Harris Family Happenings

Returning to the scene of the Crime

2009-06-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we left Paige with Scott's parents and enjoyed a weekend on Mackinac Island to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We were married there 10 years ago and we have returned every 5 years since. Macinac Island is a relaxing place where there are no cars, only bikes and horse drawn carriages. The pace of the Island is slow and inviting.

Approaching the Island by Ferry - the Fort is on the hill.

The Island House - where we had our reception and where we stayed
Outside the church 1999

Outside Mission Church 2009

Self driven buggy tour. Rocky was an excellent drive.

Paige's Preschool graduation

2009-05-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paige graduated from preschool, sniff sniff. They wore little caps and gowns and had a short ceremony. This kids walked in, stood before the parents, said the pledge of allegiance and sang a song. Then their teacher, Ms. Correen, called them each up to get their diplomas. Paige got a special award for knowing all 36 sight words. The teacher had prepared binders of the kids work and a time capsule not to be opened until 2022 when they graduate from high school. Paige has already asked numerous times if she could open it and what was in it. Finally, the teacher gave them a envelope with things to work on over the summer. Paige had hers open and reading one of the books to Grandma 5 minutes after we left school. She'll probably have the work done by mid next week :) Below are a few of the pictures from the day. You can see the complete album of photos at:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=m7znk8n.9750f6rj&x=0&y=uoxbd8&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_album

Wee Discover Class of 2009

Paige getting her diploma

She was so proud of herself. She told everyone we saw that day that she had graduated from preschool.Family photo
The cap and certificate

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

This year I experienced my first Mother's Day Tea at Paige's school. Last year I was in New York with my mom helping her deal with the loss of her mother, my grandmother. This year Paige told me ahead of time that I had to be there this year. I promised I would be. Paige helped my pick out the clothes choosing the silk blouse my sister had sent my for my birthday. Paige made me paper flowers and a plaque and she served my and my mother-in-law cookies and fruit for tea. She cleaned up after we were done as well. It was so sweet.

Paige's friend Patrick

2009-04-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

It used to be Kim's friend Patrick, then he was my friend Patrick, and now he is wrapped firmly around the finger of Paige. He sent her a box of goodies that arrived today. The jumping and screaming was over the top, so were the contents of the box. Thank you Patrick for the blue bunny (currently making friends with the white Bunny Auntie Kim sent last year), and the Hannah Montana fest consisting of the wig, dress, guitar, and make up. Attached are the results of the package. As you'll see we had a good time.

Amy

Bowling

2009-03-29T17:57:00.001-07:00

Some of Paige's cousins had last week off from school, so on Thursday we went up to visit and go bowling. It was Paige's first time "real" bowling. She asked me if it was like Wii bowling. I told her the ball would be heavy and it would be slower than Wii bowling. She seemed to take it all in. She watch a couple of her cousin go first. Then it was her turn.

Selecting just the right ball.

Setting up the shot.

Watching and waiting for the ball to slowly make it way down the lane and knock over a few pins.

With Wii bowling she bowls about 160. Real bowling was much harder, she bowled a high of 46. Despite the low score Paige had a good time and wants to go again. I however got in trouble for taking the pictures. I messed up a little old ladies game. I apologized and stopped taking pictures, but after their game she shoved her score card in my face. She was insistent her poor score was because of the flash from my camera. We were at least 8 lanes away so we all think she was just looking for an excuse.

Update and random things

2009-02-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

Paige and I have been sick for the past week and a half so we've been staying home and laying around. I hope next week will be better as Paige goes back to school on Monday. So much for enjoying mid-winter break. Despite being sick, we did try to do our part to stimulate the economy last weekend. We retired Our Chevy Malibu at 139,000 miles and replaced it with a used 2008 Ford Focus. It is a unique Kiwi Green color.
Under the random things category, we are looking at 3 different schools to send Paige to for kindergarten. Perhaps it is mommy being over protective, but I don't think she is ready for all day Kindergarten. Our school district does not offer part time kindergarten so we are looking at the Schools of Choice program which lets us apply to other local schools that offer part time programs. If accepted (it's lottery based) we can send Paige there tuition free, we just have to provide transportation daily. We attended a parents night at one of the schools already and hope to schedule a time at each school to visit a kindergarten class when it is in session. We won't know where she is going to go until mid to late April.

The next random thing is a picture of the flyer Paige's preschool/daycare center sent out as a mass mailing. She appears in the lower left hand corner.
Finally, I felt better today so I finished a project I started this summer, I completed the quilt hanger and hung up the quilt that came to me after my grandmother passed away last spring. It now hangs in our bedroom.

Pinkalicious

2009-02-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Paige loves books. Many of her favorite books, and her treasured High Five magazine, come from my mom. In honor of two of Paige's favorite books, Crumbs Bakeshop in a Box by Mia Bauer and Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann, we made pink cupcakes with pink frosting. We used the recipe from the Crumbs book and it was very tasty. In honor of Pinkalicious (and Crumbs too) the cupcakes were pink with pink frosting. No one turned pink from too much pink consumption like in Pinkalicious. We had a great time baking and eating our treat.

