Panther Pride

B-Ball Boys!

2009-03-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Runningback has really turned in to a defensive player!
He can really make those feet fly! Get ready for Junior High track!

Who knew that Quarterback could jump that high! I thought "White Men Can't Jump"!

Is my son a ball player or a horse. He did get 2 free throws for being fouled on the shot! I am just glad I caught it on film!

The boys have booth been playing basketball this season. Running back for the local youth team, and Quarterback for his 8th grade team and a select team called "Hustluz". They both have become great defenders! Basketball is a sport I became interested in while at TCU, when our team went to the "Sweet 16". No one in our families has ever been involved in the sport, so it was a suprise that the boys have done so well. In the last post, I talked Cheerleaders' attitude about the game. Truely she really enjoys going to the games as well as practices. During practices, she gets to show off her own skills. She can dribble better than most of the 5th grade boys! The only trouble is getting the ball in the basket, too high! She can be on her own team starting in the 3rd grade.
The locat and school ball season is finished now, RB's team came in 4th in the playoffs. We really to not want to mention how well QB's team did. Now the season for the select team is gearing up. The Hustluz are a great team and have won 2 district tournaments in Oak Cliff and Grand Prairie. They came in 3rd in a tournament at UTA in February. It will be keeping us busy all throught the summer!

Yea! Basketball!

2009-02-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Cheerleader actually likes going to her brothers basketball games, she was just creative with her McDonalds box! Quarterbacks' school games are over now, but his select games will go on through the summer. Running Backs' team is still playing for a few weeks, I will post pics of them later. I know It has been a while, but between work and the kids activities, there is just not much time for my fun stuff. For those of you who keep checking in "Thanks"! I will try to be better at keeping up with the site. Love & prayers to all!

I'M BACK!!!!!!

2008-07-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since the last post, but I have been pretty busy! The boys kept us busy with basketball and still busy with select basketball. Cheerleader has a great year at dance. She and Snowbunny were the best in their class! The biggest change, and the reason for not posting is I went back to work! I am a special education paraprofessional at an elementary school. It has been a big adjustment to our family and my body, but we got through it. On a bad note, on the last day of school, I slipped in the hall in a puddle of water and injured by knee. So I have spent the summer on crutches. Dealing with workers comp has not been fun, it is wait, wait, wait. I will post pics to catch everyone up a bit at a time.

Have a Great Summer!

Playgroup Christmas 2007!

2007-12-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Once again we had a wonderful Christmas party hosted by the Warming Hut! This year we had a new addition, "Doodle Bug"! From left to right the girls are: Panda Girl - Deshing Darling - Spicy Girl - Cheerleader - Snow Bunny - and Doodle Bug. The girls had a great time handing out and opening up their gifts to each other. The fancy dresses stayed on long enough for pictures and the gift exchange then it was on to play clothes for lunch. I love our time with our friends and cannot wait to see everyone after the holidays to catch up.

Make sure you click on the play button on the last pic. The girls sang Jingle Bells and it is the absolute best I have ever heard! I really like Deshing Darlings ending!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!

Team Mom & Cheerleader

Ski Patrol and Snow Bunny

Doodle Bug , Mommy Darling & Deshing Darling

Spicy Girl & Spicy Mom

Panda Mom & Panda Girl

Something Strange Going On?

2007-11-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

As some may have noticed, there are blank spaces at the top of my posts. I have no idea why it is happening. When I go in to edit the post a blank space appears that I cannot delete. It is driving me crazy! If anyone knows why this is happening, please, please let me know.

Cookie Tradition 2007!!

2007-11-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

The kids showing off their Nativity scene.

Cheerleader was our families best decorator!

Everyone having fun!

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manger. Three wise men on the left, 2 shepherds & 3 sheep on the right. Three camels, 3 cows & 2 donkeys in the middle.

A wonderful blessing was brought to us 4 years ago. The "W" family moved in across the street and brought with them the neighborhood cookie decorating event! Each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving we all gather in their garage to decorate tons of cookies in every holiday shape imaginable. This year each family had their own nativity scene to decorate. When they were all finished, "Mr. W." read the Christmas Story aloud from the bible. As the story was being told, the kids placed their cookies on a table to display the Nativity. It was a great way to kick off the season with friends and family to celebrate the "Reason for the Season"! Head Coach was just as excited about the day as the kids, he mentioned that he hopes this tradition lasts for years to come! I agree! Thank you "W" family for bring us this wonderful Christmas tradition! Love to all!
P.S. Another thank you to the "W" family for letting me copy pics from their camera because mine gave up last week. I know what I will be asking Santa for this year!

Princess Tea Party!

2007-11-20T14:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had Cheerleaders 4th birthday party. The theme was a Princess Tea Party! Everything was princess & pink! All of our playgroup friends came dressed as princesses. All the girls put their own make-up on and painted their finger nails! They all looked beautiful! I made a pink castle cake covered with candy. What started out as a giant pink monstrosity ended up being our princesses dream! The girls ate lunch while watching Cinderella as the moms took a breather. Nana made each of the girls beautiful monogrammed tea cups as party favors. Memaw came with princess favors as well. We are so blessed to have each of them in our family. I must confess I did not get a single pic of either of them the whole day! Cheerleader had a royal good time. We hope to have everyone back to the "palace" very soon! A thank you to everyone who came to celebrate this wonderful day with us!

Pumpikn Patch Kids!

2007-11-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

The best in the patch!
Quarterback hard at work.

I just love this time of year! Cooler weather, and all the fall colors. While working at the youth pumpkin patch at our church, I took the opportunity to take fall pics of the kids. You never know, you just might find one of these in your Christmas card this year!

Homecomming 2007

2007-11-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

My "ONE OF A KIND" Homecoming garters!

My boys are so handsome!

Runningback's team float.

PANTHER SPIRIT!

I am still playing catch-up with my posts. This year at Homecoming, I made the boys garters to wear to the parade and the game. This was a huge challenge to me. I found some cute mini panthers at the local grocery a month or two before. They growled when you squeezed them! I found a site on the Internet with bow instructions, so with various ribbons, do-dads, stick on letters and a glue gun, I was off! I will toot my own horn! The boys thought they were great and they were guaranteed that no one else would have one like theirs. Runningback had a great time being in the parade, yet quarterbacks team did not participate. Head Coach really got into the Panther Spirit by buying the boys hair and face paint to wear at the game! They all had a great time, it is great living in a small town!

Happy Birtday Runningback!

2007-10-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Party at the 'ol swimming hole!

How likes pizza???

U.S. Air Hockey Team!!!

Hey Mom!, I need more tokens!

WOW! Where has the time gone! So many things have happened, but I will try to get you up to speed. I will start with Running Back's birthday, he turned 10 this year! I can hardly believe it! Having 2 of 3 kids in double digits blows by mind. He and his friends went swimming, then we took them to a movie and to CiCi's Pizza. They all had a great time, ate too much popcorn and too much pizza. One of the boys spent the night so there was not much sleeping going on. This is a short post but I PROMISE to update again very soon!

Happy 13th Quarterback!

