tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48594757412006075982024-03-13T17:10:27.204-04:00Two Daughters and a MuttLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-81910235497003348052013-01-21T08:04:00.002-05:002013-01-21T09:03:04.974-05:00Let's Celebrate!Two big milestones to celebrate! Ruby turned 6 this past Saturday! She invited a few friends over for pizza, movie, popcorn, b-day cake, pillowfight and rollerskating! Whew!!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That darn Hello Kitty balloon is bigger than Ruby!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PIZZA!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raiding the popcorn machine!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kickin' back for a movie. She chose Brave!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll give you one guess what Ruby is into these days!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PILLOWFIGHT!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hitting the rink for a birthday skate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby and Lin zooming by!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhausted after a day of partying!</td></tr>
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Of course, the other BIG celebration is that today marks the 5th anniversary of Ruby's "Gotcha Day!" We could type volumes of what has happened over the past five years, how she has grown into our beautiful daughter and what she has brought into our lives, but let's just look back at that amazing day in Guangzhou, China with our blog post from January, 21st, 2008:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">"Okay, let me tell you about this whirlwind, amazing day. The day Dave and Lisa became parents to Miss Ruby Xu Jun. We headed off to the airport in Beijing at 5:45am. Silly us, thought the airport would be less busy early in the morning. Boy were we wrong! Wall-to-wall people. But we all made it onto our flights and off we went. 8 couples, including us, flew to Guangzhou, landing at around 11:00. Contrary to what we'd heard, Air China was the most comfortable flight yet -- plenty of leg room and great food. Unfortunately, they lost Dave's bag on the way, along with two other bags from our group. That's why this entry is later than we'd hoped. We had the laptop with us, but all of the cords were in Dave's bag. We got it back in the middle of the night, thank God! We would have had one UN-happy family if we couldn't show you pictures of Ruby!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">So anyway, we all got on a bus with our new guide, Shiyan, who will be with us the rest of the time here. She's fantastic. Before we got to the hotel we stopped off at a store and Shiyan pointed us all in the direction of the right formula, snacks, diapers, etc. After shopping and a little lunch we checked into the famous White Swan Hotel! We had all of 45 minutes to get ready for baby time -- talk about stress!! At 3:30 we got back on the bus and headed for an office building in town and took the elevator to the 8th floor. We stood there, the elevator doors opened and it was nothing but crying babies and chaos! All the mothers immediately started crying and dads started videoing. There was another group who had just gotten their babies, so that was all the commotion. We huddled in our group, watching in amazement all the new families. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">After just a few moments, or a few hours maybe, I honestly couldn't tell you, Shiyan called out "Bethany families! Get ready!" One by one an orphanage worker came out of another room with a baby in her arms. Shiyan called out the last name of the family and they stepped forward to take their child. Chaos is not the word to describe the scene. Everyone scrambling to take pictures and video for everyone else, and it seemed like only seconds before another baby was brought out and another family was called to step forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">Somewhere in the middle, Shiyan called out "Drzick!" I wish I could describe the moment, but I know I'll never be able to. I only hope the video somehow shows it accurately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">And then, there she was, Miss Ruby! She was put into my arms and I cried. She didn't make a peep. She just looked around at all the commotion. Dave and I sat down with her, each taking turns holding her. She was so tired. She just kept rubbing her eyes. We tried to give her a bottle but she wanted no part of it. After a few minutes her little thumb was in her mouth and she just continued to stare with big, curious eyes. She would scrunch up her face like she wanted to cry but then stop. We kept telling her, it's okay to cry, but she just wouldn't. A couple big fat tears rolled down her cheeks, but not a sound.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">We were able to talk to the workers who brought her, and she smiled when they were talking to her. They told us that she is a "lovely child, lovely personality." We asked what her favorite toy was, they said she just likes to be in motion. They told us she likes to play with another little girl in our group, whose new name is Kylee. They said she loves having a blanket and to suck her thumb.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma;">So, after a while it was back to the hotel. Ruby just sat on Dave's lap on the bus, staring out the window and rubbing her eyes. We came up to the room and just hung out for a while. We gave her a bath which she didn't mind a bit, successfully fed her half a bottle, and it was lights out for everyone. She cried a tiny bit, but still not like we expect her to at some point. Right now it's 6am and she's still asleep in her crib, all curled up in the corner. She's been sleeping since about 9:30. Today we have the adoption registration at 9:00am and that's it, so we'll all get to know each other a little better today and give you a full report later. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">What a day..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;">An invisible Red Thread connects those destined to meet. Regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.</span></div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-76720287073494883792012-12-04T20:56:00.000-05:002012-12-04T20:56:05.772-05:00Falling into Fall<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So sorry for the absence of regular posts, but the past few months have been a whirlwind with Ruby starting kindergarten, Lin going into 8th grade, taekwondo practice, band practice, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more school functions than we can keep track of. So... here are a few pictures to tide you over until we catch our breath!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw_vY9sgZhXc_8OYj32JhS3lD-T0WQYkb9agi6wxuEXbYuzYd5CTfvbDjNSM62BsmId85utfWmpRPT9zglwCCDDjTHdJZ6SlJQx8CaCdamjw7cLo39ecJfY5tlgcXCN5P_D8igO6g8qs/s1600/IMG_5951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw_vY9sgZhXc_8OYj32JhS3lD-T0WQYkb9agi6wxuEXbYuzYd5CTfvbDjNSM62BsmId85utfWmpRPT9zglwCCDDjTHdJZ6SlJQx8CaCdamjw7cLo39ecJfY5tlgcXCN5P_D8igO6g8qs/s320/IMG_5951.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby devouring some of Dave's gourmet Chinese cooking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktZilSpPblLIYV_SsEOL26flf7yEofAITNwfoQI3QYwTprZr_7lmxeg1l2_aeyXTl5PHmqYPuEMy6I9CLcLFxI-uvrRg6r6w-1bKz4PmrFCnSRpH8k5p9dJivD8wAhd1aDNwncPRxsz0/s1600/IMG_5809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktZilSpPblLIYV_SsEOL26flf7yEofAITNwfoQI3QYwTprZr_7lmxeg1l2_aeyXTl5PHmqYPuEMy6I9CLcLFxI-uvrRg6r6w-1bKz4PmrFCnSRpH8k5p9dJivD8wAhd1aDNwncPRxsz0/s320/IMG_5809.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin handing out candy at Ruby's elementary school Halloween party</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpvlZJyibkhdKmA3HHu4NJo5sK2fpLF1KAmSZYzokHUvaMKNV5bQnN5vb7fRBXqt-61x8U5j_p66Rhx-KGMIfV3APYK51qiyNJU9sPIPXuvr4KXlEQkaL2iOiLzNz4WShlwZLHEx-SQY/s1600/IMG_5669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpvlZJyibkhdKmA3HHu4NJo5sK2fpLF1KAmSZYzokHUvaMKNV5bQnN5vb7fRBXqt-61x8U5j_p66Rhx-KGMIfV3APYK51qiyNJU9sPIPXuvr4KXlEQkaL2iOiLzNz4WShlwZLHEx-SQY/s320/IMG_5669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare photo of us together</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96fom2roV85IAD6yiQOzmGz7yUShOynzRGQQUe04ATw_z5MOC_G3JnKFYP-winqsF6bPFJ3qlryEysfxHeaP7Diam3buKeQTK_TJW3js3jgMxjkKwKBnTvxWmdHFjEk-4th5VkoKonew/s1600/IMG_5488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96fom2roV85IAD6yiQOzmGz7yUShOynzRGQQUe04ATw_z5MOC_G3JnKFYP-winqsF6bPFJ3qlryEysfxHeaP7Diam3buKeQTK_TJW3js3jgMxjkKwKBnTvxWmdHFjEk-4th5VkoKonew/s320/IMG_5488.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful monkey girl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEtsoCMfP4wawOkqLSHKEvN6CY6xEN_NJsOYjHSn3FG5mbW2mhyphenhyphenX8vqlUMy63zKEYjaviftlCO1v6c6fMEx7ooJuDq3ijiZwnYqTBiOVm_MM5Frb14VGSrwcOEoeHoXhfWFcZxPKcaxQ/s1600/IMG_5511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEtsoCMfP4wawOkqLSHKEvN6CY6xEN_NJsOYjHSn3FG5mbW2mhyphenhyphenX8vqlUMy63zKEYjaviftlCO1v6c6fMEx7ooJuDq3ijiZwnYqTBiOVm_MM5Frb14VGSrwcOEoeHoXhfWFcZxPKcaxQ/s320/IMG_5511.JPG" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby's first day of kindergarten</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLTr6Nc83o05mxxUujNfGd1pXg8lgBp812JMFZmoEZj5u5QZN6hx1EqPdXieAJGSK4f63uuS0wd9C5RLeEaA1RAP9D9DoUlTYM22IVWp_VPuFNYUMdmJ-cr3g870VyGixvFLu9_kqlIc/s1600/IMG_5505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLTr6Nc83o05mxxUujNfGd1pXg8lgBp812JMFZmoEZj5u5QZN6hx1EqPdXieAJGSK4f63uuS0wd9C5RLeEaA1RAP9D9DoUlTYM22IVWp_VPuFNYUMdmJ-cr3g870VyGixvFLu9_kqlIc/s320/IMG_5505.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin's first day of 8th grade (next year is high school... help us)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEagauYQ8lKwzGgatHnrtBrkG0ijdug8VLEFlS4lyO3Us0xDMRWGd77xVgglSQ0ylHkY4qmbhgCxGYSrwQe4iv45nVi8zvFKw9Kd2hj0WYtsS3Gx1R_OKSPInwTbkw1iM4w753QVo2kc/s1600/IMG_5734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEagauYQ8lKwzGgatHnrtBrkG0ijdug8VLEFlS4lyO3Us0xDMRWGd77xVgglSQ0ylHkY4qmbhgCxGYSrwQe4iv45nVi8zvFKw9Kd2hj0WYtsS3Gx1R_OKSPInwTbkw1iM4w753QVo2kc/s320/IMG_5734.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After touching just about every pumpkin in the patch, Ruby found the one!</td></tr>
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<br />Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-85083655022211372142012-08-21T07:57:00.003-04:002012-08-22T15:39:42.720-04:00Ending Summer with a Bang!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORyqK13v7B6vVmMowJWH6oeZK7vArNjKi0CnzmYZvG8jI4tELGVxRMq3M1SYF3VWyPxpVrgZRqlzmnXl_DbkxaP-_Nn48HKPwEEtEhiJ0WKw4Mcyl0Q77LK1dK9ss5etWai90EzCgN0Q/s1600/IMG_5261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORyqK13v7B6vVmMowJWH6oeZK7vArNjKi0CnzmYZvG8jI4tELGVxRMq3M1SYF3VWyPxpVrgZRqlzmnXl_DbkxaP-_Nn48HKPwEEtEhiJ0WKw4Mcyl0Q77LK1dK9ss5etWai90EzCgN0Q/s320/IMG_5261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wowzers! This past month has been busy... but the chaos of Summer vacation is about to come to an end. Lin is preparing for the inevitable return to school in two weeks by watching as many episodes of her Chinese soap operas as she can fit in her "busy" day and Ruby is bouncing off the walls with excitement for starting all-day kindergarten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSzGJahfo_Vv4Kj-_n0c6f5nVeuT5x2EnZCJjO2JIE5g257pv5fBPpmzNUN5C9BRlnuaKOZhK7PKaQLK8EqDD9pOT2l4yvDyH_pAjCLP7KKZ8RBgP27KzXOr2tq0smbfmUvYD4c5qMzU/s1600/Tinuwen+2+-+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSzGJahfo_Vv4Kj-_n0c6f5nVeuT5x2EnZCJjO2JIE5g257pv5fBPpmzNUN5C9BRlnuaKOZhK7PKaQLK8EqDD9pOT2l4yvDyH_pAjCLP7KKZ8RBgP27KzXOr2tq0smbfmUvYD4c5qMzU/s320/Tinuwen+2+-+Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We had a major breakthrough with Lin this Summer! After returning from her week long adventure at camp, she asked for a Facebook account to stay in touch with her cabinmates. Hmmm. Overly-protective and cautious parents warning flags pop up! But knowing her same-age cousins already have FB accounts, we relunctantly caved-in and... it has been a blessing! She instantly reconnected with friends from camp, as well as kids from her school. It brought a smile to our faces to finally hear Lin laughing and running around the neighborhood with her friends. Last Summer, she just didn't have the confidence to initiate asking her friends to hang out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwY1NhHtRpyIEuDg8gHJx7i4loAsn7jiLx-ACqxRpfJ4iGDMMdfgMhBwbBeeAQvxNzD_dMPXWubW9cnA2AR-Zqy47tAqAuRNN75slRC23e7VneM9jILMy28FdeILCdGZg-awQTEpVJXo/s1600/IMG_5061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwY1NhHtRpyIEuDg8gHJx7i4loAsn7jiLx-ACqxRpfJ4iGDMMdfgMhBwbBeeAQvxNzD_dMPXWubW9cnA2AR-Zqy47tAqAuRNN75slRC23e7VneM9jILMy28FdeILCdGZg-awQTEpVJXo/s320/IMG_5061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving early at Walley World! Oops... I meant Cedar Point!</td></tr>
