrific day.... When you think about it, she's probably going to be present starved about June or July.... We had all new stuff in Aug/Sept when we brought her home, then a welcome home party, then Christmas, then Valentines Day, now her birthday and next Easter.... She's constantly getting gifts..... At this rate, we are going to need to add on to our house! We are truly blessed to have her and such a great bunch of family and friends!

Something is brewing here...

2010-03-05T06:31:00.006-05:00

Just a quick post this morning, as I had been wanting to share a few updates... if you call them that... Just random stuff really, but way to funny to not share before the big day tomorrow...

Yep, Shelby is turning 3!

This was a gift from Aunt Amy. Doesn't she look adorable!

She sent a great big box of stuff down... Thanks Amy!

Can you say spoiled!

It had purple in it, so we wore it to Aunt Sherry's Birthday Party.

We also received a package that we had to open just to find out who it was from..

It turned out to be a gigantic birthday fortune cookie!

I tried very hard to get a good picture of her holding it up...

For some reason she kept closing her eyes
when I would say "smile"...

If you ever watched My Name is Earl,
you know just how funny those pictures are...

Finally, we said the heck with the photo
and cracked this baby open! Mmmmmm Mmmm!

Thank you Vonnie, Kristen and Meesh!

Such a nice surprise!

I'll leave you with this little goody! I came home from work the other day, and as I'm walking through the door, nobody came running.... Hmm..... maybe I'll sneak up on them and surprise them... Good thing I had the camera ready! I am still laughing at this when I watch!

Daddy and Shelby rocking out while cooking some dinner...

(and yes Kristen... That is "Bulls on Parade")

Happy New Year! Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T19:55:00.005-05:00

We had a special little day trip today! It's the first day of Chinese New Year, year of the Tiger!

We had some last minute plans come together and spent the day with some friends. Enjoy the pictures of our day!

We also wanted to say Happy Valentines Day too!

PS...

I added a few new photo's to the slide show.... This morning she wanted to wear her dragonfly dress again, and I couldn't say no.... but this time she wanted pigtails.... Awesome!

All dressed up and no where to go...

2010-02-13T08:51:00.002-05:00

Shelby had her first little taste of disappointment Friday... She was supposed to have a Valentines day party at school, but due to the weather they rescheduled it for another day... Unfortunately we did not know this until we arrived at the school, after spending all morning getting prepared to pass out candy and cards to her little friends with an understanding that she didn't get one, but she would give them all away.... I had her in a cute little party dress that she wore for the first time (which she loves).

Needless to say, I think that the teachers at her school must have done a great job at keeping her occupied, because she didn't cry about it or anything... It's amazing that at her age, she can be distracted that easily... sometimes it's good, other times it makes me want to scream though....

Anywho... I figured that I'd take a few glamour shots of our soon to be 3 year old, and see if I could escape the world of professional photo's for her birthdays.... Not quite sure that even with my Photoshop skills it will work... She just doesn't stay still for that long... and even my new camera doesn't have that kinda shutter speed... (probably does if I adjust to custom settings), but usually there isn't time for that... I'll have to keep practicing. I just hate the idea that I'd have to get a professional to do it when I can do what I want... Well, that and I'm cheap... HA HA!

I brought home a chocolate chip cookie for her from

a meeting that I was in today at the Hershey Hotel.
VERY SWANKY place if you haven't been there...

They actually have hand towels instead of paper towels...

Love that idea in a place like that...

We do that at home, but have not seen it in public

But this has got to be one of my new favorites....

Can she get any more adorable?

Sometimes I just feel as if I will explode that she is so beautiful...

I know proud Mom braggin it up...

Could you resist?

2010-02-12T06:22:00.002-05:00

Sorry folks, I've been away from blogging for a bit. Lately it seems as though I've been hanging out with the Face_Book crowd.... If you are on there, and know my name, look me up. If you don't know my name... email me and I'll find you or give you my name so you can...

I haven't quite found the balance yet between all of the stuff going on, in order to get here more than I do. I'm working on it, and it's coming, it's just not there yet.

I also have been wondering if I should continue the blog since we have her home and now it's more of a family blog... I've been thinking that maybe I should change it up or something... just not sure what direction I'm headed toward right now.

Work is going good for Bryan and I both. He has been moved into yet another position, and is starting to adjust and like it more.... (He's not always so good with change.) My work has gotten very busy and I am anticipating that it will get worse yet, as we have someone that is leaving, and with budget concerns they are probably not going to fill that after they leave... Not that I am complaining in any way though, you know me... The last thing I want is to sit around with nothing to do!

Shelby is doing great! We had our 6 month post placement meeting with our agency, and it seemed to go good. Shelby didn't say a curse word the entire time.... HA HA! That was a joke! She only has repeated 2 so far and they were rather light ones... from when Mommy dropped something on her toe!

She is working on counting still.... I can NOT get her to use the number 2... I can count and have her repeat it, and she will skip 2 every time.... It gets a little frustrating at times, but we are just continuing with it. She is getting much better with colors and I think we're ready to play Candyland now. We got it for Christmas, but had to learn the colors first. She does have the Candyland Bingo game and loves it, but it also uses shapes and she is TERRIFIC at shapes... Hearts are her favorite! She points them out everywhere she sees them. Quite cute!

She has really quite the personality. She knows that she can be funny, and will attempt to be silly just to get a smile. She will comfort you when she knows that you aren't feeling good. She also has what we call a Chinese temper.... complete with the shortest fuse you've ever seen... But luckily, it's also a more like a party popper... (Not much to it). Last night was the first time I've had to tell her it was time for bed and had her say "NO"... Normally she gets excited to read her book, but last night I had to remind her of that to get her to move...

This morning, she's laying here sleeping (yes, in our bed...) and will occasionally wake and look over at me and say "school today?" because she loves going to school (daycare). Today though is special because she gets to take candy in for a Valentines Day party. She is very excited! The candy and the cards and giving things to others is soooo right up her alley!

Speaking of right up her alley,

how about a sled riding video to end the post?

Well, here you go. Enjoy!

We call it the Chinese Luge/Bobsled Team...