The Weaver's World

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2012-01-23T00:29:00.002-05:00

Happy year of the dragon!!!

Sunday Snapshot: "Snow" Much Fun!!!!

2012-01-23T00:14:00.000-05:00

Taylor has been waiting for it to snow for a long time. She talks about the snowman that they were able to build at Halloween. Imagine her delight when she woke up on Saturday morning to 4 inches of snow. She couldn't wait to get outside to play.

Playing her snow drums.

Sunday Snapshot: New Years Eve

2012-01-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

This year (as we try to do every year) we went to the M&M drop in our town last night. It is held at 7:00 which is the time of 12:00am in our sister city in Ireland. True to form, we arrived at about 6:58. After the countdown and the drop they handed out super sized 3 Muskeeter bars so that was nice. Here is Taylor's take on the event.

We usually have a party with the Painter family, but they were out of town so we just stayed home and watched movies. The kids watched Spy Kids (the newest one) and later Stefan and I watched Fast Five.

We spent the day rearranging and cleaning Jordan's room. I looks bigger the way we have it now. I worked most of the day on Thursday cleaning it before we decided to rearrange. Stefan and I gave this bill to Jordan after we were done.

Mom and Dad Interior Design December 31, 2011
Address
Phone Number

INVOICE TO: Jordan Weaver

For services required to clean, reorganize, move, design and redecorate items contained in Jordan's room.

Cleaning $100.00

Reorganizing $100.00

Moving $200.00

Interior Design $700.00

Redecorating $75.00

Sneezing Tax $400.00

Total Cost:

$1,625.00

Payment Term: Due Immediately

In lieu of payment, Mom and Dad will accept grateful appreciation and lots of hugs and kisses.

Here is the room now:

View from the door

View from the corner opposite the door.

View from the top of the bed.

Finally

2011-12-15T20:05:00.001-05:00

After 16 months, Kalia's family has finally been approved to travel to China to make her a part of their family. She will join her 6 others siblings (three who joined the family by way of China). Her family has stepped out in faith to bring her home, but is a little short on the funds needed to do that. They hope to leave at the end of next week or the following week.
Her family is having a great raffle on their blog where you can win an I-Pad. Check out their blog and Kalia's story here.

Two Years Ago

2011-11-23T21:08:00.001-05:00

Two years ago we walked into the Civil Affairs office in Nanjing and held our beautiful girl for the first time. After 6 months of staring at her picture, we finally met in person. It seems like it was just yesterday and forever ago at the same time.

Sunday Snapshot: Two Princesses

2011-11-20T21:13:00.001-05:00

Taylor and Ella got to attend a performance of Disney Princesses on Ice. They were so excited. Taylor especially loved the Rapunzel section.

Sunday Snapshot: Happy 9th Birthday, Jordan

2011-10-30T21:04:00.000-04:00

Wow! It is hard to believe that my baby is already 9. It really doesn't seem that long ago that I was in Hershey Med recovering from his delivery. Enjoy these pictures of Jordan as he has grown.

Sunday Snapshot: Saturday of Fun

2011-10-17T00:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to a parade, picked apples, and celebrated Taylor's 4th and Jordan's 9th birthdays with a Phineas and Ferb birthday party. We had a great time.

Taylor was so excited to get her Dora suitcase. She only asked for two things-a Dora suitcase and girl Legos. Grandma and Grandpa came through with both.

Taylorisms

2011-10-03T23:16:00.000-04:00

Taylor has been saying the funniest things lately. I got her to say some of them on camera for you.

The Birthday Girl

2011-09-19T21:23:00.002-04:00

Wow!! It is hard to believe that Taylor is now four. We celebrated her birthday with a trip to Dutch Wonderland. It started raining around 1:00 so we headed out for Taylor's choice for her birthday meal: "Alla Garden" (Olive Garden). She was so excited when the waitstaff came out and sang to her. At Dutch Wonderland she got a special sticker to put on her birthday girls shirt so she got lots of birthday greetings during the day.