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We decided to take the girls to Cedar Point for a week and it was a ball! That girl Lin has no fear... she would happily hop on the biggest, fastest and tallest rollercoasters at the amusement park and Ruby couldn't get enough of the "spinny rides" like the Scrambler and Tilt 'a Whirl!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1oshDPSdyxg-ITQkq-lVUtRWqEunTK_SbDw_4Rdf42WzLGIOpE2PbKBs46LBEV2DcVjnMEo6HgQ4hSSkS-bvqzrEOPhCYyqgo8MGrug65l433E4Jes1KYBUIpLBEGwiL05GEHoM6duM/s1600/IMG_5016+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1oshDPSdyxg-ITQkq-lVUtRWqEunTK_SbDw_4Rdf42WzLGIOpE2PbKBs46LBEV2DcVjnMEo6HgQ4hSSkS-bvqzrEOPhCYyqgo8MGrug65l433E4Jes1KYBUIpLBEGwiL05GEHoM6duM/s320/IMG_5016+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby and Mama riding the front seat on the Jr. Gemini!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5HRdjqVFA6iPYsp4z0AdVdlsO-6ZO-m8qqGoNvyWGB34xqKjz2r4UX_cidglyp0FlL10Q6sJIJ4TIuqtsGNq8F25Qb-5l4kZ6dxyXKynGUcFK4UP1WWY483xoisb-mpDr0PXECJkOc/s1600/IMG_5018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5HRdjqVFA6iPYsp4z0AdVdlsO-6ZO-m8qqGoNvyWGB34xqKjz2r4UX_cidglyp0FlL10Q6sJIJ4TIuqtsGNq8F25Qb-5l4kZ6dxyXKynGUcFK4UP1WWY483xoisb-mpDr0PXECJkOc/s320/IMG_5018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for Lin and Mama to ride the Woodstock Express</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT7GwnFv0gxZ6-n5W8EF-DGOhpvoJuwY2NXw8Hj2Wm8VhBIQ6LRnv_2HgCiEdvKHZEaxUB3cOQe2S7fyNoAjvk-affesNUdoIT99R-wIoUQ3OWWd7Ag2DLCInOFkq1XxdY9tEpZxG4fo/s1600/IMG_5033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT7GwnFv0gxZ6-n5W8EF-DGOhpvoJuwY2NXw8Hj2Wm8VhBIQ6LRnv_2HgCiEdvKHZEaxUB3cOQe2S7fyNoAjvk-affesNUdoIT99R-wIoUQ3OWWd7Ag2DLCInOFkq1XxdY9tEpZxG4fo/s320/IMG_5033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not gonna lie... there are some days I wish we had this at home!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fTLdYY3-1lC2Pi8E91gNRY_XFiIXo3dJR5-n1xTB1cN4pVnzB-RpXsmZcsDz949V8okVNU9r-Pn4bgbe5QFh9r0s8BtyilDIQkkrtpLUgK6UA2lZkwiOFYGlwbQgcXmaHlRjd732-i4/s1600/IMG_5047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4fTLdYY3-1lC2Pi8E91gNRY_XFiIXo3dJR5-n1xTB1cN4pVnzB-RpXsmZcsDz949V8okVNU9r-Pn4bgbe5QFh9r0s8BtyilDIQkkrtpLUgK6UA2lZkwiOFYGlwbQgcXmaHlRjd732-i4/s320/IMG_5047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our cottage at Cedar Point</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe10LIAjMqgZtOjJt_shIgvdX2vJpHAKCoIDUReMcI1llzmYfCq-tGY9wN1SK7NLh_2bCuxPoZbHWzrTgB8L9e6ECK_7vLNEreYN4CD7AxGDFxngjVoCHba9-JyzH9DzrTRhva90q5v0/s1600/IMG_5064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe10LIAjMqgZtOjJt_shIgvdX2vJpHAKCoIDUReMcI1llzmYfCq-tGY9wN1SK7NLh_2bCuxPoZbHWzrTgB8L9e6ECK_7vLNEreYN4CD7AxGDFxngjVoCHba9-JyzH9DzrTRhva90q5v0/s320/IMG_5064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby showing off the black eye she got at the water park on our first day of vacation. It didn't slow her down one bit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3kXRdBzVQEOaKVttvZewlnXbk3ih0dwQeh_0DoMC0dhmGE5Sdlh7C8kQGg2B2Z4yYcBYRqFwLI9dUiaJ5Fmg-EMFxyLcQq-uEsw4nRAdVGvFL0XkU1ObfRNiL23ny8pj60psXjLK-yo/s1600/IMG_5087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3kXRdBzVQEOaKVttvZewlnXbk3ih0dwQeh_0DoMC0dhmGE5Sdlh7C8kQGg2B2Z4yYcBYRqFwLI9dUiaJ5Fmg-EMFxyLcQq-uEsw4nRAdVGvFL0XkU1ObfRNiL23ny8pj60psXjLK-yo/s320/IMG_5087.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't she a cutie?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tRpNbxG4e09yACSN1OZjPg5QMPgVra_IBTyWbXgUZ2TWEGgN4yLfKb92jxkxRwvZzb6pbLXDDxS9su5zvZSxig81TWW0yhM0kG5frQVjGXT4xdnNdfrFGkxgZ5kZGZ_b-bDXcUzBTe8/s1600/IMG_5106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tRpNbxG4e09yACSN1OZjPg5QMPgVra_IBTyWbXgUZ2TWEGgN4yLfKb92jxkxRwvZzb6pbLXDDxS9su5zvZSxig81TWW0yhM0kG5frQVjGXT4xdnNdfrFGkxgZ5kZGZ_b-bDXcUzBTe8/s320/IMG_5106.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goofball</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls after riding the Tilt 'a Whirl for the countless time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing the night away!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a "quiet" stroll through Dinosaur Island!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedar Point at night, a beautiful sight</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to head home after a great time!</td></tr>
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Another crazy aspect of this Summer has been getting our rock band back together! We're called <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lisacantsing" target="_blank">Lisa Can't Sing</a> (pretty cool, huh?) and it's been fun for the girls to watch their "Rock Star" parents on stage... mom singing away and dad pounding the drums! Here are a few shots from our latest gigs!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbSCONxCQjI00Podyk2p_OQoP8NYH4jHahUOgAlsczH6tYe6UCUNKNw9KMUOx30ZMtQY3wG6Hv93jOwDR90GxgOshhFCNQ7VZm6GEnJgwWgnDX8Z_5VjFwGelnrIlj7KEUScnyVpDDJE/s1600/band+bull.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbSCONxCQjI00Podyk2p_OQoP8NYH4jHahUOgAlsczH6tYe6UCUNKNw9KMUOx30ZMtQY3wG6Hv93jOwDR90GxgOshhFCNQ7VZm6GEnJgwWgnDX8Z_5VjFwGelnrIlj7KEUScnyVpDDJE/s320/band+bull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin and friends enjoying the show!</td></tr>
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So there you go... a quick update as our Summer vacation comes to an close. It definitely ended with a bang! This week, it's Taekwondo testing for Lin, ice cream social at our adoption agency, back-to-school shopping and, most importantly early bedtimes... for everyone!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-20757045919920784162012-07-09T09:58:00.002-04:002012-07-09T11:52:59.885-04:00A Week AwaySorry for the long lapses between posts, but it's been a busy Summer! This week, Ma and Pa will be getting a little quiet time as both the girls are heading off to different activities. Lin is spending a week at an all-girl's camp and Ruby is spending a week with her grandparents. What will we ever do with the house to ourselves for a week. We actually talked about painting the kitchen and tearing up the carpet in our living room... ha! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin will be sleeping in the cabin on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin checking out the cabin and picking out her bunk for the week</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin hanging out with some of her cabin mates</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Needless to say, Ruby was a little pouty that she couldn't stay with her big sister at camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby feeling better about the world! We took her out for a nice dinner after dropping Lin off at camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby loves edamame! She even ordered edamame dumplings for dinner</td></tr>
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</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-59786816807949074572012-06-23T09:27:00.000-04:002012-06-23T09:27:08.468-04:00Father's Day 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBM3CzNiQQhjr46HrZxlOLHZJwskTmnVY5U1PxWFO7ebpeDWQl-NwXWBL11LhrwdkeiwIuhrqTIRLR_pUtrsQMaZCRr_eCPtjAljxkEr-KTmdpABhHLpAo3jCOVVLltESmYSVxR-y8gg/s1600/IMG_4555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBM3CzNiQQhjr46HrZxlOLHZJwskTmnVY5U1PxWFO7ebpeDWQl-NwXWBL11LhrwdkeiwIuhrqTIRLR_pUtrsQMaZCRr_eCPtjAljxkEr-KTmdpABhHLpAo3jCOVVLltESmYSVxR-y8gg/s400/IMG_4555.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-49535845284594869142012-06-07T06:35:00.005-04:002012-06-07T06:35:58.214-04:00Two Years Ago<div align="center">
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<strong>Two years ago, Lin Guo Chu walked into our arms and lives forever! It was one of the incredible moments you will never forget. I thought I would share the travel blog posting from that day...</strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The day started early... 3:00am. We couldn't sleep. Just a tad nervous around here! We finally headed down to breakfast around 6:30 and we were the first of our group in the lobby at 7:50. Yes, we're in a group now with two other families.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">So we met Shiyan and headed out for the Big Day! First, a stop at the bank which took a horribly long time. Then it was off to the orphanage. We were ushered into a big meeting room and sat down to do the paperwork. I think it's just downright cruel to expect us to hand-write something so important while our fingers are shaking so much we can barely hold the pen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">After sitting around for a while, not really sure what was happening, Shiyan finally told us the three kids had all been getting their TB skin tests checked... and all three had tested positive. So they were all having to get chest X-rays. Okay, take a deep breath... and panic. Lin, being over 10 years old, cannot travel to the U.S. if she has tuberculosis. Take another deep breath... and pray.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the other dads and I (Lisa) both left the room to use the bathroom. As I was walking back out, I saw two little kids in the lobby and I knew right away they were the new son and daughter of our travel-mates. We were told Lin had gone to get her belongings and would be along shortly. Both of the other kids in our group are 5 years old. The little girl was all smiles. The little boy... not so much. That was tough, to be in the room while that poor little boy tried to run away from his new parents. Shiyan assured them that his reaction was perfectly normal, though, and not to take it personally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Several minutes later we heard someone say "Lin Guo Chu is coming". We both ran forward to meet her in the doorway, and there she was! She had a smile on her face and she let us hug her. She was clearly nervous and unsure of what to do. That made three of us! But we sat down and showed her some of the things we brought her. One of her teachers came in and told us that Lin is very well-liked, a leader among her classmates, and she will be missed. We were told she is a very good girl, and she certainly seems to be!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh, there's just so much to tell and I don't know where to begin, really! She has been quiet, smiles at us every time we look at her. She says Xie Xie (thank you) anytime we do anything for her; she seems incredibly polite. But probably the most important fact of the entire day: <i><b>she wants to learn how to play the drums!!!</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just a quick bit of great news... her x-rays came back clear!!!! We'll have to carry the x-rays with us to U.S. Customs and Immigration for verification when we land home. Lin is an amazing girl and we are so honored she is a part of our family. As we were leaving the orphanage, the director and many of the other caretakers walked us to the van. It was truly heartbreaking as they all said their goodbyes. She was truly loved there... and the sight of her looking back at them, waving goodbye will forever stay with me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">We've been under a 24-hour harmonious period to see if it'll work out. Our guide Shiyan called last night to talk with Lin. After they were through, Shiyan told us that Lin is very happy!!!! She is scared of learning a new language though. We were playing around with some alphabet flash cards and she got about half of them correct. She was all smiles and giggles, especially trying to pronounce our last name.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFueYVQ_elHP5sDy0QP9VqM2_xroo7Z22Ae9HzjARqcpDfsV1h8VWsDSI1hBhU5p4trshFRL8W-StNwIAm2D3jnn_XKpedg8CAchXZDKiM5fMDUhuevHN8BSR3pMglLeuolDld7O5SqQ/s1600/DSCN2628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFueYVQ_elHP5sDy0QP9VqM2_xroo7Z22Ae9HzjARqcpDfsV1h8VWsDSI1hBhU5p4trshFRL8W-StNwIAm2D3jnn_XKpedg8CAchXZDKiM5fMDUhuevHN8BSR3pMglLeuolDld7O5SqQ/s320/DSCN2628.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first picture as a family of four!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>It has been an incredible 2 years. There has definitely been some challenges as Lin became a member of our family, but through it all she has shown incredible bravery... we love her so much!</strong></span></span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-81833620900959104272012-06-05T05:22:00.000-04:002012-06-05T06:10:39.647-04:00Whew... what a weekend<div align="center">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878B-beoNkw7sCjZuO4loqqPr4lq3SzK59PDr38Fk2QBcAhfp95PyiLQUJnUR3B8qCVaHsKcVlqdPB3COYltyK4iyfagTWuSNNkbECSKU9RYKw3Mt_-H0uQqTT6QtGgdCr7JspEy0ucA/s1600/IMG_4350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg878B-beoNkw7sCjZuO4loqqPr4lq3SzK59PDr38Fk2QBcAhfp95PyiLQUJnUR3B8qCVaHsKcVlqdPB3COYltyK4iyfagTWuSNNkbECSKU9RYKw3Mt_-H0uQqTT6QtGgdCr7JspEy0ucA/s320/IMG_4350.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday was Ruby's last day of pre-school! An exciting and sad time. She has learned so much the past two years and made many friends along the way. Here she is posing with her teacher. Our little social butterfly is so ready to tackle kindergarten in the Fall!