Nutcracker

Cecelia is in her first ballet and what other ballet would it be at this time of the year except the Nutcracker...

She LOVES the stage and is completely dazzled by the lights, props, music, costumes, and excitement...today was the first of four performances...a school show...

Enjoy the pictures!

Cecelia in Washington, D.C.

Long time, no post, but this life of ours could not be busier...

Two weeks ago, Cecelia and I flew to D.C. to see our son, Jonathan, and his wife, Julie, and their new baby, Amelia...it was incredible...the best thing about having grandchildren, we have discovered, is not only the baby, but also the unbelievably, rewarding opportunity to see your children become the parents you could only dream they would be. We are love all over again; not only with the babies, but with our adult children too!

While in D.C., we also had the opportunity to go to the National Zoo, Harper's Ferry, and get in a little outlet shopping...all fun...

Enjoy the pics of Amelia and Cecelia!

Girls' weekend

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Each year(or so we try), 10 of my first cousins gather for a long weekend somewhere in the northeast...I have been unable to go the last few years for a variety of reasons, but did this year...it was Cecelia's first...this year we went to the Catskills..it was cold, well past-peak for leaf viewing, but fun...even if the two little ones with us both got sick...

just a few pics...

Dentist Visit

Today, Cecelia went to the dentist for the first time...we had been dreading it because not many of her experiences with doctors are very pleasant, especially those who work in her mouth...But she did well...a few tears, a lot of anxiety, but then she just decided to it seemed ok and let the hygienist check and clean her teeth...and the dentist too...the good news is that the little brown spots I saw on two teeth are related to her cleft and are not cavities...and that she also has no other cavities!!!! This is incredible as many of the kids from China have terrible teeth from poor nutrition, both prenatally and while in the orphanages...the bad news is that she is missing 3 baby teeth and the adult teeth are not there either...so, after her gum-line transplant, she will need implants...

She was so proud of herself and especially of the Sleeping Beauty toothbrush she received!

Dentist Visit

Baby update

Cecelia, Liam, and Amelia....enjoy

Kite Festival

On Saturday, our local FCC held a kite festival on Lake Ontario...it was the most amazing day for kite flying - lots of wind coming off the lake and nice temperatures too...Cecelia was flying a beautiful kite with a castle and a dragon that was left over from an older sibling(attics are wonderful places!) it was SOOOOOOOOOO high in the sky and she just jumped up and down with joy...until the string broke and her beautiful kite nose-dived in to Lake Ontario...

The sadness was short-lived once she realized that two of her friends were having fun in the sand...we had lots of sand everywhere when we got home...hair, coat, clothes, shoes, even inside the underwear! But a fun day it was! The pics are not so great as we need super-speed to catch these little three year olds in action...but they are a nice memory anyway!!!

The Little Mermaid

What is it with little girls and the Little Mermaid??? Cecelia's older sister, Kaitlyn, is almost 21...but she LOVED the Little Mermaid when she was little..and look who is following in her footsteps!! Luckily for us, we saved many of Kaitlyn's Little Mermaid things...so after a quick trip to the attic, Cecelia has a hat, tights, pocketbook, dress, doll, and hairbrush...and after a quick trip to Walmart...she now has undies to go with them!

If you look closely, you can see a scanned picture of Kaitlyn in DisneyWorld (in 1993) in front of a Little Mermaid shop...with the same hat on Cecelia is also wearing...what fun!!!!! Some day Cecelia might even get to meet the Little Mermaid in DisneyWorld herself!

Look at our babies!!

Summer is quickly coming to an end...but so many nice things have happened that it will be a memorable one!

First, Cecelia is going to be in the Nutcracker! She was chosen to be a cherub...too adorable! This picture shows her happiness after auditions...

Second, Liam continues to grow each day and becomes more and more adorable every second..if that is possible...

Third, Cecelia is an aunt again! Amelia Marie was born on August 24th to Jonathan and Julie...

Enjoy this little glimpse of our life!

Is it time for school yet?

more summer....we went to the zoo( Cecelia likes the statue animals more than the real animals)...Cecelia and her sister-in-law Gillian went out on a girl's date...she was so excited she couldn't sleep for two days (they both wore pink dresses, brown flip-flops, and each other's sunglasses and had lunch out...can you guess where?)...and Liam came over to play...

Summertime

We haven't done much this summer at all...but Cecelia still has fun...a green blow-up pool is a must and so is fun with Liam...(Cecelia and Liam's dogs also like the pool..but for other reasons than swimming!)

My Family

Cecelia has a large family...one sister, three sisters-in-law, four brothers, one nephew, and a baby niece on the way...her sister made this little cartoon of our family and I love it...can you guess who is who?

Dragon Boat Festival

Yesterday was beautiful summer day; perfect for a dragon boat festival ...our local FCC put on a wonderful day for the kids...a dragon boat parade, dragon boat races, hulahoops, bubbles, water balloon tosses, sack races, a perfect playground, and such good food!...we had the best time... that is...except for the minute when Cecelia discovered just what happens with water balloons!!!(see picture number two above)