We met with the social worker yesterday to complete a post adoption report for China.

It was Alyana's first meeting with our social worker since she came home.

We've come along way baby since the start of the homestudy 2 plus years ago........

Big brother came too and we made a day of it !

The kids were tuckered out from it all ( see last pic)

A snip here ....a snip there ...

This is Alyana's first haircut and what made it extra special today is that the lovely lady that trimmed her hair is also adopting from China !

She has a long wait ahead of her however ....

Kim, here's hoping that your time moves along quickly and all the heartache of this long wait disappears.

She'll be with you soon .......and she will be the one that was meant for you all along :)

My Boy ......

My boy .......he's busy, spirited ( did I mention busy ??) and keeps me on my toes each and every day ..........

I love him soooo much !

Ben picked these for me !

Awwwwhhhhh ....

Oh Dear .....

I think we have a monkey on our hands .......

Miss Aly climbed everything today ( including her high chair) and I couldn't resist picking up the camera.






She looks pretty proud of herself doesn't she ???

I hope the daycare is ready for this dare devil ..........all 20 pounds of her ........


2 weeks from today and I will havc put in my first full day of work .......


sniff sniff .........

I'm sad just thinking about it ........

Who says you have to go into the wilderness to have a bon fire and fine dine on corn and sweet smores ??

Why not build a pit in your back yard and "have at er' " ??

On Wednesday, we did just that ....

It was Miss Aly's first time with corn on the cob and smores ! She had both of these yummies (all in one evening).

What a lucky munchkin !

As for her big brother, he's a pro corn on the cobb eater and smore muncher ....:)

Our first (and no doubt one of the last) of the summer bon fires .....

Wanna know something ??

It was a lot of fun .....

Here are the pics to prove it .....

Big brothers are the best ...

Alyana is in love, love, LOVE with her big brother and as long as you don't tell anyone, he kinda "digs" her too !

Sssshhhh .....

Who could blame her for thinking he's the best ???

He drags her around, plays with her and he even feeds her goodies and let's her into his top secret fort !

I can't resist ....

posting this one ...

Summer Fun

Ahhhhh ..the last days of summer .....

It's not too HOT, it's not too COOL........it's just right .....

We enjoyed part of the day by gettting out for some fresh air and exercise.

Yes, we went on a mission.

and it was FUN-tastic !!!

Time is ticking until my return to the grind and I am trying to drink it all in.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

Referrals will be on their way in no time :)

Aly met her cousin for the first time the other day and it was so terrific seeing them play together.

Aly and Ella Grace ( a.k.a Ella Grape) are almost the same age. Alyana beats her by only a few weeks .....

You may recall that Ella Grape tried out Alyana's crib just days before the referral of her new cousin ( you know, just to make sure it didn't have lumps) .....

Remember this picture ???

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/880/2523/1600/DSCF2399.jpg

Gosh, it feels like yesterday.

Anyway, here is the the first meeting of the toddler cousins ....

Can you guess what Miss Aly is going to be for Halloween this year ????

I'll give you a hint .....

It's red and black and makes you feel happy when you spot one , especially those of us in the international adoption community.

Still can't guess ???

Ok .....I'll give you a visual hint .....





As for Ben, he is thinking of being a super hero that has super duper x-ray vision .....lol

I can't wait to hit the street for some trick or treat fun with my super seeing SUPER HERO and my little tiny 19 pound lady bug .....

Who knew Halloween could be so much fun ????

We had a beautiful weekend and spent part of it on the river with the kids.
It was a PERFECT summer day .......
Ahhhhhhhhh ........life is good ....

Do you see this ticker on the top of this post ?

It says that I'm heading back to work VERY VERY soon.

I'll will have been off for almost 9.5 months before I return back to the daily grind.

I guess I can't complain ( as much as it pains me to see the end of my stay at home Momming come to an end).

I've seen this little girl develop into a happy confident little toddler who feels secure and I've been equally blessed to spend extra special time with my boy ....

So, as the big day draws closer we are busy enjoying every hot sticky delicious moment that summer has to offer ....and for today, I promise not to think about my return to work.