2007-09-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

QB did not want a cake, so I decorated football cookies. They lasted all of 1 hr.!

This is the crew acting like "nerds" before going to the movie. They did this while at the Dollar Tree and at Wal-Mart.

After a long night of "TPing" and video games, this is what I found in the morning. Believe it or not, there are 3 on the bed & 2 on the floor. We did make it to Sunday School & Church!

Where has the time gone? I remember holding him in my arms. Seeing him start his first day of school. Playing his first games of T-Ball, Basketball & Football. Now he is a teenager, 6 ft tall and a size 14 shoe! Instead of rubber ducks in his bathroom there is deodorant, hair gel, acne cream and cologne. He still kisses me in front of his friends, maybe because I whispered that he had to into his ear when he was a baby. HAPPY BIRTHDAY "H", I hope you had a great day!

Here I am !

2007-09-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

No, I have not fallen off the face of Earth! It has been a really crazy few weeks. The boys started back to school, YEA!, Runningback started back to youth football, & Quarterback started middle school football. There is absolutely not one night during the week that we will be home as a family before 8:00 p.m. ! Sunday will truly be a day of worship, family and rest for us! I will try to keep up a little better in the coming days.

Desheng Darling & Doodlebug!!!!

2007-08-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

This was taken just after Doodlebug joined her new family. Mommy Darling said there was a lot of crying from Doodlebug, but big sister Desheng Darling was sure happy to finally be with her sister!
MD made these matching dresses for the girls, they are so cute!

The "Official Family Portrait". This is from the Chinese adoption documents saying DB is now a member of the Darling family. They are truly a "Darling Family"!

This is a post about our friends the Desheng Darling family. They have finally been united with their newest daughter Doodlebug! She is a precious 2 yr old from China. She has not smiled for them yet, but as you can tell, older sister DD has enough for both of them. I am sure that in a few days there will be smiled all around. We cannot wait to see her for ourselves and welcome her into our group of "Chopstick Chicks"!

Zale Party 2007!

2007-08-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Molly, Margaret, TaeSoon & Kelly
Trying to stay cool

Mark, are all the kids yours?

Jenni & Reiner

How high did you want to go Marion?

I think this is why Mark said his back hurt, Kory is half his size!

Molly, I thought you had only 2 kids?

Josh & Lilly , too cute!

Zenobia with Mr. & Miss Brown

Hill, Katie & Ethan

TaeSoon & her crew!

If you look close, there is not one adult in the pool with the kids! What were we thinking!

Sorry this post has taken a while to come up, it has been a crazy weekend! It was a HOT day but I believe that fun was had by all! I hope the "prunie"fingers & toes on the kids are back to normal by now. It was great to see old friends and get to put faces with names & voices I have known for so many years. We missed those who were unable to come. We cant wait for next year!

Dragon Lady!

2007-08-02T07:05:00.001-07:00

Well, this week has been a busy one. The boys have been attending SWAM Camp, it is a Christian music camp with an emphases on missions. They attended last year and loved it! I was looking forward to spending time with Cheerleader, going with our play group to meet new Chinese friends and having fun running around town. My plans were foiled by a persistent cough I have had for the past month. I finally went to the Dr. and after 2 breathing treatments and 2 X-rays, he told me I had R.A.D. Respiratory Airway Disease. It is related to asthma triggered by an allergy or environmental air. It causes loss of air flow in the lungs and a persistent dry cough. My cough sounds like I am a 30 year smoker! I was told to stay in as much as possible, that the humidity and high temps help to restrict the lungs and airflow. Bummer! I had plans, things to do! Places to go! People to meet!

I have been productive. My neighbors gave us some peaches and I mixed them with the blueberries we picked a few weeks ago and make a pie/cobbler. It was SUPER if I do say so myself! Just a note about the 1st pic. Cheerleader took it while I was taking the breathing treatment in the Dr. office. She said I looked like a dragon with smoke coming out of my mouth. It is the only time I have ever smoked! She took a pretty good pic!

Christmas in July

2007-07-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

My Team!
Quarterback

Runningback

Cheerleader

Head Coach & Team Mom

An afternoon storm blowing up.

Playing on the zip line!

Hail in the ground & fog in the forrest.

Hop on the"Mexican Train"!

Get all the roots RB!

QB is holding down the load & CL is teaching PaPa to drive!

While on vacation, I try to take the pictures I will send out in our Christmas cards. We are not dressed in our holiday finest, but I love the mountain background. We did have a preview of the weather to come with a second "BIG" hail storm. It looked like snow on the ground! The kids have really enjoyed the zip line PaPa installed last year. Unfortunately, QB is too big to ride on it anymore. Our last days there we helped PaPa with landscaping. We pulled up what looked like small pine shrubs. Once we started pulling the shrubs seemed to keep growing. One shrub would take 2 loads to cart away. On our last night we had a big bonfire to burn off some of the debris. We hardly put a dent in the brush pile, it will take a few more fires to finally clean it all up. Much thanks to NaNa & PaPa for letting us have such a great vacation home.

More New Mexico

2007-07-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sitting around the campfire, getting ready to roast marshmallows!YUMMMMM!

Mommy makes them just the right way!

Relaxing under the pine trees!

We love hiking in the woods!

Runningback riding Latigo.

Quarterback riding Sandy.

Daddy & Cheerleader on Dusty.

Ready - Aim- FIRE!!!!!

Anything by brothers can do, I can do better!

This year our main plan on vacation was to relax and have fun. The kids got an extra treat, we went horseback riding! QB's horse was Sandy, RB's horse was Latigo, Daddy & CL had Dusty & I rode Cinnamon. The ride through the mountains was beautiful and eventful. A tree had fallen over the path the first 2 horses crossed with no problem yet QB's horse was small. The horse started to stumble and jump. It backed into RB's horse and mine and pushed us down the steep path. QB fell off the horse but was uninjured. I did not see him fall and felt totally useless to help because I was trying to stay on my own horse! In all we had a great day and the kids are looking forward to doing it all again!

Our other favorite past time is target shooting. The boys both have their own B-B and pellet guns. This year CL wanted to shoot their guns and she was quite adamant about doing it by herself! Head Coach and I are big sticklers about gun safety. We both have been around them since childhood and are trying to teach the kids respect and good aim! On a trip into town, all CL wanted was her own gun. Well for $4.00, she now has her own double barrel shot gun, and she is quite a good shot!

A Cold 4th!

2007-07-13T16:58:00.001-07:00

A walk in the woods our first day in the mountains.
A heated game of horse shoes in the meadow.

A hike on the 4th early in the day.

Sleet & hail later in the evening on the 4th!

We are back! It was great being out of the heat, yet we did not escape the rain. New Mexico is having a record spring & summer, it is its wettest ever! The temp was 75 for a high and 40 for the low with a little to a lot of rain each day, the low was on July 4th! On the 4th, we were invited to a neighbors house for a party, while there it hailed 2 inches in 45 min. The sky cleared just in time for a beautiful fireworks display over the lake. I will post more pics over the next few days.

We Found Our Thrill!

