Recapping the last few weeks

Gosh, it's amazing how quickly time has flown since I was last shared an update. Our days just seem to fly by. So I will do my best to catch you all up on our latest craziness happenings.

Caleb is totally loving baseball! He practices once a week and has one game each week too. The other day I bought Caleb a new glove, which he totally loves. Since Caleb got a new glove, little Madeline had to get a glove too. They are so cute trying to play catch together.

This past Tuesday, Patrick and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. How did we celebrate? By having our social worker come for a post placement visit. LOL. Really, though, she did come. And we had a great little visit. But we actually celebrated by taking a little vacation, or "cation" as Caleb referred to it. We headed over to Palm Coast, just a few hours from home. We vacationed there last year, and Caleb just loved the water park. So we opted to head there again. We invited my sister Deb, BIL, Andy, and niece Leah to join us. And a great time was had by all, despite the Floria Gators losing to LSU on Saturday night! Oh well. (They also lost to LSU on our wedding day, and I thought all my non-Gator friend fans were trying to pull a fast one on me at our reception.)

Caleb's favorite part of the "best cation ever!" was the several story water slide. Last year, he went down the slide many times with Patrick. But this year, he was determined to go all by himself. And that he did......many, many times! We were so proud of his bravery to go it alone.

One thing I was not quite prepared for was how uncomfortable I felt with soooo many people staring at Madeline's arm. Sure, I've read lots of stories from other adoptive families of kiddos with limb differences. So I thought my heart was prepared. But I felt so many people staring at once when we were swimming in the pools, that I had a hard time looking people square in the face. I know people are curious. And I don't mind that. And nobody was rude. There was just nothing I could do get to them to "stop" other than leave the pool area, which I wasn't going to do. So we continued to swim while others took turns staring at Madeline.

One situation I was quite glad for the other day was at Caleb's baseball game. Two little girls approached Madeline with me standing right there next to her while I was chatting with a friend of mine. They began poking and touching her arm. Immediately one of the girl's moms jumped up from the bleachers and pulled them aside and told them it was not okay for them to touch her. I was relieved that she handled the situation so well, to say the least. Little Madeline was so clueless that the girls were inappropriate....she came over to me and said, "See, mommy!" as she stuck her left arm up in the air with a big smile on her face.

Madeline continues to do well. She is such a little ham! She's so dramatic with her facial expressions and the tone of her voice. It's so hilarious. She continues to pick up on English and is doing quite well with it. She continues to eat and sleep well and find trouble be a typical 2 year old girlie.

I have been busy taking lots of photos with my new camera that Patrick bought me for our anniversary (muchas gracias, honey). But now I realize just how behind I am at uploading all of them and editing them. So I have my work cut out for me. Since I don't like to post without sharing photos, here are a few from Caleb's first baseball game and some of Madeline during her photo shoot playing in the yard.

Caleb and his friend, HJ

Playing second base

Swinging the bat

After making it to first base

We're ready for baseball!

Patrick took some video yesterday (with his iphone) of Caleb during his t-ball practice. We are so proud of him for getting out there and doing his best. His first game is one week away! I took some photos too. But I still have to upload them. Anyway, enjoy!

Getting back into the swing of things

Well, we have spent the last week and a half under the weather....that is, Caleb and me. Thankfully, Madeline avoided getting sick at all. Patrick got a little sick. But we're all doing fine now....finally. Poor Caleb had to miss out on a lot of therapy and baseball. So he's itching to get back on the baseball field. I'm also so thankful that we homeschool because I can't imagine having to catch up on a week's worth of school. I used to avoid missing school at all costs when I was little because I hated the idea of having double the amount of work to do. So homeschooling rocks when kiddos get sick, in my humble opinion.

Speaking of homeschooling, Caleb continues to thrive. His reading has improved so much. I never expected him to make this much progress since our school year started because reading has never come easy for him. And as for math, we are wrapping up first grade and will be starting second grade next week! Singapore focuses heavily upon mental math calculations. And Caleb handles it like a champ. It's hard to believe he's doing the kind of math that 7-8 year olds do...and he's only 5 1/2!

Madeline continues to do well. She's a great sleeper and eater. She's quite a ham, like Caleb. But unlike Caleb, she is quite mischievous. She's managed to get into my make up bag, climb up to her brother's sink using his step stool (because we move hers away when not in use) and fill her toy tea pots with water....and proceed to spill it all over the table/floor in our school room. Yeah, lovely. She's unbelievable. She makes the funniest faces. She's so dramatic. And she still babbles in Ch*inese. Her latest English words are "No way!" No surprise, she gets this from Caleb because that's his response when answering his "silly questions" from his Explode The Code phonics program. It's downright hilarious to hear her say it in her accent. I'll have to get it on video.

Update on my sister's dear friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went for her first round of chemo last week. She also found out she'll deliver her son Preston at 34 weeks. And he's doing great in utero right now. She's ready to fight. And she's got a huge team helping her. It's awesome to see.

Well, here are some photos from Miss Madeline's play time in the front yard. Enjoy!

Ms. Chatterbox
Taking a picture of mommy with my iphone...and falling...oops
Cute as a button
Listening to the plane flying overhead

Little Miss

So here are a few photos from our playtime in the front yard last week, while Patrick and Caleb were at the grocery store. At first Madeline Bei took to her dolly. And then she decided she was thirsty and wanted to drink water from a bottle. This was an absolute nightmare in Chin@ because she had no idea how to drink from one, and the water just ran down the front of her every time. I am happy to report she can now drink from a water bottle, just like ge ge. Unfortunately (?) this water bottle ended up in about every shot I took. Oh well. At least she enjoyed drinking from it.

Love her lips in this shot
Pausing for just a moment.....
.....in between gulps
Precious girl

Are you ever prepared?

