1st Anniversary of Gotcha Day!

Today is our first anniversary of Allison's Gotcha Day. I can't believe a year has passed. It honestly feels like just yesterday we were anxiously waiting for our referral and then travel approval; and yet, it seems as if Allie has always been a part of our family. She is such a fun-loving child and she just loves life. Her favorite things are swimming, sand, Barney (she looooves the songs), music, dancing, fruit (especially apples), cuddling, outdoors, swings, riding on the back of my bike and trying everything her big brother does. We have truly been blessed to have this little girl as a part of our family. Today is a day to stop and remember how lucky we are. This past year has been awesome, tiring (stressful at times - saving the details for an upcoming post), busy, and fun.

My husband, while in China, purchased gifts & we stored them away in a closet. She received the first one while in China & each Gotcha Day we will be giving her a little gift from her birth country until she's 18. Most of the gifts are tiny trinkets (book marks, pens, fans, dolls, etc.). We read about this idea in an adoption magazine & loved it. So today will be the first time we get to give her one of the little trinkets. Fun.

We have a reunion/Gotcha party this Saturday with our travel families (we refer to each other as our China family). Who knew when we started our adoption journey we would also be gaining wonderful new friends? What a bonus! I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate this milestone together.

I'm ending this post with a little quote from one of the main characters in Anne Tyler's new book, Digging to America, as she reflects on her daughters first Gotcha Day (Loved the book BTW).

"When Bitsy looked back on Jin-Ho's arrival, it didn't seem like a first meeting. It seemed Jin-Ho had been traveling toward them all along and Bitsy's barrenness had been part of the plan, foreordained so that they could have their true daughter. Oh, it's you! Welcome Home! Bitsy had thought when she first saw that robust little face, and she had held out her arms."

Blogging moms day out (with the kids)

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day at the Philadelphia Zoo with two other blogging mommas (and Katie's friend Beth, a non-blogger). The kiddos had fun running around & being silly.

This was the first time that I've ever met someone, in person, that I met online (if that redundancy makes sense). As Katie (Maylee Beezir), Beth & I were waiting at the zoo gates for Stephanie (Forks and Chopsticks) to arrive we were laughing about how we introduce ourselves & how much it felt like a blind date. We were hoping that the day wouldn't drag on & end up being awkward for everyone. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. We could've chatted the day away, in fact, I think we did. I'm sure this is just the first of many future get togethers with the Forks and Chopsticks family - I think we've convinced them to attend next year's CNY bash held by our adoption agency, and maybe even a scrapbooking weekend this fall.

So, the blind date went very well - especially for Brent & Leah, notice the hand holding. Too cute! Leah said that she liked Brent because he picked her hat up 2X when she dropped it. I guess chivalry isn't dead.

And yes, that's Katie as the Koala bear. Why? Because her daughter wanted to be a Koala & then decided not to. So Katie, being the good mommy, did it for her. You gotta love a grown woman who has the hutzpah to walk the zoo in full face paint. Katie, YOU ROCK!

Shore shots...

We had an awesome time in Ocean City, NJ - our second year vacationing there. OC is a great beach town for families - not many teenagers or young party crowds, since the island is dry (yep, no alcohol). It would have been nice to enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine at night, but it's certainly a small price to pay for the clean family friendly atmosphere for the kidlets. The kids enjoyed the Pirate Adventure, where they hunted for a sunken treasure in the bay and had to fight off an evil pirate, who was trying to steal the treasures, with water cannons. So much fun!

Back from vacation & my beach book reviews

I received several emails asking my opinion of the books listed in a previous post, so here are my lame book reviews. (I've quoted reviews from Amazon as a brief description & then added my 2 cents - that's about what it's worth.) I'm always looking for book suggestions - feel free to leave me a the titles of your favorite book. Thanks!