2007-06-22T20:02:00.002-07:00

My team ready for picking!

Quarterback found some good ones!

Running back working his way down the row.

Cheerleader showing off the "fruits" of her labor!

This week we made a trek out to Edom, Tx to go blueberry picking at Blueberry Hill Farm. There you pick your own, eat all you can & pay for the rest! They charge only $10.00 for a full bucket that holds 12 pints. It was hot & humid outside about 90 degrees, yet we were prepared with hats & umbrellas. A nice treat was the farm provided cold water & cups a various areas in the picking fields. The kids had a great time eating & picking the berries. Running back had a hard time though. He is color blind and can only see blue, yellow & pink. Even though blueberries are blue, when they are ripe they have a whitish tinge to them when still on the bush. He had trouble telling if it was truly ripe or not, so we have several purplish and white berries. They are quite tart tasting but he said he likes them that way. We are hoping to make this a new family tradition. I am not to "hip" on the heat factor involved in the outing, but the sweet rewards and family time are truly worth it!

2007-06-22T20:02:00.001-07:00

New Haircut

2007-06-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cheerleader & Jennifer

The day after her ballet recital I went and had Cheerleader's hair cut. It was getting a bit shabby looking because it is so fine & thin. I kept saying cut it shorter & shorter until it was a chin length bob! She took about 5-6 inches off, I had no idea it had grown so long. She sat so still and was very patient, just like a big girl. It is soooooo cute! She looks so much older as well, I do no know if I like that, I want to keep her my "little girl". The coolest thing is that my hairdresser Jennifer is half Chinese! I got some pretty good tips on curling & conditioning Asian hair.

Sand In Our Toes!

2007-06-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

MY TEAM!

Quarterback

Runningback

Cheerleader

Cheerleader surfing!

Pool time!

Relaxing in the shade under our tent.

MeMaw & Pop

Our Room #301

2nd bedroom

Living room, dinning room & kitchen, the 1st bedroom is across the hall from the kitchen.

Dinning room & living room

Last week we had a great vacation in North Padre Island with Head Coached extended family. The kids had a great time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The weather was great sunny &amp; warm, the ocean warm & clear. "QB" & "RB" had a great time jumping the deep waves and body boarding. Cheerleader tried her best to "serse" her word for surfing. She looked so cute standing on the body board! Her most favorite thing was digging holes in the sand and building sandcastles. QB tried his best to be one of the "Big Guys" hanging out and jumping in the really deep waves. While RB favorite thing was to lie down in the shallows and the the waves wash over him and lay face down in the waves and let them carry in into shore. It drove me crazy making sure he was not a true "floater"! We stayed at the Gulf Stream Condos, MeMaw & Pop have stayed there for the past 27 years. About 1/3 of the rooms have permanent residents and all the other rooms have owners who update them every 3-4 yrs so all are decorated very nice. All are 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a sleeper couch and a full kitchen. Everyone is looking forward to next year!

P.S. Sorry there are so many pics, but I could not leave any out! I wanted to include everyone and they were all so good! Had to toot my own horn!

Mom Did It!

2007-06-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

I want to brag on my Mom. She is a wonderful artist & can do just about anything she tries. Be it drawing, oil painting, jewelry making for her best china painting. She & a friend traveled to North Carolina to take a portrait class from a woman who has been commissioned by the Pope! The portraits she chose to do for the class was me and my sister. I think they turned out just beautiful! I just wish I had just one tenth of her talent. I think mine gets lost somewhere between my brain and my hand. Stick figures are the best I can do! I just wish I still looked like my portrait! Thanks Mom!

Too Cute For My TuTu!

2007-06-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Cheerleader's first bouquet of flowers from her brothers!
NaNa painted a ballet slipper with her name & date. A very special keepsake of her first recital! It even has jade beads & ladybug on the hanger!

It took 4 practice attempts to get the "Shirley Temple" hair just right!

It is NOT easy to get Asian hair to curl & stay curled, but I finally did it!

Cheerleader and cousin "A" with their flowers. Beautiful flowers for beautiful girls!

Maybe some day they can dance a duet together?!? Start the choreography now!

Cheerleader had her first ballet recital recently. Snow Bunny is also in her class. The girls were so cute in their blue "Cuddle Cub" costumes. At rehearsal many of the girls did not dance much for the shock of the large auditorium and bright lights. Come the actual recital, all the girls were perfect! We Mommies could not have been prouder! My niece "A" also takes dance from the same teacher. She received her 7 yr. award, and danced in 8 different dances! "A" absolutely loves to dance, jazz, tap, ballet & modern. I hope Cheerleader will continue, the 5 yr. award is only 4 yrs away!

For he is fully known!

2007-06-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sardis UMC
Inside of Sardis UMC

Prayer candles lit in honor of each of the confirmands.

Quarterback about to be baptised by Pastor "N"!

We are so proud! Our Quarterback has accepted Christ as his one and only Savior! It was the result of a 16 week confirmation course at our church. A group of 16 kids bonded over lock-ins, Wednesday classes, field trips and prayer services. Several of the kids chose to be dunked for their baptism, so our associate pastor filled a giant 3 ft deep pool in our church courtyard and dunked them! The week before the confirmation, all the parents met at a small church in Sardis for a "Praise & Prayer" service to prepare the church for the kids arrival. That evening the kids themselves spent time in silent prayer & contemplation about their decisions in accepting Christ. The following Sunday the kids were anointed with oil & frankincense as they prayed aloud for acceptance with all of our family surrounding him. I was crying, so Mark had to say our family prayer. Afterwards the kids served the congregation communion. I cried once again as I took the "body of Christ" from my son, who served me. I cannot say enough about our associate pastor "N". He did a super job with all of our children, helping them to make their decision to accept Christ.

Math Pentathlon 2007

2007-05-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to play FIAR!
Playing PAR 55

Running back with some of his friends!

This pic was taken when things were winding down. All the tables were filled with 4 kids & 2 adult judges.

Runningback had been participating in an after school program called Math Pentathlon for the past 3 years. The kids learn 5 different games, they are not just math. Some are analytical thinking, reasoning, or dice games. They make the kids think "out of the box". In April we traveled to Austin to compete against 25 other schools. Runningback won 3 of his 5 games. It does not sound like much but it is quite an achievement. Besides math skills, they are teaching patience & sportsmanship.

Runningback has had to overcome quite a few hurdles in the past 3 years. We have had to battle teachers who wanted to keep him back in the 1st grade, being diagnosed with eye & processing problems in the 2nd grade and now in the 3rd, he as been diagnosed with dyslexia. This last one explains all the things we have been struggling with. With all of these things he has maintained an A-B average in school! He has worked so hard for so long on an even plain with the "normal" kids, I am glad he will finally be getting the help he needs. Now with the extra help & manipluatives, who knows how far he will soar!

Boys will be boys!

