I Really Can't Think Of Anything

We had a first this year...Lily sat on Santa's lap!

The Santa visit wasn't planned. Lily and I were at the mall to check out the awesome train garden. Lily loves train gardens and this one is really wonderful. We have literally spent hours there.

As we walked passed Santa Lily said, "Mommy, can I sit on Santa's lap?" I almost fell over from shock. Seriously. To date, Lily has either shown abject fear or complete indifference where the big man in red is concerned.

We hopped in line and there was only one family in front of us. Unfortunately, the little girl in front of us had a complete meltdown when she sat on Santa's lap. Santa handled it beautifully and actually started to "cry" himself. This took the little girl by surprise and they actually got a smile out of her...and a chuckle out of Lily.

When it was Lily's turn she just walked right up and hopped on Santa's lap like she sat on Santa's lap every day. When Santa asked Lily what she wanted for Christmas she said, "I really can't think of anything. I have a lot of toys and A TON of books. I've been trying to think of something. I just can't." This left Santa pretty much speechless.

When Lily was ready to leave Santa asked her if she would like a candy cane and she said, "No, thank you. I don't really care for them." Well, that just about did Santa in! He let out the biggest belly laugh. Strangely, it didn't sound a bit like, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

As Lily and I walked away from Santa she asked me, "Mommy, even if I didn't ask Santa for anything...I'll still get something...right?!?" I assured her she would!

Ho, Ho, Ho, Hat

This year, as always, we spent a wonderful Christmas Eve at Mary Beth and Ed's.

I *LOVE* our family's holiday traditions and it is in no small part due to Mary Beth and Ed's efforts. Holidays at their home are always so warm, happy, and fun-filled.

I know *A TON* of hard work goes on behind the scenes, but when you arrive at Mary Beth and Ed's you would never guess that. Every detail...big and small...appears so seamless. The minute you step in their door you are immediately enveloped in the holiday spirit.

Mary Beth and Ed are lovely and gracious hosts. From the grilled beef tenderloin and stuffed baked potatoes, to the beautifully decorated home, the cookie cutter place cards, the paper thin sugar cookies, to the pure and simple love that emanates from their home...everything is always picture perfect.



Each year at Thanksgiving Dinner (also hosted by Mary Beth and Ed) we draw names to determine who we will buy a Christmas gift for. Unbeknownst to me, there must have been a small asterisks on the slip of paper that contained the names that said, "Buy Hats!"



As you can see, there were a lot of hats given and received. What isn't pictured here is the entire array of hats that Beanie received and that Tony received a hat, too. Oh, and James is not wearing Dad Dad's hat in this picture. James is sporting his very own "slate".

Now, not all of us got the "give a hat" memo. In fact, James gave my favorite gift of the night...and it wasn't a hat. It was self-addressed stamped envelopes! That's right...self-addressed stamped envelopes.

James picked Lily's name to buy a gift for and he gave her an art set and self-addressed stamped envelopes so she could send him some of her masterpieces. Oh, and he gave her an Easy Bake Oven, too.

Isn't that just about the sweetest thing you've ever heard???? Self-addressed stamped envelopes???? I'm not going to lie to you I have tears in my eyes just typing that!!! I mean, how many twenty-something year old guys do you know who would do that???

Lily is only too happy to oblige James's request. I'm just wondering how that Easy Bake cake is going to fair in a self-addressed stamped envelope ;-).



Sometimes (most of the time, actually) I still can't believe how lucky I am to have the family I have! That is by far the best gift of all!

Christmas Tree Hunting...Sort Of

This year was a first for me. We bought our Christmas Tree from a lot...not a Christmas Tree Farm.

Christmas Tree hunting has always been one of my favorite traditions, but things have been a little nutty this year. So, instead of going to a Christmas Tree Farm and freezing while we searched for the perfect tree...we went to a tree lot and froze instead!

You know what? It turned out to be pretty fun really. It's hard not to have a good time with this little cutie around.



Oh, and it didn't hurt that this big cutie joined Lily and I on the hunt for the perfect tree.



And now for the important stuff...Suzy is home from the hospital!!!

O Christmas Tree

The first Christmas Tony and I celebrated together we discovered we had VERY different ideas/traditions on how to decorate a Christmas tree. It wasn't as simple as I like white lights and he prefers colored lights...it went much deeper than that.

You see, all my Christmas tree decorations were hand-made and Tony had boxes and boxes of store bought "collectible" ornaments.

I'm not going to lie to you. I literally cringed the first time I saw them. Somehow, miniature Model T's, Seahawk helmets, and Garfield ornaments just didn't say "Christmas" to me.