Making the cupcakes.

Making the frosting. Frosting the cupcakes.

The finished products. Makes you hungry doesn't it.

Enjoying the fruits, I mean cupcakes, of our labor.

Xin Nian Kuai Le - Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Saturday we celebrated Chinese New Year with 100 plus adoptive families. We enjoyed a buffet lunch, live traditional Chinese music, a shadow puppet show, and faux firecrackers (100 plus kids jumping on bubble wrap). We had a wonderful time catching up with friends and celebrating Paige's unique culture.

Yesterday, New Years Eve, I spent cleaning house to sweep out (or vacuum up) the old and start the year clean. Today we took Paige's teachers oranges to wish them prosperity in the new year. We also put together red envelopes of chocolate coins to give to her class mates. Traditionally the parents and grandparents give children money in red envelopes on New Years Day. This money is meant to be saved for the future.

I hope all is well with you and you are happy and healthy. Below are pictures of Saturday's celebration.

Amy

All dressed up. Mom even let her have some lipstick.

Thanks to Auntie Kim for the dress.

Ready to party!

Traditional erhu and flute musicDragon parade. Paige just watches this part. She does not like the dragon.
The best part, jumping on the bubble wrap to pop the bubbles.
It really does sound like firecrackers

Ice Skating

2009-01-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

It's been very cold here for the past few days. Temperatures have been in the low teens or less during the day. Yesterday morning the car read -9 as I was taking Paige to school. Given the cold we've been choosing to stay inside where it is warm. OnThursday we were inside, but at a ice skating rink. It was Paige's first time on skates and she did great! She had a few falls, but figured out how to get back up first with some help from mom then on her own. We stuck to the edges so Paige could hold onto the boards and my hand. She even ventured off just holding the boards. We made it 5 times around the rink in the 45 minutes we skated. We stopped each time we came to the team box and she would send me out to skate by myself so she could watch. Below are some pictures of our adventure.

Today Scott and Paige are off on a date. I have some work to do while they are away and a few errands as well.

Take care,

Amy

First time on the ice.

Penalty to Paige Harris. 5 minutes for cuteness.

I'm starting to get the hang of this.

Look at me go!

Just a little fall.

Harris Family Christmas

2009-01-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

See the post below this one first.

Here are the pictures from the Harris Family Christmas.

Paige in front of the mound of presents. 8 grand kids equals lots of gifts.

The stockings hung with care. The blank one on the right is for Mei Mei.

The grand kids.

The chaos of opening presents with 8 kids and 8 adults.Paige modeling the dress up clothes and wig she got.

Happy Holidays!

2009-01-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season! We had a wonderful Christmas morning where Paige tore through the paper on the gifts. Santa fulfilled almost all her wishes including the Hannah Montana guitar, a Leapster2, and a makeup doll. Her only request not filled was a remote controlled airplane. We told her perhaps Santa felt she should be a little older for that toy. After breakfast and some playtime we headed to Scott's family for more presents and dinner. After dinner we played with all the kids new toys. Scott and I had to wait until today to get our new toy. We got a new Dell computer. It looks great and everything but the Internet is working so I'm writing this post from the old computer. I guess we will be spending some time with Comcast and/or Dell support tomorrow.

Paige has been enjoying her new toys. The easy bake oven has proved to be a bit of a challenge. Everything that she has tried to make has burned. First it was the cake she and the babysitter tried to make, then the cookies she and Scott tried to make. It seems the cooking times given in the directions need to be cut in half. The Leapster2 has made a few car trips and the make up doll has had several session for both her face and hair. The guitar also gets played and she sings along with it. The guitar was a popular toy today when we had some friends over.

The other day Paige was putting on a bracelet she got from Santa and she saw it said "Made in China" on it. She asked Scott and I "How come so much of the stuff Santa brought says made in China?" She's 4, she cannot start questioning Santa yet!!!!!!! We told her Santa has workshops all over and that sometimes he has to buy some things he cannot make. The answer seemed to satisfy her for now.

Now since you really want the pictures, there a some in this post and the next one down. Enjoy!

Amy

Paige in front of the Christmas tree.
Reaction to opening the guitar she really wanted.Rocking out with the guitar in the High School Musical Cheerleader outfit
Playing with the Leapster.
Applying eye shadow to the doll.

Snow much fun!

2008-12-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

As we continue to dig out, Paige enjoys the snow.

Making her way up the snow hill.

Clawing her way to the top.

I made it!

This was fun!

Snow angels.

SNOW DAY!!!

2008-12-19T19:12:00.001-08:00

We got over 10 inches of the white stuff today so no school or work for us. We went out and played in our winter wonderland.

New York Christmas

2008-12-15T18:13:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we spent visiting my parents and my grandfather in New York. We arrived on a snowy night and woke up the next morning to 4 inches of snow. We spent the day cooking, eating, playing in the snow, and opening presents. My parents finally got to see the joy of grand kids opening presents first hand. Paige ripped through the paper this time, quite a change from last Christmas where she would tear off a little bit and hand it to mom or dad, tear off a bit more, hand it to mom and dad and 2 minutes later she might have finished opening the present. It was also nice to share Paige's joyous spirit in their home. We spend so little time with them it's nice to be able to make it joyous and fun while we are there.