2007-05-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

For you Mothers of older boys you will understand, for those of younger boys your turn in coming! Quarterback was on his way to our neighborhood park on his roller blades when he met the pavement. Coach & cheerleader were already there and brought him home. One look & Coach knew it was a hospital visit injury. He has a cut requiring 5 stitches above his lift eye along with a abrasion the size of a 50cent piece above it. His entire left shoulder has no skin, 2 knuckles on the left hand are missing skin and his entire left knee and much of his shin are the same. He is one giant road rash!!!! He was pretty upset but it was not about himself, he was upset that he was going to miss an confirmation interview with our church choir director. He did not want to disappoint our Pastor on his assignment.

When he came home from the ER, he went next door to show off the "War wounds" to his friends! He did not show his Mother first! He was excited about showing all the kids at school the scars. I did write a note to excuse him from P.E. for a day or two.

This was not his first big injury and I am sure it will not be his last, but it still makes my heart jump to see my handsome son scaring up his face!

Why?

2007-04-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

As may of you know, I recently had major surgery. I have good & bad days. Today, as I was trying to gather myself, cheerleader asked the question I have been dreading. Why am I here, Why am I from China? The boys have long been at school and she has only watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the T.V. Where did she come up with that question? I had gone over this so many times in my head, asked friends how they had answered the question. All of this I could not remember for the life of me. I told her she lived in China & needed a Mommy and I lived here & needed a little girl. This simple answer seemed all she wanted. The next question was "Why did I pick this house"?

For most families the question is "How did I get out of Mommy's tummy" and "How did I get in there". There are tons of books on how to answer that question. But when your adopted child asks, each child needs their own special answer. Because each child came to that family differently than any child came to any other family. Why did you adopt, Why did you chose a girl or a boy, Why a certain agency, Why a certain country over domestic?

I gave Cheerleader a simple answer to a huge question, she is 3 and that is what she wanted. Please pray that as she grows I am able to give her huge answers.

WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF!!!!!!!!

2007-04-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well here I am in all of my glory! Everyone wants to know how I am doing. Words cannot express my feelings because I am so swolen, you cannot make sence out of anything I say! My family thinks I am crazy for putting this on the blog, but my blooging buddies have a deep understanding of why I am doing this! This first pic is right after surgery. My lips are grossly out of shape but the outside of my face is still pretty much the same. The inside of my mouth is swollen shut. When I woke up I found that I was not wired shut, I could breath, and I did not feel claustrophobic! Praise Him, Praise Him, my prayers were answered! It was my early Easter miracle!

This is me day 2. I am that blob under all the ice packs. They were my best friend. This was my nurse Hill, he gives GREAT drugs!
Can you believe I had to travel to Parkland for an X-ray looking like this. I got some of the strangest looks. Sad thing is, I did see some women having their X-rays done that their face looked like mine due to their boyfriend/husband.

Since I had only been out of bed once, to go to Parkland, and that was a bad 2 hr. experience, my pain was unmanageable, and I got the spins looking sideways I got to spend a second night. Praise Him, Praise Him!

These are the pretty flowers my Sister & her family brought me. I could not have them in my room because I was on the bone marrow ward. I was on the 7th floor where Head Coach usually works. I had people I knew taking care of me! My niece drew me this picture on her visit, she is always so good her artwork! It is hard to believe she will be turning 10 yrs old this next week. She was born on my anniversary!

This is a going home pic. Face starting to swell. Lips, is that what those are? Angelina Joli, eat your heart out!

And this is what we came home to, SNOW!!! It snowed all day! Nothing stuck to the ground but it was beautiful! Can you see the giant Easter eggs in the bushes? As for now, much is still the same. Went to the Dr. on Tues. and he is happy with the surgery and the swelling. I think I look like a monkey and my Mom agrees. Facial swelling will take several weeks to go down, bone & inner will take several months to a year. Today I started to turn greenish yellow from the bruising. Maybe I will update you with a greenish-yellow monkey pic!

M.G.M. Day 3 !

2007-04-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

On day 3 we visited MGM Studios, it is a park dedicated to everything about movies. You can take back lot tours, learn about special effects & sound. You learn the magic of movie making. And for those keeping track, today was purple day!
When we first entered the park the first "characters" we met were "Tow Mater" and "Lightening McQueen" from Cars. They drove themselves around and "road" music was playing on their radios!

Outside of the Star Wars ride we ran into some Storm Troopers. The ride was really cool.

Toy Story has been one of the boys favorites for years, so seeing Buzz & Woody was a real treat.

Running back wanted his face painted "REAL BAD". I tried to talk him into a partial painting, nothing doing, he wanted the whole thing. The man was able to do the whole thing in about 10 min. I could not believe how good it was. Running back got so many comments all day, he looked sooooo cool. He would have painted his face everyday if he was able. He had his painted at 9:00 in the morning, and it stayed ALL DAY! We had to wash it off with soap & water at midnight so he could go swim at the hotel! That was the best $12.00 face painting ever!

One of the best shows we saw was the Paris Stunt Cars. Mini Coopers raced & slid around showing precision maneuvers we could not believe. Both boys agreed that both their Grandfathers would have loved the show. Smoke, the smell of burning rubber, engines revving & fast car chases, what more can a man want.

We saw how the newest cartoon movie, Meet the Robinsons, was made and ran into the Incredibles! Everyone had their pic taken but I only posted mine because we all know that Moms are truly incredible!

While waiting for dinner our "Mickey-Jack Black-Tiger" fell asleep. He was so cute that I was not the only one who took pictures of him. Several people asked if they could as well. He was clueless until he saw this!

We ate at Hollywood & Vine a 50's inspired diner. The food was great, of course.

After dinner we had reserved seating for the Fantasmic laser-light and water show. WOW, it was the best! I cannot put into words the feelings we had during & after the show. I remembered things from my childhood & wondered if my kids feel the same thing. Of course, it is the Magic of Disney! It is never ending!

Look!!!! The face paint is still on 11 hours later!

P.S. What color will we be wearing tomorrow?

Hello EPCOT! Day 2

2007-03-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of our Disney adventure! Did you guess the next color of the day? If you guessed ORANGE, you win! We are at EPCOT. Did you know that it is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow? Walt Disney has a plan for an entire city of the future. The park is there to help explain his vision. That man truly made his dreams come true.
Our first ride was to outer space, a Mission to Mars. I for one DO NOT ever have to do it again! "M" & the boys loved it, I thought I was going to pass out! It is a G-force machine simulating a rocket launch, flight & landing. Maybe I am raising tomorrows astronauts!

Next up we visited different countries in the World Showcase. All those who worked in the various countries are really from there. First up was Norway. The wooden church was beautiful. They have a strong belief in gnomes. They were everywhere, large small & extra-large!

Next up was China, of course this was my favorite! Everything there looked like it was taken right out of Beijing, without all the smog, traffic & smell. I wanted the boys to get a little taste of where their sister was from. The water gardens, wooden carvings, roof tiles & incense made me feel like I was there again.

We even ran into Mulan!

The boys had fun posing with the guardian lion!

"F" was rubbing Budda's belly for good luck!

There were even Terra-cotta Warriors! Daddy stood next to one in China & he was taller, "H" is almost there! "F" did his best to look mean & fierce.