Oh, and it wasn't all one sided. I think it's safe to say Tony wasn't madly in love with my cinnamon ornaments, wooden candy canes, and miscellaneous ornaments from my childhood.

A funny thing has happened over the years. I've grown to love Tony's Christmas Tree ornaments. Okay, okay, not all of them...but a lot of them. They still may not say "Christmas" to me, but they do say "Christmas with Tony" and that's what matters. I think it's safe to say that Tony has grown to feel the same way about most of my ornaments.

Speaking of "my ornaments", for as long as I can remember my Christmas tree topper has been a corn husk angel. This angel was never meant to be a tree topper...but that's what I used it for...and I loved it.

Well, this year Lily decided she really wanted a star at the top of the tree. I have to admit I was a little sad to not put my angel on the top of the tree. But, hey, if I can learn to love a Seahawk ornament I think I can adjust to a star on the top of the tree. Right?!?



There was just one little problem. We didn't have a star to put on the top of the tree. So, Lily and I went out looking for the "perfect" star for our tree. We went to a few places but Lily could not find the kind of star she could "see in my mind".



Then, Lily had an idea. She wanted me to draw a star on a piece of yellow construction paper. Lily was very specific about the type of star she wanted. So, I drew the star and Lily cut it out. When she was finished she looked at it with a big smile and said, "This is exactly what I want on the top of our tree."



So, that is what is on the top of our family tree. I have to say I just love it and I really love that now our tree is a reflection of a little bit of each of us!

Activity Scenes

Lily's favorite Christmas "decoration" this year are all of our different "activity scenes".



She absolutely loves the 4 different nativity scenes we have and checks on each of them several times during the day.

Sometimes the animals need a little something or maybe Mary and Joe Fiss (Joseph) need to stretch their legs, or you get the idea. She doesn't play with the "activity scenes" like they are toys. No, sir. This is serious...absolutely precious...business.



Lily knows that they are Nativity Scenes and not Activity Scenes. She just can't seem to convince her mouth to say the right thing...and it's driving her absolutely CRAZY! Of course, I think it's incredibly cute.



Now, as for Joe Fiss. Lily says that without batting an eye...and I love that. There are so few things Lily says anymore that have the slightest hint of baby in them. When you talk to Lily it's so easy to forget she's only 4. I just love these little reminders!

On a much more serious note, Suzy has had a rather serious setback and is back in the hospital. If you can continue to keep her in your prayers I would be so grateful.

Katie, Katie, Katie, Katie, Katie, Katie

This weekend we went to Pennsylvania to visit Katie at school. To say that Lily was excited about the visit would be a major understatement!!

Tony, Lily, Katie, Paul, and I spent Saturday freezing to death enjoying Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. I seriously don't remember the last time I was that cold. I just shivered right now thinking about it!

I'm still wondering why I let someone talk me into going to Hersheypark in December. December?!? Oh...wait a minute...that's right...it was my idea. Obviously, I need a check up from the neck up!!

The good news is that the cold didn't hamper Lily's fun one bit. She was just happy to be with Katie, Katie, Katie.



Katie and Paul are so sweet with Lily and as I've mentioned many times before Lily is absolutely crazy about the two of them!



I think just about every sentence Lily spoke this weekend began with, "Hey, Katie...", "Katie I want to ask you something...", "Katie I want to tell you something...", "Katie do you want to sit next to me?", Katie...Katie...Katie.

Right now, I imagine Katie is hearing her name in her sleep. That is if she hasn't changed her name to Emily or Rebecca or anything but Katie!!

Santa Claus Comes To Our Town

Saturday night Santa Claus made his annual visit to our town. As he does every year, Santa arrived on the back of a fire truck. The other thing that seems to be the same every year is that Santa picks the coldest night to pay us a visit. Either that or I'm just getting old. Nah...he picks the coldest night. I'm sure of it!



We didn't hang around very long after the big guy showed up. It was just too darn cold. We went out for ice cream instead.

I know, I know. Didn't make sense to me either. But Lily said, "It's too cold out here. Can we go get ice cream instead?" Who am I to argue with 4 year old logic???

Dab Dab, Sabie, And Lames

Has it really been almost a week since Thanksgiving??? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's taken me so long to post about it.

As always, everything at Mary Beth's was terrific!! The company, the meal, and all the little touches that have come to mean "Thanksgiving" to me. Honestly. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday...and I blame Mary Beth for that!

A leaf for each of us to write what we are thankful for.

We are completely spoiled by Mary Beth. She is a wonderful hostess, a terrific cook, and she lovingly continues family traditions even though we tease her about it unmercifully. In many ways Mary Beth is the glue that keeps our family so strongly connected. Okay, so calling Mary Beth "glue" doesn't really do her justice, but I trust you know what I mean.