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53bnA0x1leHHwxKWJ-jsb2LwooAUE4ZDIHDrNiPs-UQYHUE56vbbD9GbKIE_G4FBlWZCc5jOodSdsVg7KMuWWfZt8-vR1CK-P6nTme7qNgpu7kd2aiqWiSMcFFqDNhKP4Y9OSX4TeXF4/s1600/IMG_4357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53bnA0x1leHHwxKWJ-jsb2LwooAUE4ZDIHDrNiPs-UQYHUE56vbbD9GbKIE_G4FBlWZCc5jOodSdsVg7KMuWWfZt8-vR1CK-P6nTme7qNgpu7kd2aiqWiSMcFFqDNhKP4Y9OSX4TeXF4/s320/IMG_4357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night was also the last day of Ruby's Chinese dance class and the Chinese school had a year-end celebration where her class did a traditional dance. They received a huge applause.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaNMTYkszHai3F56u9-bBOkruDRA-dlLjzg9i1RjjmyhDGXBCbGm9YlwqFRPljIur0QSMtJ9lOGuLu8yHO9dbpDNg8MGKI4JU1x8HGUBjlPnIHeyMyezixgTqv9J0DqwpT4bA5fLPDzE/s1600/IMG_4360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaNMTYkszHai3F56u9-bBOkruDRA-dlLjzg9i1RjjmyhDGXBCbGm9YlwqFRPljIur0QSMtJ9lOGuLu8yHO9dbpDNg8MGKI4JU1x8HGUBjlPnIHeyMyezixgTqv9J0DqwpT4bA5fLPDzE/s320/IMG_4360.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby posing with her Chinese dance teacher after the big show!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzmhAR4DDKUEMneUGfPTr7sqnm4NVzicy71L-eddpj23exu7KIORfaa_RVahn0sNedtBYv3McuaSfjv8trQ944Nbe3QCSaIEvi-flogt4ieFBpKevEmYClSs22fzESNuJG5D-ehTRbA4/s1600/IMG_4371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzmhAR4DDKUEMneUGfPTr7sqnm4NVzicy71L-eddpj23exu7KIORfaa_RVahn0sNedtBYv3McuaSfjv8trQ944Nbe3QCSaIEvi-flogt4ieFBpKevEmYClSs22fzESNuJG5D-ehTRbA4/s320/IMG_4371.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Saturday day, the graduating pre-school class walked in a fun parade through town. It was the last time many of the kids would see each other before heading off to different schools. Although I envision many playdates over the Summer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeszA1p85ONp-fNA_ZyRHT8A1SCMRMzlpbUIZ5Jnrk5nw-btMAdpdyItTMIwYU7EG76G06r_PfeqoCKh24ZI4wWUMYf278F31rWjUxdNP7pC_Vk81t-3Kh8I8Sp-4XyQ7AAAbvmjsXCs/s1600/IMG_4429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzeszA1p85ONp-fNA_ZyRHT8A1SCMRMzlpbUIZ5Jnrk5nw-btMAdpdyItTMIwYU7EG76G06r_PfeqoCKh24ZI4wWUMYf278F31rWjUxdNP7pC_Vk81t-3Kh8I8Sp-4XyQ7AAAbvmjsXCs/s320/IMG_4429.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the parade, we hit the local Greek Festival for some gyros. Ruby couldn't stop giggling about how much she looked like her Spongebob popsicle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX67s8DNl7CuqF_z66c8GPKn6kDwFerEN5XlqC2kNdV_TKCJtfhsGdqYdGeNsWwCGgj51vfsW2qzzocHRsUWnfseKlzAD8erMbfMEdyXYc6aRozFzUAMaIA-6AT8jUUu9i_HH8MDCCtA/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX67s8DNl7CuqF_z66c8GPKn6kDwFerEN5XlqC2kNdV_TKCJtfhsGdqYdGeNsWwCGgj51vfsW2qzzocHRsUWnfseKlzAD8erMbfMEdyXYc6aRozFzUAMaIA-6AT8jUUu9i_HH8MDCCtA/s320/IMG_4433.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After such a Ruby-centric weekend, we took Lin out for a little fun and she really wanted to see this one!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGnlK6zjCVEXXvg3io4LKbvw4zWFV8Xh5QEFIg3XV-gJ2_PGQ_uPSahxhRKWgxHJd8ywi0W362pMdPEv57XisK_LVIrxdopaMgtvk1vT3YQQMSWYep2aqeavhx9OvcwnUfw7ZQ7Hmkn8/s1600/IMG_4432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGnlK6zjCVEXXvg3io4LKbvw4zWFV8Xh5QEFIg3XV-gJ2_PGQ_uPSahxhRKWgxHJd8ywi0W362pMdPEv57XisK_LVIrxdopaMgtvk1vT3YQQMSWYep2aqeavhx9OvcwnUfw7ZQ7Hmkn8/s320/IMG_4432.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ka-Pow! When was the last time you saw Norris on a movie poster?! Needless to say... Dave is super excited for this one!</td></tr>
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Also, we were visiting Dave's parents and Ruby was just playing around the house when she walked into the room with an old phone. She asked if it was a real phone and Dave told her it was and to put it down. She left the room. Moments later, the phone rings and Dave's stepfather answers it. We hear him say that everyone is okay and then he tells whomever is on the phone that his grandkids are visitng. He gets off the phone and calls Ruby over. He asks if she dialed 911 and Ruby's face drains of all color and she immediately bursts into tears. We told her she wasn't in trouble and that we were happy she knows how to call for help, but only do it when there is an honest-to-goodness emergency. She cried for about 15 minutes and calmed down. But, as we were leaving, we asked her to apologize to Grandpa for calling 911. She started crying again, but the funny thing was that she was also holding onto a kazoo she got from the parade earlier in the day... and her cries sounded like a dying duck. We tried our hardest not to laugh as she cried through the kazoo. It was classic... the poor thing. Lastly... our rock band, LISA CANT SING, had a rehearsal Sunday afternoon. We're breaking in a new bass player and getting ready to rock a big gig at the end of the month.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-61538880013390688222012-05-17T21:37:00.003-04:002012-05-17T21:37:36.664-04:00Baptized!My Mother's Day gift this year? Lin was baptized and confirmed at church!<br />
<br />At the beginning of the school year we started making Lin attend Sunday School. We didn't force it on her last year, but this year the 7th and 8th grade Sunday School class was doing confirmation and it was really important to me that she be a part of it. She tried to protest but I really didn't give her an option, and so she's been going all year.<br />
<br />A few weeks ago, as Confirmation Day finally approached, it was time for her to decide whether she wanted to be confirmed or not, and if she wanted to she was expected to write a statement of faith. I told her that it was her decision, and I meant it. <br />
<br />Well needless to say, she chose to be confirmed! And along with that came baptism, something we really hadn't talked with her about before. I really was so proud of her! Now, I'm not that naive, I know her decision was mostly because she knew I would be disappointed if she chose NOT to be confirmed. But I can definitely tell that she learned a little something about the kindness and generosity, the sense of belonging that comes with being part of a church community.<br />
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Here's Lin in front of the pictures of the confirmation class.</div>
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All the kids made their own banners with their names and some images that symbolize themselves and what they've learned as part of the class.</div>
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Very cute... All the confirmation class gathered up front for children's time -- probably the only time Ruby and Lin will sit together for this part of the service. It's not really obvious in the picture, but Ruby was so excited that her sister was there with her!<br />
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Each student was asked to make a brief comment about their statement of faith. A number of people told me later that they were so moved to hear Lin speak -- I know for many people in our church this was the first time they'd ever heard her say anything besides "Good morning."<br />
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Baptized! Our awesome associate pastor was so cool and snapped this picture for us while it was happening!<br />
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The fam<br />
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Mmmm... cake......</div>
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<br />They did confirmation at both services, so we sat in a different part of the sanctuary for the second service. Had to switch things up a bit, you know! Lin received some very nice gifts for her confirmation and baptism. Two beautiful necklaces from her congregational mentor as well as a bracelet, some framed inspirational quotes which she has on display in her room, some cash and a Bible with her name engraved on it. </div>
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<br />Even though Sunday was all about Lin, it was a great Mother's Day!</div>
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</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-62954490697661208212012-04-26T09:14:00.000-04:002012-04-26T14:13:14.514-04:00Random stuff (now with pics)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRdDMqzwjfZrkHC6mzdcvqUeXJrY536aicui0iIvJbU8laSNC07SnIjgXr2zafFUvhWCcjxJABcAT89kgsJqYsbS9cqt0dvK3FZX-sSDDWJ_rVLmdcZ3nIB8LzB2enyp6pF0D3hCGJFI/s1600/kickin+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRdDMqzwjfZrkHC6mzdcvqUeXJrY536aicui0iIvJbU8laSNC07SnIjgXr2zafFUvhWCcjxJABcAT89kgsJqYsbS9cqt0dvK3FZX-sSDDWJ_rVLmdcZ3nIB8LzB2enyp6pF0D3hCGJFI/s320/kickin+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin on the left unleashing a furious kick!</td></tr>
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Lin is now an orange belt in Tae Kwon Do! Her test was Friday night and she was most nervous about the board-breaking part of the evening. Now that she's moving up in the ranks the board-breaking gets trickier. She kept saying "What if I can't do it?" and I kept answering "You can't say that. You have to say 'I WILL do it!'" And then she would say "I know, but what if I CAN'T?!" Poor girl! Needless to say she did it, but it did take her 3 tries to get her kick to break the board.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls playing one of many pianos which randomly appeared around town to promote the Gilmore Keyboard Festival!</td></tr>
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Another Lin story, she was locked out of the house yesterday! Oh, I felt so AWFUL!! She's supposed to carry a key in her backpack, just in the off-chance I'm not home when she gets off the bus. Well, guess who left her key sitting on the dresser in her bedroom on the very day I decided to join Ruby's preschool class on a field trip?!? So Lin was stuck sitting in the garage for about an hour, in the cold and rain, with no idea where I was or when I would be home. She was very close to tears when I pulled in the driveway, and the look on her face told me she was <em>really</em> PO'd, but fortunately she didn't stay mad for long. I apologized to her repeatedly but she finally said "It's not your fault -- I should have my key!" which is technically right, but I still felt just awful.</div>
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It did make me think a bit about how far we've come in the last 22 months, though. I really think the Lin of 2010 would have wholeheartedly blamed me for being locked out of the house. Today's Lin, nearly two years in a family, had the maturity to know it was just a mistake, no harm done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXLQoxraa4o7m86wh5mzzsAVslAdUHChOWw6_abP-LuK49NlUxzn754GsjLLB5rRJqyUeeJ5OB3shPW3VxoXTR2xKKazCvoCblT7PoYpgiwCRGQ_65cNR-FKUxtgWTdYSoJ0M8bOc6QQ/s1600/garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXLQoxraa4o7m86wh5mzzsAVslAdUHChOWw6_abP-LuK49NlUxzn754GsjLLB5rRJqyUeeJ5OB3shPW3VxoXTR2xKKazCvoCblT7PoYpgiwCRGQ_65cNR-FKUxtgWTdYSoJ0M8bOc6QQ/s320/garden.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby watching her pizza garden grow!</td></tr>
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Wanna hear a ridiculously cute Ruby story? I know you do! Well, Ruby went to a birthday party on Saturday and, while I wasn't paying close attention while her friend was opening presents, Ruby says her friend received an MP3 player and headphones. So on the way home Ruby told me that she also wanted an MP3 player, and could we go get one right now? I told her that that's an awfully nice gift, more suitable for Christmas or birthday and not just any old day. So Ruby told me she wanted to write a letter to Santa. No problem.<br />
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So we got home and she got out her paper and asked me how to spell MP3, iP*d, and headphones (she also wants an iP*d because Lin has one). Being the always attentive mom I am, I told her how to spell everything while also puttering around the house doing other things. So I really wasn't paying close attention to Ruby's letter to Santa project.<br />
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Well, Dave comes home from work on Monday carrying the mail. He says "Look what I found in the mailbox." And there was Ruby's letter to Santa! She had taken a second piece of paper and wrapped it around the "letter," taped it shut, and wrote Ruby on the outside. And then, at some point between Saturday evening and Monday morning, she went outside and put her letter in the mailbox. How sweet is that?!? I could literally almost cry when I think of how absolutely adorable and sweet that is. Of course, said letter is now safe in my collection of homemade mother's day cards, birthday cards and other cute notes from my girls. (And I think Santa is going to write a letter back and maybe, just maybe, he'll have to send her a little gift, too!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading out to clean some cabins at Camp Newaygo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing by the lake at Camp Newaygo after a day of cleaning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby in pink on the left has also started Chinese dance class.</td></tr>