On Saturday we drove to Cooperstown to visit my Grandfather. My mom had brought along a present for him to give Paige to break the ice and it worked like a charm. She opened the gift, a Littlest Pet Shop set of games, and she played tic tac toe with her Great-Grandpa. Both were smiling the whole time. While we were there we also helped him put some cards and photos in an album and Paige decorated his room as well. It was only a short visit, but it was so nice to see Paige, my mom, and Grandpa interacting together. I have great memories of my great grandparents and I hope Paige will have a few of her last living Great Grandparent.

This week we party at school and at playgroup. Let the eating of goodies begin. Of course I already started since I made peanut brittle (the easy way in the microwave) tonight. I still have cookies and fudge to make in preparation for next week. Paige says we have to leave milk, cookies, and a crescent roll for Santa. We had a very serious discussion about where the plate and milk would be left. After talking through the pros and cons of three locations she finally decided it would be under the tree. Santa won't miss them there.

I hope you and yours are enjoying a wonderful holiday season.

Amy

Opening presents with Grandma and Grandpa.

Showing Grandma and Grandpa the calendar we made them.

Playing tic tac toe with Great Grandpa.

Helping put pictures and cards in the album.

I love this picture of Grandpa and Paige.

2008-12-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

WOW! I cannot believe it's been a whole month since I last posted. It seems we have spent the last month passing around illness. We are all on the mend at the moment, but with Paige is school it seems we get more stuffy noses than usual.

We spent a peaceful Thanksgiving with Scott's family enjoying good food and a rousing game of spoons (It's a card game for those who have never played). We of course ate too much and are already starting to talk about the weight loss resolution for next year.

On a funny note Paige's class made gingerbread cookies today. She got very upset when the cookies disappeared from the kitchen. Last year she was in tears and inconsolable and it took me a while later to figure out she was scared there was a fox roaming around her school. This year she was upset again about the fox. The school director pulled Paige aside and asked her if she could keep a secret. Paige agreed so when the other kids left, the director showed Paige the unharmed cookies in the pantry. She was apparently fine after that.

The Christmas cards are in the mail, but I'll post it here as well in case we don't have your address, or you've moved since last year. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Amy

SNOW!

2008-11-10T13:01:00.001-08:00

We woke up to a bit of snow on the ground. Paige was so excited she rushed through breakfast and getting dressed so she would have time to play before school.

Catching snowflakes with her tongue

Falling in the snow.

Making a snow angel.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone for another year, but we may be eating candy for months to come! Paige Trick or Treated at Scott's office Friday afternoon and went out Friday night in our neighborhood. We ended up with a huge heaping bowl of candy! We gave some away to Paige's older cousins who were here for the weekend, but we still have tons left. Below are pictures of our little Fairy.

Amy

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

To top off an already busy weekend we carved pumpkins today. Unfortunately my pumpkin was already soft so I did not get to carve one this year. I attempted to draw on a face, but it looked dorky. If I get a chance this week perhaps I'll go get another pumpkin and Paige and I can carve it. Below are Scott's and Paige's pumpkins.

Carving pumpkins is messy. Note the pumpkin seed in Paige's hair.

Scott's pumpkin during the day.
Scott's pumpkin at night.
Paige's pumpkin during the day.

Paige's pumpkin at night.

Birthday Party #2

2008-10-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well we survived 10 little girls and one little boy for Paige's birthday party with her friends. Paige wanted them to all come dressed up in their Halloween costumes. We had several princesses, Mulan, a pirate, Tinkerbell, and the Statue of Liberty. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The craft was arranging silk leaves, pumpkins, and acorns in a basket. It made a cute fall table centerpiece. Next we set up a couple of games around the room for the kids to play, then we cleared that out and played musical chairs. After some cupcakes and Dibs the kids played freely about the house. We decided to follow the latest trend and wait to open presents until after the party. She has opened everything and played with each toy/craft already. Her real birthday (Tuesday) will seem like a let down. She still has a few presents to open then and we are going to go see High School Musical 3 with a friend. I think we've had enough goodies though so we'll probably just have a few left over dibs instead of another cake.

Below are the pictures from the festivities.

Amy

Paige wanted mommy to get dressed up too. My sister Kim made the dress.

Craft time.

Playing musical chairs.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

Group shot of the kids.

Extended Birthday

2008-10-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

In the Fravil Family it is a tradition to make the birthday celebrations last at least a week, two if at all possible. Paige began her birthday celebration on Saturday, a full week and a half before her actual birthday. Last Saturday we celebrated with Scott's family with pizza, cake, ice cream, and presents. We topped off the day watching my nephew play football and watching our eldest niece twirl her baton for her last halftime show. She is a senior and this was the last performance of the football season.

