The Ladybug Picnic Preview...

I've had several people email asking for more details about the party. I am happy to share...

Ladybug and Daisy dress: Little Sweetie Boutique
Invitations: poem written and invitation designed by me
Happy Birthday banner: created by using scrapbook paper and ribbon
Party Circles: The TomKat Studio (printed, punched with 2" scallop punch and taped to lollipop sticks by me)
Themed Partyware: Modern Ladybug theme from Swanky Chics (mixed with other solid colored items)
Party Favors: Chinese take out boxes filled with sidewalk chalk and bubbles
Ribbon and scrapbook paper: Hobby Lobby (wait for 50% off sale)
Ladybug accessories: currently in garden section of Hobby Lobby (wait for 50% off sale)
Beverage dispenser: Crate and Barrel a few years ago
Menu (red/black/white/yellow/green):
--Ladybug bites with BBQ and polynesian sauce (chicken bites from Chik-fil-A)
--Polka dot pasta salad (red & yellow peppers, black olives, broccoli, sharp cheddar, Italian dressing)
--Deli Spirals
--Blue corn tortilla chips and salsa
--Ladybugs on a stick (halved strawberries, mini chocolate chips & blueberries on a toothpick)
--Red Twizzlers
--Chocolate cupcakes with white buttercream
--Ladybug sundaes (premade/refrozen: strawberry ice cream sprinkled with mini chocolate chips & Twizzler "antennaes")

I love to plan parties and this one was one of my favorites. If you have more questions feel free to email me. Happy Party Planning!

Happy Referral-aversary Mei Mei...

This time last year we didn't even know her face. We were praying for a miracle and chasing ladybugs in between.I had no idea March 27th would be the day. THE day we would hear the name of our daughter uttered for the very first time.Zhan Yang Su was her Chinese name. SHE was the one with the deep soulful eyes that stared back at us from the computer screen.
SHE was the one dressed in PINK with a little bald head and the smirky grin.
SHE was our daughter. SHE was their sister. SHE was the answer to many fervent prayers.
That morning we boarded one of the craziest roller coaster rides of our lives. One year ago at 11:23 am we became the proud parents of little "calm ocean" from Guangdong province. I cried tears of joy I didn't know I had within me in the days following her referral. The kind of tears you shed when you realize you've just witnessed and, in this case, been a tiny part of an enormous miracle. We have grown so much as a family over the past six months. We've taken many steps forward (and a few steps back) but more importantly we've done it all together as a family.

To our sweet and beautiful Mei Mei--
This day marks one of the best days of our lives. Thank you for being such a brave little girl, accepting us as your family and allowing us to see more and more of the real Mei Mei. Happy Referral-a-versary sweet girl. We love you all the way to China and back again a million times.

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Wild Man and Little Miss

Happy 2nd Birthday Mei Mei...

Today is Mei Mei's second birthday and her first birthday in the arms of her forever family. I still can not believe this time last year we didn't know her face. We didn't know where she lived or who she was but I felt certain that she was already born.

One day after her first birthday we received her referral...
and fell in love with the girl in the puffy suit with the beautiful eyes. Shortly after I discovered Mei Mei was being cared for by True Children's Home and within 72 hours of meeting her face, we awoke to these photographs in my Inbox...


What a miracle we had been given. You see, our little one didn't spend her first birthday alone in an orphanage as I had imagined. She spent it with cake, presents and people who loved her. In the world of China adoption, THAT was a miracle! Her miracle. Our miracle.

A few days later we celebrated her first birthday here on our side of the planet... along with Daddy's 31st...
and we imagined what it would be like to celebrate her 2nd birthday together in 2010. Fast forward one year and here we are. First thing this morning we sang Happy Birthday to her as we always do in this family. She smiled the smile that steals our hearts. The one with the crinkly nose, scrunched up eyes and her head thrown back in laughter. We all smiled the same smile back at her and she laughed even more. My how far she has come in six months. I'm sure I'll say the same thing next year on this day. I'm sure it will be just as true then as it is now.

And today of all days I am thinking of her birth mother. The woman who carried her within her womb. The woman who made a decision I can not fathom. I wonder if she is thinking of her today. I wish I had the opportunity to tell her how much we love Mei Mei. How our love for her grows with each passing day. I wish there was some way for her to know that Mei Mei is living within the circle of a real family. I wish I could tell her that we will make sure she is loved every day for the rest of her life. I wish, more than anything, I could say thank you. I pray that God will grant her peace if she is seeking it today and in the years to come.

Happy 2nd Birthday Mei Mei! Two years of life, six months together as a family and a lifetime to go. You have rocked our world, changed our tune and made our hearts grow in ways we could not have imagined. We love you all the way to China and back again a million times. We are so excited to celebrate the blessing and miracle you are to us and those who know you. Let the party weekend BEGIN!