Lily wrote each person's name (or something close to it) on the front of a leaf. Hence the title of this post. That person then wrote one thing on the back of the leaf that they were thankful for. Dad Dad, Sadie, and James were good sports and wrote on the back of Dab Dab, Sabie, and Lames's leaves!

We all then went around the table and shared what we were thankful for. In case you were wondering Lily is thankful for frozen lemonade!?! Too funny!

Our beautiful place cards

Every family should have a Mary Beth. Sorry, you can't have ours!!!

This year, Clare's parents joined us for Thanksgiving dinner. It comes as no surprise that they are every bit as delightful as their sweet daughter.

Suzy and Sheila were supposed to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, they weren't able to.

The week before Thanksgiving Suzy had a fairly "routine" outpatient surgery that turned out to be ANYTHING but routine. She has really had a rough time. Several trips to the hospital and another procedure later she is now doing much better. Thank God.

When you are saying your prayers could you remember to include Suzy? I know she would appreciate it and so would I!

Born In The USA

The other day when I picked Lily up from school she said, "Mommy, you know what I noticed today? Jake, Sasha, Luke, and I have darker skin than the other children in our class."

Lily then proceeded to describe in great detail of the four children (including herself) whose skin was darkest, lightest, etc. It was obvious that she had given this *a lot* of thought.

I mentioned to Lily that Jake and Luke were both born in Guatemala and that Sasha's parents were born in India. Lily ran to her room and got her globe so I could show her where Guatemala and India are. This lead to a discussion about how people from different areas of the world have different skin colors.

For the next several hours Lily and I discussed skin color/race on and off. Lily is amazingly perceptive and insightful. I was surprised how much Lily seemed to understand. I always want to remember that conversation. It was so sweet and innocent...and complicated.

Here's a little snippet of that conversation, "Mommy, if Jake and I had a baby that grew inside my body...but was born in the United States...would the baby look like me or you?"

I answered that the baby would look like she and Jake. Lily looked at me with a quizzical expression and said, "Even if the baby is born in the United States???"

Obviously, we still have some ground to cover. :-)

Practice Smiling

As you can see from the new beautiful blog banners we recently had a fun fall "photo shoot".

Jason, my friend Erica's husband, met Lily and I at the horse farm and took a bunch of beautiful pictures.

When Jason was taking Lily's picture he told her what a beautiful smile she had and asked her if I made her practice smiling. Lily thought that was about the funniest thing she had ever heard. Lily said, "That's so silly!! You don't practice smiling, Mr. Jason. You just do it!"

Despite the fact that it was incredibly cold...Lily smiled, and smiled, and smiled!

Jason had just start shooting when who should happen to appear but beautiful Tara (the horse...not the rider). Well, let's just say Lily was a bit distracted.



We took a quick break so Lily good give Tara a little love.



I hadn't really planned on having Lily's picture taken with her coat on, but it was so darn cold. As it turns out, I love the photos of her in her pretty red coat.



Lily did take her coat off for a few minutes. Since it was so cold Jason told Lily just to jump around and have fun and we would take pictures while she was playing. That lasted for about 2 minutes and then the coat was back on! Brrrr!



Lily found a huge leaf while we were walking across the field. Once she found it she didn't want to let it go. In fact, she still has it. It's in her bedroom. Along with about a thousand other odds and ends she finds here and there. Shhh...don't tell the Health Department!



I can't believe Jason got all these great shots (and more) in less than 15 minutes. Did I mention it was incredibly cold?!?

Okay, so maybe the fence could be a little cleaner but I absolutely love this picture.



I saved my favorite for last. I just love Lily's expression. I think her love/awe of horses is so obvious and beautiful.

A Long Line Of Love

I am so, So, SO excited to share the wonderful news that Ryan and Clare got engaged yesterday!!!! We are all beyond thrilled!!



Clare fits in seamlessly with our family...but don't hold that against her! I won't try to speak for Clare's family, but my understanding is that they feel the same way about our sweet Ryan.



Clare is a beautiful, sweet, and lovely young woman. When I say beautiful, I don't mean Clare's obvious outward beauty. That is, of course, undeniable. What I am talking about is her inner beauty. Because that is where Clare's true beauty lies.



Clare is kind and gentle. She is patient and loving. She is funny and smart. Simply put, Clare is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. I could ever hope for in a partner for Ryan.



Clare and Ryan have always been incredible role models for what a young committed relationship should be. Their relationship is not one fraught with drama. Instead, their relationship is filled with mutual love and respect.



Ryan and Clare have withstood more trials in the time they have dated than many couples twice their age. Together, they have endured tremendous heartache and have found strength and comfort in each other.

It is has been such a privilege to witness their love story. I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings!