Paige asked for a baby doll for her birthday so on Tuesday Grandma and Grandpa Harris, Paige, and I went shopping to find just the right doll. We went to a wonderful place called the Doll Hospital and Toy Soldier Shop. They let the Paige touch, feel, and hold the dolls, they put each of the outfits Paige picked out on the doll she choose to be sure they fit, and let her walk out the door with the doll in her arms. I could not have asked for a better experience! I did not have enough hands to take pictures at the store, but below are a few from the fashion show we had once we got home. She decided to name her doll "Dolly".

The celebrations will continue this Saturday as we have 11 children over for games, crafts, cupcakes, and Dibs (chocolate covered ice cream bites). The finally next Tuesday is her actual birthday and we are going with a friend to see a matinee of High School Musical 3. Phew! I'll need a vacation after all this partying.

Below are some pictures of the first of the two celebrations.

Amy

Blowing out the candles on cake #1

Cool gifts from the family.

Dolly modeling her Christmas dress.

Dolly modeling Pajamas

Dolly all ready for bed

A Fun filled weekend

2008-10-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

We've had an action packed weekend and the tired child (and parents) to prove it! Saturday we had our Families with Children from China Autumn Moon Festival. It was scheduled three weeks ago but got rained out by the remnants of Hurricane Ike. Before hand we killed some time at Michaels, a local craft store. I had some trouble with the kids as you'll see below. At the festival Paige painted a paper lantern, made a mask, played games with her friend Sophia, and after dark did a lantern parade with all the kids’ lanterns lit with glow sticks. She was asleep 15 minutes after being put in the car.

Today the park next door had their annual Harvest Happenings. We went on a hay ride, did crafts, and had cider and doughnuts. Paige went on some kid inflatable things, went through a gymnastics obstacle course set up by her gymnastics academy, and rode a cute pony named Mouse. The event gets bigger every year and is really a great community event. We saw many of our friends and neighbors while we were there.

Below are some pictures of our weekend.

Amy

Are those kids sword fighting in the store? Where are their parents?

Don't believe the smile, believe the horns.
Here are the lanterns drying. Paige's is the one on the lower left.
A group shot of the festivities. Paige is in the dark pink coat on the left.

Harvest Happenings Photos

2008-10-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from Harvest Happenings.

Paige riding a pony named Mouse.

Sliding down the inflatable slide.
Fire girl Paige driving to the scene of the fire.
I love powdered doughnuts!
I can make it through the straw maze by myself.

Romance and Rest Areas

2008-09-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I admit Scott and I are big fans of the TV show "The Office". Tonight Jim finally proposed to Pam, at a rest area. Now how did they know that a rest area is the most romantic place to propose? They must have talked to Scott who proposed to me at a rest area near Paw Paw, Michigan. Of course, there was no rain for us to add to the romance, only a bit of chill in the air (It was the day after Thanksgiving). So now there will be more people proposing at rest areas, the most romantic location to propose!

Now since most of you are here for pictures of Paige, I've included a few from our trip to the Zoo last week.

Amy

I thought this was a neat shot of Paige with my reflection and the turtle.

How to ride a Rhino.

Hitting our Stride

2008-09-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well we are finally getting the school routine down and our mornings are running smoother now. Paige continues to enjoy school and gymnastics so we'll keep the routine up for now. When Paige is not at school we are enjoying the warm afternoons outside. Last Thursday was a beautiful day that we spent touring a local historical home and their gardens. There is a program here through the libraries that you can get free passes to many historical sites and museums in the Detroit area so we tour places at least once a month. Paige has been asking to go back to the Detroit Institute for the Arts (DIA) so we'll do that next month when it might be too cold to be outside for a long period.

Paige has been going through another growth spurt. The new sneakers I bought her for school are too tight already and she only wore them a few times. The past two days have been spent shopping for new sneakers. I kid you not, we tried on 23 pairs of shoes in 5 stores before finding the right shoe. They were of course, the expensive ones. Part of the problem is she has a long narrow foot. Many sneakers don't stay on her foot, a problem made worse by the fact she walks on her tip toes most of the time. You can see the winning sneakers below. The green hearts glow in the dark which Paige said would be perfect for Halloween. Smart kid.

Amy

Paige with her "Get to Know Me" poster for preschool.

She did the photos and stickers, I added the names of those in the photos.

The new sneakers match the sparkly gymnastics leotard
The winning sneakers! The green hearts glow in the dark.
Just a cute shot of a cute kid.

Back to School

2008-09-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Paige's first day of 4 year old preschool was Monday. This year there were no tears as I left, but she was a bit nervous. There are 10 kids in her class this year, twice as many as last year. Knowing 5 of her classmates from last year and having the same teacher has eased the transition.

We are having a bit of an adjustment to the new morning schedule. Paige does not like to be rushed and rushing her makes for a very tearful morning. This morning was especially bad. Of course it could also be because she needed a nap, which she is taking now.

Below are some pictures from Monday.

Amy

All dressed up for school.

