Miss Meggie Teaches Preschool...

As the final project for Meggie's Child Development class, she and her classmates had to create activities for a Preschool Play Day, invite a bunch of real preschoolers, and...and...and keep them all from killing each other or catching the high school on fire, I guess. The high schoolers were graded individually on their performance during the Play Day and on their interactions with the kids.

I picked Carson up from his "real" preschool after lunch and brought him to the high school to be one of Miss Meggie's students. As we pulled up, I was impressed to see the high schoolers went through the trouble to decorate the entrance for the little ones.
I dropped Carson off and left. I didn't want to stay because I wanted Miss Meggie to have to be the authority figure with Carson, not me. When I came back, here is what I saw...
...Carson sitting in Miss Meggie's lap, listening attentively to the student at the front of the room. Bravo, Miss Meggie! How DID you get him to be attentive? After the speaker thanked the preschoolers for their cooperation and dismissed them to their parents, Carson dug into his goody bag and found...
...a whistle?! What were the high schoolers thinking when they put THAT in a goody bag? Yikes! Anyway, I thought I'd grab a picture of Miss Summer and Miss Meggie at their activity table where the kids decorated foam visors.
Since the high schoolers had to clean up the mess made by the preschoolers, Carson and I headed out to the parking lot to kill a little time...
...and he got awfully irritated with the slow pace of the clean-up...
...because he knew we were headed to his favorite dessert spot when Meggie was finished...
...our local ice cream shop housed in a giant ice cream cone!
In that last picture, I believe he was saying, "Come on, Mommy. Stop taking pictures. I want ICE CREAM!"
Ahhhhh, that's better!

Oh and by the way...Meggie got an "A" on her final project. Knowing her and her awesome way with kids, you can't tell me you're surprised.

Can Somebody Stop the World? I Need a Breather!

The LOA arrived via Fed-Ex on Wednesday, we signed the documents, provided the required copies for the immigration paperwork, and sent it all back. Now we have to figure out how to get the cash together, like, NOW! We thought we were looking at a 3-5 month wait for the LOA...it arrived in six weeks! GULP! It's OK...it will work out. I will move whatever mountains are between us and our baby girl, don't you worry!

Unfortunately, Tuesday at work -- about three hours before I got the e-mail that our LOA had arrived at our agency -- I was told that my workload at the College was immediately increasing so I could cover for a co-worker who was taking a family leave. (Increasing work, not increasing pay...where I work, nursing educators are salaried employees.) Suddenly, I have to coordinate the schedules of seven students who are finishing up their externship hours before they head off to graduation on June 19th.

Also, my sister Nikki is getting married tomorrow. (Wow, I feel old. I was fourteen when she arrived in this world and I distinctly remember the day she was born!) Since my kids and I are in the wedding party, that means we are spending today picking up Carson's tuxedo and getting things ready for the rehearsal tonight and the full day of festivities tomorrow.

Needless to say, I have left little time for blogging this week. Sorry to leave you hanging, my loyal fans.

Here's a teaser of things to come:

• An amazing rose
• Wet children and a clean car
  
• Carson first Memorial Day parade
• Nikki's wedding

Hope that's enough to keep you coming back for more!

Oh My GOODNESS!!!!!!!!

Got a surprise e-mail a few minutes ago...stating that our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) arrived today.

To those who don't "get" the China adoption world and all its abbreviations, the LOA means that China has accepted us as Molly's parents and want us to sign the LOA saying we'll accept her as our daughter. (Well, DUH!!) It also means we will be traveling to China in SEVEN TO NINE WEEKS!!!!!!!

Oh my...so much to do...so little time...are you KIDDING ME?!?!?!

I'll blog more later, but I just had to spread the word. (I'm blogging from my office at the College...don't tell the Dean...)

Don't You Hate Losing Great Neighbors?

When we moved into our current home four years ago and met some of our neighbors, I had an immediate feeling that this neighborhood was a great place to raise kids. I even distinctly remember regretting that we waited until Meggie was in the 6th grade to finally get into such a family-friendly subdivision. (We had lots of old people in our prior neighborhood...they didn't talk to us much but watched us closely through their windows!)

We immediately clicked with the neighbors in the house directly behind ours -- Kevin and Kari and their girls Macy and Tori. Meggie has made quite a bit of money babysitting those little girls, let me tell ya! When Carson arrived, he met Tori the day we got home from China. Remember their first car date that day?I will tell you that their friendship blossomed into the cutest relationship! They were almost like husband and wife at times...Tori bossing Carson around and Carson happily enduring it. She even taught him how to say his American name. He still, to this day, calls himself "Cah-son" because that's how Tori says it. So funny!!

Well, Tori's Daddy got a new job out of town and today was the day they moved away from us. Ugghhh...besides Meggie losing her steadiest babysitting customer and me saying goodbye to a great friend (Kari and I really shared some great talks), the biggest downfall of this move is that it is splitting up Carson and Tori. As a goodbye gift, I decided it would be cute to give Kari some framed pics of the kids together...so Meggie snuck out in the yard the other day and took a few pics of Carson and Tori together.

