Cooking Chinese style

Taylor has a NEED for Chinese food. She doesn't just want it she needs it, craves it. It seems to be really important to her that we like Chinese food too. It's like, by liking her food, we like all things China. It is hard to explain unless you hear her talk about it but as a family who never ate Chinese food before Taylor came into our life we have taken the food as our own and try to eat something Asian a couple times a week. But take out is expensive and sooo the mom who doesn't much like to cook actually bought a Chinese cookbook and Taylor and I are cooking together. Its lots of fun, easy really and she is so appreciative it makes me humble. Again acceptance of her food is just something that's a big deal to her.
Last night we made spicy cashew chicken. I need a wok, we did all this in a regular old frying pan, but this weekend we're getting ourselves a wok so we can do this thing up right!
By Chinese New Year we'll be ready to cook up a feast!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Yesterday was officially Taylor's Birthday. She has been waiting so long to be 6! She waited very patiently for Sara and Chuck to get in last night and then she got to open her presents from us, Emilee, and Sara and Chuck. She went to sleep with her new Build-A-Bear Bunny who got clothes and a stroller and cool Build-A-Bear make up kit from all of us, as well a a whole season of Full House. Had to watch some of that before she could go go bed :)

Today was the day of the big "all girls" party. This party was just what Taylor dreamed of...makeup and fingernail polish and playing with really good friends. We are so thankful to the moms of her friends who took the time to bring their girls to make this day so special.

Emilee and Sara decorated with streamers and balloons and it was all topped off with a Barbie ballerina cake, and Taylor's big sisters helped apply make up and helped with crafts - the girls made little picture frames and bracelets too.

Tonight we're all going to the football game at our university - go LU!! Tomorrow after church we all go to my mom's for lunch where Taylor will get yet one more party time to receive her present from her grandparents and cousins. wheeww. Glad birthdays only come once a year!

Newest member of the family

My parents just got a new little puppy, a blue heeler and she's such a cutie! Taylor has had to visit her every afternoon since they got her Sunday evening. She seems so calm but very playful too. She has a special plant of my mom's she keeps trying to chew on and it's purple. Taylor says that's because it's her favorite color lol. This little girl is named Dixie and she has a cleft lip which makes her always look like she's smiling :) This puppy stuff has renewed Taylor's plea to get a puppy of her own - we told her we'd talk aobut it when she turned 6 - that's when 6 seemed a long way off. Now she's going to be 6 next week! We're going to have to think of something else to ward off new puppy ownership for awhile lol.

Happy Birthday, Sara!

Today Sara is 21...it happened so fast! Sara and Chuck came in yesterday afternoon and we had a birthday supper - crab cakes and corn from the garden, yum! Then off to a rousing game of mini-golf and "outside icecream" (soft serve at one of those little summer places where you sit at a picnic table and eat really fast to keep your cream from melting). Today the girls had a fun day being girls - Sara and Emilee got pedicures and one of the ladies who does nails put polish on Taylor's fingers - she was so proud :) Then off to do a little shopping, no one can shop like Sara! Chuck got Sara a beautiful black onyx heart necklace from Tiffany's - they drove up to DC on Thursday to get it. Tonite Sara and Chuck went out to dinner with Sara's best friend in the world (they met in preschool!) and her boyfriend. Then tomorrow big family lunch at my mom's. Hope Sara's birthday was the best ever, because she deserves only the best!

First Day of School

Today Taylor started Kindergarten. She was very apprehensive. She told me her favorite bear, Lily who goes everywhere with her was so worried that she cried last night. I told Taylor I was sorry. Taylor told me she was worried too but that she didn't cry (big girl). This morning I took her to her classroom and left her and then I cried LOL. She will be fine, she is much stronger than I am, and her teacher seems wonderful. I wanted to take her picture for her first day of school and she said that her uniform was so ugly I couldn't take any pictures. So I tricked her by asking Taylor if I could take a picture of her jumping rope, a pastime she takes very seriously. So here is the official first day of school picture under the guise of jumping rope :)

ps. this is the smallest uniform shirt they make so it's the best we could do!

Taylor and I are at Sara's for a few days while Tom's fishing and camping and such with Chuck. Sara keeps the cutest little boy and we took Taylor and Spencer to a park to walk around and look at some animals they have there. Spencer is absolutely smitten with Taylor and giggles at her every move. He wanted to hold her hand when they were both buckled into their car seats during the ride and if she has to correct him (like when he gets something that belongs to her) he hangs his head in embarressment - he cannot stand when Taylor has to "call him down". They had the best day. Tomorrow we take them shopping, Taylor wants some pretty shoes - we'll see how he takes being dragged around the mall by three women all day :)

Fresh Paint

Emilee has wanted to paint her room for awhile - she had so many posters and pictures on her wall that I said it would take weeks just to take down her stuff. She proved me wrong so I agreed to paint. And Taylor has wanted her room to be red (?) for some time and I told her I was not painting her bedroom red but I'd do something with red in it. So Emilee chose an electric green that this picture doesn't do justice to and found a cool comforter to replace her Redskins blanket (she still loves the Redskins, but decided it was time to update her look to an older girl's room). And I talked Taylor into a light aqua that matched her new comforter and painted all the woodwork red to tie into the red butterflies in her quilt. I also stenciled red butterflies all around the room - that was way more work than I anticipated lol. She got a red lamp and clock to finish it off. Emilee has kept her wall pretty clean (as of now) but her beloved Johnny Depp posters had to go back up as well as her Charles Billingsly pictures - some things are just too important to give up :)