MEMORIAL WEEKEND 2006

At last a long weekend. Mummy and Daddy were excited to have a rest. I shocked them with a 4am trip to the Emergency Room on Sunday morning. I had a nasty rash that had woken me up. The Doctor was very nice and told the folks that I had a viral rash that was going around and to expect it to last about 5 days. We went home and back to bed. I had to have medicine and special creams for a couple of days but I feel much better now.

Uncle Matt came over on Monday and we had a BBQ. Daddy cooked burgers and we ate brownies and cream. It was a good day.

No photos though. I was to splotchy for exposure!

Daddy took me to get a bike helmet. I got the pinkest one available, with bunnies on it no less! I'm stylin'. I cant wait to take Mummy for a bike ride! It's been very hot here so we need to get out on the trails and soak up the sun!

Mummy got my pool out the other day. She pumped it up and filled it with water. I couldn't wait to get in and see what the hype was all about. It was a bit chilly at first...okay so it was downright freezing, but I braved it, after all I am a Minnesota girl now! I love my pool. The girls across the street came over and jumped in to...fun times!

Mummy hasnt posted anything for a week...so here's an update

aaaaah, it's good to be home! On Monday morning we had our first 'post placement' visit. China wants to see how I am adjusting to Mummy and Daddy. I like our Social Worker Ava, she is really nice. I let her know I'm doing just great, but if she can do something about the international chocolate shortage that Mummy has been telling me about I'll be happy. I must learn how to write so that I can inform our congressman about this crisis. All I have left are memories of the chocolate ladybug I enjoyed...mmmm, I love 'chocies'. Mummy tells me that fruit is nature's chocolate. I'm not convinced!

The plane ride was uneventful.

Until the last 10 minutes.

I lost it.

we wont mention this again.

"Over there Sherpa Phill! We must make it to the top of the mountain before sunset!!"

Did I mention I have the coolest Uncle and Auntie? Uncle Phill is a kiwi just like Mummy. I think its nice to have a cousin who's a half kiwi too! Auntie Laura is going to have another baby in August...I'm going to have a GIRL cousin too! I sure hope she can wrestle like Rhys!

Happy 2nd Birthday Rhys!!!

What a cool birthday party! Auntie Laura made the coolest cake I've ever seen...a caterpillar!! Green icing rocks! Rhys got some really cool presents, the best one was a huge sandpit from his Daddy. Uncle Phill cooked lots of hotdogs and hamburgers on his new grill....it was really awesome. Rhys got a lot of construction stuff from Nana & David, I especially liked his suspenders and tool belt. Playing in the sandpit was fun, the dump truck was my personal favorite! I took a quick nap after lunch and then we drove to the airport.

Saturday night is 'wrestlin' night...Rhys and I had great time and I can proudly say that I took him out! Okay, so he got me a few times too, but I held my own!!! Rhys is a good hugger too!

On Saturday I woke up at 6am! Bright and early because we were going out to breakfast at Dietrich's, a cool little chocolate shop & cafe. I had a croissant, and eyed up all the goodies...mmmmmm....the lady at the shop gave Rhys and me a chocolate ladybug to eat...mine was gone in 20 seconds, Rhys decided to 'hold' his...'DUDE'! It broke my heart to see good chocolate go to waste in the hands of a loved one!

Oh..and I forgot to tell you...we went to CCAI in Denver...thats the adoption agency Mummy and Daddy used to find me! We met Lily the owner, she was nice but I was a bit sleepy and grumpy, but they all thought I was pretty cute anyway!

After a quick nap in the car we arrived at our hotel and zoomed up the mountain to visit with Uncle Phill, Auntie Laura and cousin Rhys! To my suprise Nana Pam was there as well!!!! We had a blast, Rhys is a lot of fun! I stayed up very very late. Wow, they live way way up in the mountains!

So...on Friday we woke up very very early and flew to Denver on a big plane. Daddy got upgraded to first class, which really means Mummy and I got upgraded and Daddy got stuck in the last row! I was a very good girl the whole flight. When we got to Denver Mummy dropped Daddy off at work and we went to see one of my buddies from Qujiang SWI, her name is Cali...she is my friend and it was really good to see her and her Mommy, we hadn't seen them since we were in China!. I got to see Jasmine too, that's Cali's sister! We had a really fun day. I got to eat steamed chinese buns in the shape of peaches...very delicious, although I don't recommend eating an ENTIRE one at once!

This is how much I love lil' Olive...Nana Pam sent Ollie to me and I love her! It's taken me a long time to warm up to cuddly toys, at first I was terrified of them, then I warmed up to a few in my crib and now I just LOVE Ollie! She lets me kiss and squeeze and cuddle her! Big Olive lets me do that too...but lil'Ollie can come to nap time with me! Schnauzers are excellent schnoozers!

Sometimes I take a long long nap, other days I just pretend...today Mummy is putting me back in my crib to try again, apparently I didn't meet the naptime criteria.