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Stay tuned... plenty more coming as the school year winds down and another frantic Summer approaches!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-76538570349605540392012-04-11T21:17:00.000-04:002012-04-11T21:17:33.651-04:00Happy Belated Easter - A Caption-Free Picture Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6B5zilpKZDzSEOrjCqMUpW0GeNs0y80HChopkK54Wm1ALC97sGt_Aq6_xd6VoZMRpnLTw7zpeAl2vmjzWBam1uCdYFrVqtUNYgDR5BnFSx65bk6TAXlzZ3aQxtPqGlFob-uTtR2Cb-g/s1600/IMG_4016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6B5zilpKZDzSEOrjCqMUpW0GeNs0y80HChopkK54Wm1ALC97sGt_Aq6_xd6VoZMRpnLTw7zpeAl2vmjzWBam1uCdYFrVqtUNYgDR5BnFSx65bk6TAXlzZ3aQxtPqGlFob-uTtR2Cb-g/s320/IMG_4016.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFVOJiOSwRs6lAkdbaQld7Y3eVbawENBSOEB9Ujv2XZxrIzlQNuinoyGGATF7wwud_xfGitpXDJn37pN9GNzhHH5yND8ccPYG8wHq0Fku6JtWr7tIVtdhqAkQjimjQrkajcTxFKImFwQ/s1600/IMG_4034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFVOJiOSwRs6lAkdbaQld7Y3eVbawENBSOEB9Ujv2XZxrIzlQNuinoyGGATF7wwud_xfGitpXDJn37pN9GNzhHH5yND8ccPYG8wHq0Fku6JtWr7tIVtdhqAkQjimjQrkajcTxFKImFwQ/s320/IMG_4034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-53137353279940513262012-04-08T19:40:00.000-04:002012-04-08T19:40:22.998-04:00Spring Break Getaway!No, we did not go someplace tropical for Spring Break, but we <em>did </em>take an in-state getaway for a couple days. It was so nice! The weather was absolutely perfect and we all had a great time, despite 75% of the family having a cold (that Lin... she has an <em>amazing </em>immune system!).<br />
<br />
Both Dave and I grew up in Michigan, as did our parents and grandparents before us. My parents have always thought that there's no better place on Earth to vacation than right here in Michigan, and I must say, now that I've reached adulthood and become a parent myself, I totally get it!<br />
<br />
Early on in Dave's and my relationship, we were headed off to the little town of Frankenmuth to meet up with my family for the day (Dave and I live in west Michigan, but my family lives on the east side of the "mitten"). Dave had never been there, and I was a little nervous about what he would think about this rather cheesy, touristy little town. Well lo and behold, he loved it. And that's when I knew that he and I were meant to be together!<br />
<br />
And so, when we were planning what to do for a quick and budget-friendly family getaway for Spring Break, our thoughts immediately turned to Frankenmuth, Michigan's Little Bavaria!<br />
<br />
Enjoy the pictures...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyYMaSZiomOTr3lVAxcheNGldnAtJyTKVQt2jittsvM4MmTHnVTFXPLuc-ObkW3-CQGq7e6AtdktVe4A5xN5B0ek8Few1PyX9mVD7whwFXJRXIwf1vyrcch9xvzHbKtk1t9t47jY_MR4/s1600/IMG_3943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyYMaSZiomOTr3lVAxcheNGldnAtJyTKVQt2jittsvM4MmTHnVTFXPLuc-ObkW3-CQGq7e6AtdktVe4A5xN5B0ek8Few1PyX9mVD7whwFXJRXIwf1vyrcch9xvzHbKtk1t9t47jY_MR4/s320/IMG_3943.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vacation begins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S649JBY8r0Qkjvgi8QwaANy37imHk2g_biSRZI8xvL_p_DMUaznd8qGneOi2WCA3E16ucZGyAtDgwTBKc8rqLNQdVqr3Fi3TR_9fd1yoHdQq27KqGaOTb77vN-_1GFYwMevDT-irPws/s1600/IMG_3956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3S649JBY8r0Qkjvgi8QwaANy37imHk2g_biSRZI8xvL_p_DMUaznd8qGneOi2WCA3E16ucZGyAtDgwTBKc8rqLNQdVqr3Fi3TR_9fd1yoHdQq27KqGaOTb77vN-_1GFYwMevDT-irPws/s320/IMG_3956.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls needed their picture taken at EVERY ONE of these cutouts we came across!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M_Da5Q66WttomHR1pEwSC5ypXlsl0oFxBr21jm_1evA8gz5nxhWKrCXHwEKHJDcy96nZPqzI8eeH8xDP4EfRLUa8CIx8UAErs6jbyqUUhKTQ-aAgJiZKZeRRiAIBaDvQtAqUzOqxxAs/s1600/IMG_3958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M_Da5Q66WttomHR1pEwSC5ypXlsl0oFxBr21jm_1evA8gz5nxhWKrCXHwEKHJDcy96nZPqzI8eeH8xDP4EfRLUa8CIx8UAErs6jbyqUUhKTQ-aAgJiZKZeRRiAIBaDvQtAqUzOqxxAs/s320/IMG_3958.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping Diva</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9So7uZxeNew2RXlb6I3AceCDOZhQC3tCjrrEjnnY1aUC5dcByV8mqEzvbp4crZ8ctYQSqnn5cN4_pDScegkIdyMRKJ1n4Vr7bo9RuLSFQZ8_x4iMD51Eya5oo4whyphenhyphenKmwR7U_zt1TnAE/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9So7uZxeNew2RXlb6I3AceCDOZhQC3tCjrrEjnnY1aUC5dcByV8mqEzvbp4crZ8ctYQSqnn5cN4_pDScegkIdyMRKJ1n4Vr7bo9RuLSFQZ8_x4iMD51Eya5oo4whyphenhyphenKmwR7U_zt1TnAE/s320/IMG_3964.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Cheese Haus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIccdwBhxjuAPQpgVepFhJ5qYyV7jTvptY4DbGFwVlSRtlcXSR6SIqMWShoPBcZJf5zfEG35dWw2ygOG3Tt0ETpOBIjxCeqrEPhuhDOa0BmwkgdF84s6Uh6keZAXVzPGbxZ0ugel7xMo/s1600/IMG_3982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIccdwBhxjuAPQpgVepFhJ5qYyV7jTvptY4DbGFwVlSRtlcXSR6SIqMWShoPBcZJf5zfEG35dWw2ygOG3Tt0ETpOBIjxCeqrEPhuhDOa0BmwkgdF84s6Uh6keZAXVzPGbxZ0ugel7xMo/s320/IMG_3982.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at Tony's, or should I say, Bacon at Tony's (one side-order of bacon fed all four of us!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOwGrXsTndv1wWBxWCmV2yCApuXtIErRzBHl1ewBs_ULMDnzjxhANaOtQKq8G-iwPTF9bl10-U3ige5hqFi63YK56rAcG5wSj383YRgqvjeH-M1ZPQfW1ooOUi7BI2NwXpI9uHL_e7Qs/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOwGrXsTndv1wWBxWCmV2yCApuXtIErRzBHl1ewBs_ULMDnzjxhANaOtQKq8G-iwPTF9bl10-U3ige5hqFi63YK56rAcG5wSj383YRgqvjeH-M1ZPQfW1ooOUi7BI2NwXpI9uHL_e7Qs/s320/IMG_3995.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmm, fudge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8A5hgRot8nM5mFqxzb9L-ZeAe8QR3leUdk_JAw58zgFZmNSwJmmj4ZzbJ1llxSe3l_nIJDEyz99JJwL1zTkgtq_EiE9268XQGzarCI3VUXC0LaJ9K7pnIqoX63QkhOfEmT5YYik24DMs/s1600/IMG_3989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8A5hgRot8nM5mFqxzb9L-ZeAe8QR3leUdk_JAw58zgFZmNSwJmmj4ZzbJ1llxSe3l_nIJDEyz99JJwL1zTkgtq_EiE9268XQGzarCI3VUXC0LaJ9K7pnIqoX63QkhOfEmT5YYik24DMs/s320/IMG_3989.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to the face cutouts, Ruby also felt the need to ride each of these little penny-arcade rides. She declared them all "boring," but still kept riding them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrW6QKkijhQhJuERhp0nEJUSvTgyuKPabZ-Bj3Y0oKG3LUX15NzkG-J-Sxw_a7zm8McdtjIx7aFqtMzDam36xR-ufg0VYVgBsma2NRNJvO0bdGkSnTPnTvOyg_xladYPCGGBBa9Bk5Aw/s1600/IMG_4010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrW6QKkijhQhJuERhp0nEJUSvTgyuKPabZ-Bj3Y0oKG3LUX15NzkG-J-Sxw_a7zm8McdtjIx7aFqtMzDam36xR-ufg0VYVgBsma2NRNJvO0bdGkSnTPnTvOyg_xladYPCGGBBa9Bk5Aw/s320/IMG_4010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More goofy cutouts. What you can't see is me, uncomfortably crouched behind Ruby holding her up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVEKLFVBia1Ura5SgHM5kSIsLA_oEw5mc5e9FupLsDxvzaXL5fBydonM15ZXYrAczFUKq3_MsjPXpFj4zajNIhwBdper1ITGF-QNBSLBgiFbWoKTzF3MOmy77spqQ3LJ50flkjpo3Z2E/s1600/IMG_4012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVEKLFVBia1Ura5SgHM5kSIsLA_oEw5mc5e9FupLsDxvzaXL5fBydonM15ZXYrAczFUKq3_MsjPXpFj4zajNIhwBdper1ITGF-QNBSLBgiFbWoKTzF3MOmy77spqQ3LJ50flkjpo3Z2E/s320/IMG_4012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ride home. And so, our vacation ends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-24200627674347647492012-03-29T05:27:00.000-04:002012-03-29T05:27:09.170-04:00What Did You Do Today?The vast majority of the time, I live in a world of self-doubt. I'm not a good enough mother. I'm not a good enough wife. Oh, sure, there are many many days where I feel great about the state of the world, but it seems that there's always something I can point to and say "I could have done more."<br />
<br />
I blame my husband.<br />
<br />
He does <strong><em>everything</em></strong>, with a smile on his face the whole time. He cooks (we've had this conversation before, I believe). He cleans. He helps Lin with 98% of her homework. He gets the girls up and out the door every single morning, with lunches packed and breakfast in their bellies. He is <strong><em>Superdad.</em></strong><br />
<br />
But last night as I was finally going to bed, a little voice in my head told me to look back on all the things I did with my day:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em>I woke up at 3:00am and went to work at my full-time job.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I washed, dried, folded and put away a load of laundry.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I walked Ruby to preschool.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I ran 2.75 miles (yay, me!).</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I was there to greet Lin when she got home from school.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I picked up Ruby from preschool.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I stopped at the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner, plus some odds-and-ends.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I cooked dinner.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I visited my elderly neighbor.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I gave Ruby a bath and trimmed her fingernails.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I put Ruby to bed (multiple times, because she kept getting up).</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I helped Lin with her homework.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>And I collapsed into bed at 9:45pm.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, to be absolutely fair, I do NOT have this kind of day everyday. But I'll bet I have more of these kinds of days than I'm giving myself credit for.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think I'll take a nap this afternoon...</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-28170274791654232532012-03-26T08:18:00.000-04:002012-03-26T08:18:45.772-04:00Great Story... No PicsVery unfortunately, I have not a single picture to go along with the story I'm about to tell. I have to remember to take my camera along, even when I think we're having just a normal Saturday night...<br />
<br />
If you recall, we went roller skating for Ruby's birthday back in January. It was the first time for both girls, and the first time in 25-or-so years for Dave and I, and we all had fun. So we've gone back 4 or 5 times since, often enough that we are familiar with some of the games they play at our preferred rink -- the 4-corners game, the Ghostbusters game... and the Limbo!<br />
<br />
The limbo is held on the smaller practice rink, and is super fun to watch. The kids that participate are amazing! And this past Saturday night they had a new participant -- my Ruby!! It was a riot! We had been skating on the big rink and I happened to be right next to Ruby when they announced that it was time for the limbo. Ruby threw her hands up in the air, shouted "Yeah!!!" and zipped off toward the practice rink. I assumed she merely wanted to watch, and her reaction would have been funny enough. But oh no! By the time I got there, she was on the practice rink and lined up with the other kids! Dave and I were both laughing so hard and saying "What is she doing?!?"<br />
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In lieu of video, I'll try to describe how Ruby skates. In a word, she's loud. Dave has taken to calling her "Stompy" when she's wearing skates. Picture this 5-year-old child with arms flailing wildly, stomping her feet rather than gliding/rolling, going way too fast and always on the verge of being out of control. It is hilarious!<br />
<br />
So there she was, ready to take her mad skating skills to the limbo line! She passed under the line 3 times, before bumping it on the fourth try. After the first couple rounds nearly everyone watching had their eyes on Ruby, and a huge "Awwwwwwww" went up when she knocked the limbo pole down. In fact, the reaction from the crowd was so loud that I was afraid Ruby would be spooked and start crying. But she didn't! She was still smiling as she skated off the rink. <br />
