Boone and Blowing Rock~ Our Ashley's graduation

My Mother's Day present! The Chetola at the Bob Timberlake Inn!

Amazing! Eliza loved the geese and the baby geese.

Our View from our room!

The cool mountain air was refreshing!

Spring Time....

My girl loves her ribs like her Uncle Theo.

This is our girl always on the run and recently in her "rina" dress. She loves dressing up in dresses and them her ballerina or "rina" dresses.

Watering her double knock out roses that she picked out from Ed Collins greenhouse. Hopefully, she will get a green thumb like her Omi.

Her making "tea" for her "Me Me" aka Chessie, mommy and daddy.

Our little bumble bee. I asked her what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. She is really into ballerina's and princesses so naturally I said "Eliza, would you like a rina cake." She said, "Noooo, mommy." Eliza, would you like a princesses cake? "Noooo, mommy." What kind of cake would you like? "A bug cake mommy." Eliza you had a ladybug cake last year. "Hmmm... putting her finger up to her lip....A bumble bee cake." So it is.... she will have a bumble bee cake for her second birthday. It will bee buzzing ....fantastic. I know, I am a bit corny!!!!

Earth Day!

Today was my first day of break with my little girl. She started off the morning with giving me lots of kisses. She loves teasing her daddy in the morning before he goes to work and gives me all of the back rubs and kisses. I think it is hard for him to leave in the morning when we are still be lazy in bed watching Oswald on N*ck Jr. Today is Earth day, she is her Omi's daughter. She has a green thumb nd loves flowers and gardening. Both her Grammie and I are not good at gardening and do not enjoy it. But, I am trying ot be a good mom and not pose biases on my daughter so we went to the garden center and picked out some hearty annuals and one perennial for Earth day. She picked out wave petunias, a variety pack that was already designed from the design center, trailing petunias and double knock out roses (they look more like traditional roses so Eliza will like them). She picked out "Pink." Now, when someone comes to our houses they know we have a little girl because all the flowers are pink. Not that I mind...I wanted my whole life for this little girl to help me pick out flowers. She is truly becoming my best friend. I love playing with her, watching her learn and grow.

On a side note... I have also waited my entire life to have my fridge decorated. It is too cute. Now, I have a bunny and an Easter Egg decorated by Eliza from the help of Mrs. Mel.

Praise to God...my mom, dad and little brother are safely back in the US. Theo finally gets to spend time with his seven month new bride. I am so glad that mom and dad got to experience my brother's job. They are so very proud of him and I know that they wish that they lived closer.

Two more days til Easter! :)

Week with Grammie!

Playing with Grammie in her house, at Busybodies, at Port Discovery and shopping! Who could ask for a better week when Mommy was away! :) There is a side picture of Mr. Andy her gymnastics/movement coach. She loves her Mr. Andy!

Thank you Omi

Thank you OMI! I loved my Easter dress so much I wore it to bed. As soon, as I saw it I said "Ohhh.............rina (ballerina) {She is doing her ballerina moves in a couple of the pics!}

Thankful for my family...

I am on a four day training for my school. I love my job.

No, I am not being facetious.

I really do love my job. I could not think of a better job to have, interact with kiddos and adults and getting to help them solve their problems on a daily basis. Yup, I get paid for that. But... with this four day training. I miss my family.

Yup, I miss them. I just got off the phone with Richard. My mother in law aka Grammie came to help with Eliza. Richard went to facilitate the pick up from daycare. Every year Grammie and Granddad go to Mexico so she has not seen Grammie in about four months. Eliza is AMAZING. She not only remembered Grammie but also called her by name. That is an awesome memory for a 22 month old. (Just alittle bit of bragging rights! hee!) According to Richard, they played house and ball in the yard and got reacquainted with one another yesterday and today they were going shopping. Eliza is so lucky to have great grandparents that love her. I am so happy that each grandparent has a relationship with their granddaughter outside of the relationship that we have with our parents and in laws. I think that is healthy not only for her but for them.

Growing up, I did not have the best grandparent experience. Not, that I do not love them or that they did not give it their all; but, it was not the experience that a mother would hope for her child to have with their parents. At least it is the relationship that my parents have fostered in our lives. I think my parents have done a nice job of having a great relationship with myself and my brothers.

I, happily, can not say that for Eliza. Eliza has the BEST grandparents. I think that her grandparents are a core of her being. I think that each one of them has insight and knowledge of different aspects of life that they will be able to instill in her and to help her grow. Her grandparents have a skill set that I will never have such as sewing and domestication that I will not be able to help her with. Yet, with another grandparent will be able to show her and expose her to different shows and experiences that Eliza's dad and I may not be able to expose her too. She has grandfathers with great experience and education from Ivy league colleges and the love of nature that only a grandfather can help instill in his granddaughter. Eliza's grandparents culture are so very rich exposing her to many different walks of life from Chinese, Jewish, German and the hardworking, perseverance of the American dream. One of my wishes for her is to experience the American dream. Opportunity is important which hopefully, we will be able to initiate an that she will grab a hold of and run.

