Thanksgiving week

Thanksgiving week ... we have so much to be thankful for this year. Taylor is doing well, we are working as hard as we can to make our paperwork go quickly so we can bring Long xuan home, Emilee and Sara are such awesome young ladies, I am so proud of both of them. We are rich indeed this year.

Taylor was a pilgrim this past Friday at school, her kindergarten class put on a cute program for the parents and then we shared a traditional Thanksgiving meal of cut up fruit and chips and dip and cupcakes :)

Then on Saturday we attended the Family Life Services family day - this is National Adoption Awareness month - it was an ice skating party and Taylor got to try out the ice. She's decided she doesn't want to be an ice skater but it was fun.

Emilee and Taylor are off all week so we are going to have to get inventive on finding something fun to do - bring on the Christmas crafts!

Happy Birthday, Emilee!

Yesterday was Emilee's 17th birthday. Wow time flies when you are having fun :) I don't have any pictures to share because Em is the person who always wants to be behind the lens and runs and hides when anyone points a picture her way but it was a great birthday, strung out over the entire weekend and was hilighted by seeing old friends, attending a hockey game, good food, presents, paint ball tournament with family, lots of fun. Emilee is trying to suffer through high school and has her eyes on the prize - college! She can hardly wait to attend LU - she will love it and I can hardly wait to see her shine.

Halloween '09

Taylor says she's going to be a cheerleader when she grows up so she decided she'd practice a little for Halloween. Tom and I, along with Emilee and cousin Jesse took T to our Church's fall festival where attendance was over 3100 people. Lots of cool costumes and fun games and candy! After the carnival Taylor decided we should top off the evening with milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A :)

Kindergarten Field Trip

Today Taylor's Kindergarten class, along with two other Kindergarten classes visited the apple orchard. A fall tradition, the kids got to learn about harvesting apples and then picked their own bag to take home. A beautiful fall day and Taylor and her best school friend shared so many fun moments. I love autumn!

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.