Fun Friday--The zoo and lunch with Daddy

This morning, the Chinese Noodle and I went with Dr. G and her son to the zoo. While the day started off gray, the clouds quickly parted, the sun came out and the sky turned a brilliant shade of blue. Perfect for looking at all the animals! As always, the monkeys and gorillas were a hit, but the big area of interest (at least for the Noodle, the little guy fell asleep) was the dinosaur exhibit--moving, roaring dinos. It was the perfect way to stroll and chat, while keeping the youngsters interested too. Dr. G and I have been doing bible study together since 2005, and she and her husband have been so supportive of J and I. Thanks for a fun time and our friendship!!


After the zoo, we took a detour to go meet J for lunch. One of the things I love about being off is being able to take the Noodle downtown so we can eat with Daddy. Thankfully, J's job is flexible so that, barring any meetings, he can usually take a few minutes out of his day for his girls. We ate down by the river and watched the seagulls and the boats come and go. While it was still sunny, the wind was quite a bit stronger here and so it made for a chilly meal.

Thankful Thursday

Here's to simple pleasures.

Memorial Weekend Re-Cap

A glimpse into the future.
Look at all the kites!!
Enjoying the dock.
Looking out over the Lake.
Taking a break from the bike.
Carefully carrying her watering can.
I'm not letting this backpack out of my sight.
We've had a busy last few days. Friday, we got together for lunch with a high school friend and her sister (who adopted her children from China and Korea). It was great getting to peer into the future as to what the Chinese Noodle may look like in 10+ years. Saturday we went out to Grandma and Grandpa's for a picnic with the family and then onto Lolly and Papa's summer place, Lazy Days, to spend the night. Sunday, after getting home, we went to a party in honor of a old, old friend and her family (great to see you again KEO). Today we worked out in the garden and watered all the seeds that J planted. I definitely see vegetables in our future. Yum! Now we just have to convince the Noodle. The real highlight of the weekend, at least by the C.N.'s perspective however, was when she got her backpack (thanks Lolly and Papa). It has been by her side (or back) ever since.

Thank You

Thank you to all the Veterans who make our country the land of the free and the brave.

This little piggy

The Chinese Noodle has continued her streak (pun intended) in not wanting to wear her clothes. I wrote about this earlier here. Most evenings, once we put her down, she will be up in her crib talking to herself and then it will become silent. When we go up and check on her, she is smiling broadly and will proudly exclaim "Noooooo!!!" as she points to her naked body. There have been a few times when she has also attempted to remove the diaper, but we've quickly put the smack down on that. I think we'll wait until later in the summer to try our hand at potty training.

Anyway, she's gotten quite good at removing her clothes and of course, always does it with stealth-like behavior. On our way home from the airport this last time, she was silent in the backseat and so J and I assumed she was sleeping (especially since she missed her nap). When we pulled into the driveway and turned around to wake her up, we saw the Noodle dressed only in her diaper. She had unbuttoned her dress, taken her arms out of it and somehow slithered her carseat straps down as well. Obviously we didn't have that tight enought. She just grinned.


On the flip side, she has gotten quite good at dressing herself. She LOVES to button, zip, unsnap, untie and velcro. Typically she can get her pants/shorts on as well as her socks and shoes totally independently. She's also getting good at putting on her shirt...at least most of the time.

You have to just smile at that!

Monday morning walk

It was a beautiful morning to take a walk down by the Lake. I love how the sun is shining on L. and the Chinese Noodle's hair. How come that doesn't happen as we get older?!

Lazy Days

This past weekend J, Lollie, the C.N. and I went to help open up "Lazy Days", Lollie and Papa's summer cottage. Papa wasn't able to go with us because he was on his way home from China (unfortuantely delayed 3 hours--ugh!). This year, we just needed to do a little spring cleaning and light painting. The feather duster was quite the hit. Anyone need their house cleaned?

Thankful Thursday

This is what I do when someone says "smile".

I'm thankful that over this past weekend, we seemed to have made a break-through with the Chinese Noodle's speech. I guess with 4 adults pestering her non-stop, she figured she might as well humor us and start making her request in simple sentences, rather than just single words. She also has just started to link 2-3 words together, in order to comment. I'm feeling really optimistic because she had been relying so heavily on us to prompt and guide her and now it seems to have "clicked". Articulation is another story, but I was more concerned about the language, so this is a definite answer to prayer.

We also got the results back from the third round of hearing tests that she had done at the beginning of May. The ENT was pleased that the negative pressure that had been present in March, is now gone. Everything else with the tests were normal, so the ENT is fine with foregoing tubes at this time. Tomorrow we have our pre-op appointment. The June 3 surgery is becoming more and more real!!

Thank you Auntie C and Uncle S!!!

"Wow-whee these 2 are fun!""Mmmmmm these munchkins are good!"
Playing in the water with Auntie C.
"Where's Uncle S?!"
"Ohh, here he is."
Auntie C does it again.
We had a great time hanging out, catching up and laughing with S and C this past weekend. I know the Chinese Noodle loved every minute of it. She would wake up each morning looking for them--earlier than they were interested in getting up, so sometimes it got a bit interesting--ha ha! Their love for her is evident and it means so much to J and I to witness that love. The Noodle is blessed to not only have them as her Aunt and Uncle, but also as her Godparents.

While we had to leave late this morning from their house in order to make our flight, Aunt C still managed to whip out the camera for one last photo shoot. She really captured some great shots. Thanks again S and C for a wonderful visit. "Love You!!" We wish you lived closer!!!!!!!!!!

Mother's Day

The little face that melts this Mama's heart.
The BEST mother's day gift every.
A few pre-brunch photos.

Being silly after brunch.
The wonderful view we saw as we walked.
Ahhhhhh! I love to feel the wind blow!!
Happy belated Mother's Day. This was, of course, a very special day for me, since it was the first one as a mother. After church we went to a fabulous restaurant for lunch, which was right on the water. While it was a VERY windy, the sun was bright, the air was crisp and clean, the flowers were out in full bloom and the sky was very blue with the white clouds skittering by. Truely New England at its finest. Aunt C. was in full photography-mode snapping away with her extra cool Nikon D. After lunch, we all wanted nothing more than to go home and nap...unfortunately the Noodle had other plans. After about 30 minutes J and I gave up and decided to take a long walk down by the ocean. The entire hour and a half that we were out walking, the Chinese Noodle didn't stop talking. She was especially enthralled with all of the bikes, motorcycles and various helmets that she kept spotting. It was a wonderful way to spend a very special day.

Exploring Portsmouth, NH

Getting ready to explore.
Beautiful Portsmouth


I'm having such a good time...and I got a purple balloon too! How much better can things get?!
Hangin' out before dinner.
Today we spent the day wandering around and exploring the adorable town of Portsmouth. We were fortunate enough to have the rain fall while we were eating...other than that, it was perfect sight-seeing weather. All the cute stores, restaurants and wonderful signs were so much fun to see. On the way home, everyone fell asleep in the car, execept for poor Uncle S who was driving. Homemade pizza was on the menu for dinner. Another great day in the greater Boston-area!

Friday at the Ocean

Come on!
Exploring the Atlantic coast

Hello!
Ohhhhh! The water is so cold.

Ready to play in the sand.
The wind is brisk but the sun is warm.

Let's go explore.
A kiss at the end of a fun day.