Summer is Here!

YES, summer has arrived and so have the heat waves! The 90 degree humid weather is certainly a challenge when my little tot wants to run outdoors and prefers to water the plants rather than play in her pool. However, we manage to find weeds to pick, butterflies to chase and a few cloudy days where we take advantage of some cute photos in the woods.

Yes I know you love to get your Mommy soaked! Actually this is Kira's way of getting the camera out of her face!

Recently I found a really fun place to chase bunnies and take some photos. I grab the camera and try to get Kira to "work it" for me as I bribe her with a lollipop or cookie. She's so funny after a bit of suger and will put her hands on her hip and say "work it, work it" as I snap away. Here's some of the cutest photos I've seen:))

HOW I LOVE THIS FACE AND THOSE DIMPLES!

I sort of wonder how a child instinctively knows that a rain puddle was made so that he/she can jump in it. I still can't figure this out because I haven't seen it on Dora or Kai Lan, but then again I did the same thing and there were no TV shows to mimic, well a few perhaps. So what does a Momma do when her tot comes upon a puddle of water? I SAY JUMP AND HAVE SOME FUN!!! The smallest puddle allows for some great big smiles and adventures.

Before puddle
jumping

AND after, ah how good this feels!

Yes this does bring back some fond memories as I will admit I did this too! The cool puddles felt so good on my feet as I would splash and entertain myself so effortlessly. So watching this child of mine have so much fun this day made me glad I brought my camera to capture her childish enthusiasm for simple and real fun.

A Trip to Longwood Gardens

OH HOW I LOVE THIS CHILD!

SUCH A BEAUTY!

AND PRETTY SMART TOO, SHE KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY IS HIDING!

ALWAYS CURIOUS AND SMILING!

AWH, THAT FAMOUS LOOK OF KIRA'S.

THE GORGEOUS ORCHIDS OF LONGWOOD GARDENS

PREPARING TO GET A LITTLE WET HERE.

ABOUT 2WKS AFTER THE BIG BLIZZARD AND THEY STILL HAD ALMOST 3FT OF SNOW ON THE GROUND OUTSIDE.

INSIDE WHERE THE AROMATHERAPY WAS OH SO DELIGHTFUL TO THE SENSES.

MAKING FUNNY FACES.

WE SURE TRY TO MAKE SEVERAL TRIP TO LONGWOOD GARDENS A YEAR AND THE ORCHID EXTRAVAGANZA IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. IT'S LIKE STEPPING INTO A SPA WITH THE MOST DELIGHTFUL AROMAS OF SPRING FLOWERS AND MUCH NEEDED WARM HUMIDIFIED AIR AFTER A VERY COLD FEW WEEKS OF WINTER. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WATCHING KIRA RUN AROUND AND ENJOY MOSTLY THE WATER FOUNTAINS. THE LIGHTING WAS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND I COULD CAPTURE HER BIG BRIGHT EYES AT ANY TIME.

WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR AN OUTING AND CAPTURING SOME AMAZING PHOTOS OF MY AMAZING CHILD.

OH HOW I LOVE YOU SWEET KIRA!

Happy Valentine's Day

MAY YOUR HEART BE FILLED WITH THE GREAT LOVE THAT WARMS MINE EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

STUDYING HER TINKER BELL TOY

OH SHE'S MY DAUGHTER ALRIGHT, STARTING OUT THE DAY WITH A LARGE CUP OF JAVA!

NOW WIDE EYED AND AWAKE FROM THE CAFFEINE JOLT (CHECK OUT THOSE EYES) WE WENT TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS! KIRA LOVES FOR ME TO TAKE PHOTOS OF HER, BUT ONLY WHEN SHE WANTS THEM DONE!

CAN'T DECIDE WHICH ONE IS MY FAVORITE! SHE HAS THE BEST EXPRESSIONS, BUT THIS IS DELIGHTFUL, LOVE THAT DIMPLE THERE BABY!

TRYING TO GET OUT OF POSING BUT AFTER A FEW BRIBES SHE CONTINUED ON.