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I promise to take pictures and video next time!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-70425458979829147542012-03-22T21:17:00.000-04:002012-03-22T21:17:05.903-04:00Getting Ready for KindergartenRuby got to visit the elementary school she'll be attending in the fall when she starts Kindergarten! It's Kindergarten Orientation time for our public school system, and we are very fortunate to live near the best elementary school in our district. So close, in fact, that we all rode our bikes to the school. Ruby is sorely disappointed that she lives too close to ride the school bus. Actually, she's in denial about it, thinking that if she just begs us hard enough she'll get to ride the bus. Sorry, kiddo, I can't force the bus to pick you up for a half-mile trip!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr2-pG5Xy88qoDR2Vq5KpezaaNC15RPErDBziBzeJ0eSk3m37Nwo5Zae_-a4-vBlNhIYqTmArZxguRSFa9majA2fIq-XftZjAbxwb1igBFF6TuDktLMPfF8nxSZHL3X2bUwpA5Em6wGY/s1600/IMG_3913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr2-pG5Xy88qoDR2Vq5KpezaaNC15RPErDBziBzeJ0eSk3m37Nwo5Zae_-a4-vBlNhIYqTmArZxguRSFa9majA2fIq-XftZjAbxwb1igBFF6TuDktLMPfF8nxSZHL3X2bUwpA5Em6wGY/s320/IMG_3913.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Ruby on her first school bus ride</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This orientation event was all Ruby could talk about for the last day or two. Plus some of the kids from her preschool will also be attending the same elementary school, so Ruby's been pretty confident about herself and who her friends will be when she hits the door in the fall. When we got to the school, Ruby hopped off her bike and was marching into the building ahead of us, until we called her back! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvID9finxY8DWov5VVQTtqy82YCBePYEYba40Zh3zS5xXlCs2zMaC7QqGA7JK4U9pFCwWIt-0k0y1T4rT34nWYSewxpnenc8z_knWH7bNOW8CZrm4Pk2ktHWJ04pntEOsEo893v5A39k/s1600/IMG_3912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvID9finxY8DWov5VVQTtqy82YCBePYEYba40Zh3zS5xXlCs2zMaC7QqGA7JK4U9pFCwWIt-0k0y1T4rT34nWYSewxpnenc8z_knWH7bNOW8CZrm4Pk2ktHWJ04pntEOsEo893v5A39k/s320/IMG_3912.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>At the Arts and Crafts table at Kindergarten Orientation</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Yep, confident. Ruby can be pretty... sure of herself. Sometimes I'd call it bossy, but really it's more of a supreme confidence that she carries herself with. I remember the first Thanksgiving she was home, when she was not quite 2 years old. We were at my mother-in-law's house and it was after dinner when everyone was sitting around the living room. Ruby had just started going to gymnastics classes, and she decided that everyone needed to watch her do a sommersault. So she proceeded to take us all by the hand, one-by-one, and direct us where to stand. It took several minutes for her to arrange us all to her liking, having us switch places, making sure no one sat back down. And when we were all set, she began the show, doing sommersault after sommersault as we all applauded.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNq4X5n_uIaBwI2PCbMDGdPZW_ugaWMaGq44MIFUVEuv4V5mr97JdJLUU9FX5cUfREtv0OsorrgkOYR6SfcvP2XBVqCEntu0Yvx52iQyjIacE0wgvfk9FEOGMUPde-Y51E2w9pNAAJXg/s1600/IMG_3903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNq4X5n_uIaBwI2PCbMDGdPZW_ugaWMaGq44MIFUVEuv4V5mr97JdJLUU9FX5cUfREtv0OsorrgkOYR6SfcvP2XBVqCEntu0Yvx52iQyjIacE0wgvfk9FEOGMUPde-Y51E2w9pNAAJXg/s320/IMG_3903.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Making jewelry with Dad's help</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Hmmm... as I write that story I hear a little voice in my head, chuckling at me. Is it really that Ruby is bossy, or is it that we've always allowed ourselves <em>to be bossed</em> by her? Realization is rapidly dawning on me...Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-4110940778791287882012-03-14T08:48:00.000-04:002012-03-14T08:48:50.322-04:00Two Wheels!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Ruby's on two wheels!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw5UYkcin0eQ5VYDJzjxj-j8POBCXSGwDRb99Z3SsCrsNd-mbwss7mECTpu2Q9eTgOYbaM8VulSlqs7jxNWFw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am amazed at how quickly she got the hang of it! We had tried taking Ruby's training wheels off her bike for just a bit at the end of last summer, but we didn't put a whole lot of effort into it. She was interested in riding on two wheels, but she wasn't really pushing us to teach her.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">So then when the weather was nice this week she said she wanted to try riding on two wheels again. Seriously, it took maybe 30 minutes! And just a little more time for her to get the hang of starting on her own from a level stand-still. <em>Un.Real.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tonight she was pedaling standing up just a little bit, and even jumped a curb! (...although, that was more of an accident, but hey, she stayed upright!...)</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Look out... There's no stopping her now!</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-58019834746412952542012-03-04T20:17:00.000-05:002012-03-04T20:17:55.802-05:00Bad Blogger... Bad, Bad Blogger...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Yes</em>, we are still alive.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Yes</em>, we are doing just fine.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>No</em>, I have not abandoned the blog.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Yes</em>, I plan to keep blogging.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>There, happy now?</em></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">I'm going to simply say, by way of explanation, that I think I've had a mild case of the Winter Blahs. Ask me to do pretty much anything the last 6 weeks or so and my answer was likely a rather monotone "Nah, I don't really feel like it."</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">But March is finally here, which means Spring is just a few short weeks away. And with the turn of the calendar page I feel a return of some of my old spunk.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Dave and I have even started up our old rock band again, "Lisa Can't Sing."</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"> <em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm not kidding, folks. I am honestly and truly the lead singer in a rock band. Now stop that laughing, already!! You just wait till I start posting videos of us...</span> </span></em></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(oh gosh, did I really just obligate myself to post videos?!?)</span></em></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">But anyhoo, the Big News around here is Lin's very first Tae Kwon Do tournament, where she not only took first place in her division... She took the <strong><em>overall championship title!!!!</em></strong></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My daughter, the Champion!</span></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">I almost got choked up when they called her name, I'm just so ridiculously proud! So without further ado, here are the pictures...</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rZxtnOXs17iA1Rdyqz0XLjevXpJe5wo1WEyMK9z-o-J5nIytVnHo8T_hJcFPUc9j6SFqmA99OOtSbBVOgi6iBHl5EK35FtttxmKBawWq7Rrn7R_wRY5arHelzL_EYYTgeqzxSm5QIIM/s1600/IMG_3818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rZxtnOXs17iA1Rdyqz0XLjevXpJe5wo1WEyMK9z-o-J5nIytVnHo8T_hJcFPUc9j6SFqmA99OOtSbBVOgi6iBHl5EK35FtttxmKBawWq7Rrn7R_wRY5arHelzL_EYYTgeqzxSm5QIIM/s320/IMG_3818.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Lin's back is to the camera here, as she bows to her first opponent...</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7hMvgX4vI0y_uk7vqYnH__aOmA4UIARC9SRTDPTdXvvBI-Tj90jINuJ3Wbaslgmnn8Fmscz1LussA_TPE18UT8pGADagBnmJbNbzmLaGbTrWnYOPrfVBM4cqf2f2CHSpiJ6_kxtepLA/s1600/IMG_3819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7hMvgX4vI0y_uk7vqYnH__aOmA4UIARC9SRTDPTdXvvBI-Tj90jINuJ3Wbaslgmnn8Fmscz1LussA_TPE18UT8pGADagBnmJbNbzmLaGbTrWnYOPrfVBM4cqf2f2CHSpiJ6_kxtepLA/s320/IMG_3819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">You can just see the force behind that kick, can't you?</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">She easily won her first match-up, then had to go up against the winner from the other fight in her division.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b61eDA5aN7yD2XrIQ2IJiATRO05SJJFHb9TGoDapBk7nKh-p8CBROPERPViESIXGv_oQLTiNEnhat5aX0wnm-y3NFOz0MIEcRviUjN8U05YfB6ahrEEGLBqmPPB8e8kUI7rRVtdc7a0/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b61eDA5aN7yD2XrIQ2IJiATRO05SJJFHb9TGoDapBk7nKh-p8CBROPERPViESIXGv_oQLTiNEnhat5aX0wnm-y3NFOz0MIEcRviUjN8U05YfB6ahrEEGLBqmPPB8e8kUI7rRVtdc7a0/s320/IMG_3841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Again, Lin's back is to the camera here, but just check out the size of her opponent! That boy is younger than Lin, but outweighs her by some 70 pounds!!! And he's nearly a foot taller than her, too!</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJQ235idKdd_hlPmc6fdt5QOqJ_Q0eu-Xro3nZCN9NHXtJg5sRX7nL6MBmXk2zGxnjLA_WtLsEfJXkK9Ak2voxbyBLQtjYc8COOyfblGrabpAjWUTv7r98LwrI43RB5_idAPKT0C7ZGw/s1600/IMG_3840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJQ235idKdd_hlPmc6fdt5QOqJ_Q0eu-Xro3nZCN9NHXtJg5sRX7nL6MBmXk2zGxnjLA_WtLsEfJXkK9Ak2voxbyBLQtjYc8COOyfblGrabpAjWUTv7r98LwrI43RB5_idAPKT0C7ZGw/s320/IMG_3840.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">I mean, honestly, <em>look at the fierceness in that girl!!</em> This second match-up was much more even, as far as number of hits. But in the end Lin was declared the winner, which made her First Place in her division!</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps_Ihyspkpk0iAGe1koqpdJyd117s3dcN-1U6vIFptsF-tDQBGNQhjzkml6y9d9hzYVeiOzpG-H-V2bzGTBvMtWorOaHlo5nYj8bZ1uNZ1CxQVjWMOztsDsZ6Sjx9b98-j8uinMOctVs/s1600/IMG_3845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps_Ihyspkpk0iAGe1koqpdJyd117s3dcN-1U6vIFptsF-tDQBGNQhjzkml6y9d9hzYVeiOzpG-H-V2bzGTBvMtWorOaHlo5nYj8bZ1uNZ1CxQVjWMOztsDsZ6Sjx9b98-j8uinMOctVs/s320/IMG_3845.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Here's our girl after the fight.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Once all the matches were done, all the students were gathered back together and the 4 judges were then asked to call out the names of a few kids who had done a particularly great job. I don't remember which judge it was, but one of them called out Lin's name!</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPWjV4k4amcsKztUT3nmbMDbnOWPe-lo9UlWneoEgQV9AbWwcs5wHdjJGsdksuxyIgqpVMKAfjzfEwPM6PpnVqwwl7XPKr-LeWfisYeZkJHSthWUndOm16OzEj1waVm4F80esC_D03o8/s1600/IMG_3858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPWjV4k4amcsKztUT3nmbMDbnOWPe-lo9UlWneoEgQV9AbWwcs5wHdjJGsdksuxyIgqpVMKAfjzfEwPM6PpnVqwwl7XPKr-LeWfisYeZkJHSthWUndOm16OzEj1waVm4F80esC_D03o8/s320/IMG_3858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><br />
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">So then the judges were asked to confer with each other to determine the overall Champion...</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">And the winner... LIN!!!</span></em></strong></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Here are some pictures of the new Champ with her<em> Giant Trophy!</em></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCp7sCwBJU1hAU1JjDKW3n3AS5nUyzGsBj-BFg4cOn6MdXORBbL-evu9CTCWpViRodoKMWIsosYkfV3d57HaFpiVT63klhaprTamfVDOs7mLhydy-BwWxi4RL06NA7RUct7lKXaKO_QnQ/s1600/IMG_3861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCp7sCwBJU1hAU1JjDKW3n3AS5nUyzGsBj-BFg4cOn6MdXORBbL-evu9CTCWpViRodoKMWIsosYkfV3d57HaFpiVT63klhaprTamfVDOs7mLhydy-BwWxi4RL06NA7RUct7lKXaKO_QnQ/s320/IMG_3861.JPG" width="302" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">It was truly awesome to see the other students all gathered around Lin to congratulate her...</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcSI-Jqwbg_IW7U6QbIabScXPRyum4FI8kutN8VLkJouRm0DbzUIGxz1u21Gt9oiSAwvmnKqczNPa7UbDWb7koR4FugB9gtfCSNvOXxud9mLZaZgkkIwLDLFnZ8IzEfeibuSDmPYKvXo/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcSI-Jqwbg_IW7U6QbIabScXPRyum4FI8kutN8VLkJouRm0DbzUIGxz1u21Gt9oiSAwvmnKqczNPa7UbDWb7koR4FugB9gtfCSNvOXxud9mLZaZgkkIwLDLFnZ8IzEfeibuSDmPYKvXo/s320/IMG_3862.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3B5iGJviLHnqX7f6FTKYBvXVJeijCHwQ_i9NnmF-mzSSaIL-6H5wVMxreToPZSh9v9Bhzp8QWZjRgooT_kRgbZku-V3KViJJ195o1ttUwxapB8hpCpYGTAZjk1oJ6PVgKzKV1k_tcN0/s1600/IMG_3864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3B5iGJviLHnqX7f6FTKYBvXVJeijCHwQ_i9NnmF-mzSSaIL-6H5wVMxreToPZSh9v9Bhzp8QWZjRgooT_kRgbZku-V3KViJJ195o1ttUwxapB8hpCpYGTAZjk1oJ6PVgKzKV1k_tcN0/s320/IMG_3864.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">That trophy's only two inches shorter than she is!!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFoZa0YYAWs3_93CKJ4CHeT3pbSvoS1m3MY66mGbCFBToR2souvjvQB9gLVLYhqnbCQmP-jlOImctSuG6C-DrFZrPPg83yBaInS7HoBr9EKm12f0hIadr4blu1C42aQgOF9HarnHCA0w/s1600/IMG_3866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFoZa0YYAWs3_93CKJ4CHeT3pbSvoS1m3MY66mGbCFBToR2souvjvQB9gLVLYhqnbCQmP-jlOImctSuG6C-DrFZrPPg83yBaInS7HoBr9EKm12f0hIadr4blu1C42aQgOF9HarnHCA0w/s320/IMG_3866.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's Lin with one of her instructors, Master Hernandez. He's tough, but he loves giving Lin a hard time! (And we certainly can't overlook Ruby here, along with two of her stuffed pals, Mimi and Victoria.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DQf5JBc46BV_5Cod3bTbGJXx_8ld4t6ysoIn1DRTEGExblr-5bPHEBTpMUIbdriNMmsuxv0iIKQNh327I_NCLV9a2-T81plEqvGCp6uG3mHAAWmm6a16ATzWT41FOu1obHOH8qnyYV0/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DQf5JBc46BV_5Cod3bTbGJXx_8ld4t6ysoIn1DRTEGExblr-5bPHEBTpMUIbdriNMmsuxv0iIKQNh327I_NCLV9a2-T81plEqvGCp6uG3mHAAWmm6a16ATzWT41FOu1obHOH8qnyYV0/s320/IMG_3867.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Here she is with one of the judges, "Mr. Rob" -- an all-around nice guy!