Wednesday, April 22, 2009

March madness and April showers


Well, once again it has been ages since I've posted to our blogs or ventured to blogland. Before I get too much more behind, I'm going to attempt to catch up and write about some of what our girl was up to in March and so far this April... The last couple of posts showed Lindy's goofy side and we continue to marvel at all her crazy antics, her ever-growing vocabulary, and zest for life.

Here's some of the March madness:

On the 14th, Lindy attended a super fun cooking birthday party for one of her classmates. She loves being in the kitchen at home and really had a blast making homemade pizzas and sugar cookies. She also loved the fun little personalized apron she received. It was great fun and I tip my hat to the host parents for being so brave and organized to pull this off without incident.




After Valentine's Day, we told her the next "holiday" would be St. Patrick's Day and the importance of wearing green so she wouldn't get pinched. Well, Lindy proceeded to dwell on St. Patrick's Day for the entire month. She even dreamed that I didn't dress her in green for St. "Packnship" Day and that she got "poked" as a result. The night before St. Patrick's Day, her dad assured her I wouldn't forget.

When the important day arrived, she ended up being disgruntled that she didn't have a green shirt on, even though she had green bottoms, shamrock socks, and a green and white bow...That kid...

Moving to April:

Lindy loved welcoming April by trying her hand at April Fool's jokes. She got a big laugh from them but, between you and me, her delivery needs a bit of work, as do the knock knock jokes she's taken a liking to.


April 3rd was the third anniversary of us being a family. How can it be that three years ago this little creature was placed into my arms? Lindy continues to delight us daily and astound us with all she knows and has become. We are blessed beyond measure and praise God that He chose this very special girl to be our daughter.
Fittingly, we spent the evening with other families who have been blessed by adoption or are waiting to adopt.

On April 5th, we attended our friend Ashley's bridal shower. Lindy is going to be Ashley's flower girl and she couldn't wait to attend this mysterious thing called a shower.


She behaved like a sweet little lady and had lots of fun! Thankfully, our friend Emily entertained her with her pink iPh*ne, too! The shower was during her naptime, so she missed some sleep but it didn't take long for her to zonk out in the car...

On April 8th, Lindy spent the day with her Auntie 'Sisa and what a full day it was. They colored eggs together and also baked the most adorable bunny cake you've ever seen and boy was it delish! Since our kitchen was torn up and being worked on, I wasn't able to do any special Easter activities with Lindy. I was glad she had this opportunity to do this with Denisa.



On April 9th, Lindy had her Easter party at school. She had fun doing crafts, listening to stories, and competing in the egg hunt. When there is candy at stake, the girl boogies.



As if there hadn't been enough fun that day, it was also Grandpa Osborn's birthday. Since he was in town laboring very hard in our kitchen (thank you SO much), we gave him the night off and took him out to celebrate his special day at the Cheescake Fact*ry. Lindy loves parties and was happy to be able to sing to her grandpa and celebrate with him.


On April 10th, we were invited to a barbeque at the home of our friends, Daryl and Lori. They were especially excited to have Lindy meet their neighbors' alpacas. I was expecting the alpacas to live in a field and figured we'd see them through a fence. To my surprise, we met Barnum, Bailey, and Barney up close and personal and Lindy got to feed them. We were told alpacas are kind of shy and Lindy quickly learned to be fairly quiet and not run after them. She was very brave and got right in there and fed them without hesitation.

This Easter, it was so wonderful hearing Lindy tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. She easily spoke of the empty tomb, the women who came to the cave with spices and found it empty, and the angel who told them to not be afraid. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful teachers she has at church and school who've helped her grasp the greatest story in the Bible. While we celebrate His death and resurrection every week and don't just view Easter Sunday as the one day to dwell on its significance, we welcome the opportunity to think about it more during this time of year. We also look forward to the arrival of the Easter Bunny and a small basket of goodies. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Caples for the adorable dress she wore for Easter!


While her Grandma and Grandpa Osborn were in town, Lindy learned to share the TV with Grandma so she could watch her favorite--F*x News. Truthfully, Lindy doesn't watch a lot of TV, so we are teasing about having to share. Anyway, somewhere along the way, Lindy must've caught the buzz about the tea parties on April 15th because when I turned it on to view the one held in San Antonio, within minutes I saw Lindy had set up her own tea party. Just another reminder to be careful about what we're saying, viewing, and listening to as this little girl has already voiced her political views at preschool!


Wow! I'm exhausted from trying to recall so many things that have been happening. Maybe that will be incentive not to wait so long to write. The days are busy, as well as the nights and sometimes they just spill into one another and before I know it, a month is gone. There are many milestones, moments, and memories I haven't written about that I hope I can hang onto, as well, but I hope you've enjoyed just a few of them.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Lindy Li discusses her mommy


I got tagged once or twice with this on Facebook and finally got around to interviewing Miss Lindy Li. It was very entertaining to hear her answers and surprising, too (14 and 15 especially).