NOW IT WAS MY TURN TO BE ENTERTAINED. YEP, SHE WAS WORKING ME ALRIGHT, BUT LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

ON JANUARY 20TH WE CELEBRATED KIRA'S THIRD BIRTHDAY! I HAVE BEEN DELAYING WRITING THIS OR I SHOULD SAY DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT OR HOW TO WRITE ABOUT IT UNTIL NOW. KIRA SHARES THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS MY MOTHER, SO I WAS SO SAD WHEN I WENT TO BUY KIRA A CARD AND SAW ALL THE MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY CARDS THERE TOO. IT JUST HIT ME THERE IN THAT HALLMARK STORE THAT I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SEND MY MOM ANOTHER CARD OR EVEN GET ONE OF HER SPECIAL CARDS WITH HER HAND WRITTEN SENTIMENTS IN IT. I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND CRIED, RIGHT THERE IN THE STORE. I PRETENDED LIKE I WAS LOOKING AT SOMETHING ON THE VERY BOTTOM THERE, SO NO ONE WOULD CALL OUT THE LOONY TRUCK, BUT I SOBBED ALL THE WAY HOME.

HOW FAST SHE HAS GROWN, SEEMS LIKE JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN WE WERE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT HER ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE CLEARLY, YET NOW SHE'S SPEAKING LIKE EVERY OTHER 3 YR OLD. IN FACT KIRA WAS RECENTLY EVALUATED FOR THE 3RD TIME BY A PRIVATE SPEECH THERAPY CLINICIAN WHO WAS AMAZED AT HER COGNITIVE, RECEPTIVE AND VERBAL SKILLS. WE'RE THRILLED SHE DOESNT' NEED SPEECH THERAPY AT THIS TIME.



NOW I LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL CHILD AND THINK HOW FAR SHE HAS COME, HOW MUCH LOVE AND JOY AND MOTIVATION SHE BRINGS ME EVERY DAY.

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR KIRA, OUR DAUGHTER, MY INSPIRATION!

Two Years ago today I became a Mommy!

HUNAN, CHINA 2008

I HONESTLY CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT IT HAS BEEN EXACTLY TWO YEARS WHEN WE TRAVELED HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD TO MEET A TINY BABY NAMED MENG. BY THE NEXT DAY WE OFFICIALLY HAD ADOPTED HER IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND NAMED HER KIRA ISABELLA. IT TRULY WAS AN AMAZING JOURNEY THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET!

IT WAS THE END OF A WORK DAY FOR ME IN THE CARDIAC CATH LAB AND MY HUSBAND CALLED AROUND 5PM TELLING ME "YOU JUST BECAME A MOM", I GASPED, RAN OUT INTO THE HALLS (WHERE MY CO-WORKERS WERE) AND SCREAMED "I AM A MOM!" THEY ALL THOUGHT I WAS OUT OF MY HEAD, AFTER ALL NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THE ADOPTION AND THEY ALL THOUGHT MY DOG HAD PUPPIES! I THINK MANY WERE SURPRISED. ACTUALLY I HAD NO IDEA WE WOULD GET A MATCH AFTER WAITING OVER A YEAR AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AT LEAST ANOTHER 6 MONTHS TO ANOTHER YEAR, BUT WE CHOSE TO ADOPT THROUGH OUR AGENCY'S CHILD OF PROMISE OPTION AND THIS TINY INFANT NEEDED A CLEFT LIP AND PALATE REPAIR.

AS WEEKS WENT BY, I KEPT GOING OVER THE DETAILS, MAKING SURE ALL THE PAPERWORK WAS IN ORDER, VISAS, ETC. TO THOSE WHO KNOW ME WELL, THAT WAS A FEAT IN ITSELF BECAUSE I AM NOT THE MOST ORGANIZED PERSON IN THE WORLD AND IN FACT, I WAS LATE FOR MY OWN WEDDING! BUT IN JANUARY 6, 2008 I WAS UBER ORGANIZED AND EARLY.