Did not do much in France, they had shopping & eating, but we were looking forward to our dinner in Canada!

There was a drumming demonstration going on in Japan.

In America we watched the American Spirit Singers. They sang patriotic songs acapella in the rotunda of a hall. All I can say is WOW,WOW,WOW!!!! "F" is out aspiring singer in the family, his eyes would not leave them. He even had his picture taken with the leader!

A quick stop in Italy. This is a replica of the bell tower in Venice. On my European trip after college I had a really good cry up in the real one. Four friends & I begged the guide to take us up into the tower at sunset after it had closed. The view was breathtaking. Orange, yellow, blue & purple of the waters & canals. Believe it or not, there was a pay-phone at the top. I tried calling everyone in my family, even my boyfriend at the time,"Coach", no one was home! I had no one to share the beautiful moment with in the most romantic city in the world! Now in the age of cell phones when my kids travel around the world they can call Me to share the moment with!

Look who we found in England! Alice in Wonderland!

Finally, Canada! This is where we had our best meal. Daddy & the boys had steak while I had Salmon. The meal was wonderful, there was more than we could eat! Specialty breads from different regions, Cheese soup & crab souffle, as well as desert! I took this pic of my "Chocolate Mouse" with maple leaf ears for my friend "J". With dinner "M" & I had a "Blue-tini" a martini that had a glowing blue ice cube. That cube is still working today, 2 weeks later!

Good-bye Epcot, we had a great time! Guess what color we will wear tomorrow!

Magic Kingdom Here We Come!

2007-03-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

We are Back! We had a great time and we all certainly fell under the spell of Disney Magic! So many wonderful things happened I decided to blog about it a day at a time. Our first day was Magic Kingdom, we walked in the gates and they started roping off the street for a parade, I said they must have been waiting on us, we had "THE" perfect view looking straight down Main Street at Cinderella's Castle. You will see a pattern in what we are wearing each day. Dad & I decided it was best if we dressed alike to keep track of each other. I know the boys are big & know their own name & address, but it really came in handy when you needed to find everyone at a glance. Day one was red, can you guess what tomorrow will be?!?

This is the exact spot we had for the parade! All I had to do was turn around and start taking pictures! The boys could not believe all the characters who waved right at them. At first "H" did not want to watch the parade, but after he said it was "Way Cool"!
Our official first ride was the "Haunted Mansion". The boys were excited because they had seen the movie, it was a bit creepy but fun! I could not get over all the detail there is at every turn.

At dinner we met up with friends "B" & "H". "B"'s Mom "D" came with them. After dinner we rode some rides together. They got tired & went back to their room while we went on to a late night at the MGM park. We did not get back to out room until 3:00a.m.! What were we thinking!

We ate dinner at the Liberty Tree Inn. It was a colonial style building serving family style meals. We ate turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes, green beans & mac-cheese. There was more food than we could eat! There was even apple cobbler for desert! It was a character dinner, so Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale each came over to greet the boys & take pictures!

At night Cinderella's castle was lit up so beautiful! It would change colors, blue, purple, red, yellow & green. The fireworks were super! There is truly something magical about that place, you feel that your dreams really can come true!

P.S. I really took this picutre! I am soooo proud of myself! It turned out beautiful! I might be getting good at this picture taking stuff!

Monsters Inc.

2007-03-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

Runningback & Cheerleader were playing in his room & came across a box of costumes. They had a great time trying to scare me with the different masks. Cheerleader kept asking brother to lift his mask to make sure it was still him inside. I love watching my kids having fun with each other!

We Are the Champions!

2007-03-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Look how tall he is!

"HUSTLAS"

a cool version of Hustlers

Quarterback & "S", friends since kindergarten!

WOW!! What a game! Quarterback's basketball team won the 5&6 grade division. This was his 4th & last year in the recreation division. He has come a long way. He has done well enough to catch the eye of a coach who asked him to be on his tournament B-ball team. This will give him a leg up on the others when it comes time for Junior High team play. Cheerleader thinks she can do anything her brothers can do, & she does! She dribbles the ball pretty well & is getting better at throwing. Runningback finished his team play last week, they came in 4th in their division. He is getting better each year. Maybe we will have another champ on our hands!

Date Set for Surgery

2007-03-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

Well the day has finally been set. April 5th at 9:00 a.m. This will be the 3rd & final surgery relating to a tumor that totally messed up my jaw & mouth. It will be nice to chew on both sides of my mouth, not just 2 back teeth. I will be wired shut for 6 weeks, some think that is a good thing! On the positive side, I think of the weight I will lose! There is one part I am dredding. Right after surgery in the recovery room I feel as if I cannot breath, everything is so swollen. I hope someone will be able to stand next to me, just so I know I am not alone and I am O.K. I know I am not alone, He is there with me, but a real person would be nice too. I am not one to ask for prayers, but at this time I could really use them. When all is said & done, I will have a new profile, new smile & straight pretty teeth that meet when I eat!

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's 40!

2007-03-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

3 mo. old!

OOOOH, what a HOTTIE!

Our Head Coach, Daddy, Husband, turned 40 yesterday! He has not been taking it well, much worse than when I did. We love him dearly no matter what age he is, how little hair he has, or how much of it is grey! Love Ya Big Daddy!
Happy Birthday!

HERCULES

2007-02-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here he is, Hercules! The newest member of our family. He is a Sulcata turtle from the African desert. Right now he is about the size of a Coke can lid, he fits in the palm of your hand. In a year he could be the size of a salad plate, 5 yrs a dinner plate. At 25 yrs, he could be 2 ft. across and 100 lbs! Now he is super easy to take care of, we will worry about the size & weight in 10 yrs. Favorite foods are dandelions, spinach and clover.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!!!*!!!

2007-02-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

Cheerleader
Deshing Darling

Panda Girl

Spicy Girl

Snowbunny,Spicy Girl, Deshing Darling, Panda Girl & Cheerleader

Quarterback & Runningback got into this pic!

Snowbunny, Ski Patrol & Cheerleader

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year! 2007 in the year of the "Golden Pig". It only comes around every 60 years. Many good things are to happen to you if you are born under this sign. Our Chop Stick Chicks all gathered at the Bamboo Palace in Cedar Hill for dinner to celebrate. The girls all dressed in their Chinese silk outfits. They were beautiful! Grandparents, Aunts and cousins joined us as well. We all had a great time.

What happened to my Baby Boy?!?

2007-02-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

I still remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I remember crying when he was 1 mo. old because he was growing & changing so fast I wanted to hold on to every minute because he would not be the same the next time I looked at him. Well, we hit a big change today. Back in October, Head Coach & I noticed that his upper lip was looking a bit "dirty". It was the beginning of a mustache! How could this be! He is only 12! A baby! MY BABY! Maybe the fact that he has grown 6 inches in 7 mo. has something to do with it. He now stands 5ft. 6in., and has a size 13 shoe, a good base for his height. His feet are as long as he was at birth!