She wanted her picture taken with the flowers on the porch.
Photo op outsider her school.
Hanging up her cool Hannah Montana backpack

A visit to the Fravil Family Farm

2008-08-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Our last tip of the summer took us to New York to visit my parents. I was also able to visit with my friend Patrick and my friend Jill whom I have not seen in many years. It was a wonderful few days despite being sick. Paige finally got to go fishing, something she has been asking to do all summer. She and my mom caught three fish, Scott and I each caught one, and Patrick did not catch any. Mom offered him her lucky pole, but he refused. I guess he'll have to come back and try again.

We spent a day at the New York State Fair. Hillary Clinton was there the same day, but we did not see her. It was very crowded though. Paige enjoyed the 4-H building the most where they had lots of crafts and activities for the kids. It was like a stroll down memory lane since I worked in the 4-H building when I was a teen.

A fun time was had by all and Paige was crying when we left because she wanted to stay. Hopefully we can get in another trip in the fall and make it back to Cooperstown to see my grandfather.

Summer is now at an end and Paige will start preschool on September 8th. She is excited to be going back. We have been stopping in at her school and talking to her teacher. Paige has been practicing writing her letters and is doing really well. The only letter she has trouble with is "S". She can write both her first and last names as well as spell mom, dad, and mei mei without help.

Below are some pictures of our trip. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Amy

Grandpa, Paige, and Grandma

Scott, Patrick, Paige, and grandma fishing
Grandma and Paige with the first fish they caught. Paige would not touch it.
Paige and Patrick fooling around

Three years ago today

2008-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this clip from August 15, 2005, the moment Paige was handed to us and we became a family.

Camping - the easy way

2008-08-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went "Camping". No we did not sleep in tents in the woods or even stray too far from civilization, but it was great fun. We went with other families with children from China to a local YMCA camp. Paige kept referring to our accommodations as the "hotel". It was actually a dormitory style building with shared bathrooms and a big common room. We took our meals in the large mess hall a short walk away. We arrived Friday night, got our beds made, and went exploring a little. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of a calm lake and a very colorful hot air balloon just over the trees. After a few crafts, get to know you games, and a review of camp rules we turned in for the night. At 5:30 am the next morning a little voice asks "Mom is it time to get up yet?". Some one was very excited about camp. When I finally answered that it was time to get up (6:45am), we got showered and dressed and headed for breakfast. After a wonderful meal we headed for the Zip line. I'll be honest and say both Scott and I were a bit disappointed. It was a great setup, but it was over too quick. We did get to go twice however.

Next we returned to main camp to do tie dye shirts. Paige did one for her and a onsie for Mei Mei. I did the rubber bands and Paige did the dipping. You can see our results below. After removing our gloves we had a quick lunch before participating in a kiddie carnival with water balloon toss, face painting, obstacle course, and pony rides. Paige did not want to ride the pony, but did all the other games.

After playing around we were ready to go change into our swimsuits and head for he beach. After a quick dip we took a canoe out on the lake. This was Paige's first Canoe trip and she loved it! She did a good job sitting still int he bottom of the boat while Scott and I paddled. Hopefully I can take her out again soon. Our boat ride was cut short as rain moved in. We were supposed to have a campfire after dinner, but it got rained out. Instead they built a fire in the fire place and we sang songs and roasted marshmallows that way. We danced off the S'mores doing various group line dances. Paige had a great time even though she missed most of the steps.

After our experience maybe next summer we'll try to rent a cabin for a few nights and go a bit more rustic with our camping. I don't think you'll ever get us to tent camp so we'll just have to enjoy our nature by day and a comfy bed by night.

Amy

Our room

Lake view with hot air balloon
Tie dye
Scott on the zip line
Amy on the zip line

Dragon Boats and Broken Dishes

2008-08-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's been an eventful weekend here! Saturday Paige and I went to a picnic sponsored by our local FCC (Families with Children from China). There were fun games, face painting and relay races. One of Paige's favorites was fishing with your feet. It was a large tub of water with bubbles on top. The kids had to sit in a chair, put their feet in, locate a ball, and pick it up with their feet. Paige though it was a blast! I can see that it will be a new one for bath time. We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and making new ones. Scott meanwhile came home to a mess. One of our kitchen cabinets fell off the wall breaking plates and glasses all over the counter and the floor. He had the floor cleaned up before Paige and I got home and when I came home we finished rescuing and washing what was left. What a mess!! The insurance man will come sometime this week then we'll have to get estimates for getting a new cabinet as the old one was in pieces on the floor. Fun fun fun!

That's all from here. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Amy

Moving marbles with chopsticks

Blowing the "Dragon Boats"

Racing Dragon
Swinging my friend

The mess we came home to.

Spelling lessons in public bathrooms

2008-07-27T18:57:00.001-07:00

Paige has become fascinated with spelling words. She can write her letters so she'll often ask me to spell words for her. She is also learning how to spell words by sounding them out. Yesterday we had a lesson is spelling in the ladies room at our local mall. Here is how the conversation went:

Paige: Mommy somebody wrote on the wall.

Me: That wasn't very nice.

Paige: What does F...U...C...K... spell (muffled laughter from the stall next door)

Me: (Pause) Luck, it spells luck. Lets go! (full laughter from the stall next door)

Phew that was close! The language in the bathroom is not always nice so I'll have to keep her distracted now so she does not read the walls.