Here are some pictures of Taylor as she has grown:

Sometime under 3 months

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

Here is our great day at Dutch Wonderland:

Sunday Snapshot: Women of Faith

2011-09-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

I had the awesome opportunity to attend a Women of Faith event in Philly on Friday night and Saturday. I had attended one other time in 2001. My mom and aunt were supposed to go with me, but due to the flooding in the Susquhanna River they couldn't make the three hour journey south. One of my fellow teachers was able to come in my mom's place and D. (who traveled with us to China) also came.

If you have never attended, you are missing out. It is such an awesome experience to sit with over 10,000 other women all praising God. The music and speakers were so amazing. I got to hear Sheila Walsh (love her), Lucy Swindoll, Lisa Harper, Nicole Johnson, and Angie Smith. The musical guests were Mary, Mary and Natalie Grant. On Friday night we were treated to a performance by Tim Hawkins. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Here is one song that he performed.

I wanted to attend this Women of Faith when I heard that Angie Smith was going to be there. I have been following her blog since shortly after we lost our Samuel. Her story is truly amazing and you can find it at her blog. I was so excited to be the last one allowed in the line at the meet & greet following the event.

Here are some pics of the hotel room were we stayed:

Sunday Snapshot: Summer Catch-up-Jill's Wedding

2011-09-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

I have been horrible about posting this summer. I have so many pictures/events that I have not blogged about. In August we went to my cousin Jill's wedding. Taylor had so much fun dancing. My mom took a bunch of pictures for us to use for our dossier. Enjoy!!!!

Dancing Queen

Taylor with Great Grandma VanNess

Dancing with Grandpa

Dancing on Daddy's Feet

I am defintely NOT sending this one to China. They look like we are torturing them.

Sunday Snapshot: Exciting News

2011-08-28T22:13:00.003-04:00

Guess what!!!

We have started our paperwork to bring home a sweet baby girl from China. We are hoping to have our dossier to China by January. After China receives our dossier we wait for a referral. It is taking 4-6 months from referral until travel to China. We would love to travel at the end of May/beginning of June, but that would require all of our steps to be on the fast side. I know God has the perfect daughter for our family and knows the exact right time for her to join us, but it is so hard to wait.
Taylor is so excited that Bailee Joy will be sleeping in the crib in her room. We will see how excited she is once Bailee gets here.

Please Visit This Post

2011-08-18T20:19:00.002-04:00

http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/08/because-it-is-our-problem.html

Maybe all you can do is pray, but we can't ignore that this is happening to this precious girl-one of God's creations.

Hair Bow Clips

2011-07-12T16:20:00.002-04:00

I am selling Hair Bow Clips that I made. They are two inch clips. The lined clips without a bow are $1.50 for a matching pair. The bow clips are $2.00 for a matching pair. Bow clips with grippies are $2.25 for a matching pair.

Lined Clips

Green, blue, yellow flowers and squares

Side view of bow clips

Aqua and turquoise stripes

Black and red polka dots

Blue and white polka dots

Blue and white stripes

Blue and brown polka dots

Brown with polka dots

Blue and green stripes

Green checks

Green diamonds

Green with polka dots

Pink and brown flowers

Pink and hot pink polka dots

Pink with polka dots

Green and purple strips

Red, white, and blue stripes

Pastel stars

White with red polka dots

Red with polka dots

White with black polka dots

Yellow with orange polka dots

Yellow with polka dots

Little Miss 4th of July

2011-07-04T23:19:00.001-04:00

Taylor has enjoyed our extended July 4th celebration. We went to two professional firework displays and Stefan did 3 small shows in our driveway.

Above is last year in the same dress. She hasn't gotten much taller, but her hair has grown alot.

Vacation: Cabela's

2011-06-22T06:14:00.003-04:00

On the way back from vacation we stopped at Cabela's (an outdoor sports store). I had never been there and it was amazing. We didn't get to see the whole thing because we needed to get back for Stefan's softball game. They have so many mounted animals and even a small aquarium. Both kids enjoyed feeding the fish in a small pond.

Vacation: Mini Golf

2011-06-21T06:05:00.001-04:00

On Thursday night we played mini golf at our timeshare. The course was kind of hard.

These pictures were taken after Taylor fell on a rock.

