Romance and Rest Areas

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

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

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

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

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

Camping - the easy way

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

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

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

Texas Vacation

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

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

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.

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!

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

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?

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!