Well that "dirty" spot on his upper lip was getting a bit darker, so we decided it was time to SHAVE IT OFF! We got my electric razor out and let him have at it. He did a great job! Maybe his play razor back when he was 3 gave him the practice he needed. He is not a baby, toddler or child. He skipped preteen all together and went straight to young man. Where did it go? I blinked my eyes and it was gone. Runningback & Cheerleader better watch out, Mom will not let you out of her sight!

"I love you forever, I love you for always. Forever and always, my baby you'll be".

Valentines with Snow!

2007-02-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

NaNa & PaPa taking a hike in the snow!

Snow hanging off the roof over the kitchen window.

Happy Valentines day to all of our friends and loved ones! Head Coach & I are not big on giving each other gifts on this day but we make sure the kids get something special. This year I did buy Coach & I something special, a broom-vac for our new slate floor! I know it is not very romantic, but it is something we wanted.
It might be my mistake, but I thought I lived in Texas. Lately it is a easy mistake to make with the constant cold weather & the snow. There is not much on the ground but it is beautiful to watch flying in the air. The pictures I posted are of our family home in New Mexico. They were taken during the Christmas holidays, it snowed 72in in 48 hours! My parents, who were there with friends were snowed in for 5 days! That would not happen here, well maybe!

Chinese New Year!!!

2007-02-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

Last monday we took the girls to Penny's for a group picture. We have attempted this before, but getting 5 girls to smile, look forward, all at the same time is a challenge. The last time Cheerleader would not even get in the picture. As you can see she had a change of heart this time. These are pics I took with my camera, I am sure the "official" pics will be even better. The occasion was for Chinese New Year, they are soooo cute in the satin outfits!

Up Off The Floor!

2007-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Well it finally happened, I am getting the floor of my dreams! I have asked for a slate floor for the past 6 years. When we moved in we ordered the cheapest carpet & linoleum they make thinking that someday we would have Head Coaches brother lay the "good stuff". The day is now here & I am overwhelmed! Everything in the living room in now in my kitchen and it will be that way for a week. Uncle J has to do an area at a time so we can have someway to get to the bedrooms & kitchen. Next week he will start on the kitchen, darn, no cooking! I catch myself standing in the middle of the floor, lost in the beautiful patterns on each tile. God made some beautiful rock for me to walk on!
Empty living room with grid laid out.

Be carefull Cheerleader, you could get lost in the kitchen! She was a great supervisor!

Laundry Day!

Head Coach even helped out!

THANK YOU UNCLE J!!!!!!

*SNOW DAY**

2007-01-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

Tell me, how do you really feel about a day off of school?

How do you like RB's cool ski hat?!?!?!?!? He wears it like a pro on the slopes!!!!

CL enjoyed been pulled around on her "beach" boogie board!

What a way to wake up! I had just woke up the boys when I turned on the T.V., I have to watch the news, when the weather man said that most schools were closed for the day. Sure enough, our town flashed up on the screen, the boys let out a giant WHOOP! They actually headed back to bed since it was 5:45 in the morning & dark outside. At 9:00 sharp the doorbell & phone started ringing, their friends wanted to play in the snow! I am beginning to wonder where we live. The weather had been more like the mountains than hot Texas. Yet this is Texas, and if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 min. and it will change. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I would much rather be cold than hot. I have worn more sweaters & sweatshirts in the past 2 weeks than the past 2 years combined!

BASKETBALL !

2007-01-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

It is basketball season once again! Both boys are playing this year, QB for his 4th year & RB for his 3rd. With 2 practices & 1 game each week for each of them, Head Coach & I are kept quite busy. Cheerleader just does not understand why she cannot play! I have tried getting some good pictures at the games, they have not turned out, but I will keep trying. Stay Tuned!

Christmas at NaNa & PaPa's!!

2007-01-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

PawPaw & Quarterback

MaMa Chick & A

Poppie

Head Coach & Cheerleader

CL had a big day!

Runningback is so handsome!

QB is too cool for school!

Mr. Jim & Aunt Alala

Aunt Kayke & Uncle Ken

NaNa & CL

No One loses to Anut Kayke!

Kayke & NaNa!

This was such a wonderful day, family & friends, all together to celebrate His day! I truly believe pictures say more than words so I hope you understand why this is so short. Love to all!

Christmas Day!

2007-01-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

WOW! Santa was good to the "Team" this year. I love watching the excitement of Christmas morning in my children's faces. Did Santa eat all of his goodies? How about Rudolph's carrot? There were not many pictures taken, I was busy getting the action with the movie camera.

The kids take turns unwrapping their presents, watching what each has received. The fun lasts longer that way. After everything was unwrapped, played with & tried on, we tidied up & went to NaNa & PaPa's house for more Fun!

Christmas Eve

2007-01-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve is spent with Head Coaches side of the family. Memaw always cooks enough food to feed an army, which we are, and plenty for everyone to take home. It is fun getting to see HC two brothers and their families. There are cousins ranging in age from 33 to 3, Cheerleader is 4 days older than the youngest. The kids had a great time and got way too many presents. The adults did a gift exchange where we passed to the right or the left according to a story. You would think adults would know their
right from their left, I was HARD! Can't wait till next year!

CL & Kylie MeMaw

Pop

Friends Leon, Joleen, Brad & Brent

Brothers Terry & Johnny

40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40!

2007-01-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, this past Friday I turned 40! I have not stressed out about it like I thought I would, maybe it will kick in later. Head Coach had to work, the boys went to a Stars game with their Uncle, so my Sister & I took our girls & went to dinner. The weather was definitely against us. We got totally soaked on the way into the restaurant. Dinner was great & thankfully no one told the waitstaff that it was my birthday. My Mother had called from New Mex. to sing me Happy Birthday and that I was getting "OLD", but I had to remind her that she was the mother of a 40 year old. She laughed but quit saying I was old. The past few days I have been thinking about this "Monumental" day in my life. Some people have lists of what they want to do before their 40th. I have been blessed to do many things, travel through Europe, climb the Great Wall, have 3 great kids. I believe my list is going to be the things I want to accomplish to improve myself. Learn a new language, reach out to others, etc. Looking back on my life, there is nothing I would change about it. There are things I wish had turned out differently, some things I wish I had not said or done, but I have learned from my mistakes & accomplishments. WOW, look what I have done in 40 years, just think what I can do with the next 40, 50, 60!

CHRISTMAS 2006!

2007-01-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come & gone once again. I took many great pictures of family & friends but you will have to wait to see them. I left my camera at my parents house on Christmas day. Now they are at our vacation home in New Mexico. I could have gone over to get it, but I have felt really bad this past week & have not left the house if I did not have to. On Christmas Eve we went to Head Coach's parents house. Memaw & Pop have their house decorated to the nines inside & out. Out "Team" had a great time seeing cousins and unwrapping presents. Head Coach had to work again this year so the kids had to wait until he came home Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought to them. Cheerleader understood the concept of unwrapping this year, she had a blast! On to my parents for lunch and more PRESENTS! We all had a wonderful time with family. We have been truly blessed by our family & friends. Our children know they are unconditionally loved by everyone around them. I thank Him for that for He is the Reason for the Season!

Amy's Wedding!