....to help your sister grieve the news of a dear friend's cancer diagnosis?

My sister Deb has a dear friend from work. They've been working together on and off for the last 9 years. Her friend is more than just a co-worker. They are truly friends, brought together by their jobs. Her friend is 31 years old, has a 4.5 year son, an almost 2 year old daughter and a precious baby boy in utero at 28 weeks gestation. And this week she's been given the diagnosis of breast cancer. It's really the unthinkable. Did I really hear her right when she told me over the phone through sobs so loud I barely made out "cancer" in her words?

The good news in all this is that apparently there are some chemotherapy drugs that are safe for women in their second and third trimesters. Praise God! So she will begin with chemo to reduce the size of the mass and then have surgery to remove it. She will have a c-section to deliver her precious boy at either 30 or 34 weeks. Her co-workers have rallied around her like nobody's business.

But still....the colds/fevers/chills that left me and Caleb feeling like we've been run over by trucks these last few days pale in comparison to what lays ahead for my sister's dear friend. Would walking out to the mailbox seem so unsurmountable for me if my future didn't look so bright? Heck no. I would live every day to the fullest.

I have to keep asking myself if this is really happening. Then I resign myself to the fact that it is and begin praying so hard for everybody in her family. Every day in our lives is a gift from God, precious and to be treasured. We all should be living each day as if it were our last. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. Anyway, would you please join me in praying for this family as they nagivate their new normal? Thanks so much. Still stunned..........

Birthday and baseball fun

This past weekend, we had the chance to visit my sister, Deb, brother-in-law Andy, and niece, Leah. Saturday was Andy's birthday. So we all got together for some grilling and Gator football viewing. I'm happy to say that the Gators finally decided to show up this season, starting in the second half. So Andy had something to celebrate, unlike last week's abysmal victory over Miami of Ohio.

Anyway, Andy's parents, Phil and Marsha, were also there. It was great to see them. Madeline Bei really took to Marsha. So she had her hands full with two little girls wanting to play while the rest of us watched football. Oh don't get me wrong, she would've loved to watch the game too. She was just gracious enough to play with the kidlets and watch the game later on DVR. Caleb, Madeline and Leah all had such a great time playing together. It warms my heart to no end to see them all playing together and having fun.

On Sunday, Patrick and Caleb went to Mandarin class while I hung out with Madeline Bei. And since I had to meet my sister half way between our houses to get my cell phone (it was a fun little visit at McD's), Madeline Bei had already taken her nap. So while the boys were away, we really got to have some good quality time together- just the girlies. I try to show affection to Caleb and Madeline equally, but it's hard. So I had the chance to love on her without Caleb feeling left out. We truly had a great time together. I just love my little girl so much. She is such a ham, just like Caleb.

On Monday, Caleb had T-ball practice. Last week, he joined several of the other boys who decided to just watch during the first practice. But this week, he joined in on the fun! And you should've seen the smile all over his face. It was electric! He could see just how proud we were of him out there. And that did it. He said he had fun and couldn't wait til next practice.

Since we pitch to him a rubber ball and tennis ball, we thought we should actually get him a tee to practice hitting off of. No surprise there, he makes great contact. But now he's practicing shifting his weight to get more power when he swings. I can't wait to see how next practice goes.

Homeschooling is going very well. This week in math, we are working on number concept from 40-100. Then next week, we're supposed to start adding with carrying and subtracting with borrowing........except, he can already do it! I gave him some problems, and he got them all right! You should've seen his face light up. Naturally I'm still reviewing the material with him. But he already gets it. That's how great Singapore Math is with teaching concepts. We're almost finished up with 1st grade math and will start 2nd grade math next month. I'm floored to say the least. Caleb is such a little smartie pants. No way was I doing the math that he's doing at 5.5 years. Caleb continues to learn new cursive letters for handwriting and does very well. And his reading is also getting better each day. This week we introduced compound words, and he handled them like a champ. I am just so proud of my boy.

Sorry I don't have any photos to post. But I'll get some up soon. Promise.

Some of my loves

It should come to you as no surprise what some of the loves in my life are. Naturally, God takes the cake. But second to Him is the love I have for my husband. Thirdly, I love my kids like crazycakes. But after all the precious peeps in my life, I have a great love for photography and sewing. Chalk it up to my childhood, where most precious memories captured on film also included my mom's fingers and missed our heads or feet. Also getting something new didn't mean a pricetag was included. I LOVED to shop at Kmart because it meant something truly brand new and not just new to me.

Today......well, I now have the privledge of sewing new clothes for me and my daughter. And that means so much more than buying it new in the store. I feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment. My gramma was alive to see some of the things I made for myself, and the joy on her face made my heart swell.

Today's memories are also captured quite differently. When we traveled to Ch*in@ to bring Caleb home, Patrick bought me a digital SLR. (Do I have a great hubby or what?!) I wanted to capture not just childhood memories for my children. I wanted to capture beautiful images of these memories, not just snapshots of them. Photography has become a hobby that I really enjoy. And it's something I can "do" with my kids. While I don't sew for Caleb but do for Madeline Bei, photography is something we can all "do" together because we're just having fun and capturing the moment.

So this post is dedicated to three of those loves: my kids, sewing and photography. Well, it's mostly my kids and photography...but you can see one of the cute tops I made Madeline (and a beautiful hair bow made by my friend, Lisa!) Anyway, enjoy this photo-heavy post!

Simply stunning....and looking at my camera, for a change
Picking beach sunflowers in the front yard
Getting ready to play catch with Caleb
Will I ever get her to look in my direction???? LOL
So while having some fun in the yard, "playing" catch and all, I asked Caleb if he could give his sister a kiss. With my camera in continuous mode, I was able to capture this really sweet exchange between the munchkins.
Moving in


The finish