UPDATE: Today's Cardiology appointment...

Mei Mei's ticker looks completely normal! PTL! Dr. M listened to her heart for a long time and did an echocardiogram afterward. It looked great on echo and he saw no abnormalities! YAY! He felt that whatever caused the spell was not a heart issue. He said occasionally children do crazy things like this and in the end we never find the cause of the spell. Of course that wasn't what this type A Momma/former PCCU nurse wanted to hear but the MOST important thing is that her heart is healthy. If we never find out why she decided to channel her inner Smurfette I guess I'll have to be OK with it. Thank you all for your prayers. We sincerely appreciate them all.

Cardiology Appointment Tomorrow...

Tomorrow morning at 10:20 am MeiMei has an appointment with a Pediatric Cardiologist. I didn't blog about it at the time but about two weeks ago she had a "blue spell" that scared the begeebeez out of us. It only lasted about 4-5 minutes but it was long enough to warrant some concern. She wasn't cold, choking or holding her breath. She was breathing just fine but her face gradually turned blue and her hands were blue as blueberries. To our knowledge she has never had any cyanotic spells, but then again, she's only been with us for 6 months of her almost two years of life. Sooo... all that to say, would you keep our sweet MeiMei in your thoughts and prayers in the morning? We would greatly appreciate it. I will try to post tomorrow afternoon when we know more.

Little Miss' Spring Program...

I love preschool program performances. LOVE LOVE LOVE preschool performances. I love seeing little ones sing with wild abandon for Jesus. I'm usually holding my breath and doing the motions with them once the music begins--kind of like their personal cheerleader. I guess, in a way, that's part of the job description (even in preschool).



The song was "I Love to Praise Him". Little Miss has practiced this song for months. Up until show time, she sang it at the top of her lungs proudly from start to finish. Every word. Then show time arrived. She walked out on stage and quickly realized there were going to be PEOPLE watching her. Not just her class' families. The whole preschool. Her proud singing voice was mysteriously quiet and her nervous tongue started rolling but she didn't forget any of the motions. Bless her heart...it was her first case of stage fright...but she didn't freeze up...she just went with it. YAY LM!

When I complimented her by saying "You did such a GREAT JOB singing, LM" she said, and I quote, "THANKS MOMMY but {my friend} was singing loud enough for everyone so I didn't need to sing. {PAUSE} but I "praised Him". YES. YOU. DID. LM. Yes, you did.

NOTE: The Chief was manning the video camera. Enough said. :-)

Happy Mei-Mei-a-versary...

As of today, Mei Mei has six months under her belt as Womble #5. Six months ago at this very moment many of you were watching this miraculous day unfold in front of your computer screens. I'm sure you were wondering what was going on half a world away. I can barely watch the slideshow without welling up. What a bittersweet day...
The day we met the daughter of our hearts. The one we waited years to meet. The same day her little heart shattered into a million pieces. I will never, in all my days, forget that day. Ever.

It has been a whirlwind since we arrived home from China. Our days have been viewed through the lens of "before China" and "after China". You can't experience a journey like China and not be completely changed by what your eyes have seen. What your heart has felt. I don't think it is possible. We are blessed--our entire free nation as a whole--and we don't even know it. We THINK we know it. We do not.

Over the course of six months, Mei Mei has experienced many firsts. Her first Halloween (as a ladybug of course)...
She has been properly (and beautifully) welcomed home by friends and family...
She has celebrated the birth of Jesus--the first of many years to come...
She has learned what the white stuff is all about...She has celebrated the Lunar New Year as an American citizen (with her pseudo-Chinese family--that's us in case you are wondering)...
and she is slowly but surely realizing that THIS family is forever...
I marvel at how far she has come since the day she was placed in her Daddy's arms. We are both honored and humbled to watch this little one unfold before our eyes. If I am perfectly honest, I know we have a long way to go but I continue to believe she will get there--that we will get there. "Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see". That is the verse that I chose for her long before I knew her face. It is still just as applicable today as it was then.

Happy Mei-Mei-a-versary sweet one! You have opened our eyes and our hearts to more than you could ever imagine. We love you all the way to China and back a million times.

Temporary Home...

I must have been living under a rock the past few months because I just heard this song. Oh. My. Word. Completely speechless.

Every single verse is beautiful and pertinent to where I seem to be these days. The first verse...a six year old boy in foster care...ummm--that's another story for another day. The second verse...a single Mom and her daughter reminding me of my Mom. The last verse...a sick elderly man reminding me of my Papa. He is still very sick these days and could really use your prayers. Now please excuse me while I find the nearest Kleenex box. They should put warnings on these types of songs. **WARNING: Listen at your own risk**

For Sale...