2006-12-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

Sat. night the "Team" attended a beautiful wedding. It was for a girl who grew up living next to us in Grand Prairie. I had been her & sisters babysitter for many years, our parents were best friends and her Dad was my Doctor, Dr. Jim. The service was at the Highland Park First Presbyterian Church. It was HUGE. I have never seen so many poinsettias in one place! The bride was beautiful in ivory & the attendants in strapless black. The minister spoke of covenant love, true love. The reception was held at the Crescent hotel in downtown. I truly believe that my sister and I have had the most beautiful, meaningful, and fun weddings ever, but this event is 3rd in line! The hotel was decorated to the "NINES" for the holiday, beautiful trees and archways everywhere! There was even a sugar tree, everything made out of sugar. the angels, bells, ribbons, presents, even the tree itself! We started off with a cocktail hour being entertained by a string quartet, then on to a ballroom for dancing with a live jazz band, the singer was awesome! Finally a 3rd room was opened for a cheese & dessert buffet, then the cake was cut. We ate, we danced, we had a ball! Runningback found out that he loves dancing! He danced with all the girls in the family, the Bride and even joined in on the conga line! Cheerleader enjoyed the dancing as well, I think it was the band she was most interested in though. We thank Amy & Craig for having us share in beginning their new life together!

Forney Christmas 2006!

2006-12-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

Granny & Cheerleader

Granny & Aunt Chick

Cousin "A" & Cheerleader

QB, RB, CL & cousins Austin & Aubrey

Cheerleader playing Mary Deans organ

My Granny & Paw Paw

I LOVE YOU!

My Mom & Dad, Sister-Aunt Chick, Uncle Donny & Aubrey caroling at Uncle James & Aunt Jo's.

Uncle James & Aunt Jo and his paintings.

Thursday we traveled to Forney to celebrate with my Grandparents, Granny & PawPaw. When I was growing up we went there on Christmas Eve. I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas in their house. But as families grow the date has been moved back a bit, but not the fun! I have always thought my Grandparents "hung the moon" and am thankfull that my kids do too. We are so fortunate that they have both sets of Grandparents and 3 Great Grandparents! After lunch, we exchanged gifts and sang carols. A while later the women gathered in one room: talking about family, the men in another: talking politics and all the kids playing outside. In the evening we went to visit my Grandmothers brother, Uncle James & Aunt Jo. My Uncle James is a very artistic man. He has been painting for many years and finally this year I got up enough nerve & I asked to buy a painting. He would have nothing of it and gave me two! I come from a long line of artists, but did I get any of that talent? NO!! I even have a famous painter in the family, Otis Dozier. His paintings hang in the Dallas Museaum of Art in the Texas section. He even painted murals in some of the downtown buildings in Dallas. Now I can say I own an original Dozier, a James Dozier that is!

Brown Eyed Girls!!

2006-12-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics of the Chop Stick Chicks decorating cookies at Panda Girls house. We all had such a great time, the best was eating the cookies! A super big thanks to Panda Mom! All the girls wore their "Everybody Loves A Brown Eyed Girl" shirts! We love doing the "matching" thing.

Miracle On Main Street

2006-12-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am a few days behind on our posts but I did not want to leave this out. Last Sunday the boys were in our church childrens program, QB played a rich man who showed he was a Christian through his wealth. RB was a child who wanted to put on the Manger scene in the town square. they both did so well. I was a proud Mom!!!! What I am most proud of is that they both know the real "Reason for the Season". Check out the toddler manger scene, she is Chinese! Out friend Libby played Mary, Cheerleader would not sit still long enough so Libby got the part.

Southland Party !

2006-12-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

Another Southland party come & gone. This year was a bit different. We had a great BBQ dinner at Spring Creek, followed up with bowling! I miss seeing everyone at work but I would not give up my work at home for anything. Each year there seem to be less & less people I know and the same can be said for them knowing me and why I am there. One person missing this year was my Uncle Rod, nothing was said about his absence, but you could tell it was on a few peoples minds. He was such a fun person to be around at parties, that is where he was really in is element, making people happy. My "Team" & I really had a good time, the bowling helped to keep everyone together instead of people doing their own thing. One thing was found out for sure, I was NOT cut out for bowling. I put a new low on the scoreboard, a 26! At least the kids can officially say they are better at something than me! We had a great time, and cannot wait until next year!

Last Day of School!!

2006-12-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Runningback had a party on his last day of school. The kids had a big brunch, exchanged ornaments and did several crafts. At one point all the kids were really quite doing their craft and listening to carols on the radio. All at once, all the kids started singing along with the music! The parents started laughing and started singing as well, what Christmas joy!

Musical Christmas!

2006-12-17T11:37:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Quarterback! He had his first band concert, and I was blown out of my seat! Who knew that 6th graders could sound so good! I have been to plenty of band concerts in my time. I played oboe for 6 years beginning in the 7th grade. I knew he had been practicing very hard and it was obvious that the others had too. They had only practiced as a group twice. The rest of the time they have class in their sections. QB's section is called the Saxsoons,(sax & bassoons). The 7th & 8th grade bands also performed and played their socks off! I am definitely buying the event cd. It will bring back sweet Christmas memories for years to come!

Ballet Christmas

2006-12-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today at dance class, the girls had their Christmas party. They are so cute with their little pink legs & pink shoes! Their teacher Miss "R" is sooo patient and kind! Some days I wonder how much she is really learning and then she will come home & that is all she talks about. Catching the sun & putting it on their toes, walking on "tip-toes". She will be so cute in her recital costume, a real ballerina!

Santa & The Grinch

2006-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Tuesday after basketball practice we went to the local diner. Santa & the Grinch were there! Cheerleader is an old pro when it comes to talking to Santa there days. Quarterback & Runningback also gave him their list of wants for this Christmas. The Grinch did not talk but took good pictures! The odd looking fellow with RB is the Halloween decoration that is left out all year & dressed up for all the different holidays, valentines, easter, ect. CL fell in love with him the first time she saw him at 8mo. old. She just thinks he is different & needs more love.

Chopstick Christmas!

2006-12-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

This was our second Christmas together as a group. We are so fortunate to have a great group of girls! Everyone looked so grown up in their dresses. We even took a Mommie & Me picture! I think the girls had just as much fun playing with their friends toys as unwrapping the presents. I think Cheerleader really liked her Minnie Mouse pen! Thank you all for the gifts. I truely love the time together to share with the Moms! See you all next week for cookie decorating! I think a beat Panda Mom to be the first blog!

The Next American Idol!!!!!

2006-12-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Running back's true passion is singing! This past week he has sang in front of the church and has had his school program. In the school program,"The Night the Reindeer Rocked", he sang in the reindeer chorus. This is the first year he did not have a speaking part. In the picture he is the 4th from the left. At church, the childrens choir sang their invitation for all to come to their upcomming Christmas program. The picture is not the best, the flash did something strang to his eyes. I would say it was his true self comming out!, but he truely loves church and has told us he wants to be a preacher! Team Dad & I have talked to our choir director about singing lessons for Runningback, he thought is would be a great idea. Watch out American Idol, here he comes!!!