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult:
"It's the story of Daniel Stone, a man who grows up as the only white kid in a native Eskimo village where his mother is teaching. Because of his race, he's mercilessly teased...and he fights, lies, steals and cheat his way out of Alaska. When we meet him 15 years later, he's reinvented himself completely as a mild-mannered, quiet, stay at home dad. His wife Laura teaches Dante's inferno at a local college; his daughter Trixie is the world to him; and he gets all that old rage out on the page as a comic book artist. Or so he believes, until a single moment of violence destroys his family - and exposes the past he thought he'd hidden." .....My opinion: Another good novel by Jodi, but not my favorite. An interesting book, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. But, I'll still be waiting in line when her next book is released. I'm giving it 3.5 stars

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene:
"15-year-old Doria and her illiterate mother, having been abandoned by Doria's alcoholic father, are stuck in a Paris housing project called the Paradise. Throughout, the strictures of patriarchal Muslim culture clash with a nascent feminist freedom and Doria's exuberant, sophisticated teen talk. This small novel reads like a quiet celebration within a chaotic ghetto." .....My opinion: Interesting book about a 15 yr old girl's angst & reminded me a little of Million Little Pieces crossed with Kite Runner (weird blend, I know). I really enjoyed Doria's (main character) biting humor and loyalty to her mother. I'm giving this one 4 stars.

Brick Lane by Monica Ali:
"This novel chronicles the life of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl so sickly at birth that the midwife at first declares her stillborn. At 18 her parents arrange a marriage to Chanu, a Bengali immigrant living in England. Nazneen accepts her fate, which seems to be the main life lesson taught by the women in her family. Over the next decade-and-a-half Nazneen grows into a strong, confident woman who doesn't defy fate so much as bend it to her will. . Brick Lane combines the wide scope of a social novel about the struggles of Islamic immigrants in pre- and post-9/11 England with the intimate story of Nazneen, one of the more memorable heroines to come along in a long time." .....My opinion: I really enjoyed this book - at times it was a little slow (not English Patient movie slow) but a little slow nonetheless. For those of you, like me, who love to see the world through someone else's culture, you'll enjoy this book. I'm giving it 4.5 stars.

Tagged...

I've been tagged by Kim, One More Makes Four blog, so here goes:

7 Things I Want To Do Before Dying:
Watch my children grow up
Go to grad school
be a grandparent
take a looong vacation & RV-it across America
Go on a Mediterranean cruise
See the world acknowledge & make significant changes to stop global warming
Do a mission with Heifer Int'l

7 Things I Can Not Do:
sing (stolen from Kim)
program the VCR/DVD recorder
tolerate rude behavior
listen to opera or classical music
ski
math without a calculator
tan

7 Things I Can Do:
operate power tools
home improvements & repairs
make a mean pot of soup
drive a stick shift
cry at a commercial
listen
trust my intuition

7 Things That Attracted Me To My Husband
He was a great friend (stolen from Kim)
his generosity
his honesty
his humor (which is endless, and sometimes annoying)
his childlike qualities
his loyalty
his integrity

7 Things I Say Most Often
thank you
love you
Who loves you?
give me a kiss
take one more bite
can someone let the dog(s) in/out
five more minutes

7 Books That I Love
Girl With A Pearl Earring
My Sister's Keeper
Keeping Faith
To Kill a Mockingbird
Kite Runner
The Da Vinci Code
Memoirs of a Geisha
(Shaoey and Dot - children's book)

7 Movies That I Love
Second Hand Lions
John Q
Sense and Sensibility
Remember the Titans
Finding Nemo
The Lion King
Gone With the Wind

Okay now my turn to tag.....

Beach Bums

That's us - beach bums. Well, at least for the next week it will be. We leave tomorrow afternoon for the Jersey shore (not very far away, but it's still away). Today was my last summer semester final exam & vacation couldn't come soon enough - I'm looking forward to reading something that isn't science related.

I picked up the books that I had ordered from the library today, ready for some late night reading - since we all know there's no reading on the beach when you have little ones. Here's are my beach reads:



























Of course I couldn't wait to get to the beach to break open Jodi Picoult's latest novel - The Tenth Circle - I started reading it last night when I was done studying. Well, I could've studied a little longer, but the book was calling my name. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her books!

Well, I've given the key to the dog/house sitter, did the laundry, cleaned the house and dug out the beach toys. I'm ready for some rest & relaxation.

Off to pack the sunscreen....