Birthdays and New Experiences...

The last few days have been alot of fun for LL. Her good friend Sidster celebrated her second birthday. There was a pinata, a bouncy bounce, Nemo EVERYTHING, pizza, cake and of course ice cream. What more could a toddler ask for? I think LL's favorite part was when she got M & M's and lollipops from the pinata, you should have seen her face when they fell on the floor, SO FUNNY! Happy Birthday Sidster, you are such a sweet little girl and special friend. Also at Sidster's party, we caught up with our friends Jude and Colleen who are expecting their first child anyday. We can't wait to hear the good news, hurry baby we want to meet you. I'll post photos when the big day arrives.


Sidney's Baba Being Brave Enough to Hold the Pinata


Nemo Cake with Sidster, YUM!


Soon to be Mama in Red


The Expectant Daddy in Green


Yesterday was yet another adventure for LL as she made her first trip to a little (and I mean little) local kiddy amusement park. To her it could have been Disney with how much fun she had. Little does she know the fun that lies ahead as we travel more! I must get a little nostalgic for a moment, bare with me. This same park was the first place that BW and BB braved their first rides also. Ironically, LL loved Bumpy Caterpillar best, just like her Ge-ge BW did. I just LOVE when those moments happen! And as small as the place is even the big boys had fun too on the "shake you up and spin you around" type rides. Personally speaking, I seem to be getting a little soft with those spinning rides. I used to be fearless and untouchable. Guess time is catching up with me (or at least my equilibrium, LOL)!


Baba is SO much fun!


Our Lil' Captain


Riding Horses with Mama


Watch Out When These Guys are at the Wheel!


BB, This is Fun!


All Smiles!


Mama and Baba had fun too!


The Bumpy Caterpillar

Just catching up...

It seems that life on the lane for the past two weeks has been moving along so quickly. One day just seems to blend with the next and I can't keep track. This is mostly because PapaBug has been back in the hospital again. Currently, he is in the rehabilitation center receiving physical therapy to hopefully strengthen him enough to come home. I'm concerned about his mental well-being this time though, unlike last time. I'm sure he hows how tough it was and I pray he has the desire to fight back and do what he needs to get stronger. Please pray for him and our whole family. We are all deeply saddeded to see him this way.

On a positive note, school is done for BW and only three more days remain for BB. LL is very happy to have her Ge-ge's home more and it shows in her added energy. Speaking of LL, she is now in daycare just one day a week. It's been three weeks now and she's doing well. Each day she has a little something to report from her adventures there. I'm pleased that she's adapting well as it is likely not too long and it'll be back to work for me. In the fall I am going to be taking some accounting courses at a local college. Between these two things I may just need some help! Wish me luck, it's been a LONG time since I've been in school. But I'm looking forward to it too.

This weekend was the last lacrosse event for BB. This is always bittersweet as we have many nice "lacrosse friends" that we see only this time of year. Overall I'd say he had a very successful season. He's a much better player, did not get seriously hurt, and had ALOT of fun. That's what it's all about.

To unwind and have a little fun we took LL and her "big girl" friend, Clover, to a local park for a lovely dinner picnic and playtime. It was a beautiful night. We laughed alot, played with the ducks and had a yummy dinner. By 9:15 both girls were tired and ready for bed. I can't wait to do it again. Daddybug was a little taken aback as he was outnumbered with three girls and just him. Since LL has come home I'm finding this is true more often than not. The monopoly that the guys used to hold is disappearing. I'm loving it and I know he is too. After all he does have three sisters!

We are eagerly anticipating the Fourth of July and our week trip to the ocean. Not too long after that it'll be time for our special re-union with all the families who traveled to China together to bring our daughters home. There is much to love about summer...

So much fun, so little time...

WHEW! That's all I can say. Normally DB and I have a rather typical flow of life, sometimes wishing we had more fun and less of the mundane. Well not so this past weekend, nosiree! We did not plan these events they we beyond our control so we made the best of it.

On Saturday morning BB had a lacrosse game. We were on the the field at 9:00 til 11:15 when we had to leave to get ready for a wedding. The groom is the son of my former employer. I will never be able to express in words how much this family means to me. They are all just such special, joyful, faith-filled people. We are incredibly blessed to call them dear friends. So it was doubly joyful (or more) to share in their son's wedding day. I'd like to say that LL enjoyed herself too but...she was exhausted as she had no (would not) nap. It was a 1:00 wedding. If you have parented a toddler then you know this is the witching hour with no sleep. She was SO noisy in the church that she and I had to leave and go outside! Good thing DB had the camera because his shots are basically all I saw of the wedding. Trying to keep my patience [and sense of humor] we went on to the reception. Well, didn't she decide to fall sleep on me during dinner. While I was relieved, as she wore herself and me out, I was sad that she missed the meal and the fun times had by all. Overall though, it was a wonderful time with many happy memories we'll treasure forever. Then if that wasn't enough excitement, BW had his first opportunity to produce the sound and lights for a ballet. Yes, we are very proud of him. We could not be there but the report was that all went well and they were pleased with his work. Oh! And did I mention we also had plans to meet with our friends for a 7:00 dinner? And then it was onto hear our son's guitar/drum teacher perform at a local pub. WHEW! Exhausting YES, but fun too. Now if we could just have spread ALL that out over two or three weekends...