Visit With Santa!!!

2006-12-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

Today, Cheerleader went with the Chopstick Chicks to visit with Santa! Last year she was very interested in him but would NOT get close on her own. This year was a different story, she was the first on his lap! She asked for a Mickey Mouse movie and puzzles. There was some whispering going on as well, I hope he understood everything. We had a great day, riding on the carousel, shopping at the Disney and candy store. We also made a new friend at the playground. We hope she comes to our Christmas party! As soon school is out we will take the whole "team" to see Santa. Quarterback & Runningback need to tell him what they want for Christmas!

Goodbye PeeWee Football! :(

2006-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today we will post in blue, our team color. Quarterback had his end of the year party Sat. night. The boys had a great time swimming at an indoor water park. It was 40 outside and 85 inside. Some of the moms got a little teary eyed, it would be the last time we would see each other for 2 years while our boys played for opposing junior high teams. We have been with the same coaches for 3 years. Quarterback has come to love and respect his coaches so much, he really values their opinion of him and his playing ability. I just pray that he would treat his parents the same way! The boys themselves got a bit solemn when they finally realised they would not be on the same teams. I pray they all remain friends and not let the town rivalry get the best of them, they will be back together for the 9th grade!

Our "Finding" Day

2006-12-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Today is a day that most adoptive parents do not celebrate. The day their child was found. On a cold Dec. 1, 2003, early in the morning our little one was found on a park bench outside of a school. She was dressed in a red silk gown trimmed in black feathers. We were told it was a festival costume of some importance. There was no note. We have the name of the person who found her, but who was it? Her father, grandfather, uncle or truly an angel sent to protect my child. They estimated her age to be 4 days old. This past week many things have been on my mind. Does her mother remember her birthday, did the officials get it right? Why was she given up? Was she the 2nd child, was it because she was a girl? Was her mother pressured into giving her up or was it her idea? All during the adoption and up until now, these are questions I did not want to think about. In my mind she has always been MINE. She came into being when we started the adoption papers. If you calculate the time we did the paper work, waited for the referral and flew over to get her, the timing is perfect. Nine months with her mother and 7 months waiting for me to come pick her up. HE most definitely had her planned for us. We never had any problems with our paperwork, other than the drudgery of doing the paperwork. Our wait was during the shortest wait time ever, 6 mo. To top it off she is the youngest referral we have ever heard of, 5 mo. old at the time of referral. The day we landed in the U.S. she had her 8mo. birthday.

On her birthday I prayed for her mother, something I don't thing I really did in the past. I thanked her for my child, for putting her in Gods hands to send to me. I prayed for the person who found her. Thanking him for being at the right place and time. I know someday she will want to know about her mother and how she came to be with us. We will someday take her back to China to visit her homeland. If she wants to find her, we will try. She was her birth mother, but I am Mommy, Mom, and Mother.

Minnie Mouse Birthday

2006-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

This past Mon. was Cheerleaders 3rd. birthday! We have been blessed to have her on all 3 of her birthdays! This year she wanted a Minnie Mouse theme, it was her idea to dress up as Minnie. It was her Halloween costume. Out Chopstick Chick friends were there as well as 2 friends from school. The girls had fun playing, eating lunch, opening presents, and playing again. CL and the Chicks have such a good time together, I think the Mommies have a great time too. I must say, I am getting pretty good at this birthday cake thing. Over the years there have been many cakes, farm yards, treasure chests and ladybugs. This year was a try at "Candy Clay" for Minnie's portrait. Quarterback & Linebacker were not happy about missing the party. It was held on our usual Chopstick Chick day during school hours. They did ask if they could miss school for such an important occation. We made up for it with a family dinner out.

Cookie Decorating!!

2006-12-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

It has become a tradition in our neighborhood that the Sat. after Thanksgiving everyone gathers at the Waswick home to decorate Christmas cookies. They moved here 3 yrs. ago and brought the tradition with them. The kids have a great time and we get a chance to reconnect with our neighbors and share in the Holiday Spirit. I truely love the Christmas season!

2006-11-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Phantom, Pirate Boy & Minnie Mouse!!! Runningback's last game.

Who's Son Was That?!!!!!!

Recovery!

2006-11-17T17:07:00.000-08:00

As some may know I had some surgery on Wed. I slept most of that day and took it easy on Thurs. I am feeling much better today, no pain pills, but still have to take it easy. I know in the coming months as my "Aunt Mary" does NOT come to visit I will be happy I did it. On a different note, tomorrow will be Quarterback's last Peewee football game. He has done very well this year, he has found his calling. Running back's last game was last Sat. They won their last game putting them in 10th place in the season out of 32 teams. We were very proud of him for his first year. Cheerleader has had a lot of fun this year going to their games as well as practice. There are several younger sisters she has made friends with & we will miss seeing them each week.

The Head Coach wanted me to post some pictures of our "Team". So the following will be a catch up of what we have been doing lately.

Panther Pride

2006-11-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

Finally, we got our own blog site!!!!! I am sure I will get better at the the more I do it. We chose the blog site name for the local sports teams the kids play for. Our names are Head Coach, Team Mom, Quarterback, RunningBack and Cheerleader. We hope to use this site to share with our family and friends our accomplishment, goals and dreams. Enjoy!

Panther Pride

B-Ball Boys!

Yea! Basketball!

I'M BACK!!!!!!

Playgroup Christmas 2007!

Something Strange Going On?

Cookie Tradition 2007!!

Princess Tea Party!

Pumpikn Patch Kids!

Homecomming 2007

Happy Birtday Runningback!

Happy 13th Quarterback!

Here I am !

Desheng Darling & Doodlebug!!!!

Zale Party 2007!

Dragon Lady!

Christmas in July

More New Mexico

A Cold 4th!

We Found Our Thrill!

New Haircut

Sand In Our Toes!

Mom Did It!

Too Cute For My TuTu!

For he is fully known!

Math Pentathlon 2007

Boys will be boys!

Why?

WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF!!!!!!!!

M.G.M. Day 3 !

Hello EPCOT! Day 2

Magic Kingdom Here We Come!

Monsters Inc.

We Are the Champions!

Date Set for Surgery

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's 40!

HERCULES

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!*!*!*!*!*!

What happened to my Baby Boy?!?

Valentines with Snow!

Chinese New Year!!!

Up Off The Floor!

*******SNOW DAY********

BASKETBALL !

Christmas at NaNa & PaPa's!!

Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve

40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40! 40!

CHRISTMAS 2006!

Amy's Wedding!

Forney Christmas 2006!

Brown Eyed Girls!!

Miracle On Main Street

Southland Party !

Last Day of School!!

Musical Christmas!

Ballet Christmas

Santa & The Grinch

Chopstick Christmas!

The Next American Idol!!!!!

Visit With Santa!!!

Goodbye PeeWee Football! :(

Our "Finding" Day

Minnie Mouse Birthday

Cookie Decorating!!

Recovery!

Panther Pride

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!!!*!!!

*SNOW DAY**