On a lighter note Paige and I had a great day on Friday with Scott's family. We spent the morning with his parents tour a little zoo, the afternoon in her cousins pool, and the evening playing little kids games to help raise money for the local high school football team. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Feeding the Swans with Grandma and Grandpa

She pet the baby bunny and I have the picture to prove it!

Checking out Grandpa's new lawn tractor

How to ride a bucket

2008-07-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Texas Vacation

2008-07-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

This year our vacation plans took us to Texas. We spent few days in San Antonio to tour the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We also spent a couple of hours with my cousin Traci and her sons Justin and Jarin at the San Antonio Children's museum. It was nice to see Traci again and to meet her two boys. They were both so good with Paige.

We really liked San Antonio. We stayed on the Riverwalk which is a tourist area along the river with shops and places to eat all below street level. The river meanders through the city and you can walk around without having to deal with cars/crosswalks. It's also nicely shaded so it was somewhat cooler than up at street level. We took a tourist boat cruise on the river which highlighted all the sights.

Scott enjoyed visiting the Alamo. It was not at all like he expected. It is a beautiful park now in the middle of the city. Other than a few bullet holes that remain you cannot tell a battle ever took place there. We got the obligatory Scott with a cannon shot that goes with visiting any historical battle site with Scott. For those who don't know, we got married near a historical battle site (Mackinac Island, Michigan) and have a picture of us in our finery with a cannon.

Next, we traveled to Austin where we met up with 3 of the families we traveled with to China when we adopted Paige. It was great to catch up with these families and see how the girls have grown and changed. We swapped stories and had a wonderful time watching the girls play together.

We were sad to have to leave Texas, but look forward to meeting up with these families again next year. You can view the photos of our trip by clicking on the link below:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=m7znk8n.3io6b71n&Uy=mwelzs&Ux=0&UV=608763012022_753771872603

Amy

Gymnastics Graduation Day

2008-06-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paige complete her Playful Penguins gymnastics class with a showcase of skills on the floor, beam, rings, and bars. After completing all rotations each child received a medal and certificate. Paige has now moved up to the next level where she will be by herself, no moms allowed. Below are some of the highlights from the showcase.

Amy

Warm up stretching

Standing up after a forward roll

Flipping over the bar

Straddle swing

Look at my cool medal and certificate!

Summer Fun Photo Story

2008-06-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

First put on your most stylish swim suit. Use your best model stare while mom takes a picture.

Get a bucket full of water

Get your swim suit wet.

Get out the water squirters

Reflect on the fun I had.

Road Trip to New York.

2008-06-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

This past week Paige and I drove from Michigan first to Ithaca, NY where my parents live, then on to Cooperstown where my Grandfather is. Paige was a very good traveler! The trip to my parents took 9 hours and the trip to Cooperstown was 3.5 hours. We had a wonderful week with my parents and my Grandfather was so excited to have Paige come visit. This was the first time he has seen her and he smiled the whole time we visited! My grandfather looks so much better than when I left a month ago. He even went on an outing with some of the other residents of his nursing home to go for a drive and some ice cream! I'm glad he seems to be adjusting to life in the home.
There are no baseball fans in our family so while in Cooperstown we spent an afternoon at the Farmers Museum. We rode the carousel, walked through an restored village, and took in the animals at the historic farm. Paige had so much fun she slept most of the way back to my parents house!
My parents love having Paige and I come visit and Paige had such a good time she did not want to leave! I am grateful we got the chance to see my grandfather and my parents. Below are a few picture from our trip.

Amy

Mom, Grandpa, Paige, and me

Grandma and Paige ride the carousel

Paige milking the pretend cow at the Farmers Museum

Paige with Grandma and Grandpa

Garage sales!

2008-06-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Paige loves to go to garage sales and this weekend was our subdivision one. We walked the entire neighborhood looking for good bargains. From our neighbors Zack and Tyler we bought a very cool mini trampoline. Here Paige demonstrates her bouncing skills

From Ms. Mary we bought a Leap Pad (teaching type lap computer for kids) and a shelf with bins to organize toys. Paige spent her money on a princess wand (no surprise there), the Candy Land board game, and the Pretty Pretty Princess board game. We played all the games after dinner. The winner of the Pretty Pretty Princess game refused to have photos published here. Paige won Candy Land easily.

It's supposed to be a hot week. Stay cool!

Amy

They grow up so fast

2008-05-31T18:06:00.001-07:00

Friday morning we were shopping for a new car seat for Paige and by the afternoon we were shopping for bras! Here is one of the ones she liked.

We actually went shopping for mom, but Paige wanted to try some on too. Her choices were much more colorful than mine :).

Friday we went to Paige's cousin Anthony's school for lunch. We took a slight detour to pick up the new car seat and we happened to pass a Crispy Cream Doughnut shop with the "Hot Doughnuts" light on. I could not stop the car from pulling into the parking lot. This was Paige's first Crispy Cream experience. Here is a picture of the sugar high.