Here's what you are supposed to do:
Ask your child(ren) the questions and type in their answers as they say them. Tag other folks with older kids who might have fun with this. :)

Lindy-age 3
Interviewed March 20, 2009

1. What is something Mommy always says to you? I love you.
2. What makes Mommy happy?
When I eat my lunch all gone and when I clean up my room.
3. What makes Mommy sad?
Breaking her stuff.
4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
By doing silly jokes.
5. What was your Mommy like as a child?
A little girl.
6. How old is your Mommy?
Mmmm...let me guess. 28
7. How tall is your Mommy?
Well, she's kind of short.
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Snuggle.
9. What does your Mommy do when you're not around?
She works.
10. If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being a princess.
11. What is your Mommy really good at?
Cooking...You're the best cooker.
12. What is your Mommy not very good at?
Does it start with a t? Well, I don't know...
13. What does your Mommy do for her job?
Go grocery shopping.
14. What is your Mommy's favorite food?
The bird? Red R*bin? I don't know. Chinese? What is it, Mommy?
15. What makes you proud of your Mommy?
I'm proud of you when you sew.
16. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Cinderella--the best of the best.
17. What do you and your Mommy do together?
Sometimes we watch movies, go to T*rget, and L*ttle Gym.
18. How are you and your Mommy the same? We have the same lips, toes, and privates.
19. How are you and your Mommy different? We have different skin, different eyes, different teeth. 20. How do you know your Mommy loves you? By snuggling and hugging.
21. Where is your Mom's favorite place to go? T*rget.

If you have kids, play along if you'd like. It is fun to hear their answers!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

What?


The other day Lindy walked into the bathroom (you can't see the princess shoes) looking like this and said, "Mommy, some cowboys look like this."

I'm concerned and a little mortified, too, on so many levels...

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

February Finale'


For a short month, February seemed VERY full...Since it seems like I keep falling REALLY behind on blog entries, I'm going to do a recap of some more of the February highlights rather than individual blog posts.

Lindy attended two birthday parties...

She helped Bethany celebrate turning three.

We were also privileged to celebrate sweet baby Elleanna's first birthday at a local tea room.


Elleanna's mommy brought special hats for the guests to wear.


Elleanna's brother, Declan, brought flowers for all the ladies and some fun girly things for Lindy. I can officially say that was Lindy's first flower and jewelry from a boy. On a bittersweet note we had to say, "goodbye" to our friends. They are moving back to North Carolina tomorrow because their daddy is scheduled to come home from serving in Iraq next week. We hate to see them go but know it is for a really good reason!

Lindy continues to explore her career interests. She has already told me she wants to be a teacher, a doctor (funny she's terrified of them), and just last week a ballerina. She loves to cook and it is an everyday occurrence for her to pull up a chair and help me cook. On Valentine's Day she helped daddy make pancakes.



She explored her doctor skills with new friend and nursing student, Katie.

She also shows signs of being a photographer. Nothing like having a three year old as the best picture taker in the household.



Let's see what else??? Well, as you can see in the last photo, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. My parents had really wanted to see Lindy in her own element again--cooking, imagining, playing princess, etc. They asked for it, they got it! From the moment they stepped foot into the house until they left, they were playing dress-up, princess, acting out scenes from Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, playing restaurant, and playing part in a half a dozen more scenes. I'm not sure I'd ever seen my dad play a woman before or dance at the ball. Such fun...

We took a couple hours away from the constant stage productions at our house (and in our car) to enjoy a yummy breakfast downtown and the stage production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. It was a lot of fun! I have to brag on my mom and thank her for making Lindy's darling pinafore.


Lindy also got her long-awaited mani and pedi. I hate how big she looks in these pictures. Where oh where is my baby girl? We had a lovely week together.

She also got a sneak peek at the flower dress she is going to wear for Ashley's wedding. I won't post pictures but I must say she looks very lovely in it and once it came out of the bag, she didn't want to put it back. Here she is after just seeing it.


These are just a few of the things that happened during February. Some days can seem mundane and even a little stressful but when I reflect and look back at these pictures, I also know there are many fun moments, too, and for that I feel so fortunate.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Meeting Grace Lin


A little over a week ago Lindy had the privilege to meet children's author and illustrator, Grace Lin, thanks to our friends Shannon and Bethany. If you aren't familiar with her work, she has written and illustrated many books. Most are about Chinese customs and culture and they are very colorful and fun!

Ms. Lin was speaking at a local elementary school and we caught the tale end of her presentation to the kindergarten group and her entire presentation for the first and second graders. She was great with the kids and we got to hear her read some of her work, learn about Chinese customs, and watch her teach the older kids how to draw an ox.


She was very sweet and accommodating to allow me to take a couple of pictures and autograph books. After her presentation she drew and autographed a picture of a rooster to signify the year in which Lindy was born and a dog to signify Bethany's year.



While I would've loved to snatch up a whole feast of her books and have them signed, I exercised some restraint and limited myself to two: Fortune Cookie Fortunes and The Red Thread (which somehow we didn't have).