Vacation: Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

2011-06-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

Last week we went on vacation with Stefan's parents, sister, and her kids. We were in the Poconos at Shawnee on the Delaware so we decided to take one day and head over to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. On Wednesday we headed out for what we thought to be a 1 1/2 hour trip. It ended up taking a little longer because of traffic.

Here are some pictures of the day.

Sunday Snapshot: Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

This is the cool tie (Taylor calls it a scarf) that she made for him in church today.

Yard Sale Finds 6/4

2011-06-08T06:55:00.000-04:00

Taylor and I went to yard sales on Saturday and got all of this (6 puzzles and 20 books) for ..........

.....$3.00!!!!!!!

Here are close-ups of the items.

The insect puzzle is magnetic and has a net to use to "catch" the pieces. The ocean puzzle has a fishing pole to "catch" the pieces. The top train pieces hook together to make a train, a station, and two signs. The back of the puzzle has a track. Each puzzle was $.25 and the man threw in two puzzles for free.

Memorial Day Parade

2011-06-07T08:54:00.000-04:00

On the Saturday before Memorial Day we went to a wonderful parade in the next town over. It was about an hour long and the part that my kids liked the best-they threw alot of candy. Jordan took the first part of the pictures and Stefan took the rest.

Too Much Dora

2011-05-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

Taylor and I were reading a book tonight and I asked her what color the strawberry was. She said, "I need to look at my map. It is in the pocket of my jammies. No, it is in my sleeve. I will pull it out." She pretended to pull it out and then whispered to it, "Map, tell me what color the strawberry is."

I think she has been watching a little too much Dora the Explorer.

She was also "reading" a book about Christmas and on every page she began with, "Once dapon da time." I tried to find my camera to record her, but I couldn't find it. I was laughing so hard.

For the Moms

2011-05-06T15:23:00.001-04:00

Here are some very funny videos for all the moms out there.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-05-01T23:28:00.000-04:00

We had the closing ceremonies for AWANA tonight at church. Jordan won an award for completing all three Sparks books. We are so proud of him. Taylor got a certificate for being in Puggles.

We redid pictures in their Easter outfits since we couldn't take outside pictures at my parents' house last weekend. Jordan wouldn't open his eyes in half the pictures because he said the sun (which was not shining, but hiding behind the clouds) was too bright.

Sunday Snapshot: Easter

2011-04-25T22:12:00.000-04:00

Here's Taylor in her "Cowboy Hat" as she called it all weekend.

Beautiful Keliah

2011-04-07T20:27:00.000-04:00

Please visit this blog to find out how you can help bring this precious girl home to her forever family.

Sunday Snapshot (a day early)

2011-04-02T15:46:00.002-04:00

We had my friend, Stephanie, and her kids over for supper on Friday night. They were so excited when I told them we decided they could have cupcakes for supper.

What they didn't know is that the cupcakes were really shepherd's pie. April fools!

This is how I found Taylor during her nap today. She was actually holding the flower, but when I went to get the camera she moved and let go of it. Silly girl!

Jordan earned the right to go rollerskating on Friday be reading the required number of pages for second grade for the reading contest at school. In fact, he read over 2,500 pages during the three weeks of the reading contest. We are so proud of him.

Here are some pics of her cuteness.

Sunday Snaphot: Grandparents' Day and Warm Weather

2011-03-20T17:05:00.001-04:00

On Friday Jordan's school (and mine) had Grandparents' Day. My parents came down and brought my grandmas with them. Two of my aunts and my cousin's son came over for supper. It was almost 70 degrees and wonderful. Now they are saying we might have snow on Thursday--NOOO!! I want spring.
(Just ignore the punch mustache in Jordan's pictures.)

I think they were waiting to sing in this shot. I hope it wasn't during the song.

Jordan and Grandpa Weaver

Jordan and Gram Weaver

Jordan and Grandpa Tarbox

Jordan and Great-grandma VanNess (My mom's mom)

Jordan and Great-grandma Taylor (My dad's mom)

Jordan and Grandma Tarbox

Taylor and Great-Aunt Robbie

Taylor and Grandpa Tarbox

Wordless Wednesday: New Hairstyle

2011-03-16T20:21:00.003-04:00

Sunday Snapshot: Julius

2011-03-13T17:16:00.002-04:00

Last weekend tragedy struck our church. One of our Cubbies, little 3 year old Julius, was taken home to be with Jesus. His parents as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins attend our church. We are good friends with two of his aunts/uncles and have done many outings with his family. We enjoyed our time with him every Sunday night seeing his wonderful smile.