Day 3 of being without my baby!

Eliza, her daddy and Grammie left me the cutest message on the phone of how much she loves me and misses me. I hope I can save the voice message. They had a great day today, going to Eliza's gymnastics and Port Discovery (Baltimore Children's museum). Yesterday she went shopping with Grammie. She is so LUCKY to have fun times with her Grammie. I am so lucky that I have great parents on both sides on the family that I can leave my precious pride and joy and know that she is well loved and doing things all for her! :)

21 month check up

Little Ms. Eliza had her 21 month check up today. Her Daddy took her to a business networking meeting where she learned "Shh..." They had a Daddy/ Daughter breakfast and off to the doctor's office for her 21month check up. To date she is 21 pounds 1 ounce. She is two and 1/2 feet tall. She is a healthy little girl. She made monkey noises for Dr. L and made him laugh. She recieved her 18 month shots and will not return to the beginning of August. Growing nice and healthy through Dr. L says she needs to drink more milk. We are on a milk mission. :)

Belly Button

Tonight Eliza nad I were eating a normal "Mommy/Daughter Dinner" of fish, mix veggies and some lentil soup for little Ms. Eliza and as Eliza was finishing dinner, she pulls up her shirt and exposes her oh... so cute belly button. I don't think much of it at first... she loves to show her Daddy her belly in hopes that he will blow raspberries on it. When her daddy blows on her belly she then laughs uncontrollably. It is super cute and the giggle is that of pure joy and the laugh is infectious. But tonight there was no daddy so her belly was full and and when she has a full belly it sticks out. I look away to nawsh on my dinner and next thing you know she is pulling out her "innie" belly button out. It was on the longer side and it stuck right out. I was kindof grossed out about it at first. Telling ELiza to put it back in. She played with it for a few more seconds. In my disgust (mind you I could never be a nurse), I started hysterically crying, that was a belly button of a child who was taken from her mothers womb. It looked to be hand cut. Then the flood of emotions started running through me. Did her birth mom have to cut the cord in haste? Did she have help cutting the cord? Did she have thoughts of doing something else to her instead of saving her life so she could become my earthly daughter? What risk did her mom have to take to keep her alive? Was her mom able to see her. Folks, let me be honest. That belly button cord does not look like it was cut by a doctor. That cord is the tell tail sign that it probably was not done in a hospital and that her birth mom did not have prenatal care. My little Eliza is a survivior at her young age of 21 months. That cute belly button reminded to be thankful everyday for the blessings of her. So, now I reframe my thinking and that of disgust is now a belly button of courage. I love this little girl more and more every day.

St. Patrick's Day

This year we actually made it to the St. Patrick's Day parade. We skipped "Busybodies" which helps with Eliza's fine and gross motor skills along with socialization since the current daycare she is in only has one other child, which is a five year old boy. She had a great time watching the "neighs" as she calls it (horses) and seeing some of the other kiddos from her previous daycare and family friends. She loved eating a "pop" aka lollipop and seeing all of the fun loving people riding around intheir decorated golf carts. I did not actually take the camera with me to the parade since I was doing the single parent thing but... I took a pictures once we got back to the car with her "loot."

Flower Girl Dress ~preview

This is mostly like our little Eliza yelling "Dadd-----------dyyyyyyyyyyy." She is always on the go.

Ladies and Gentlemen...don't let that cute pose fool you, she can hang out with the best of the boys. :)

This week the flower girl dress came in and Eliza spotted it so we had a modeling expedition.

Getting ready for Summer

Last night Richard had the great idea to attempt to finish taxes and plan our summer vacations so I could put in for my summer leave.

So, after hours of planning and talking I can finally check off a few things.

• Trip schedule and planned to Colorado- check
• plan tickets order-check
• rental car to Grand Lake secured- check
• called Nadin's best friend-check
• toddler car seat (not infant...wimper) ordered for Colorado-check
• pack n'play ordered for all the hotels in Colorado-check
• Seasame Place tickets purchased-check
• hotel for Seasame Place ordered-check
• breakfast with Elmo procured for a two years olds birthday-check

One tired Momma....Priceless! I would not change my daughters or my friends from all over the world for anything!!! :)

Our 2nd Chinese New Year with our little Egg Roll...

Little Chinese dumplin'...when she is soaking wet coming out of the shower we like to wrap her up like an eggroll and then she is "our little egg roll." Or... as one of her sets of god parents got her a shirt that reads "Mommy's wish come true."

Here are some of the pics from our Eliza's first Washington DC Chinese New Year and Omi and Opi giving her CNY presents and leche.