THE MONTHS PRECEDING THE ADOPTION WERE FULL OF EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION. WHILE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME OVERSEAS, I JUST COULDN'T GET TO CHANGSHA FAST ENOUGH. MY HEART WAS IN LOVE WITH A PICTURE WE RECEIVED IN LATE OCTOBER AND AT THAT TIME SHE WAS ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD. I STARTED TO WORRY LIKE ANY EXPECTANT MOMMA, HOPING SHE WOULD BE OKAY AND NOT FALL OUT OF HER CRIB OR WONDER WHETHER SHE WAS BEING HELD IF SHE CRIED OR IF SHE WAS STANDING, WALKING. WHAT WORDS WAS SHE SAYING? SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT WE REALLY NEVER HAD ANSWERS TO UNTIL WE SAW HER AND THEN THE MONTHS OF WAITING AND HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS JUST FADED AWAY AS MY EYES WERE FIXED ON THIS LITTLE GIRL, BUNDLED IN FOUR LAYERS OF CLOTHES AND SMILING AS WE APPROACHED. SHE COULD STAND WITH HELP, BUT WASN'T WALKING YET. SHE HAD TWO TEETH AND A SOFT VOICE. HER FEATURES WERE PETITE AND DAINTY, SHE WAS SIMPLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHILD I HAD EVER SEEN AND I WAS INSTANTLY IN LOVE! MY HEART WAS BEATING FAST BUT SO WAS HERS, MY EYES WERE FULL OF TEARS; AND SO WERE HERS. I HELD HER TIGHT BUT SHE WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH ME AND KEPT LOOKING AND REACHING FOR HER CARETAKERS. I TRIED TO COMFORT HER, BUT SHE SCREAMED EVEN LOUDER. IN FACT SHE CRIED FOR HOURS TILL WE GOT BACK TO THE HOTEL AND I PUT IN A CHINESE LULLABY CD AND SHE LISTENED INTENTLY TO IT. IN FACT SHE STOPPED CRYING AND STARTED TO LOOK AROUND AT HER NEW WORLD. FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, ALL HER NEW EXPERIENCES WERE ALSO MINE!

THIS CHILD, MY DAUGHTER HAD GIVEN ME SUCH AN INCREDIBLE GIFT, THE GIFT OF MOTHERHOOD.

I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR THOSE WHO HELPED, INSPIRED AND KEPT MY DREAM ALIVE!

YOU ARE SO LOVED MY DEAR CHILD. I HOPE YOU WILL ALWAYS KNOW THAT!

LOVE,

MOMMA

Birthday Fun

PRECIOUS BABY

HANDSOME NICK

NICK TEACHING THE GIRLS HOW TO DRINK FROM A FOUNTAIN (NOTICE SARAH'S MAKING THE EFFORT)!  

AFTER SEEING HER BIG BROTHER GULPING WATER, SARAH GIVES IT A TRY!  I LAUGHED SO HARD WHEN I SAW HER EXPRESSIONS...SIMPLY PRICELESS.  NICK WAS OFF TO THE SIDE STARTING AND STOPPING THE WATER AT HIS SISTERS EXPENSE, BUT SHE WAS DETERMINED TO GET A DRINK IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY!  

TWO BABES PLAYING WITH THE FOUNTAIN AND HAVING SOME GOOD OLD FASHION FUN!

THESE TWO RAN AROUND AND AROUND AND AROUND...AND AROUND!

"GOTCHA", NO I GOT YOU!"

SARAH, I THINK YOU DROPPED THIS!  SARAH'S LOOK SAYS' IT ALL, NO WAY, THAT'S NOT MINE!

WELL, I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO SPEND MY BIRTHDAY THEN WITH MY DAUGHTER AND DEAR FRIEND LISA  AND HER TWO CHILDREN.  

KIRA ALREADY HAS A CRUSH ON NICK (OR NICKNE AS SHE CALLS HIM) AND SARAH WAS JUST AS FUNNY AS EVER WITH HER ANIMATED EXPRESSIONS.  WE TOOK THE KIDS TO THE PARK TO GET SOME PHOTOS, BUT IT SEEMS THEY WOULD RATHER PLAY AND PLAY HARD THEY DID!

I THINK WE NEEDED ONE OF THOSE HIGH POWERED SPORTS PHOTOG LENS TO CAPTURE THE ACTION.  BUT THESE WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME VERY FUNNY PHOTOS!