Almost four years ago I custom ordered this bedding for Little Miss' nursery. I was in LOVE with it. Actually, I still am. Outside a God sized miracle, there will be no more newborn Womble babies in this house. {Sigh...............let's pause for a moment of silence......................OK, moving on.}
I would LOVE nothing more than to keep it forever and ever amen but the Chief reminds me I can't keep EVERYTHING. I think secretly he's afraid we're going to be featured on an episode of Hoarders some day. ;-) With that being said, I hope to see it grace the room of another little girly girl in the near future...
The main fabric is Over the Moon (sage) by Covington Fabrics. I do not remember the specifics of the other three fabrics but they match the main fabric perfectly.One stripe, one floral and one chenille...
These images were taken right before the designer shipped it to me. It is still in EXCELLENT like new condition.
There is also a window valance made by yours truly...
and a skirt I made for the front of a desk we used as her changing table. You could use this fabric to make pillows, etc.I am planning to consign it but wanted to offer it to my bloggy peeps first. If anyone is interesting in purchasing this beautiful nursery bedding please email me here.

The perfect mudroom when you don't have a mudroom...

I have delusional dreams of a white beadboard mudroom with cubbies, baskets and lots and lots of coat hooks. Since the Chief says we're NEVER MOVING AGAIN I'll have to put that dream in a bubble. This house doesn't have a real mudroom but when we built it I had grand plans for a pseudo-mudroom. Long story short that didn't work out. Anyway. There is a wall in my back hallway that was screaming for something like this. I loved the bench and shelf from PB but the price tag is RIDICULOUS! Thankfully my pal Cindy turned me on to this one from JC Penney. I ordered it in December and it FINALLY came last week. WE LOVE IT! I ordered it in red (which is more of a dark red rather than a primary red). Anyway, it is well built, looks great and you can't beat $199 for a bench, wall shelf, bench cushions and six baskets. I'm not crazy about the cushions but those are easily changed. If you are on the hunt for something like this look no further.

Project Chosen

5 months ago at this moment we were on a plane en route to Newark, NJ. Three weary Wombles were counting the miles until we touched down on US soil. The time has flown by and some days I still can't believe Mei Mei is really here. Today her story is featured on Project Chosen. Click the above link to read her story along with many other families who have experienced the miracle of adoption.

Hmmmm...

Anyone care to wager a guess? The who? The what? The where? The how?

Threads of Faithfulness...

Every day throughout the month of February Jeanette at Threads of Faithfulness is featuring the story of one family blessed by adoption. It has been so encouraging to read their stories and visibly see the miracles that have unfolded within these families. On February 24, five months to the day we arrived home and became a family of 5, the story of our journey to Mei Mei will be featured. Please take this opportunity to read the stories of these beautiful children and the families who love them. I know you will be blessed.

Channeling her inner Mrs. Courtney...

Apparently SOMEONE stole my camera...I discovered this little rendezvous last night...
when I uploaded our pictures from snow day...In the interest of anonymity the culprit shall remain nameless...
but I'm happy to tell you it was a SHE...
and considering WHO was the subject on the opposite side of the camera lens...
and knowing the culprit was a SHE...
I bet you can figure it out...
Obviously she had a very willing model...
who was quite happy to pose...
and ham it up in front of the camera...
I think we have a budding photographer on our hands...
but I also think Mrs. Courtney needs to teach her a thing or two...about spinning the dial off the green box...
Mrs. Courtney (our resident photographer)...I think we're going to need a little assistance over here. Do you teach photography to preschoolers?

So Long January...

I have a confession. My name is Mommy and I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seriously. I think I do. It happens to me every year. I LOVE October, November and December. They are my most favorite months of the entire year and pass way too quickly for my liking. Once they are over--WHAM--it hits me! The Christmas decorations are packed away, the calendar turns to a new year and I fall into this icky winter funk. I get bogged down with all the things I want to do in the new year (and then I get overwhelmed because I put too many things on that stupid list). Then I start dreaming of spring time and daffodils and swim day and summer vacations. And I avoid things I love (like friends and blogging) and a few things I don't love (AKA laundry) until...

February shows up...Ahhhh...February. With the flip of the calendar I can feel my mood change.

February--
the shortest month of the year.
the month of LOVE.
the month where your hubby tries to find a new way to say I love you.
the month where my kiddos gift Snicker minis because they know they are my fav-o-rite (and I would never dream of disappointing them by refusing their generosity for the sake of calories)
the month where our family will celebrate a new family holiday...Chinese New Year!
the month where we start planning someone very specials SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Ahhhh...February. Maybe your not so bad after all. Maybe the marketing centerpiece of this month IS just a Hallmark holiday but it serves as my gentle reminder that I have a lot of people to love. Snap out of it sister. So long January! Go away S.A.D.! You are no longer wanted here.