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxPgbUJxNOOJLmTJMNZJNK4dx1APmB9cYaasiF5ztk5rQTVT4dowz_nrGDsiWJ1Q9eIt434_OoO-JdUf1EXuGHJkb7wrmnjGUbVnem7yELJ_c_PSSLM7gqrQ9yZ5TzxSdU1hkE-fPCvk/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxPgbUJxNOOJLmTJMNZJNK4dx1APmB9cYaasiF5ztk5rQTVT4dowz_nrGDsiWJ1Q9eIt434_OoO-JdUf1EXuGHJkb7wrmnjGUbVnem7yELJ_c_PSSLM7gqrQ9yZ5TzxSdU1hkE-fPCvk/s320/IMG_3868.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">And here's the Champ with Master Seigel, the owner and main instructor of the martial arts academy.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">I have to say, I was confident Lin would win her division. She really is good at this whole Tae Kwon Do business. And when we walked in and saw that big ole honkin' trophy at the front of the room, I thought, "Oh, wouldn't it be cool if she actually won that?" But I didn't let my imagination run too far away from me, because she's only been taking classes for 6 months. She's still a beginner!</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">But that behemoth of a trophy now resides in her bedroom! How many ways can I say how proud I am of my daughter?!? We are just about bursting around here!</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the way, if you ever come across Lin in a dark alley, I'd leave her alone if I were you... She'll kick your you-know-what to you-know-where before you can say "Yip-a-dee Doo!"</span></em></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-3215702286845807412012-01-23T14:30:00.002-05:002012-01-23T20:51:59.920-05:00Happy New Year!It's been a while since the last post, because... well, things have been busy! So here goes a quick wrap-up of the past month. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit back... it's a doozy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls making almond cookies for Christmas. These were way too delicious and none actually lasted until Christmas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg031HbbTjH1KGhwrRhVrqLOthf46og-RBbg87pNxZgPDaT9zqWCIIu0GmZYvYjF_iOSVQp7-zaZAeogdixnD2cT8KCAZPi8sxLD9tgmAXJdIiyoybkOE_vRbVi8sJGVkxk-zW21UL-bUU/s1600/IMG_3413%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg031HbbTjH1KGhwrRhVrqLOthf46og-RBbg87pNxZgPDaT9zqWCIIu0GmZYvYjF_iOSVQp7-zaZAeogdixnD2cT8KCAZPi8sxLD9tgmAXJdIiyoybkOE_vRbVi8sJGVkxk-zW21UL-bUU/s320/IMG_3413%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lin showing off her cookie decorating skills</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OPLOnbKP_HpvSm3DjBqKuog_nSsZdQPJqnmyoY05TPiXVyVewpGjxgKB10-ROTKEYMdw8sYBZO85pG_sQSaGiHH6n-ZpTpKj_f9GCIiqeskBhFFs-5aUjsfrHgLXvXfkcMc6Ax9MRcM/s1600/IMG_3424%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OPLOnbKP_HpvSm3DjBqKuog_nSsZdQPJqnmyoY05TPiXVyVewpGjxgKB10-ROTKEYMdw8sYBZO85pG_sQSaGiHH6n-ZpTpKj_f9GCIiqeskBhFFs-5aUjsfrHgLXvXfkcMc6Ax9MRcM/s320/IMG_3424%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby trying to break the record of silver balls on a single cookie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XhlQrJipXNT-GI8AxNfNVZnXudB4bTiDynpS20UAjWcEMLKIBj1hNSm8esFRDDi5eZkoWibzO8gFPjZbhKlb4Z8p8hvoiJ5J0i0vqngECLh59LdrgZXOO7LdhYRkyoFCbqCnJJRPSoo/s1600/IMG_3454%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XhlQrJipXNT-GI8AxNfNVZnXudB4bTiDynpS20UAjWcEMLKIBj1hNSm8esFRDDi5eZkoWibzO8gFPjZbhKlb4Z8p8hvoiJ5J0i0vqngECLh59LdrgZXOO7LdhYRkyoFCbqCnJJRPSoo/s320/IMG_3454%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a very Merry Christmas!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AX10ouvswUwcl6o5BhC5aeOUlR_KhzyogfENGNYSWQ1NlXQ87SewEpg3OniGIyGQbXn5dOQZd07BDIHQpb01q8ouLh7GWoIRwFefPcypCo8NIXQvxbYYjMTDlwbIaWA7Ysy3Ek4uBhQ/s1600/IMG_3456%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AX10ouvswUwcl6o5BhC5aeOUlR_KhzyogfENGNYSWQ1NlXQ87SewEpg3OniGIyGQbXn5dOQZd07BDIHQpb01q8ouLh7GWoIRwFefPcypCo8NIXQvxbYYjMTDlwbIaWA7Ysy3Ek4uBhQ/s320/IMG_3456%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making homemade noodles with pesto for the girls. It should also be noted that we spent this evening at the ER after Ruby tumbled hard off her bed. Nothing was broken, but she was "high" in this picture with medication</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhBCkCqNDkBUWzZbbxuFLkFfuayvjJj7doygID9YQtCKlkvba6jtpbPWV92UrkBzn96R2zJq35YU8FFoQEiz3cMAh_WStnKqW7QqKZKt67niGJSFVTfJL6YntBlfW-gjfgoasVimbOYg/s1600/IMG_3462%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhBCkCqNDkBUWzZbbxuFLkFfuayvjJj7doygID9YQtCKlkvba6jtpbPWV92UrkBzn96R2zJq35YU8FFoQEiz3cMAh_WStnKqW7QqKZKt67niGJSFVTfJL6YntBlfW-gjfgoasVimbOYg/s320/IMG_3462%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongolian hotpot! It's kinda become a staple in our household</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzIR3VI89YKyMPKkXk2PV1cXtNMpF1jrlI3BwyprOHJ95LETRnI5ItL5ESiuTxaZv576SkKTR77d-BBZwtOWdYyj92TPRkvBlNmJHEGgd9-N1FB6mj9B8rvIocoJwXNjE0SbVwb0kevY/s1600/IMG_3469%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzIR3VI89YKyMPKkXk2PV1cXtNMpF1jrlI3BwyprOHJ95LETRnI5ItL5ESiuTxaZv576SkKTR77d-BBZwtOWdYyj92TPRkvBlNmJHEGgd9-N1FB6mj9B8rvIocoJwXNjE0SbVwb0kevY/s320/IMG_3469%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby was proud of the veggie dip she created</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DMoT4YOEOlymjOTD7g15xKnmXrLiNRB7yuwbWMRr1FCaIj6R7awHB6ofT79w_zsPgXB8MZlnEL3ehER_XoT0PmA6bUCput5K4UQXktlNlJ3VpUjmC-jZ0cRyJIGYLF5ZMnmfEL7MGTw/s1600/IMG_3486%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DMoT4YOEOlymjOTD7g15xKnmXrLiNRB7yuwbWMRr1FCaIj6R7awHB6ofT79w_zsPgXB8MZlnEL3ehER_XoT0PmA6bUCput5K4UQXktlNlJ3VpUjmC-jZ0cRyJIGYLF5ZMnmfEL7MGTw/s320/IMG_3486%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self portrait</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9Dr8E6z72YSr3M3hVYVdvguIxqU-BXY0_GO4k-mil2pIjzIEx8q_1VyV1a-TEakeIzYcx1TnZDVApcLEg0mjjiC8M5UKhGIoEuSzmGlJmETHLvWHuTVL2INp5CqkLsNs2pFWNrdnIbU/s1600/IMG_3514%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9Dr8E6z72YSr3M3hVYVdvguIxqU-BXY0_GO4k-mil2pIjzIEx8q_1VyV1a-TEakeIzYcx1TnZDVApcLEg0mjjiC8M5UKhGIoEuSzmGlJmETHLvWHuTVL2INp5CqkLsNs2pFWNrdnIbU/s320/IMG_3514%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby going rollerskating for the first time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzeM2qFFse8MEcdQyJRCNMzbt6GrKd0rY5nxdBcE5pXhR05tPvN2kCxpPKA44rRbyzR2BX2vm8pUygxmA2doOjGTjDR79LiKKLsWZo5Yq2r79rEkehVRY7R4AEpIsdisWzCHjWjW0V6g/s1600/IMG_3517%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzeM2qFFse8MEcdQyJRCNMzbt6GrKd0rY5nxdBcE5pXhR05tPvN2kCxpPKA44rRbyzR2BX2vm8pUygxmA2doOjGTjDR79LiKKLsWZo5Yq2r79rEkehVRY7R4AEpIsdisWzCHjWjW0V6g/s320/IMG_3517%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The blind leading the blind," you could say!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOZtss5d3-gwSkpgnDEYmSAfGdhi1YzozrWdhV61_8v4KNhQkiRg-o5LqFrcT7IfncmuIb-IiutS6B4g4tLLtEMQkOrNaOK7QTd6vcakO16XP9Ri9sUws9iOpqTY7UKuTzPfF2-1nteA/s1600/IMG_3535%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijOZtss5d3-gwSkpgnDEYmSAfGdhi1YzozrWdhV61_8v4KNhQkiRg-o5LqFrcT7IfncmuIb-IiutS6B4g4tLLtEMQkOrNaOK7QTd6vcakO16XP9Ri9sUws9iOpqTY7UKuTzPfF2-1nteA/s320/IMG_3535%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby definitely enjoyed her birthday skate!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rSAw5U1HSk07tSlMfUpS2pKLMv0nG5Up2C5wxKIyj6LKTuca2ELAumouCevSGlS7yi9Zk7Ic1fbWeh9HWHR0D6wTW_UcqGIpTHhryAfKEhjv2-8viW4NjG9kNcPJTNLU0mcy3tAxRpk/s1600/IMG_3538%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rSAw5U1HSk07tSlMfUpS2pKLMv0nG5Up2C5wxKIyj6LKTuca2ELAumouCevSGlS7yi9Zk7Ic1fbWeh9HWHR0D6wTW_UcqGIpTHhryAfKEhjv2-8viW4NjG9kNcPJTNLU0mcy3tAxRpk/s320/IMG_3538%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of which, it's hard to believe she's 5 already</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFoJ94Ib1rSCWKmm28iRI6d87S1Szx2zUCD0_TaDqTzynJ4-D98WLwJe5c1dAUpFE71oJ00G3k9tEft-wviUcvoc0JQVazADHTx_6i_7H2pU84j5ZSNiFrEVRaA4rdiRCR1ETln_002Q/s1600/IMG_3547%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFoJ94Ib1rSCWKmm28iRI6d87S1Szx2zUCD0_TaDqTzynJ4-D98WLwJe5c1dAUpFE71oJ00G3k9tEft-wviUcvoc0JQVazADHTx_6i_7H2pU84j5ZSNiFrEVRaA4rdiRCR1ETln_002Q/s320/IMG_3547%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't go wrong with Hello Kitty, can you?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mcRRz_i5ohwkmwx5Yp0GQGWNsrAqWFoK3Kb8a1lkk726xB1JbHoQK7npQrthmjFA9m4Hl3dA4rDz-UAc8f6DwzK0VnKGOcZ6b2-taGJ6Tvn4hLlekn2l82drxxkPwyIOKfYWHBHieh4/s1600/IMG_3559%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mcRRz_i5ohwkmwx5Yp0GQGWNsrAqWFoK3Kb8a1lkk726xB1JbHoQK7npQrthmjFA9m4Hl3dA4rDz-UAc8f6DwzK0VnKGOcZ6b2-taGJ6Tvn4hLlekn2l82drxxkPwyIOKfYWHBHieh4/s320/IMG_3559%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, yes, we know... there's technically more than 5 candles, but Ruby wanted a ton of them!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYpSKVMWqLKAMriZVy_INcRO2BpyPLPn7tRl72usQTkiWs-ig_0XQRZjJpOX22oXnk0fOh-9SvgBYGCe2NpQPg2EmLp2vo3hBDLL1gynPOBh1Yr4fqSc4SVXAoS515_RsNAGsDw3lhko/s1600/IMG_3587%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYpSKVMWqLKAMriZVy_INcRO2BpyPLPn7tRl72usQTkiWs-ig_0XQRZjJpOX22oXnk0fOh-9SvgBYGCe2NpQPg2EmLp2vo3hBDLL1gynPOBh1Yr4fqSc4SVXAoS515_RsNAGsDw3lhko/s320/IMG_3587%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying Ruby's pick for her birthday dinner... Wendy's!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMKLWPSuqHKo1viYKN6SKuniBaSxMIsh0f3qpxm4nkciflTU7cyXS3DSiB95wuXUoKZzp-j-BNvshiwVguDM8lXkZvtrBPzE2NqVLB-Xj9Nht1uVBlXGdhZ-tVgTHYwMq8OFb-MGx90U/s1600/IMG_3595%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMKLWPSuqHKo1viYKN6SKuniBaSxMIsh0f3qpxm4nkciflTU7cyXS3DSiB95wuXUoKZzp-j-BNvshiwVguDM8lXkZvtrBPzE2NqVLB-Xj9Nht1uVBlXGdhZ-tVgTHYwMq8OFb-MGx90U/s320/IMG_3595%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves anything ballet, My Little Pony, playing dress up and... Deadly Animals! That's our special girl!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSF1ysMN2n0GSkfTkTYEHEt3VDWEgKcmwpj3sxboNa68H2NSnnHN_V07oWvUFdU9iEhkr8sA0LcvFfwrXmPUMr8RF-oDPzC4so3Vt1TPeWlNnyrf3piQlxLdxdFMsY44qrkYKDbU5uu8/s1600/IMG_3606%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSF1ysMN2n0GSkfTkTYEHEt3VDWEgKcmwpj3sxboNa68H2NSnnHN_V07oWvUFdU9iEhkr8sA0LcvFfwrXmPUMr8RF-oDPzC4so3Vt1TPeWlNnyrf3piQlxLdxdFMsY44qrkYKDbU5uu8/s320/IMG_3606%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition, we also celebrated her 4 year "Gotcha Day" anniversary on our purple couch</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYM-CEPTjP1xYbPKOIjGRpD3VDZW0F31NsAGcEq1DPXqbb8uBFu8NMZhj_6l6C4I0Am93cpOXNq8NfrwYBNhUFQ5N_FfXs3NWkSWdJYZ5Fk9Xdd0vbU24PbjwYO8xHNOT2J1K7ZBOFFrY/s1600/017_8A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYM-CEPTjP1xYbPKOIjGRpD3VDZW0F31NsAGcEq1DPXqbb8uBFu8NMZhj_6l6C4I0Am93cpOXNq8NfrwYBNhUFQ5N_FfXs3NWkSWdJYZ5Fk9Xdd0vbU24PbjwYO8xHNOT2J1K7ZBOFFrY/s320/017_8A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here she is 4 years ago on the famous red couch inside the White Swan in Guangzhou</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CBP5X1vrmEFv884Yx6zG3Gjo9NQp2rHJI1WDZ6KFmk_Jx7gzKQPOUFxMct7P58xrv4BXM0QL84c0TPwdzNPZ6UloRDBwqMbkpe2LDd2F9HCQevCzDUCe5rPvEU6vdTBM3R4RFWoV76Q/s1600/IMG_3611%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CBP5X1vrmEFv884Yx6zG3Gjo9NQp2rHJI1WDZ6KFmk_Jx7gzKQPOUFxMct7P58xrv4BXM0QL84c0TPwdzNPZ6UloRDBwqMbkpe2LDd2F9HCQevCzDUCe5rPvEU6vdTBM3R4RFWoV76Q/s320/IMG_3611%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the dinner Dave cooked for our annual Chinese New Year feast</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyKrkLYr52NkpUPevM8o-cUqpSAE__3TKstdok_M7qC4XalJexSxyZYlXxyjEMS86QGuHK2k_s54LcL_a3wArWNJxGCxjzuuosvJOWTS037N6z0Fd7kH0hzaaSBb396EnAvLRSMV32no/s1600/IMG_3619%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyKrkLYr52NkpUPevM8o-cUqpSAE__3TKstdok_M7qC4XalJexSxyZYlXxyjEMS86QGuHK2k_s54LcL_a3wArWNJxGCxjzuuosvJOWTS037N6z0Fd7kH0hzaaSBb396EnAvLRSMV32no/s320/IMG_3619%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging into the goodies</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoUhA31H3cO4DLwfPSfrdUIa3cmoBCZCSniD6x9ynlM8lfgJ6hlG5wCAEi6wz74sabouAnXAmaWGhgSI9RBT9hIXRvnSLA6q44GQbqTWQAtKlLu717r7XFv8SfgIfgaBrI6317yd7kNA/s1600/IMG_3623%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoUhA31H3cO4DLwfPSfrdUIa3cmoBCZCSniD6x9ynlM8lfgJ6hlG5wCAEi6wz74sabouAnXAmaWGhgSI9RBT9hIXRvnSLA6q44GQbqTWQAtKlLu717r7XFv8SfgIfgaBrI6317yd7kNA/s320/IMG_3623%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girl in the blue qipao was also in Ruby's travel group</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCJNymHYrXn21sJToBUtQ6zeQ4-fmHJXNrcQhyphenhyphenhKyq4AMpdYgTFAfqP-8t0zv0ee2TkLFsXO7t7C6IWme6C3HMTiKBxlKg8m5hDCxBHwdRvvW0Kcs5nl1ram57FKPaKKbh5e7dWjhi4g/s1600/IMG_3637%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCJNymHYrXn21sJToBUtQ6zeQ4-fmHJXNrcQhyphenhyphenhKyq4AMpdYgTFAfqP-8t0zv0ee2TkLFsXO7t7C6IWme6C3HMTiKBxlKg8m5hDCxBHwdRvvW0Kcs5nl1ram57FKPaKKbh5e7dWjhi4g/s320/IMG_3637%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girl in front of Lin was also from Shanghai and now lives nearby</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0Td-Vg4URVfRxAgHzg8hHcvcArC2ljZWqyyQPdVI6FnmRfl18EbHJk2nQWzJtEBihuizMGn3tZaFNXuhe3nNIAqRAmquKE-TEu6uuvNNvEPF8UciqAjxVGx3Ymrg2d1tiSvofxme-lg/s1600/IMG_3645%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0Td-Vg4URVfRxAgHzg8hHcvcArC2ljZWqyyQPdVI6FnmRfl18EbHJk2nQWzJtEBihuizMGn3tZaFNXuhe3nNIAqRAmquKE-TEu6uuvNNvEPF8UciqAjxVGx3Ymrg2d1tiSvofxme-lg/s320/IMG_3645%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just love this pic of Ruby laughing it up on the couch. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUtMFVftvIkMu1xEZ5NZ127IlcXYsLz4dHagij0EK5l_dqXAsPGTsweskigzAzhJumSl5ogCh3EiPMyjsaY8-TUFtivnNZXkcf9jGl7ZZokblE075ibOMKd6g0qvdgJCRwfRrnpmOkzo/s1600/IMG_3648%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUtMFVftvIkMu1xEZ5NZ127IlcXYsLz4dHagij0EK5l_dqXAsPGTsweskigzAzhJumSl5ogCh3EiPMyjsaY8-TUFtivnNZXkcf9jGl7ZZokblE075ibOMKd6g0qvdgJCRwfRrnpmOkzo/s320/IMG_3648%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends recently welcomed their little girl home and we were excited they could join our New Year's feast</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm-S9QVHOsKc4_JO2NcXREhG_TGKFeqZiWxmfVM0Flr2vAtV6kwJI-k-5egDemZXcmM8pXfm1cXPYOWasfyHNKTbjNUZ9Q4KLSizu8GcDPp3oakwhKhTHWxVUl1WbeWcgofKDQ0rR4h4/s1600/IMG_3656%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm-S9QVHOsKc4_JO2NcXREhG_TGKFeqZiWxmfVM0Flr2vAtV6kwJI-k-5egDemZXcmM8pXfm1cXPYOWasfyHNKTbjNUZ9Q4KLSizu8GcDPp3oakwhKhTHWxVUl1WbeWcgofKDQ0rR4h4/s320/IMG_3656%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After dinner, we watched the Chinese New Year Celebration</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe1qbpnxCuLNYj31JWYLWhOALS6EjtB2MOwoGOwhsod-wgKdnl_24oDcxQRI6fJU3sObhGI9RO_c8UOvXfBrrWm8h06WAMWZsS9NNLqU8lBXPPRfDHehX7h4Pn0PzcxqH7DpRaRqdgF4/s1600/IMG_3668%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe1qbpnxCuLNYj31JWYLWhOALS6EjtB2MOwoGOwhsod-wgKdnl_24oDcxQRI6fJU3sObhGI9RO_c8UOvXfBrrWm8h06WAMWZsS9NNLqU8lBXPPRfDHehX7h4Pn0PzcxqH7DpRaRqdgF4/s320/IMG_3668%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruby onstage after the show... the Year of the Dragon has arrived!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-15540579052301642052011-12-10T08:06:00.000-05:002011-12-10T08:06:13.673-05:00Programs and Belts<div style="text-align: center;">It's been a busy week around here! Ruby had her Preschool Holiday Program on Wednesday and Lin had her first Tae Kwon Do belt test on Friday. Both the girls did great!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaURmO20M0etaP7auqhyLleCQoAKF1x2_1VGiYCMcvtD9vpUCPP6lN3aU0BescxDc_9NqYhIC-71Bq9EJGo4zgAIA8HWEQUPWCwAJY6ZgZpc4X37D1YM80xuY2FjWVJhPFxHr5Id_6ZRI/s1600/IMG_3263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaURmO20M0etaP7auqhyLleCQoAKF1x2_1VGiYCMcvtD9vpUCPP6lN3aU0BescxDc_9NqYhIC-71Bq9EJGo4zgAIA8HWEQUPWCwAJY6ZgZpc4X37D1YM80xuY2FjWVJhPFxHr5Id_6ZRI/s320/IMG_3263.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here are Ruby and some of her classmates, showing the assembled audience how they say the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of every school day. So cute! They all did great until they came to the word "indivisible" and then they all fell apart.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWAItfxgJ4ihRVQGFsHEOKoWlPh-n1yFZaxwGONlnoxIY0qKFg_ppP2QUeQ-VB218zx-TjKBBqM4QknkO_P8JNV6wGL1iUN7NW7Lvp_whOh9NVbyk22WLDVNIlL5kBq-DVXPm2JG8AgA/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWAItfxgJ4ihRVQGFsHEOKoWlPh-n1yFZaxwGONlnoxIY0qKFg_ppP2QUeQ-VB218zx-TjKBBqM4QknkO_P8JNV6wGL1iUN7NW7Lvp_whOh9NVbyk22WLDVNIlL5kBq-DVXPm2JG8AgA/s320/IMG_3276.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">It was a tough decision for Ruby, which pretty dress she should wear. These are big decisions for a 4-year-old!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjCPcDEVoFzvJyhMDCKReNCtKTuuqLEgfqrJT_jMLx9hOR8SjcAWkIjRgwwR6QgvWekH9skuwL84-ui4ZaS0foVLOD1SZOiL8fLmgafRyrfU5h3yKDDjNNCg7vXmyo-8HUnjbEhSRpWE/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjCPcDEVoFzvJyhMDCKReNCtKTuuqLEgfqrJT_jMLx9hOR8SjcAWkIjRgwwR6QgvWekH9skuwL84-ui4ZaS0foVLOD1SZOiL8fLmgafRyrfU5h3yKDDjNNCg7vXmyo-8HUnjbEhSRpWE/s320/IMG_3232.JPG" width="253" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOTX2MK5cpUNJ5Jyeb2jUF3ICxfL_HnQzeKeMR-zE06hKc7_8jjszuGGSrtOrjoAE3jL9jz31XRNtqkbAyKiL1rCxbqCh_QdLtCkDNm-aeI04wP_nnigaRFDIn3u5K662JYDUgptGQv4/s1600/IMG_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOTX2MK5cpUNJ5Jyeb2jUF3ICxfL_HnQzeKeMR-zE06hKc7_8jjszuGGSrtOrjoAE3jL9jz31XRNtqkbAyKiL1rCxbqCh_QdLtCkDNm-aeI04wP_nnigaRFDIn3u5K662JYDUgptGQv4/s320/IMG_3240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqSHjucLNIoJ81kT5VUIj8bMGv6j3yfMl_utmmzVCfoKingrcCUsc8VboJLcXuO8JoO-Ih4L_QU9pT14mi0FVjKGTmUuPXnK67QddqAqfrrH1W0VnaFJHKiFjp90FdRFuBipY63PQwMk/s1600/IMG_3277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqSHjucLNIoJ81kT5VUIj8bMGv6j3yfMl_utmmzVCfoKingrcCUsc8VboJLcXuO8JoO-Ih4L_QU9pT14mi0FVjKGTmUuPXnK67QddqAqfrrH1W0VnaFJHKiFjp90FdRFuBipY63PQwMk/s320/IMG_3277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The performance was great, and Ruby was very sweet to her beloved friend Avi, who was suffering from stage fright and spent the first several minutes of the program in tears. It was everything a preschool holiday program should be! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(My favorite part, by far, was when Ruby spent almost an entire song picking her nose and then trying to wipe her "find" on her dress! Hysterical! Yep, that's MY daughter!!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next up was Lin with her first Tae Kwon Do test. It started off a little rocky when we got halfway there and Lin realized she left her white belt sitting on the kitchen counter! Uh oh! So it was a mad rush to drop Dave and Lin off and then run back home to get the belt. Then at the start of the testing she was asked to recite the meaning of her belt and she couldn't do it. This being our first Tae Kwon Do, too, we didn't know she had to memorize it word-for-word, so we didn't practice it with her. Oops! But from there on out it she did great!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDVyiVvDCYKQO2aFwOlDcclKQ9uLKCPIUPAfYH2DB4NAoE4idLnxey0LwiJ0zuhO-wMawJeFAOg690t3ddCldojvllRq3OFUcByyOOfUBXX5nYh-djY1S6A6wUgFNRjAF3Ows9ajLWlE/s1600/IMG_3295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVDVyiVvDCYKQO2aFwOlDcclKQ9uLKCPIUPAfYH2DB4NAoE4idLnxey0LwiJ0zuhO-wMawJeFAOg690t3ddCldojvllRq3OFUcByyOOfUBXX5nYh-djY1S6A6wUgFNRjAF3Ows9ajLWlE/s320/IMG_3295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First up: push-ups and sit-ups. Look at that tough girl! <em>On her knuckles, even! </em>One of the black-belts said that if there had been an award for push-ups Lin would have won it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoxhkbf37a57rwNvEuhbeoYGAyeWtQLUshtlVcQ6M9vybenRGzeK0Ze2YEuFa591PWvI9MzpCjpLuTAkM9QDE5ukwS9rBAggBAq-QhkyOJUHQSYyKEa8Rlhmwvv3TFDLJWLrwVsXuQdg/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoxhkbf37a57rwNvEuhbeoYGAyeWtQLUshtlVcQ6M9vybenRGzeK0Ze2YEuFa591PWvI9MzpCjpLuTAkM9QDE5ukwS9rBAggBAq-QhkyOJUHQSYyKEa8Rlhmwvv3TFDLJWLrwVsXuQdg/s320/IMG_3300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA0kvxMIt2EbF89F-VtaH6EQ9t-1Fjiw5m4H0Z9kZQzBb7iqznV9Z3w2KEt7p24NAEM1ZytbLtBhct16QDYaNfrrLuVh3r4ScSpVMKyPitlj52t8XgHtEw8yT-j20ddauvoBo6RxTSI8/s1600/IMG_3311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA0kvxMIt2EbF89F-VtaH6EQ9t-1Fjiw5m4H0Z9kZQzBb7iqznV9Z3w2KEt7p24NAEM1ZytbLtBhct16QDYaNfrrLuVh3r4ScSpVMKyPitlj52t8XgHtEw8yT-j20ddauvoBo6RxTSI8/s320/IMG_3311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center">Here they are going through their forms.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbQdfWI77boNuTlEctFtg-20xa0PqDLnIBNgYpyWPd3Z1qWAz5wb2MjJKJpBO_LoyikYbRehqKk1dB3Wa40CXL0h9_50N-mqGLlDpXtFwvols09QYh6nl1EEobDxNsOlnkR56NJnOf7Q/s1600/IMG_3324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbQdfWI77boNuTlEctFtg-20xa0PqDLnIBNgYpyWPd3Z1qWAz5wb2MjJKJpBO_LoyikYbRehqKk1dB3Wa40CXL0h9_50N-mqGLlDpXtFwvols09QYh6nl1EEobDxNsOlnkR56NJnOf7Q/s320/IMG_3324.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Next up, sparring.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQ9C_EMvNTwLPoDOPoTTN00QRi8gMvoMStmZYTmMFphPiTZMjZCbDdx_JEkt9SLuO18EMpggjKkQBdKfUtIO9gFrfQPT1aO_nPHSozKHiriYzKWj419ohMmro2g7cJUBW_kTXflHaJJ4/s1600/IMG_3336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQ9C_EMvNTwLPoDOPoTTN00QRi8gMvoMStmZYTmMFphPiTZMjZCbDdx_JEkt9SLuO18EMpggjKkQBdKfUtIO9gFrfQPT1aO_nPHSozKHiriYzKWj419ohMmro2g7cJUBW_kTXflHaJJ4/s320/IMG_3336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">The most awesome part of the night: board-breaking! Lin broke both her boards (one punching, one kicking) on the first try! Way to go!!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ_dPdaoJa7rsNy6axPObqiiITLg11B86G3lLGase6Blep7G4nDZyekF99431cRUj4e5JgcXFNuZ0S5rmCcDcC4N2ReshjDQylrJd1YpXvxLw5MwQy6_pTH7QwT6a1bypNWWOez56hC0/s1600/IMG_3344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ_dPdaoJa7rsNy6axPObqiiITLg11B86G3lLGase6Blep7G4nDZyekF99431cRUj4e5JgcXFNuZ0S5rmCcDcC4N2ReshjDQylrJd1YpXvxLw5MwQy6_pTH7QwT6a1bypNWWOez56hC0/s320/IMG_3344.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center">And here she is getting her yellow belt!</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyrmuUVtmR77stwlKqZXfiaWvS5r_T3y0yL9wZTZpvJ1-rzU3CCnNYJL5SD11PrSQN0GfitYOjdLEUM0GNgSyMKgSNcd7VCBTJUlle7jdY6BZkoZYu22iOP867jr6aE3-tXurrXezNQ/s1600/IMG_3365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwyrmuUVtmR77stwlKqZXfiaWvS5r_T3y0yL9wZTZpvJ1-rzU3CCnNYJL5SD11PrSQN0GfitYOjdLEUM0GNgSyMKgSNcd7VCBTJUlle7jdY6BZkoZYu22iOP867jr6aE3-tXurrXezNQ/s320/IMG_3365.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Lin and her Tae Kwon Do Master. He intimidates the heck out of me, but he's got a great heart and the students all love him. </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">The best part of this evening was the board-breaking. It was awesome! What a rush -- I cheered for every student. And Lin was recognized in front of the whole class as one of the best breakers! All the black-belt judges got to choose who was the best at each different part of the test and one of the judges picked Lin as the best breaker! </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">I'm so proud of my girls!</span></strong></em></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-72800133944150449982011-11-23T13:10:00.000-05:002011-11-23T13:10:17.530-05:00Great BlogI have recently become a fan of Jen Hatmaker, a Christian author of several Bible study books, amazing blogger, and fellow adoptive mother. If you haven't heard of her, you'll love her. And if you have heard of her and you're wondering what rock I've been living under all this time, please forgive me, and welcome me at long last to the Jen Hatmaker fan club.<br />
<br />
Anyway, yesterday I visited her blog and read her most recent post, dated November 2nd (so again, if you're wondering about that rock, the ground under which I call home, my apologies). Her post is really directed at family and friends of adoptive families, and guides readers as to what <em>not </em>to say to adoptive families pre- and post-adoption (or "After the Airport" as Jen calls it). It is filled with both laugh-out-loud humor and startlingly heartbreaking truths. I highly recommend it for anyone who is in any way a member of the adoption community.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/11/02/how-to-be-the-village"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>You can find it here.</em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;">Read. Enjoy.</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><em>Happy Thanksgiving!!!</em></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-35564999856339799892011-11-21T09:16:00.000-05:002011-11-21T09:16:07.699-05:00Coming Soon...I promise I have new post coming soon... I am still here, nothing's happened, all is well. But I realize that it's been too long since my last post and I have some catch-up to do, so I will do a better blog post very soon.<br />
<br />
Thanks so much for all the comments and emails from my last post, by the way! And yes, Ruby will be switching to ballet! We've got to get the details worked out, but the decision has been made. I'm still not totally convinced that Ruby actually wants to learn ballet... I think she just wants to wear the outfits. But, whatever. The cost is comparable, the class time is convenient... So there you go.<br />
<br />
Happy Monday!Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-32846944207173245212011-11-08T13:20:00.000-05:002011-11-08T13:20:34.106-05:00A Very Painful Decision<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Ballet</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">or</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Gymnastics?</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(did I getcha? Hee hee)</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's the deal -- Ruby has been taking gymnastics since she was 18 months old, which means she is currently in her fourth year of gymnastics classes. I just think gymnastics is so very cool and I would love to see Ruby keep going with it, at least through her elementary school years. And I personally don't have any interest in seeing her do a team sport like soccer, so I've never really presented that to her as an option. Gymnastics has been it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But Ruby wants to be a ballerina. <em>So. Bad.</em> She <em>begs</em> us to take ballet classes. There is a dance studio where we go for gymnastics, so she sees classes there, plus a couple of the girls in her daycare take ballet. I have been putting her off whenever she mentions it, but she's starting to become really persistent.<br />