First she started with what I call the "prom pictures"...
...then the "silly pictures"...
...and the pictures that made the final cut for the framed gift...
While all of those pictures are adorable, that last one is my absolute favorite! Haven't they changed a TON since that first "car date" picture?! Wow...

When we gave the frame to Kari last night, she immediately burst into tears...which caused me to tear up a bit. Then she hugged us all goodbye and Meggie started crying. Great neighbors are such a gift and they will be sorely missed!!

So as Kevin, Kari and the girls head off to a new life down South, I hope they know how much we love them and how much they will be missed. Oh, yeah, and when they come back to town at Christmas time, Julie, Melissa and I will be fighting over whose house they'll stay in.

I already told Kari we'll have our basement finished by then and they'll get to meet Molly, so she should pick our house. Hey, I'm not beneath using all my weapons...

"...But It's BORING!"

They say that you get the truth "out of the mouths of babes." However, they also probably have some quote about how five-year-old boys will lie if it serves their purposes.

Yesterday, Carson wanted to stay home from school. Since I went to Florida for five days then came back and had surgery (effectively making myself useless to both of my children for a week), I've had a bad case of the guilts when it comes to the Little Man...and he knows it. And he's taking FULL advantage of it.

I agreed to another day of playing hookie and Carson was thrilled -- saying that school is "boring." I called Daddy and he took a half day of vacation. While I was at the chiropractor getting a deep-tissue massage on my shoulders and back (I'm still SO stiff), Daddy and Carson went to the playground. When my appointment was over, the boys and I had "China food" for lunch. Have to admit, I was glad Carson wanted to stay home from school...we had fun!

Today, I had a lunch appointment and then had to go to the hospital for a staff meeting, so Carson HAD to go to school. At breakfast this morning, he BEGGED me to let him stay home.

"PWEESE, Mommy. I stay home today. PWEESE?!"

Nice try, Little Man. You're going to school.

"But it's BORING!"

Oh, Carson, school is not boring.

"And nobody plays with me. They say I'm boring."

Who says you're boring?

"Everybody. School is boring and they say I'm boring. Can I PWEESE stay home?!"

After I laughed myself out of my chair -- if you've read any of this blog, you know that Carson is many things but boring is NOT one of them -- I told him he was making that up and he better eat his cereal so he wasn't late for school. He kept rolling his eyes and repeating the word "boring" in between bites of Fruity Pebbles. (Hey, I don't buy the groceries...but when he finds the good stuff in the pantry, it's what he picks.)

When I dropped him off at school and told the Preschool Director why he skipped yesterday (and how hard he tried to skip today) -- and the whole "they say I'm boring part" -- she laughed out loud! When I left him in his classroom, four girls dropped what they were doing and ran up to hug him. Oh, yeah, Carson, it looks like they think you're boring and they won't play with you...NOT!!

Let me check my driver's license, Little Man. I don't think I was born yesterday!!!
OK, I'll translate that into five-year-old speak. You totally made up that "boring" stuff and you're not skipping school any more!!!

What a crack-up!

A Special Anniversary...

Two years ago today Daddy, Meggie and I decided that this adorable face...
...belonged in our family. Truth be told, Meggie and I had fallen in love with "Pudgy"...as we called him...weeks before this date. But May 17, 2007 was the day we decided...after looking over his medical files and wrapping our brain around the idea of getting a BOY from China...to accept his referral and make Lu Qiu Feng our son. One of the best decisions we have EVER made, for sure!

Those who have followed my blogging over the past couple of years have seen quite a difference in the Little Man since that mugshot picture in the purple t-shirt. He was truly meant to be in our zany family, for sure!
Happy Referral Anniversary, Carson David QiuFeng!! We love you and we're so thankful God brought you into our family!!!

Do We Know How to Party...or What?!

OK, Meggie...you say I never blog about you. Well, you're wrong.

Last night, my friend Sarah told me about an Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic Outlet about an hour from us. She got a ton of great deals and was SO excited that she had gone there. When I told Meggie about it, she decided we HAD to go there today.

See, Meggie, you thought this was about Sarah, but that was just the set-up to bring you into the story. Be patient, child!

Since Meggie is working on her 50-hours-behind-the-wheel-with-a-parent for her driver's training, we figured a one hour trip each way couldn't hurt. So, off we headed. For some reason, I always get car sick when Meggie drives me in her car. I tease her that it's because her scary driving makes me queasy, but truly I don't know why it is. Anyway, I always have to have something to drink with me when we go driving. We decided to treat ourselves to a special drink today...
...ahhhh, much better! As we headed down the highway, the weather started to look a bit threatening. We were told that it wasn't supposed to rain. (Daddy is King of the Weather Channel.) Meggie got a bit nervous. Driving in inclement weather is not on her to-do list any time soon. We managed to get to the Outlet Mall without any raindrops. So far, so good.