This message was conveyed by e-mail to the church this week:

From the time L. (his mom) found Julius unconscious…. To when he arrived by ambulance at his daddy’s workplace, (Hershey Med ER) From Friday night to Monday morning (57 hours)…. It was a long grueling weekend.

K. and L. certainly suffered greatly through it all, but as they dealt with their sorrow and the decision to remove Julius from life support K. specifically prayed for God to just let him KNOW please let him KNOW…that Julius would be safe… He just needed a peace to know he would be ok…and that Julius would be with God. Where would his decision send the soul of his precious son?

Last evening as the family went back to their home to separate and go through Julius’ things… K. (Julius’ dad) found Julius’ Cubbies Awana book. He had forgotten this lesson… but it was the very last Awana lesson they did together for 2/27/11 was this… (Don’t skip the top line!!!)

And the last verse that Julius said to his leader… was this:

God spoke to them!! Atheist’s will say that is a coincidence… but we KNOW!

This was a tremendous relief and blessing to know that Julius had this lesson just last week. His last time at church…

www.kennethandlindsey.tumblr.com --- their family did this without their knowledge. (or approval :) but you may wish to show them some love…

Every day with our children is a gift from God. We never know how long we will have them with us. We need to spend every day with them not in fear that something terrible may happen, but enjoying them, teaching them about God and about life, and cherishing them.

Nursery Rhymes

2011-03-11T20:25:00.001-05:00

I have been working with Taylor on some nursery rhymes. She is doing pretty good at them. She now says-wall-instead of porch in Humpty, Dumpty. We are still working on Hey, Diddle, Diddle as she saysthe cat and the HAT instead of fiddle.

Oh, My Silly, Silly Girl

2011-03-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

Taylor just reported that she had some yummy "careyits" (carrots) for her bedtime snack. Stefan whispered in her ear what she really had and she told me, "pickles and salad". What she really had was-tropical fruit salad.

We have been working on some nursery rhymes. Here are Taylor's versions:

Me: Hey diddle, diddle the cat and the _____.

Taylor: HAT!!!

Me: Humpty Dumpty sat on a ______.

Taylor: porch

Sunday Snapshot: Taylor's China Scrapbooks

2011-03-06T17:29:00.005-05:00

Stefan surprised me by having Taylor's China scrapbooks scanned so that we would have a digital copy of them. Enjoy!

Videos of Taylor

2011-03-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how fast she can come down the steps.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Sunday Snapshot: Upward Basketball

2011-02-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

Jordan played Upward Basketball for the third year and just had his last game yesterday. He has worked so hard all season to try to score a basket and yesterday he did it!!!! I was jumping up and down so excited for him. Stefan was his coach so they got to spend alot of time together.

Shake Your Groove Thing

2011-02-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

My crazy dancing kids.

Silly Girl

2011-02-23T19:29:00.001-05:00

I went into the playroom this morning and this is what I found.

Isn't there a song about 10 bears in the bathtub? Oh wait. That's 10 Bears in the bed.

Today when I got to the babysitters to pick Taylor up she excitedly said, " Look, I got a barbecue today from McDonalds!"

What she really got was a Barbie!

Sunday Snapshot: 2nd Grade History Test

2011-02-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

This was a test that Jordan brought home last week.

I love the answers to #1, 5, and 6.
Here are the translations for those of you who aren't teachers and used to deciphering what children really mean: 1. Einglin (England), Scottlin (Scotland), Aficka (Africa)
5. chidie (chimney)
6. cucking (cooking).

There was a back to the test. I just didn't include it because there weren't any funny answers.

Sunday Snapshot: Valentines and Chinese New Year

2011-02-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day (a day early) and Happy Chinese New Year (over a week late).

Taylor had to wear her Chinese New Year dress to my mom's church last Sunday because we missed our agency's celebration due to my Grandpa's funeral last Saturday. I had some other pictures and something happened to my camera and they all got erased including some cute pics from yesterday when Taylor had her hair in piggies.