When we arrived at the school, Anthony gave us a tour of his class room and took us to get lunch. Paige wanted to hold his hand and he was happy to do so. Too cute!

The afternoon found us with cousins Jenny and Andrew on the playground. I love having a camera in my phone. I've gotten some cute pictures I would not have gotten since my regular camera is so big and bulky.

Will we ever settle on a website location?

2008-05-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

Some day perhaps we will decide on one site/software Scott and I can both use. While I am the one making the posts it will be here for now. Blogger does not work in China (darn those government restrictions on the Internet!) so we'll have to come up with a new plan when we return to China to adopt again. Of course that is so far off things could have changed. Before you ask, no we don't have any idea when we might travel and cannot even give you a guess at this point.

So What have we been up to you ask? Well the past month has been eventful for me. The week before Mother's day I received news of my grandparents failing health. I went to Cooperstown, NY to help my mom get them both on Hospice and to support her as we watched her mother give up on life. My original plan was to stay a few days, fly home, and drive out with Paige. I ended up staying for 9 days. My grandmother passed away on May 8th and calling hours and the funeral were held the following Monday and Tuesday. It was long and emotional 9 days, but I am so glad I could be there for my mother. Scott picked up the slack and stayed home with Paige. He did a great job while I was away. I came home to a clean house, no laundry, and food in the kitchen (not all of it junk either!). I am a lucky girl to have such a a great man!

I did get to spend mother's day with my mother, something I have not been able to do in a long time. We went to the Fenimore Cooper Museum (early American arts and crafts) and rode the carousel at the Farmers Museum. Both museums were free for mothers. It was a few stolen moments of happiness in an otherwise sad and stressful week. Another positive was getting to see my cousins Traci and Tami and my uncle Keith. I have not seen them in many years and it was good to see them and catch up a bit.

Paige had her last day of school last week. We both are going to miss it. We do however still have gymnastics until the last week of June. Paige continues to grow and loves to paint, play in the sandbox, and go to the "Old MacDonald Park" (Petting zoo/farm/park next door). Not a day passes when she does not mention wanting to do something or save something for Mei Mei. She is going to be a good big sister!

I'm sure I've missed a lot, but I thought it best just to give an update rather than overwhelm everyone with the details. As always, enjoy the pictures!

Amy

Me, Grandpa, and mom in lobby of nursing home

Back: Traci, me, Tami. Front: Uncle Keith, mom, dad.

Grandpa and his grand daughters.

Scott's mom, Paige, and Scott attended Mothers Day tea while I was in NY.

Watching the Kentucky Derby in style!

Princess Paige

2007-09-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

May I introduce Princess Paige. She picked this outfit out to attend a birthday/costume party and to wear for Halloween. She looks so sweet I just had to share.

Amy

Trying this again

2007-08-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I've been going back and forth between this site and our comcast site to see which one is easier/best to use. I'm back here since Blogger has made some changes that will hopefully make things go smoother than before. So since you really came here to see the pictures, here they are.

Hanging out with my friend Bella

Forever a Family on August 15, 2005

Forever Family Day 2nd Anniversary on August 15, 2007

WE'VE MOVED!

2006-08-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

Please join us at our new home on the web http://home.comcast.net/~scottamyharris to get all the latest news and photos.

Scott, Amy, and Paige Harris

WE'VE MOVED!

2006-08-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Please join us at our new home on the web http://home.comcast.net/~scottamyharris to get all the latest news and photos.

Scott, Amy, and Paige Harris

One year ago today...

2006-08-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

One year ago today Paige was placed in our arms and our lives have not been the same since. In some ways it seems like she has been a part of our family for years, while our time in China seems to be only a few weeks ago. We feel honored and blessed to have Paige in our lives and look forward to a lifetime together.

When Paige was placed in my arms for the first time I felt such a sense of relief and peace. Finally, we were a family! Today I hugged her tight and felt peace and love (and got a return hug). Today we celebrated as a family with Paige and I making a cake and having dinner together. We gave Paige a sock doll we had purchased in China. I also had a chance to take part in a conference call among 8 of the families we traveled with. It was wonderful to hear how all the children and adults were doing! I hope that we are able to keep in touch as the years go by as these girls are really like sisters and share a background that is special to them.

Our Chicago Trip

2006-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to Chicago for a long weekend with our friends Mike, Kris, and Jozef Mularski. We took the Amtrak train from Dearborn. The ride out was not the best way to begin a trip. It should take a little over 5 hours to get to Chicago. It took us 10. We ran into freight train traffic, slow downs due to hat rails, and then our conductor was going over his hours. Paige handled all this with ease, The rest of us on the train were not as pleasant about the whole experience. I called ahead to the hotel to see if they could have a crib in our room when we arrived. We arrived at our hotel at 10pm Chicago time and then proceeded to wait 45 minutes for a crib for Paige. Needless to say no one slept well the first night. Our darling morning riser was up at 7am ready to go.