<br />
Oh, how I do NOT want her to switch to ballet! In my opinion (my<em> opinion)</em> gymnastics teaches her balance, strength, coordination. It's a sport. And ballet for 4-year-olds is a bunch of 4-year-olds twirling around in their cute little tutus. Ruby can twirl around in a tutu at home. <br />
<br />
I do think that Ruby's gymnastics class this year is just a repeat of everything she did last year, so it may very well be that she's bored. I am thinking about switching her class, which would put her back with the same teacher she had for the last two years. Or else maybe getting her into the 5-year-old class -- her birthday is in January, maybe she's ready to move up in her skill level.<br />
<br />
But she wants ballet!!<br />
<br />
So I need help. Please, someone tell me something I don't know about the value of ballet classes. Someone tell me whether I should let my 4-year-old make the decisions, or should I keep her in gymnastics because it's what I want for her (she <em>likes </em>her class and has fun there, so it's not like it's a battle to get her there). I need someone to be the rational voice for me, to make the pros-and-cons list for me.<br />
<br />
Decisions, decisions... Oh, the drama!</div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-51887056623144052572011-11-03T20:03:00.003-04:002011-11-04T04:52:34.238-04:00Happy Halloween 2011!Better late than never...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiuX_1KT6ckOS-NvC6C3eYNXOxkaWqDnfKQ8sDnTADl6KnmN4qQsaBitKrLRMaQZ9pIPjebyVXHPdc9X3hbfN-3B3vucyL96RxOy6SdqHewvAG6grAjwREJX8TeoLxeTyVsXk9Dh91ng/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiuX_1KT6ckOS-NvC6C3eYNXOxkaWqDnfKQ8sDnTADl6KnmN4qQsaBitKrLRMaQZ9pIPjebyVXHPdc9X3hbfN-3B3vucyL96RxOy6SdqHewvAG6grAjwREJX8TeoLxeTyVsXk9Dh91ng/s320/IMG_3057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heading out for Trick or Treating: Ruby as a fairy and Lin as Little Red Riding Hood</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNp0P-KUAXLsyNtFh1Ag2DpjBSVNGThKHIk2N63soNtFKOinRx4MDJnxhghsNDi18L-4llD0o8qEduk6cB7PoOiKTKAeaeAMEHz-yR3Ftwn6rur0bsHJQRggQ_fo8kaEuuNcZmjEH2UzQ/s1600/IMG_3058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNp0P-KUAXLsyNtFh1Ag2DpjBSVNGThKHIk2N63soNtFKOinRx4MDJnxhghsNDi18L-4llD0o8qEduk6cB7PoOiKTKAeaeAMEHz-yR3Ftwn6rur0bsHJQRggQ_fo8kaEuuNcZmjEH2UzQ/s320/IMG_3058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unfortunately, we don't get trick-or-treaters at our house so we always go to this neighborhood to trick-or-treat. I asked one of the residents of this area how many kids came to his house Monday night and his estimate was <strong><em>900 !!</em></strong> And our house, in a perfectly wonderful residential neighborhood, gets nobody. Makes no sense to me.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk0ae91Ji5XpSzAEuGNxKnU0E43oDJqgX7d5jsvIa3TWJvYU_XI_-okJH1UZG1eHq_EnTKr9xs885LRn-yeLxpBLAYOgZ4ZQNJINHgWCyg8MQbsZJo9F0D805t29L3jIvOXw1gLYgbYQ/s1600/IMG_3071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk0ae91Ji5XpSzAEuGNxKnU0E43oDJqgX7d5jsvIa3TWJvYU_XI_-okJH1UZG1eHq_EnTKr9xs885LRn-yeLxpBLAYOgZ4ZQNJINHgWCyg8MQbsZJo9F0D805t29L3jIvOXw1gLYgbYQ/s320/IMG_3071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave and I are sporting "Last-Minute-No-Money Costumes" this year. We did a pretty darn good job, don't you think? Dave called his look "Backwards Dude" and I called mine "Good Morning!" I even wore my cruddy old slippers. The red around my mouth was supposed to be smeared lipstick, but I can see now that it looked more like zombie makeup. Oops. .</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBeM-o93fZKEiiglEu7yQhSpwA00DE7WuTtolS_lQKwqp8TLEjn46OnBSmzW-eQQ5HP8jW60LeWSCRUHRQcLxhcT-g2riqT-4pJFWFCUp3cymGWJDfuU9CHJ8-7yX26BjbH3hBfTEH8E/s1600/IMG_3076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBeM-o93fZKEiiglEu7yQhSpwA00DE7WuTtolS_lQKwqp8TLEjn46OnBSmzW-eQQ5HP8jW60LeWSCRUHRQcLxhcT-g2riqT-4pJFWFCUp3cymGWJDfuU9CHJ8-7yX26BjbH3hBfTEH8E/s320/IMG_3076.JPG" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our last trick-or-treat house... Grandma Linda's house. Here you can see the girls' costumes in all their glory.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKvyFbWHtjf33csY3so8-2qAafOoBYhvoShkDrNBrcei3QO46wBpaZO52gxwBgvv6D8CUOhiBWjHBUnB_RKWnAodZW9ihrpw3OqAGMp1AoY_uWQo3_359WbAODtZsQKlyTcRG0K9hblo/s1600/IMG_3075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKvyFbWHtjf33csY3so8-2qAafOoBYhvoShkDrNBrcei3QO46wBpaZO52gxwBgvv6D8CUOhiBWjHBUnB_RKWnAodZW9ihrpw3OqAGMp1AoY_uWQo3_359WbAODtZsQKlyTcRG0K9hblo/s320/IMG_3075.JPG" width="221" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The basket was my idea, but the red-checked cloth was borrowed from Ruby's play picnic set. Borrowed under extreme duress, I might add. Do you think Ruby will <em>ever</em> stop coveting everything Lin has/uses/borrows/eats/wears ... etc etc etc?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0mKiIL-q1FT9VhVROlnQSYAJ_-soKjhx7k7np8ZCbcfbRcJoVD260xMDI5oUNSlyjwPQU6xUcYWjyThtdjcDQTiVQv0aDmzzsmYzXFqWmPTh2rqNTryQXx5zapSGvfqVNEoI4YskK28/s1600/IMG_3055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0mKiIL-q1FT9VhVROlnQSYAJ_-soKjhx7k7np8ZCbcfbRcJoVD260xMDI5oUNSlyjwPQU6xUcYWjyThtdjcDQTiVQv0aDmzzsmYzXFqWmPTh2rqNTryQXx5zapSGvfqVNEoI4YskK28/s320/IMG_3055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I couldn't resist posting this picture from Ruby's preschool Halloween party. What do you suppose Ruby is thinking here? The boy in the middle is the boy Ruby has informed me she plans to marry someday. They really are ridiculousy sweet together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: large;">Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!</span></em></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-58955680035245664272011-11-02T12:56:00.001-04:002011-11-03T20:07:28.187-04:00Pumpkins!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDxrRpSMMey0Y0CgLrC0td8OHUpwrr5H1sVrnbR6xD8SXA3-6FIshCblk13vy0MxOSwpY1b8AWdyi0KO8s0jbkgm3c7Dn_etInO9osOwuQESzRX8o1uPhMCly6s-BiCi_0ohaio1dRCY/s1600/IMG_3012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDxrRpSMMey0Y0CgLrC0td8OHUpwrr5H1sVrnbR6xD8SXA3-6FIshCblk13vy0MxOSwpY1b8AWdyi0KO8s0jbkgm3c7Dn_etInO9osOwuQESzRX8o1uPhMCly6s-BiCi_0ohaio1dRCY/s320/IMG_3012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6NCRoUBZs1kyWgWG7zK9toRdJ9lJes4yaNyuC_ML2Sk9E95XBiBB1s1lR-45ICV_7_YidjIyNxwyxW3rIBasoJD3VCy2_Iyy0Mg_HoJYm5H1uGCGH5nsl8orgzes9ZC-Pt1fAfr2698/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6NCRoUBZs1kyWgWG7zK9toRdJ9lJes4yaNyuC_ML2Sk9E95XBiBB1s1lR-45ICV_7_YidjIyNxwyxW3rIBasoJD3VCy2_Iyy0Mg_HoJYm5H1uGCGH5nsl8orgzes9ZC-Pt1fAfr2698/s320/IMG_3016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2bftW1AhYr_ZpM7yPTJ4rJg_I1uwOlNl9ffTOUQzOVjAindi0zZL2-f7ZcqV2DU9F4ikSWH-YHd6k_rRK3akIJzKpAaU6Dx-WQeiX_MV9XzS3bJTZYKfBekV__XTtrY-Xuzzs1-ojaE/s1600/IMG_3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2bftW1AhYr_ZpM7yPTJ4rJg_I1uwOlNl9ffTOUQzOVjAindi0zZL2-f7ZcqV2DU9F4ikSWH-YHd6k_rRK3akIJzKpAaU6Dx-WQeiX_MV9XzS3bJTZYKfBekV__XTtrY-Xuzzs1-ojaE/s320/IMG_3023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rWRlWRnFxMqb7xZygQ7Q-at4SzpR-Zme4RjvNCKPU-3Kob3CEuortZcYdO5kJNaX-VxERl70GUhSgoJOg-AO_egw8rnAcwfYLU5YTt04fy6d77gkxg9LvS7rYjyyZfex7UezwHl6ynY/s1600/IMG_3042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rWRlWRnFxMqb7xZygQ7Q-at4SzpR-Zme4RjvNCKPU-3Kob3CEuortZcYdO5kJNaX-VxERl70GUhSgoJOg-AO_egw8rnAcwfYLU5YTt04fy6d77gkxg9LvS7rYjyyZfex7UezwHl6ynY/s320/IMG_3042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-80407345730478838592011-10-31T09:09:00.000-04:002011-10-31T09:09:41.319-04:00I Heart ChinaEvery once in a while I find myself thinking about my life, taking a step back and looking at my life and my family, who we are, what we've become. The day I met Dave I knew that he was the one for me. I'm serious. I may not have realized it on a conscious level that day, but I can honestly say that in my heart, I just knew.<br />
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But I never would have imagined these two beautiful Chinese girls in our future. And how my personal corner of the world has expanded to include such a total love of their birth country.<br />
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I am amazed that I have become a person who can describe several Chinese food dishes as "comfort food." Growing up, I never even liked Chinese food. On our first trip to China in 2008 I struggled a bit with the food. I tried everything, and tried very hard not to be an American food snob, but I just didn't care for a lot of the flavors. Then when we started preparing to adopt Lin in 2009, Dave started really cooking a lot of Chinese food at home. And by the time we arrived in Shanghai in 2010, the flavors were so utterly familiar to me. I loved it! At this point in our home I'd say that maybe 60 - 70% of our meals are Chinese. When we adopted Lin, instead of teaching her to love American food, we opened our minds (and mouths) to true Chinese cuisine. That I feel completely comfortable in the Chinese grocery store amazes me.<br />
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I am amazed that when I hear someone speaking Mandarin it sounds familiar to me. I am certainly not fluent, and I may only pick up on a mere fraction of the words spoken, but it is a <em>familiar </em>sound. I'm not intimidated when I hear it. I tend to get a big goofy grin on my face and smile at the people talking, trying to convey that, even though I don't understand you, I love hearing you talk.<br />
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I have a favorite Chinese TV show. Isn't that crazy? But I do.<br />
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I guess I don't know why I'm feeling so philosophical today.<br />
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I just wanted to say, <em><strong>I Heart China</strong></em>.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4859475741200607598.post-90995638825053141642011-10-19T18:16:00.000-04:002011-10-19T18:16:38.907-04:00Ladies and Gentlemen... I Don't CookMany of you know that the guy I share my life with, aka my husband Dave, is a fabulous cook. I spent the first several years of our marriage trying desperately to prove that I am a good wife/representative-of-the-female-race and cook our meals for us. A couple years ago I decided to officially throw in the dish towel and declare to the Universe: I Don't Cook.<br />
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Here are some examples of what you get when Dave cooks:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ7COwoYOGSE2CbEnJDaW3DUcEyMWCIlo_dq6o3Ej-UOsGMXSHmJSIEJaxtfId1G9pB2F42YdMou3TkBTVWOIxqiHovoq33D9VBr5APHjm22i-rSWUc9xVrJ2qBcC4oH24vVG1raqkwg/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ7COwoYOGSE2CbEnJDaW3DUcEyMWCIlo_dq6o3Ej-UOsGMXSHmJSIEJaxtfId1G9pB2F42YdMou3TkBTVWOIxqiHovoq33D9VBr5APHjm22i-rSWUc9xVrJ2qBcC4oH24vVG1raqkwg/s320/IMG_2331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Hot Pot with beef, chicken, shrimp, veggies and noodles</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWUslloq8crm8E7INgJSnLdOULai_77KjFGwuvnGpbAOZRrGzm4p89hjCQ0y13db2RgOoFHiPEmJ5xJ5pHJUxuQLzzcKseDD61K6QkNaIQrZVCwxn51NZ3ym649rFkAdJIrRyCIwyGLQ/s1600/IMG_2272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWUslloq8crm8E7INgJSnLdOULai_77KjFGwuvnGpbAOZRrGzm4p89hjCQ0y13db2RgOoFHiPEmJ5xJ5pHJUxuQLzzcKseDD61K6QkNaIQrZVCwxn51NZ3ym649rFkAdJIrRyCIwyGLQ/s320/IMG_2272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Dan Dan Soup</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKclKf5lxVl0oTxWgJVNWhvBr2SFwaqsVRFIe0kG9mOugNDa6f2Hc0-0Qb0htQAfwyABqIFVkNTlxpVTIwPG5SoS420zziquI0qEm-mLFKHgBLC6zhfLDgNnUYj-WvPNqUYtWXUntVonw/s1600/IMG_0493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKclKf5lxVl0oTxWgJVNWhvBr2SFwaqsVRFIe0kG9mOugNDa6f2Hc0-0Qb0htQAfwyABqIFVkNTlxpVTIwPG5SoS420zziquI0qEm-mLFKHgBLC6zhfLDgNnUYj-WvPNqUYtWXUntVonw/s320/IMG_0493.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Steamed Barbeque Pork Buns</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjFdgJHP6hlhk7YSX7r7F22oAz2BJr2l-PwOyBEB1kQk1lxR4tEZQ_g4NQdBSHh-F3_LOfiles80Rd1xD2rDPNvTA24k6WQdZ0F_1zQQbqvG3ZYKZoriAFkDgSgKliwM8quRNyH_YE80/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjFdgJHP6hlhk7YSX7r7F22oAz2BJr2l-PwOyBEB1kQk1lxR4tEZQ_g4NQdBSHh-F3_LOfiles80Rd1xD2rDPNvTA24k6WQdZ0F_1zQQbqvG3ZYKZoriAFkDgSgKliwM8quRNyH_YE80/s320/IMG_1385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Chinese Feast (I don't remember the names of each individual dish...)</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Dave's specialty is Chinese cuisine, although he is also a master chef on the grill or in the smoker.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">On occasion, however, I am forced to provide dinner for my family. Here's what happens on those nights:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pigs-in-a-Blanket, a la Mama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Bon Appetit!</span></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10280134366395480979noreply@blogger.com3