My Grandpa VanNess

2011-02-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

My Grandpa VanNess went home to be with Jesus on Sunday. He was in his early 90's so he had lived a long life. He has 8 children, 17 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren. He liked to say something when we all got together (and were all talking at the same time) along the lines of, "Who started all this?" He was a prankster and tried not to act his age. We will all miss him. The funeral is tomorrow so we are heading up to my parent's house today. Please keep my grandma and the rest of the family in your prayers.

Poppy Dip Dresses

2011-02-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

My friend, Donna, first introduced me to a lady who makes wonderful dresses, skirts, and ruffle pants for little girls. She was told about Sallee by Jen, who we met in China (by the way she is in the process of adopting an adorable little boy from China-you should go check out her Tupperware fundraiser : ). I bought my first Poppy Dip dress back in the fall. Here it is:

Sallee is now waiting to return to Ethiopia to get her precious son Samson Jude. Yes, I said return. They have already held the handsome boy in their arms and they had to leave him and wait to return for a court date to see if they will be allowed to adopt him. I can't imagine how hard that must be. I know the wait to get Taylor after seeing her picture was so hard-I can't imagine having to leave her and then wait to go back to get her. I follow Sallee's blog and last week she wrote about how discouraged she was by the wait. She asked for encouraging comments and said she would pick one to get a free Poppy Dip item. She chose my comment!!!! Yesterday in the mail we got this cute dress.

Sallee isn't taking any more orders right now (she will probably start back in the summer/fall), but be sure to visit her blog to follow on her journey to Samson. http://itspoppydipblog.blogspot.com/

Our Van

2011-01-31T21:56:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, January 18, we headed to Lancaster for Taylor's cleft appointment. Jordan was with us because school was called off because of a snowstorm. The highway seemed fine until Stefan went to exit to head into the city. The ramp had slushy ice and the van ended up spinning at least 360 degrees across both lines of the highway and slamming into the concrete barrier on the other side. Thankfully God kept us safe and no one was injured. Unfortunately the van was totaled.

We are able to purchase a new (used) van on Saturday.

Sunday Snapshot: PA Farm Show

2011-01-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, January 15, we visited the PA Farm Show. We saw animals, visited exhibits, tasted food samples, sat on farm equipment, and ate lots of yummy food.

Check out these chicken hairdos!

Her Cuteness

2011-01-21T19:55:00.002-05:00

Enjoy!

I've got to say that I have no idea who Koona is. I thought she would say the Chinese boys.

Sunday Snapshot: Our New Sons

2011-01-16T22:52:00.001-05:00

....well at least until January 28. We are hosting two foreign exchange students from Guangzhou, China. All American adoptive parents have to go to Guangzhou to get their child's US visa. We were in their home city in November 09.
Anyway, Kevin (his American name not his Chinese name) just turned 13 and Gordon is 12. Some of the children in their group are only 9 years old. I couldn't imagine sending Jordan by himself to another country next year.

The boys were so excited to see snow. Guangzhou is about the climate of Florida. We borrowed some snowpants and they excitedly went to play outside this afternoon. They also went sled riding, but Stefan didn't get any pics. Here are some pics of the boys playing in the snow.

Playing in the Snow

2011-01-12T09:13:00.001-05:00

Jordan and Taylor were so excited to see the snow last night. After supper they got bundled up to go play. Taylor informed us that she didn't need "glubs" (gloves) because she was going to stick her hands in the pockets of her "swim soup" (snowsuit).

After they came in, Taylor had to have some hot "coffee" (hot chocolate).

Our Evening

2011-01-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

We were fortunate to share supper tonight with a great family who is blessed with four children from China. I have followed their blog for a while and when Vickie mentioned that they had to travel to Philly for some adoptive paperwork, I invited her to join us.
The story of how God lead their family to their wonderful children really is amazing. Be sure to head over and read all about it. http://wwwourchinagirl.blogspot.com/

Sunday Snapshot: Hands on House

2011-01-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

On the Wednesday before Christmas we were able to join my nephews, Ray and Josh, and their mom, Aunt Suzanne at Hands on House in Lancaster. Jordan and Ray are on the upper end of the age group who would enjoy HOH, but they still had fun. Enjoy the pics!

