Getting Elizabeth... and Rachel

In the fast lane

These last two weeks have felt like a blur. Last week my brother Scott and his family came into town. We saw them for the first time in a year. Then last weekend my other brother, Jeff, got married to his fiance in a town 2.5 hours from us. Going to my parents every night to see Scott, followed by two nights in a hotel for the wedding, and all the excitement tied to that, left us pretty fried. Monday was a day to catch our breath.

Then this week has been all about doing the things we have wanted to do for months but have not. Tuesday it was meeting my buddy jenny at Splash park with our kids. Wednesday it was a visit to Avon, a Taiwanese graduate student we met thru a christian group, for lunch and fellowship. Then today it was a trip to the zoo with my mom, grandma, that we've been wanting to do for months.

by this afternoon all of us were completely exhausted. We have a playgroup tomorrow at a pool with our families with children form china friends, and then a very slow weekend planned. I think we all need it!

Cartwheel girl

Yesterday, when Hua Hua went to her last gymnastics class of the summer, she and her friends Annie and Kate hugged each other and twirled around, like they usually do and then something different happened. Kate let go of Hua Hua, looked her in the eye then did a cartwheel. Right there. In the waiting room. And when I gasped and told her good job, she did it again.

Hua Hua had this look on her face, watching her friend do this gymnastist feat, and I knew this was not the end of the cartwheel. Class went on. We said by to our friends. We ran a couple errands and came home. And then Hua Hau said, "Mom, i want to do a cartwheel. Will you teach me?"

Luckily dan is good at teaching things like this. So he coached her some. And she practiced. and practiced. And practiced. i kid you not, she practiced on and off, mostly on, from about 12:30 until 4:30/5:00 when she had successfully learned to do a cartwheel. She was obsessed!!!

She was so tired last night from all her cartwheel practicing, she feel asleep ultra early, and is still asleep 12 hours later. her cartwheels aren't perfect, but some of them are pretty good. But what blows me away is her determination! Now if i could only bottle that ....

I'm still smiling!

Rachel is talking so much, it is amazing. Every day it is something new. She is putting words together, very clearly expressing her wishes with words, and we are continually blown away by her daily changes.

But tonight, she said three words that every mother loves to hear. We had just finished our nighttime routine. I put her in her bed with her baby. Tucked her in. kissed her one final time, and as I do every night said, "I love you, Rachel."

And for the first time ever she said, "I love you." And I almost cried. In her sweet, baby voice, three simple words... So i said it again. And she said it again. And then she made the kiss sound, (I always blow her a few kisses as i leave), so I started making the kiss sound too. And just writing this is causing my eyes to water up!

Loving chinese

Yesterday we got some Chinese carry-out from a restaurant near us. Hua Hua and Rachel came with me for pick up. Hua Hua looked particularly cute. She had on a dress. Her bangs were out of her eyes with barretts, she was holding a very frilly girly purse and looked simply cute.

When we opened the door and the giant Budda statute greeted us, along with many things red, in chinese characters, hanging on the walls, dangling down from the ceiling, i could almost hear Hua Hua gasp in delight. And immediatley the questions and comments flowed.

"Look, Mama," she kept saying. "That's chinese writing." Then, "Is that a Chinese Picture?" And "Is that a chinese statue?" Usually followed by, "It is so beautiful! It is just like china!!!"

When the very friendly owner came out with our food, Hua Hua gave her a very big smile and said, "Hi. I am a chinese girl! My name is Hua Hua!"

The owner smiled and told her she was a very cute chiense girl, to which i have to agree, and then gave her and rachel free cookies. I am so happy hua hua is going to be at chinese school starting next month. While i am sure it will crack open some new emotions, I know the whole experience, especially the cultural part, is going to be so good for her.

Back from a trip

We just got back from a mini-vacation getaway and boy, is it every exhausting to vacation with little kids! don't get me wrong, we had a GREAT time. But, well, Dan and I are absolutely beat.

We went camping for a couple nights at a state park in Michigan, north of a resort city called Grand Haven. Dan and I love camping, and we actually took the girls to our favorite spot in the state last month, during my month long blogging-absence. When we camp, what we like is to be in the middle of no-where, with no people, no electricity, nothing but animals and wilderness. This is fun to us. But, after our outting last month, which the girls thoroughly enjoyed, we thought maybe we should try something more kid-friendly, namely, a state park.

the brides

My youngest brother is getting married at the end of the month, and Hua Hua is obsessed by the wedding. I'm not sure why ... maybe it is all the books she loves with princesses getting married and living happily ever after. Maybe the large bridal shower we went to just gripped her imagination. I don't know. But every week she asks again and again about what Aimee, my brother's fiancee, will wear at the wedding, the dress, the veil, the flowers....

I say all this as an introduction to this picture. A few weeks back we were playing at Hua Hua's good buddy, katie's house, and much to Hua Hua's delight katie had a dress-up wedding veil. Hua Hua was besides herself. She talked about it and talked about it. And it just so happened that very soon after that playdate Dan's mom, who is an excellent seemstress, was up and she said she could make a dress-up wedding veil for Hua Hua.

Hua Hua joined us for a trip to the fabric store, and didnt' leave her Grandma's side until the veil was complete. Then, because Rachel wants to do whatever Hua Hua is doing, including dress up, Rachel got a veil, too. Now the girls pretend to be brides almost daily -- and they are aweful cute! i just hope the  actual wedding ceremony doesn't let them down!! hee hee

No thanks, Mom

Rachel, our sweet, once demur child, has come into her own. Take dinner tonight.

We had grilled pork chops, marinated in a homemade Asian inspired sauce, potatoes, green beans. Dan ate it. He loved it. Hua Hua ate it. No complaints. She even the green beans. I ate it. ...

And Rachel? Wouldn't even try it.

"No," she said, after taking one look at it. when I told her this is dinner, she repeated herself, "No." and sent the food flying off her tray. Then she started coming up with ideas of what i could feed her.

"Juice," she said. Shot that down. "Waffles," she suggested. Shot that down, too. "Cake," she said, with a big smile. (we had been at a birthday party today where she had a taste of cake and apparently it was fresh on her mind.)

Eventually we all finished our dinner. All of Rachel's was on the floor and she adamently didn't want to even try it. I got her down, washed her hands, and as soon as we were done she went to the frig, grabbed the carry-out pizza magnet advertisement on the frig, brought it to me, pointed to the pizza and said, "Pizza. Ymmmmmmm. Please."

Smart kid. But no pizza.