A Big Step for Little Ladybug

Last night was a big change in the life of LL. She had her first night in her big girl bed upstairs. We are so happy to say that she didn't even wake up! Once in awhile she would sleep the whole night in her crib but this was progress. On the other hand, she did still wake up at 5:30am and want to come in her bed downstairs. But, hey, we'll take progress even if it's one step at a time. WHEW!


Bedtime Stories with Mama


Good Morning Birdies


A Most Happy Place To Be

Memorial Day 2008 at Cedar Ridge...

It was with joy that we packed our bags, heaved them in our camper and drove north. Mostly because this is LL's first trip to her Adirondack home. She had NO IDEA how much fun was in store for her. For three glorious days she was surrounded by her new camping friends, new adults to hug her and smooch her and some serious quality time with her Ge-ge's. The weather was so nice on Saturday. We got to camp at about 12:30 and unpacked then just hung out, relaxed and unwound with family and friends. By Saturday night our whole group had arrived and the fun was in full swing. This year there were 24 of us in all. Oh, and three dogs plus a racoon who stopped by for the midnight(aka-garbage bag) buffet. On Sunday we decided to share the beauty of the ADK's with our visitor, Jeremiah Bullfrog. We started out at the Blue Ridge Falls and then went on to Split Rock Falls. Truly God's glory is revealed in these breathtaking places. After that we went down to the lake for some fun in the sand and sun. By now LL could barely hold up so we headed back to camp for a nap. She (I) really needed it, LOL! Sunday night was the traditional fireside snacks and stories shared by all. LL, as her brothers did, fell asleep snuggled up in my arms by the fire. Oh how I waited so long for that moment. Monday we woke up, had breakfast, packed the RV and headed to the lake again. But it was a different place for sure. The wind was so strong all we could do was hang onto our plates and fly some kites. Instead of lingering with a storm imminent, we headed south a little early. None of us was too sad though with so many happy memories tucked in our hearts. So, til the Fourth of July...farewell Cedar Ridge. To end our weekend we took Papabug out for dinner to say Thank You for his service to our country, as he is WWII veteran. Part of the "Greatest Generation" as Tom Brokaw wrote in his wonderful book. Thank You Papabug, and all the other brave men and women defending our great nation.

A Prayer Request...

The devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan Province has me feeling incredibly helpless and honestly quite overwhelmed with emotion. My heart grieves for the parents whose children have perished. With the one child policy still largely in effect, this makes their pain even greater. Along with this is the reality that there certainly are adoptive parents who are left with no information about their precious child that they are waiting to bring home, the condition of the orphanage, or its workers. The adoption process as you likely know is already seriously backlogged with parents currently waiting over two years from time of submission of paperwork to receiving their travel approval. As I read the headlines today the full weight of this disaster is still unfolding. It seems some of the areas most heavily hit are yet to be reached by relief workers. We need to pray, unceasingly, for those who are injured, those who have missing loved ones, those who are grieving, the rescue workers, the government workers and that resources will continue to be made avaiable to enable progress to be made in the rescue efforts. May God reign supreme in this massive effort and hold the residents of the hardest hit areas in His hand. It is with tears of joy and relief as I type, that our precious LL is home safely and that we are given the privilege of being her Mama and Baba. Mothers Day was especially joyful this year as our family is finally complete. Praise be to God.


My Three Greatest Blessings

An Important Introduction...

Call it Spring Fever, call it homesickness, whatever! This morning LL and I took off for the 1 1/2 hour drive north to the only place on earth I truly call home. LL has been a part of our family now for almost nine months and she has not had any quality time in her other home. This is mostly due to the cold weather and lack of facilities there, but nonetheless it seems LONG overdue. We have what I'll affectionately call "recreational property" in the Adirondack Park, where I was born and raised. We use it on the weekends and occassionally for a week of vacation. Mostly it is a gathering place for all of our friends and some family. Each family or person has an RV which they tow there and then settle in. Since BW and BB have been born this has been the place they can look forward to spending some serious quality time as a family in the great outdoors. The best part of all is that our group has grown over the years to sometimes 20+ people. We each choose our own things to do during the day and then as the day is waning we gather for dinner and then fire time at dusk. To some this may seem overly simplistic and rather boring. To us, it is priceless time spent creating countless wonderful memories over the years. I have my parents to thank for this little slice of heaven on earth as they chose to make it a gift to me upon their passing. In return, we have lovingly tended to the property and maintained the rickety buildings that remain. Be it ever so humble there is truly "No Place Like Home". Our first official gathering there should be on Memorial Day weekend. However since it is Blackfly Season, we go only if the weather is exceptionally good. Otherwise, getting chewed alive seems rather pointless when you could just wait until those little blood-sucking critters settle down! I've created a slide show depicting LL's first experience in her "other hometown". One moment that I must document so I won't ever forget is when we were going to walk to the store and get lunch. As we were leaving the beach, LL turned to the water and said, "Lake...stay!!" It was as if she was afraid to go because it may be gone when she got back, too cute. Little does she know just how much time she will have to picnic on the rolling green hills, play in the sand, swim in the water and nap in the shade of those beautiful birches. What a glorious example of God's creation!