Taylor's First Trip to the Dentist

2010-12-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today Taylor had her first trip to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned.
She took her sunglasses (which she loves to wear) to keep the bright lights out of her eyes.
She did really well except she wanted to keep sitting up to talk to the hygenist. She was also upset that she couldn't see inside her mouth to see what was happening in there.

A Catch-up Post: NYC

2010-12-29T07:44:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, December 6 we went to NYC on a bus trip with Stefan's parents,sister and family, and brother and family. Taylor stayed home with my friend Stephanie.

The city was PACKED. The kids and Aunt Stacy did the Ferris Wheel at Toys R Us after a long wait.

We ended the day with the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.

It was a great show. My favorite was the toy soldiers. The pictures are from near the back of the theater so they aren't totally clear. Enjoy!

Go Eagles

2010-12-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

Stefan is a huge Eagles fan. He is very excited for tonight's game. I remembered that Taylor had this Eagles outfit so they all got dressed for a photo shoot.

This is how they will look if the Eagles lose.
(Don't mind Taylor it seems she can only give me a good smile if I say do a funny face!)

Sunday Snapshot (a day late): 2 Christmases

2010-12-27T23:14:00.000-05:00

Because my parents live 3 hours away, we travel to their house on Christmas Eve in time for my dad's family get together. Taylor and Jordan get to open all their presents from us on Christmas Eve morning and then open all Grandma and Grandpa's presents (and there is alot) on Christmas morning. Two mornings of tons of presents. Poor Taylor thought she was going to get presents every morning and kept asking for more presents on Sunday.

Here are the pictures from the two Christmases-enjoy!!

Look at that bed head!

Taylor was so excited to get Dora and Hello Kitty silly bands.

ornaments for the tree

For some reason Jordan has an obsession with saying the word-cheeseball. So for fun we got him a giant container of cheeseballs.

Taylor loves her "Strawberry Cake".

Can you tell how excited he was to get this Wii game?

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house

It's a Taylor-in-the-box.

My what big stockings you have on.

I guess the boxes are more fun sometimes.

We hope you had a very, merry Christmas.

Sunday Snapshot: Journey to Jesus

2010-12-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Last night we had the opportunity to go to Journey to Jesus at Ed's Landscaping in our town. Ed decorates the outbuildings in different scenes from Jesus' life. Different churches help out by being the actors.

You start with a few instructions and then are sent to a room were the Christmas story is read.

After that you walk though a hallway where you see Joseph's carpenter shop and Mary sweeping her house.

In the next room you have to sign your name for the census (guest book).

You walk down a hall where the innkeeper tells you that there is no room in the inn. You then come into the stable where there are live animals and Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus (a real baby last night), shepherds, and angels.

Through another doorway there are the wise men around a campfire. They used to have a camel, but I am not sure what happened to it. This time there was an alpaca pretending to be a camel.

When you leave that room and look up you see the last supper.

The next scene is Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemene. After that is the cross and then the empty tomb.

The final scene asks where you will spend eternity. There is an opportunity at the end to have prayer with the workers and take communion.

After you are done you can visit a small building across the driveway for free hot chocolate and cookies. All the donations benefit our local Christian radio station, WJTL. It is a great tradition that I am glad I can experience with my family.

Sunday Snapshot: Christmas Pictures

2010-11-28T11:10:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday I headed to Picture People to get Christmas pictures. I had a really good coupon to get them much cheaper than they usually cost. Taylor decided that she was going to be very uncooperative so we didn't have very many nice choices for our Christmas card. Here are the good pictures from our session:

Here are the pictures with Princess La-La Grumpypants:

I think this one of Jordan is funny. He looks like he has huge muscles and very skinny legs.