Our first day in Chicago we went to Shedd Aquarium, The Museum of Natural History, and Navy Pier. We met up with Scott's cousin Cindy at Navy Pier for dinner and a visit tot he children's Museum. Paige enjoyed it all and was very well behaved despite having less sleep than usual. She also took to Mike right away and was his buddy much of the weekend. Day two took us to the Museum of Science and Industry where we toured the inside of the U 505 German Submarine. Mike and Scott really enjoyed all the military history in this exhibit. We ended the day at the top of the Hancock Building and dessert from the Cheesecake Factory.

We spent the morning of our final day in Chicago at the Library as it was too hot to be outside for very long. The trip home was hassle free and took a little over 5 hours. So that's all the excitement from here. Here are some pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

Amy

Paige's Favorite Word

2006-07-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Paige's favorite word is "help". She wants to help with everything! Being an adventurous sort I try to let her help as much as possible. She now helps set the table (napkins and silverware only), folding the laundry (she's great at matching socks), and cooking. Last week we made pie together, but did not get any pictures. Just imagine flour everywhere. Paige looked like she had gray hairs already. We had fun though. Thursday night I was making a cake and she wanted to help. She went to her kitchen and got her rolling pin (we had used it in making pie) and was ready to go. Below tells the story of making the cake.

Adding the water (note the rolling pin at the ready)

Using the rolling pin. I could not convince her it was not for mixing.

The best part, licking the spoon. Yummy!

Today she had to help me clean the floors. Here she is in the kitchen. I'll hire her out to clean your house. She works for fruit or mac and cheese. I do not make any guarantees about how clean your floor will be when she's done, though.

I'm getting the hang of this.

Under the table is tricky.

Zooming across the open floor.

A weekend with Anthony

2006-07-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

We had our nephew Anthony with us last weekend. We went to the Zoo, Build-a-Bear Workshop, a water park, and an arcade. A good time was had by all! It was also good practice for Scott and I to have two children. It certainly changes the dynamic! Of course Anthony at 6 is much more independent than Paige will be when we adopt her little sister. Speaking of our second adoption, we had our last visit with the social worker last Wednesday and hope to submit our paperwork to the office of Citizenship and Immigration next week. We should have approval in 5-6 Weeks and be ready to send everything to China in September as planned. In the meantime we enjoy having Paige and she
continues to bring us great joy. Below are some pictures of our weekend.

The sign at the Kangaroo exhobit at the zoo (no Kim those are not the real distances)

Here are Anthony and Paige Roaring like tigers

Paige at the Arcade

Anthony at Build-a-Bear with the Monkey he made.

Happy 4th of July!

2006-07-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a nice holiday and took the time to count their blessing for living in such a wonderful country. Scott, Paige, and I went to Birch Run to be with Scott's family. We took in the town parade and then had several competitive matches of Croquet in the afternoon. Paige loved the parade, especially all the candy she collected. We shared the wealth among the family. Below are some pictures from our day. Hanging out with my Aunt Michelle before the parade

More candy. Cool!Cousin Cassie twiring her baton.I don't think this duck will fit in my bath tub.

Croquet anyone?

Learning to play by myself

2006-06-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well Paige is getting much better at playing by herself. The other day while I was putting away groceries she was playing nicely in the living room. When I finished putting away the groceries I went to go see what she was doing. This is what I found.

She had moved all these toys from across the room into this area and had been neatly setting them up. I just had to take a picture of her hard work. It wasn't until I looked closer that I saw she had swiped the bottle of ketchup from the fridge as I was putting things away.

Today was a beautiful day, not too hot, but plenty of sun. We spent the mornig outside. Below Paige is modeling her sunhat and sunglasses while trying to remain incognito.

Finally, and best of all for us, we have found a babysitter that Paige will stay with. Scott and I are actually going to go out on a date on Saturday. We will probably spend the whole time talking about Paige. While not the whole time since Scott wants to go see the movie Cars.

That's all from here. Smile and have a great day!

Amy

2006-06-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Paige and I have been busy partying here. This past week included a birthday party, a pool party, and a baby shower. We have another birthday party this weekend. I have include some new cute photos for everyone to enjoy!

Amy

2006-06-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I have created this blog so friends and family can read and see how our family grows and changes. In case you have forgotten what we look like, here is a family photo.

Of course most of you are really looking at this blog to see pictures of Paige. So here are a few of my recent favorites.

Paige continues to grow and to learn to say new words. She has a vocabulary of over 50 words (most only mom and dad know though) and has about 30 baby signs. She is quick to smile and entertains people wherever we go. She continues to be the light and joy of our lives.

We are still in the process of gathering the necessary paperwork to adopt a second daughter from China. Wendy our social worker came to our home on Wednesday and we will have one more meeting before our homestudy is complete. We then will submit paperwork to Citizenship and Immigration (CIS) and hope to have approval by mid September. If all goes well we hope to have our paper work to China by late September. The we wait. The current wait is 14 months from the time the paperwork is submitted to travel to China. We have been told it could get longer. We will just have to wait patiently (those who know I don't wait patiently can stop snickering). Hopefully having Paige as a distraction will help.

Well that is all the excitement here. Feel free to leave comments and suggestion.

Amy