Good Lord, we have alot to post about from this holiday weekend. This is just one of about 5 total posts, detailed our holiday hi-jinx. We arrived at Aunt Ceci's, and T had a ball playing with the 3 kids. Here, she and Ceci's youngest are playing the Wii game. It is absolutely amazing how detailed the graphics of this game are. For someone raised on Ms. Packman, Pong, and Space Invaders, this was truely amazing. What's even more amazing is how T just picked it right up and joined right in. With those things you see in their hands, they swing their arms and push buttons, to make the characters in the game move. Totally interactive. Here's a short video of them "boxing" each other. Its a riot.
Meanwhile, we woke up bright and early on Friday the 4th, and headed out to the yacht club to which Ceci's family belongs. Its actually on Tampa bay, and had a huge pool, buffet BBQ lunch, face painting, balloon making, stilt-walking Uncle Sam who was complete with his own bubble machine and juggling act, decorations and races.
T got her face painted with fireworks, and also scored a fireworks balloon hat. You'd have thought that she'd died and gone to heaven. In the background of this picture, you can see old Uncle Sam, and the many seats set up for the buffet lunch, to give you an idea how big this place was. The food? Yummy!!!
Anybody want to guess where we are right now???? No, not Disney, although that's always a good guess. Nope. We're in Tampa. Decided to drive over given the long weekend, and let T play with her God-brothers and God-sister and otherwise celebrate the birth of our country.
We have big plans on the 4th to go to a club they belong to, which has its own tot lot and pools and poolside cafe. We'll be in heaven....as long as the tricky Fla. summertime weather cooperates. We'll then return home for more pool fun and Fourth of July grilling. The perfect day. On Saturday, the girls have plans to go to a birthday party. Little Emma is going to be 6 and is very excited that "Baby Taylor" is coming to her party!
Sunday we drive back home.
I'm taking lots of pictures, but can't upload them until I get home, so stand by for that.
Meanwhile, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
p.s. In honor of the holiday and all of the men and women in the armed forces who are busy literally giving their hearts and souls to a war that should never have been waged, I've added the National Anthem to the musical playlist. Its my all-time favorite rendition and sung my Whitney Houston...back in her heyday. It never fails to make me tear up.
Thursday was a very exciting day. I received something very special in the mail. As many of you know, I've stopped posting to my old blog and started this new one, since T is growing up and the blog is more about her daily life than the adoption process. Plus, the other site was about 9 bucks per month and this is free! Anyway, a blog buddy mentioned a special site, that you could hire to literally turn your blog into a published book. Appropriately enough, its called http://www.bookmyblog.com/
The books arrived today. I ordered 2 books. One for me and one to eventually give to T. I LOVE IT!!! While the first book doesn't go all the way through to T's first birthday, it does include the preparation and and culmination of her adoption. Pictures and all. Unfortunately, I wasn't explicit enough in my instructions on what to include, but that's my fault. Now that I'm satisfied with the product, I'm going to order up the first and second years home. Those will probably be 2 separate volumes.
I'll post a picture of the book when I get a chance.
GOOD LORD......WE HAVE BREAKING BLOG NEWS AS WE SPEAK.......
This picture here, is how T has always colored in the past. Quite free-form, with absolutely no regard whatsoever to staying in the lines. Her coloring motto has always been "Lines? I don't need no stinkin' lines!"
Well, while just passing by her table, I took a look at what she was so intently coloring. Much to my surprise, a new milestone has been reached! My baby is suddenly coloring WITHIN the lines! How did this happen? Where has my baby gone?
Ah well, just one more indication that time does indeed march on. There's just no stopping my baby from growing up.
Meanwhile, that goop you see on her arms is baby excema creme. Its starting to look like she's developing it at her elbows in the crack of her arm and on her legs, at the back of her knees. At first I thought it was mosquito bites, as she was itching them. Now we think its excema, since its lasted so long. Anybody got any other remedies to recommend?
I've posted before about my daughter's love of issuing orders. She does so with such command and flair, that she literally rivals Chairman Mao. Therefore, I lovingly call her Chairman Nan (her chinese last name) when she starts in.
So, to set the scene, faithful readers of this blog are well aware that Aunt Dot sacrificed about 2 months of her life, living here while I was incapacitated due to my stupid almost-broken ankle/foot. Poor Dot did everything for us. Well, this past weekend, Dot was over and I was busy sitting on the couch minding my own business. I was watching TV and quite content.
T came over to the couch, looked into my nearly empty diet coke cup. Chairman Nan then turned to Aunt Dot and announced to Dot, "My mama needs more soda!", in quite the commanding voice while handing her the soda cup. YIKES. Both Dot and I were slightly stunned at this edict and could barely contain our laughter.