My Black Friday Experience

2010-11-27T10:57:00.000-05:00

    Last year we were in China so I didn't get to go shopping on Black Friday. As I previewed the ads online I realized there were several things that I would love to get on sale so I decided to go this year. Because Stefan needed to stay home with the kids, I was going to go by myself. I planned to go to Toys R Us at 10:00, Walmart at 12:00, and Target at 4:00. On the way back from Stefan's parent's I decided to call my friend Stephanie to see if she was home and if she had any interest in going shopping all night. She just happened to be on the way back home from western PA and had wanted to go shopping. I was so excited to have someone to go with.
    I left my house at 9:30 to go to Toys R Us. When I got within a 1/2 mile I realized that traffic was not moving at all. In fact, two lights up from me was NEVER turning green-it was staying red. A bunch of cars were parking at the mall or other stores and walking up to Toys R Us. I managed to be able to get up to the highway and go to the next exit because I remembered that there was a side road next to Toys R Us. I decided to try it to see if I could park closer. I found a spot along the side of the narrow road and then started weaving my way in and out of the parked cars so I wouldn't get hit. I realized I forgot my list so I went back to the van and decided to go up to Toys R Us and turn around and park on the other side of the road. When I got up to the Toys R Us parking lot at 10:30 (doors opened at 10:00), the line to get INTO THE STORE was wrapped from the front all the way around the building almost back to the front again. I quickly decided that I nothing I wanted at Toys R Us was worth that wait. I headed to Walmart.
When I got to Walmart at 10:45 all of the sale stuff was on pallets wrapped in plastic or paper. They had about 100 extra workers guarding the stuff so that it wouldn't be opened until 12:00 when the sale started. My friend Stephanie was looking for something special (I'm not going to list it in case her children read this!) so I waited back by that item until she got there at 11:00. She did end up getting what she wanted when it was finally midnight and I was able to get almost everything I wanted (with the exception of some cheap Wii games and a sheet set). We only had to wait in line to pay for about 10 minutes even though there were tons of people in line waiting to pay.
    After Walmart we ended up at McDonalds as Stephanie had not eaten since her meal at 2:00. We headed down to Target and pulled into the parking lot around 2:15. The line was about 1/2 way down the front of the building. Later on Stephanie asked the people at the front of the line what time they had arrived and they told her they got in line at 7:30 (for a 4 am opening). We decided to cross the five lane road to get to the outlets. I am looking for a white sweater for Taylor to go with one of her winter dresses. They didn't have any in her size at Carters so I checked two other stores. One of the stores I checked was Children's Place. I heard that the check out lines were taking 2 HOURS!!!!! I don't believe that anything at Children's Place is worth a 2 hour wait. They have sales all the time. We headed back across the street and went to Game Stop. At 2:50 I told Stephanie I was going to head to the Target line. The line was now all the way across the front and half way down the side.
At 4:00 we were allowed in the store and Stephanie went one way and I headed back to Electronics (with hundreds of other people). I wanted to get a Wii Balance Board for $67 and I was able to get it. We found everything we wanted at Target and then headed to the front to pay. The man at the front told us to head across the front and we would find the end of the line. We stood in what we thought was the line for about 20 minutes until we got to the center of the store and were told that we weren't in the line at all. It started back in electronics went across the back of the store then up to the middle of the store and then back across the whole store until it turned to the back and then went up the perimeter to the front and across the front wall to get to the cash registers. We waited a total of 50 MINTUES to check out at Target. I have to say that Walmart was SOOO much faster at checking people out.
We ended up back at Walmart at 5:45 to get cameras and we didn't have to wait at all to check out. I finally headed home where I slept from 7-11. I felt pretty good until I fell back asleep at 5:00 and Taylor woke me up a little after 6:00. I didn't feel too great after that nap.
Stefan would not have liked the whole experience so I am glad that I got to do it with Stephanie.

One Year Ago Today

2010-11-23T06:22:00.000-05:00

Wow, it is hard to believe that one year ago we walked into the stuffy Civil Affairs Office in Nanjing, China, and laid eyes on Taylor for the first time. She was waiting with her nanny when we walked in the door. Her nanny showed her our picture in the album we had sent her and she reluctantly allowed me to pick her up. She only cried when the photographer made her take her lollipop out to get her adoption paperwork photo. I couldn't wait to get her back to the room and out of those boy clothes (even though every day she tells me she is a boy.) Enjoy the pictures.

Waiting in China

2010-11-20T10:22:00.000-05:00

Head over here to check out the story behind this adorable boy in China who is waiting for his family.

One Year Ago...

2010-11-17T06:56:00.001-05:00

...we started off on our journey across the ocean to get to our sweet baby girl.