Meggie, are you glad we're here? Ready to spend all that money you made last night babysitting??
Look how excited she is to spend quality time with Mommy!

We got an awesome parking space, right by the door, and Meggie managed to park her car without hitting anything. Great job, Megster! Then we headed inside.

Now, you gotta understand something about my firstborn and I. We love all the normal "girlie" things...makeup, manicures, styling our hair...but we HATE TO SHOP! We like to acquire new things...as in, walk in the store, find what we need right away and buy it...but we hate to meander around stores poking in all the racks, looking for a deal. We HATE IT!! This Outlet Mall was our worst nightmare. Miles and miles of disorganized racks, people everywhere...I literally had to walk away from her as she looked through the shorts and capri pants because I couldn't catch my breath from the claustrophobia of it all. After a few minutes of attempting to enjoy it, she agreed with me that it was not our scene. And we left.

Yes, we drove a full hour to spend about seven-and-a-half minutes in this horrible store.No kidding, Megster. I was as disappointed as you were!

To top it off, as soon as we headed back home on the highway (after getting me a Diet Pepsi at a local fast food chain...you know, car sickness and all) it started to rain. Then it started to rain hard. Then it started to pour!! At one point, it was raining so hard that I had Meggie pull off the highway and wait it out...we couldn't see the road and I was worried about her freaking out behind the wheel. Ugghhh!!

Eventually, we made it home. In one piece.

Meggie, we REALLY need to start leading more exciting lives!

Thankfully...Freedom...

I had my postop visit today with the neurosurgeon and got the all clear...all restrictions are lifted and I can go back to work! YEAH!! One would think that a gal might enjoy a couple of paid weeks off work with absolute restrictions against housework...one would be wrong! The more time I have, the more time I waste. Given all this free time, I did lots of Internet surfing, TV watching, and napping. (Guess I shouldn't admit that, but it's the truth.) My home office didn't get organized, my old magazines didn't get read, my closets didn't get cleaned...I just sat (or laid) on the couch and wasted two weeks of my life. Ugghhh!!

I'm still very stiff from being forced not to turn my head for the past two weeks, so I'm still afraid to drive on the highway. (Daddy took a comp day today to drive me to my appointment.) Guess I'd better get over that, though...I need the highway on Monday to get me to work!

Thanks to all for your well wishes and prayers...and especially thanks to our MANY friends from Church who fed us like royalty the past two weeks. We were truly and thoroughly overwhelmed by the generosity and promise to "pay it forward" when others are in need.

NEXT UP: Sunday is a special anniversary in our family. Any guesses??

Pretty Darn Cute...

Even though she broke my nose and required me to have neck surgery, gotta admit she's a doll baby. Take a peek at our budding golf expert...
Don't you just LOVE those ponytails?! So cute!! Thanks, Pookie, for sending me the pics!!

Sophia, Aunt Teresa still loves you!!

The Little Man Plays Hookie...

This is the first week I can finally drive after surgery. Ten days after surgery seems like enough time, but my neck is still so stiff that I feel like a danger on the roads. Yesterday, Carson and I overslept and, since he was going to be late anyway, I just let him skip preschool. Whew...one more day I don't have to drive.

Then we get to today. Nobody overslept. Carson got dressed lightning fast. He ate his breakfast without any playing around. And just as we were headed out to the minivan to go to school, Mommy decided that we were gonna "play hookie" one more day. But instead of just hanging around the house, we decided to have an adventure...
...which, unfortunately for Carson, had to start with a morning of laundry. (Hey, I'm not allowed to lift or bend over, so laundry is off limits until my follow-up visit on Friday!)
What a doll...he even cleans the LINT filter!!! (Hey, Little Man, can you teach Daddy how to do that?!?!) Since I can't lift more than a gallon of milk, Carson had to lug the clean laundry down the hall...
...and transferred everything up to the bed so I could fold it.Being careful to be sure there was enough detergent...
...pushing all the buttons to program the load...
...and calling for back-up?!?! Awwww, come on, Carson! It isn't that bad helping me, is it?!
After the laundry was under control, we headed to Carson's favorite restaurant for a lunch date...
...with a mystery guest...
...wait...who is that?
Daddy!!!!!
After a fun lunch with the Little Man, Daddy went back to work and Carson and I headed to a very special place...
...the tuxedo rental shop! My youngest sister is getting married in a little over two weeks and Carson is the ring bearer. It was funny to explain to him what his role is in this...he doesn't even know what a wedding is! We finally decided that he was going to wear a "handsome suit" and left it at that. Can't wait to see him in the full tuxedo!

After the tuxedo shop visit was over, we decided to cap our adventure with a little treat...
...milkshakes from Culver's! Carson, how is that "ma-nilla nook-shake"?
We'll take that as a "Yummy!" We had about an hour before Meggie got home from school and decided that we would end our day of "playing hookie" watching "Meet the Robinsons."
Ahhhhh, this is the life!! Hope you enjoyed it, Little Man, 'cause you ARE going to school tomorrow!! (Gosh, I'll be lonely...)