Of course, this earned T quite the lecture on how its not Aunt Dot's job to wait on either of us. Privately though, I was quite proud of her cunning, since it was patently clear that she's the one that wanted more diet coke, not her mama. Little did she know that her scheme would have garnered better results, if she had just asked Dot for some for herself. Its widely known that Aunt Dot can deny her nothing. God help us if T ever figures that out.
Anyway, I'm suspicious that my lecture didn't make much of an impression. T also has a great capacity to ignore such things.
Had to post this picture, just b/c i think it looks so darn cool.
God knows I'm no photographer. All my pics are courtesy of my Cannon Elf, Picasa cropping and touch ups, and sheer dumb luck. This is just a ho hum picture, but once I crop it to focus on the face, it becomes kind of cool.
Turns out the bubble machine is the biggest hit around here in months. I'll try and post a video if I can. Its clear on my computer, yet blurry on Youtube. Can't figure that one out. I love the bubble machine b/c I don't get a headache in my vain attempt to blow enough bubbles to keep T happy.
Here's the result of all our hard work. This planter weighs a ton, even with nothing in it. Aunt Dot and I had to use a dolly to get the thing up wth steps. I love it, though, and T loves watering everything.
I'm thrilled that all was still outside this morning, and didn't "disappear" in the night.
You wouldn't know it from looking at the photos, especially the Pigtail-Ninja Girl shot, but T is feeling under the weather today. Slight fever. For that reason and b/c we're waiting for the yardman to come and plant my new plants, we're stuck at home. Therefore, we decided to have fun with pigtails. Meanwhile, I would like to know how all the moms out there manage to get their girls' pigtails even? Every single time I attempt to give T pigtails, one ends up higher than the other or cocked off at a weird angle no matter what I do.
Our next door neighbor Karen came over, and dirty little Taylor got very clean playing with the pool, sprinklers and the biggest hit of the day....THE BUBBLE MACHINE. Karen and T would run up to the machine so that the bubbles would stick to them, then turn, run, and jump in the pool, all the while screaming, "Bubble Girl!"
For over a year I've been meaning to get some plants for the front of my house. Its been as bare as a baby's butt. So, off to home depot we went, and purchased blue plumbagos, dark red pentas, and some cherry bushes. T's job is to water them everyday, until my lawnman has a chance to plant them. She absolutely LOVES watering the plants. Today, I got some really beautiful cobalt blue planters. One for each side of the steps, and a huge one for the porch. We decided to get really really dirty today, and plant the planters. Figure we'd better make them nice and heavy, otherwise they'd probably be stolen over the night. The heavier they are, the harder to steal. I filled them all 1/2 way up with heavy rocks, then planted ivy's in them. T, once again was a big help. By the end of the after noon, we both were black with dirt. T, though, doesn't like to touch the dirt. She enjoyed manning the hose.
A marvelous plan was made in the stars, to create a miracle across the ocean so far.... Then entwine and weave all the hopes and labor, it would take to bring us this joy called "Taylor".... Now three lives are blessed and somewhere in the stars, the planners are smiling, as we all are. -Anon.
Taylor's Gal Pals
How Long We've Been a Family:
Mischief & Mermaids
...the diary of a single mom, who's attempting to raise one sassy little girl!
Good Lord, we have alot to post about from this holiday weekend. This is just one of about 5 total posts, detailed our holiday hi-jinx. We arrived at Aunt Ceci's, and T had a ball playing with the 3 kids. Here, she and Ceci's youngest are playing the Wii game. It is absolutely amazing how detailed the graphics of this game are. For someone raised on Ms. Packman, Pong, and Space Invaders, this was truely amazing.
What's even more amazing is how T just picked it right up and joined right in. With those things you see in their hands, they swing their arms and push buttons, to make the characters in the game move. Totally interactive. Here's a short video of them "boxing" each other. Its a riot.
Meanwhile, we woke up bright and early on Friday the 4th, and headed out to the yacht club to which Ceci's family belongs. Its actually on Tampa bay, and had a huge pool, buffet BBQ lunch, face painting, balloon making, stilt-walking Uncle Sam who was complete with his own bubble machine and juggling act, decorations and races.
T got her face painted with fireworks, and also scored a fireworks balloon hat. You'd have thought that she'd died and gone to heaven. In the background of this picture, you can see old Uncle Sam, and the many seats set up for the buffet lunch, to give you an idea how big this place was. The food? Yummy!!!
Anybody want to guess where we are right now???? No, not Disney, although that's always a good guess. Nope. We're in Tampa. Decided to drive over given the long weekend, and let T play with her God-brothers and God-sister and otherwise celebrate the birth of our country.
