Family Day

Finally getting a chance to catch up from the week.  Family Day was quiet but fun for Grace and I. We attended a local Snow Festival which was fun for a little while.  We saw a guy doing a tree carving and I pulled her around on the toboggan and we ate Beaver Tails but really there wasn't that much for a baby and a mom who is pulling a baby on a toboggan to do.  I think we'll wait a few years before going again.  Later in the day however my parents came for dinner.  That was fun and it was my first real attempt at cooking a whole meal since Grace has come home.  I think it turned out ok and at least no one went home hungry!  It was a nice way to celebrate Family Day.

I forgot to add photos of the book I gave Grace for Valentine's Day. For those of you that know me personally you'll see why this book was so appropriate.  I've only included the first few pages but it goes on to describe how I will teach her music and crafts, etc. and ends with how I will tuck her in each night because she means the world to me.  Got the tissues ready??!

Valentines Day 2013

My little cherub has yet another cold ( I don't how it happens, I swear we wash our hands 20 times a day!!!!!).  We kept Valentines Day a little low key as a result (coupled with the fact that she's only 18 months and has no idea who St. Valentine is!!!).  I made fried noodles with vegetables and pork, a favourite for both Grace and I, we set the table and lit candles.  Snow was falling softly outside so it made for such a great backdrop.  How romantic!!!LOL  

You can't see it, but we were having a beautiful snowfall outside our window. Beautiful mostly because I was inside enjoying a glass of Bailey's, not commuting home!

Notice the "one shoe on, one shoe off" look???  Get ready it's coming into fashion, my girl is trend starter!

 We delivered Valentines to all the people we love including Grandma and Grandpa, the cousins and my next door neighbours....

We made heart-shaped muffins for Grandma and Grandpa and the neighbours

Grandpa sharing some of his muffin with Grace

Could this be any more adorable?  

More CNY pics

A few more photos from Chinese New Year.  Grace handed out all her laisee (red envelopes with money inside) to her cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.  This is her latest trick, handing people stuff.  She loves doing it then claps her hands, all proud of herself, too cute!

There are so many captions I could add here, but most of them came out sounding rude!

Grace checking out her chopsticks from Mariange 

Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year 2013, Grace's first chance to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her Forever Family, yeah!!!
Grace and I have have been busy preparing for our New Year celebrations, buying decorations and food, sweeping the house, all the traditional chores and now the day has finally come.  We started the festivities with a trip to the Mandarin restaurant with Lynda and cousin K this past week.  That was quite the challenge as both kids wanted everything they could get their hands on from the table, including the paper place mats, cutlery, napkins, water glasses, you name it!!!!  Everything was piled high in the centre of the table where it was out of their reach but that didn't stop them from creating a clutter zone all over the floor of the restaurant around our table!!!LOL

getting ready to go!

You can't see it but we have about the same amount of "stuff" on the floor under our table as well!

Grace wandering around the restaurant.  Thankfully we waited until after nap time so it was almost empty 

Last night on New Year's Eve, my family met at my parents' place and I cooked a few Chinese dishes for dinner.  Grace and I set up the decorations and put red envelopes at each place at the table.  Instead of money we placed chocolate coins inside the envelopes, yummy.

Reach a little higher Grace!  Come on, you can do it!

Baby K in his Chinese outfit.  He was born in the year of the Dragon and it had beautiful dragons all over 

What a face!  Grace ate her birthday cupcake that Grandma had been saving for her in the freezer.  Pink icing, yummy!

The cousins in their matching pajamas!

My girl loves her noodles!!!!

After dinner we all went outside to light the Wish Lantern.  I made a secret wish, of course I can't tell you and maybe Grace made one too!  It was quite impressive to see the lantern heat up and then take off into the night sky! It happened pretty fast and I wasn't able to get too many shots but here are a few of us lighting the lantern.

Sunday was a very busy day with two New Year parties.  A few families who adopted from China at the same time as I did got together. Lots of good food and the girls all got a chance to play.  I have more pictures coming from my friend Tammy but for now I'll post this one.  The girls all looked so cute in their traditional outfits.

This would be my girl about to start a meltdown......

Later on in the day we met up with the families from my town who have all adopted from China as well.  Most of the kids are much older than Grace at this point but it's always great seeing them and seeing how the girls have grown.  We had a great dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.  My photos are on my phone from which I have no idea how to retrieve photos, so I will add them to this post if/after I figure that out!!!  I am still fairly stunned in the technology department!!!  
Grace needed a quick bedtime snack when we got home, a warm bottle of milk and is now sleeping soundly upstairs, yeah!!!!

Get Well Grandma!

As many of you know, my mom was in hospital for surgery earlier in January.  Once she came home, we wanted to show Grandma how much we care and wanted her to get well.  Grace got creative and made a photo booklet with all the ways she could help Grandma around the house.  It had pictures of her sweeping and vacuuming, taking out the recycling, unloading the dishwasher and folding laundry.  Here she is making the booklet with me at the kitchen table.  Grace enjoyed putting all the Frosty the Snowman and Disney Princess stickers on the booklet for decoration!

Skating Party

Just after the new year started, my friends Heather and Brian were kind enough to host a skating party at their backyard rink.  Grace may be a little too young yet to actually skate but she sure enjoyed the time outside with the other kids.  I pulled her on the sled while the older kids skated around us.  Afterwards, we had a good warm dinner inside with good friends.  Thanks Brian and Heather!

 So, I had left the sled outside on the back deck for a few days.  I thought, I better bring that thing in and get the snow off it before we head over to Brian and Heather's place.  I brought it just inside the back door and then got distracted by the phone ringing.  Grace was kind enough to bring it further into the house, onto the carpet in fact!  That was after first dragging it through the recycling that was waiting to go out!!  Thanks Grace, I know you were just trying to be helpful!!!;)

This was at the end of the party.  I think she's had enough!

A Prayer Request

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, hug your kids tonight.  Hug them and appreciate them for all their smiles and giggles and whining and crying and flaws.  Life can change in an instant and you never know what tomorrow will bring.  I went to a funeral visitation today for a twenty month old baby boy who passed away suddenly last week.  Even though I hadn't kept in touch with his parents over the years, it was one of the most difficult things I have done in recent memory.  All of the photos, the videos, the toys, books, and baby blankets that were on display at the funeral home today broke my heart.  Many of them were the same toys and books that I have here for Grace and that was really hard to see and realize how much a part of my life she has become in such a short time.  I can't imagine a day without her now and I'm not sure when that changed for me but it did.  At the beginning I loved her yes, I took care of her and enjoyed her and had fun with her yes, but she was like this little extra adventure that was going on in my life.  But now, she is my life.  I couldn't imagine going through what they are experiencing right now.  My heart broke for his parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles that were in such obvious pain.  It's days like this that I waffle in my own beliefs and I question why something like this happens, where is God during this.  I don't have a whole lot more to say about it other than to ask you to say a prayer for this family.  They are going to need strength and courage in the days and weeks to follow.