If you want to find out about our terrible plane ride on Wednesday/Thursday, be sure to read it here.

My Silly Girl

2010-11-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, she has UNDERWEAR on her head!

This is what she came into our room wearing this morning. She said that she had a fireman coat and fireman hat on. She talks about being a fireman alot. Who knows?

Photo Catch-up

2010-11-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

I am going to post alot of pictures that I didn't get to post from this fall. Enjoy!

Giveaways at Ni Hao Y'All

2010-11-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

Stephanie over at Ni Hao Y'All is having a month of giveaways. Check out her blog to see how you can win some neat prizes.

Sunday Snapshot: Jordan is now 8!

2010-10-31T22:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my baby is now 8. It seems like it was just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.

My parents came down to help celebrate his birthday. We started the day at Bounce U. While there Stefan and I both skinned our elbows and Taylor got a huge scratch on her face.

We then headed for lunch at Old Country Buffet. After lunch we went to Cherry Crest Farms. We did the hay maze and after 2 hours finally found all our map pieces and found our way out of the maze. We had lots of fun doing all of the other activities at the farm.

Sunday Snapshot: My Sweet Boy

2010-10-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

Jordan made a book at school called: All About Me. Here are the pages from the book.

Here is his report card from the 1st marking period. Second grade is the first year that they are graded in all the subjects. I am so proud of how well he did.

Stefan's Birthday and Fun at Toys R Us

2010-10-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

On October 11 was Stefan's birthday. We traveled to Shady Maple Smorgasbord to eat supper with Stefan's parents. Shady Maple is such a yummy place to visit. They have hundreds of items to choose from and Taylor and Jordan's favorite-slushies.

On our way home we stopped at Toys R Us. Taylor and Jordan both recieved a birthday card and $3 coupon for their birthday from Toys R Us. Taylor had some birthday money so she bought a bathroom set for her dollhouse and an Asian baby that she named Qing Qing. Jordan was able to get some accesories for his Wii.

Birthday Party, Take 2!

2010-10-12T21:57:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, October 9, we had a second 3rd birthday party for Taylor at her grandparents' house. I wanted her to have one party with my grandmas and with her uncle and his family. It was a beautiful day outside for the party. Her cousin, Aiden, was kind enough to share his bounce house.

Yes, you might recognize the dress but hey, you can only wear a birthday cupcake dress at a few occasions and it won't fit next year.

I love this picture of Taylor and her cousin, Aiden.

I was so happy that this cake turned out much better than the one at the first birthday party. As I was adding these pics to the blog I realized-I SPELLED BIRTHDAY WRONG! I am so buying ice cream cakes from now on.

Visit to Sight and Sound

2010-10-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we were able to go to Sight and Sound Theatre to see Joseph. Because they were having a fundraiser we were able to purchase tickets for $15 a person (reg. almost $60 a person). The show was wonderful although very long (2 1/2 hours). All Taylor kept saying on the way home was, "Joseph-flying in the air." I guess she was very impressed by that part.

Taylor was very scared when this huge crocodile came up the aisle straight towards us.

Sunday Snapshot: Taylor's 3rd Birthday Party

2010-09-19T23:02:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we were able to celebrate Taylor's 3rd birthday and her first with us. It was a beautiful day outside. We had a Strawberry Shortcake theme and ate lots of strawberry flavored things. Here are some pics from the party. I hope you enjoy!

Taylor and Ella

Most of the younger party guests

Two Strawberry Girls

I made these strawberry balloons for decorations and
forgot them until halfway through
the party so they used them as a game.

Taylor and Ella opening presents.

A Dora pillowcase-Yeah!!!

I think I will take a turn being a present.

Taylor loved her new baby stroller.

This fun toy was from Grandma and Grandpa.

Happy Birthday, Pretty Princess

2010-09-17T07:00:00.016-04:00

Wow! It is hard to believe that you are 3 years old today. I am so sad that I missed being with you on your last 3 birthdays, but I am happy that we get to spend this one together. I know that you will thoroughly enjoy your "happy to you" party on Saturday.
I love you,
Mommy

Earliest pic we have

Around 1 year old

3 years old

2nd birthday party in China