When You Move Cross Country, Take Your Hairdresser With You

Had to borrow from Susie's barrette drawer to keep my long flowing tresses out of my eyes.

I nearly walked into the grocery with that thing on.

I coulda got beat up for doing something like that.

Just kidding, Mom.

I've simply been avoiding the dreaded task of finding a new "stylist."

(Not to be confused with "someone who cuts hair.")

Because she can't just be a good stylist, she has to be a good conversationalist too.

(You know, to make up for my total lack of social skills.)

So I have since determined that my haircuts ("styles") will now include the cost of an airline ticket.

I hope she likes the Pacific Northwest.

Macke Pla Doh

Campers added a little "assignment" to his school schedule:

"MACKE PLA DOH"

What's a Ma to do?

We made Play Doh. After all, it was on the schedule!

But I must have measured something wrong (you know, maybe I GOT INTERRUPTED or somethin') because I had to keep adding and adding and adding flour until both boys had a huge bowl of dough:

They were delighted, of course.

And so were the Laundry Detergent Companies, whose stock rose just from our clothes alone.

"I'm such a Fun Mommy."

(That's what I say to myself, shortly after I've barked at the kids to "Put That Play Doh Away!" and "Go Wash Your Hands!")

Gotcha Day Anniversary - Part 3

February 5, 2007 (China):

February 5, 2008 (Home):

My love for her is imperfect, yet her trust is there.

And 'til time is no more, she'll call me "Ma."

That's what I call the miracle of adoption.

Spider-Math And Super-Math

Two Superheroes sit down to learn some math.

I don't care how you add it up--that's funny.

Gotcha Day Anniversary Fun - Part 2

Once the kids had coated themselves with rice at P.F. Chang's, we headed home to open gifts.

Here's the Suz, opening her Gotcha Day Anniversary present:

A t-shirt! Made in China!

It's a 2008 Beijing Olympic shirt, by the way.

(Very Excited! August 8th!)

Speaking of being [not the least bit] excited, the boys were given the same [non-superhero dreadfully boring] t-shirts as well:

And here's the Suz, checking out my authentic Chinese jade...bought directly from a JCPenney store in the good ol' US of A:

I should mention that the shirt I have on in these "anniversary" photos is the same shirt I wore on Gotcha Day.

You may think I was being sentimental.

Think again.

But holding my girl--one year after holding her in my arms just like that for the first time?

Definitely sentimental.

We've come a long way, Baby Girl.

Gotcha Day Anniversary Fun - Part 1

Now that I'm done dragging you to China and back, we can get back to Life At Hand.

Although there's a bit of catching up to do.

After all, it did take me AN ENTIRE MONTH to revisit that silly trip.

Gracious sakes...y'all are a loving, faithful crowd.

All two of you.

(Hi Mom. Hi Dad.)

So "Gotcha Day" is a term used in adoption circles--representing the day that the child was given to the parents. On February 5th of this year, we celebrated our one year anniversary of seeing the Suz for the first time.

All five of us took the train downtown--here's a few of us waiting at a stoplight:

And how 'bout a close-up of that girl?

Where were we going, you ask?

P.F. Chang's!

"Oh happy day (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day)
When my server brought (when my server brought)
When my server brought (when my server brought)
Kung Pao my way!"

[Little commercial break there...]

But who was the happiest of them all?

Sister Susie, who brightens her world wherever she goes.

Who would have thought one year ago that the tiny little baby, lethargic and sick--could have held such joy in her heart?

*We* didn't.

But now we know.

[Hey Suz?]

[We gotcha. And we're glad we did.]

Dumb Daylight Stupid Savings Terrible Time

You just try and tell me One Good Thing that comes from Daylight Savings Time.

Huh??

HUH!?!?!?!?!?!!

I hate it! Hate it hate it hate it hate it HATE IT!!!!!!!

All it accomplishes is a lost hour of sleep and five full days of grumpiness. (On top of the layer that is already there.)

Never mind the whole family schedule goes just ffffffffffttttttt out the window.

Speaking of windows, I hereby declare that All Kids Bedrooms Should Have NO Windows thereby creating InstaDark every time the door is shut.

Stupid dumb terrible rotation of the earth anyway.

Happy Spring Forward Day to you, too.

Waiting On The Air To Clear...

While you're frantically pacing the floor, waiting and willing the Next Snippet or Saga to appear, thought I'd give you another blog to follow.

Our friends from the Ol' Midwest days are headed off to Guatemala today to finalize their adoption of their daughter. They have been to Guatemala before to meet her, and have waited (and waited and waited times 18 thousand) to return for the final "pick up."

The theme of this journey is "Three Men and a Baby," and I'm telling you, it's going to be a trip to follow.

Why three men?

Well, you are just going to have to read their other blog to see.

Good times.

Oh, and speaking of waiting for the air to clear? They're having some "getting of the ground" issues as well. Groan groan, snicker snicker. (All said in hindsight, let me assure y'all.)

The Up-Chuck Date

Zig started this up-chuck parade on Friday/Saturday.

Ma took her turn on Sunday/Monday.

(THE WHOLE WORLD, AS WE KNOW IT, NEARLY FELL APART.)

Anyway.

Campers is right on schedule! Tuesday/Wednesday.

Pa and Suz are duking it out (or shall I say "puking it out") for the end of the week.

And once I'm done doing laundry, and reassembling my own abdominal muscles, I MIGHT finish that China story. Or tell any of the other 18 gazillion stories meandering through my head.

And I promise they won't be about puke.

UGH.

To my subscribers...

I'm going to finish that China story, really I am. It's not over. I still haven't officially got us "home."

But this little "sickness" that involves a "puke bowl" and my second son has sidetracked me for the weekend.

And then I realized I hadn't updated our "budget" (because really, our "budget" is just a figment of our imagination) since December 2006. Incidentally enough, that was the month right before we got the news of Susie's referral. From there, everything went ka-floo-fee-fluffy.

And that tax monkey? Trying to get him off my back as well.

And the e-mail messages I haven't responded to...ones dating back to August 2006? Well...

Those will probably get sat on the side so that I can finish the China story.

And now that we've come full circle, I will end this very interesting and informative post.