This weekend we are all going to Denver to see Auntie Laura, Uncle Phill and my cousin Rhys! Olive is not coming. I'm not too happy about that. Mum and Dad said that she really likes to go to the Hound Dog Hotel, and even though she'll miss us it will only be a couple of days before we are home again! I am going to bring my little Olive cuddly toy along to Denver so that I wont miss her too much.

I can't wait to meet Rhys, its his 2nd birthday on Sunday, I hope he likes me and wants to play!

Sometimes a girl just fancies a proper cup of tea! - check out the pinkie finger!

The other day Mummy had to go to the doctors, we made up a special backpack filled with fun things for me to do. I had trains and books and pink blankie, a water bottle, snacks and a pull up(just in case)...when Mummy put it on me I felt very special. It was a big heavy so I couldnt walk very far, and it made my belly stick out a bit. If I'm going hiking through Europe in the future I need to do some training! Nana Rosemary sent me my buzzy bee backpack...I love it, especially the zippers!

Happy Mother's Day!!...Mummy said it's the best day ever. It took her and Daddy so long to have reason to celebrate but I'm here now and that seems to make everyone happy! Mummy did say it would have been nice to sleep in past 7am but I was too excited to stay asleep!

Here's the best Mothers Day gift Mummy could have asked for(other than me!), a bike trailer! Now we can go for rides all around town and along the paved trails! Daddy wants us to get helmets too! I would like a pink one please...with sparkles!

Mummy is thinking of transferring her number plate off her car onto the trailer! She's a proud kiwi and says I'm a kiwi now too!(well, as soon as I get my citizenship)

I got my drivers license today in the 'Geek Squad' car at 'Best Buy'. I had such a blast at Best Buy, it's Daddy's favorite store of course. While Mummy and Daddy browsed throught the aisles in search of a battery recharger for the camera I drove around waving at all my adoring fans!

It's Mothers Day tomorrow and Daddy had some exciting things up his sleeve but Mummy found something she wanted at a garage sale and called Daddy to see if she could have it instead of a massage/car detail/fancy dinner?! Daddy said yes! I'll have to show you pictures of it later...the batteries are still charging!

I 'REALLY' am up to something, I just havent figured out what it is yet. Mummy is keeping a close eye on me today

I'm thinking of auditioning for the new 'little House on the Prairie'...Auntie Julie in Australia sent me this very sweet outfit! I'm still getting used to the hat! I can only pray that they think I have the right look!

The fantastic MayDay parade!

On Sunday we went to the MayDay parade in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun, I especially loved the big bikes, the trumpets and all the animal puppets and music, oh yeah and the dancing, and the wind dragon and the....well you get the picture!

I got to sit on Daddy's shoulders so I could get a better view...it was cool.

I love bagels..bagels bagels bagels! Blueberry, cranberry, sundried tomato, you name it. That bagel has my name on it!

Hmmmm...when I hear the word 'babysitter' I'm pretty sure there's something fishy going on!

Mummy & Daddy got a babysitter on Saturday night, I like her, she's very nice...but I'm not so keen on the folks when they LEAVE ME WITH HER! Thankfully I went to bed a few minutes after she arrived, Daddy put me to bed so I figured that I was okay and went to sleep. Mummy and Daddy went to a Virginia Tech Alumni Wine & Cheese night. They came home with a big basket of goodies that they won in a raffle.

I'm thinking of punishing them for leaving me with a sitter...even though I wasn't really aware of it, it's the principal of the thing!

When Mummy came home she checked in on me...apparently Mummy and I sleep like we are in a wrestling match! We both get tangled up in the sheets...worth a picture!

Tomorrow I will be naughty!

side by side comparison..it's amazing what color can do!

blue chairs you ask? Mummy loved them and Daddy agrees! We are going a bit funky this time around...check out the rug sample...CACTUS...did someone say retro? Curtains are next! Mummy is taking me to look at fabric today! Don't tell Daddy!

blonde is the new mauve(when was mauve ever hip? 1995!) Mummy picked a new chandelier for the foyer...it's just right, a bit bigger than the dinette light that hung there before. Daddy put matching sconces in the living room and we changed the door handles to bronze as well...whats next? Furniture and a rug!

Chapter two in a very long novel on interior decorating!...a little color on the walls, a few changes in door hardware and light fixtures. Mummy and Daddy can't wait to have a room to relax in. It's going to take some time! Hey, as long as there's a place for my toys I'm cool!

I do like the color though, I'm thinking of being an interior designer! Mummy thinks that would be fun!

A few weeks ago Mummy put the old sofa and red chair that used to be in our house on Craigslist and sold them within a few days. We don't have anywhere to sit just yet, Daddy says we are trying out being minimalistic.

today I ate dirt!

Mummy wont post pictures, she was too grossed out. Goodbye scholarship to Yale, Cheerio to being a Rhodes Scholar! I'm going to try chalk next! Mummy thought my tasting the dogs kibble was the worst, but I surprised her..potting soil looks so darn yummy! I'm just experimenting gastronomically.

Am I destined to be one of those kids at school who eats paint? We'll see!