Congratulations, Ryan and Clare. We love you both so, so much!!!

Building Friendships

Several weeks ago Lily and I attended an outing with the Families With Children From China (FCC) 6 and Under Group. Lily and 3 other little girls really seemed to hit it off. That afternoon the other moms and I decided to make plans to get the girls together again.

We did that this weekend. 3 of the 4 families (one of the little girls was sick) met at The National Building Museum in DC.



I have to admit that I had never heard of The National Building Museum...and if I had ever heard of it...it wouldn't have been a place I would plan to visit. I'm so glad someone else suggested it because it turned out to be such a fun place!

The girls had a great time playing together. They built a 7 foot foam arch, played with blocks, designed LEGO creations, and giggled like...well...like a bunch of little girls!



After spending several hours at the museum we all walked to Chinatown and had an early dinner.

It wasn't only the little girls that had a lot of fun on Sunday. All the parents really hit it off. I think we'll be getting this little group together again soon.

Pumpkin Fun

We've been trying to make the most out of this beautiful fall...because we all know what's coming next...WINTER. Ugh!

Two weekends ago we visited a pumpkin farm and had so, so much fun!!! It was a positively gorgeous day and Lily took advantage of everything the pumpkin farm had to offer.











This weekend we carved up the fruits of last weekend's pumpkin hunt.

When I say "we" carved the pumpkins it's a bit of an overstatement. You see, I didn't carve a thing. Tony and Lily handled all the pumpkin carving tools.

I know I shouldn't admit this, but I let Lily carve her own pumpkin. She kept saying, "I can do it. I can do it." Other than actually sticking the saw into the pumpkin, Lily was right. She drew the picture and carved the pumpkin herself. Lily was/is incredibly proud of herself!



Can you tell which pumpkin Lily carved and which pumpkin Tony carved???



Um, yeah, Tony has a bit of a dark side. Why do you ask???

Deja Boo

Lily was so excited about Halloween!! She just couldn't wait to be Thomas again. Yes, you read that correctly. Lily was Thomas...again...and as cute as ever!!!



I really thought once Lily heard all her little girlfriends were going to be princesses or fairies she would change her mind. Nope. She never once waivered. I even tried to gently suggest other possible costume ideas. Lily looked at me as if I were crazy!

In fact, it seems for Lily that Halloween has become synonymous with Thomas. She's already mentioned wanting to be Thomas again next year...or maybe James. Hey, I can always paint Thomas red. Right???



Years from now when Lily says, "Mom, I can't believe you made me be Thomas two years in a row." Please come to my defense!

Happy Birthday, Dad Dad

Today is Dad's 76th birthday. Happy birthday, Dad!!!

It literally feels like just yesterday we were celebrating Dad's 75th. I can't believe how fast the days fly by!!



This morning Mary Beth, Lily, and I had breakfast with the birthday boy. In case it's not immediately obvious ;-)...that's a "birthday crown" Lily made for Dad Dad. Isn't he a good sport!?!

It may not have been love at first sight :^)...



...but it sure didn't take long for Lily to become absolutely crazy about her grandfather!

My Heart And My Head

During Lily's field trip to the pumpkin patch I was talking to one of the other moms. Sandy and I have been neighbors for years and have become really good friends since I became a mom. Sandy has 3 children and her youngest is Lily's age.

Sandy was lamenting that this would be her last time on a preschool pumpkin patch field trip. Then, it hit me...this would be my last time on a preschool pumpkin patch field trip. As silly as it may sound, Sandy and I literally sat in the back of the hay wagon with tears in our eyes.

For more than 35 years I was "child-free" and perfectly happy. Then, something happened. "It" happened. Almost overnight I went from being child-free to child-less. It truly was as simple and as complicated as that.

When I began to see myself as a mother I thought we would have 2 or maybe 3 children. I never really thought about having an only child. Never.

I am absolutely CRAZY about my siblings. For me, having sisters and a brother means I have built-in best friends. Friends that really get me. Friends that share my past and my memories and friends with whom I look forward to sharing my future.

I definitely wanted my children to have that same experience. I wanted them to have childhood playmates and adult confidants. One day I wanted my children to be able to call each other and say, "Isn't Mom crazy??? Can you believe she wore that outfit out of the house??? What was she thinking????" You get the idea.

For a few years we have looked into different options to grow our family. Changes in China's adoption program, our increasing ages, the uncertainty of fostering to adopt in our state, and lots of praying has lead us to believe we are meant to be a family of 3.

Trust me, I know just how blessed we are. Lily is truly a dream come true. She has made my experience as a mother so much more than I ever dared to believe it would be. I also know that if we had more children it doesn't mean that they would have the same relationship I share with my siblings.

I think it's just going to take some time for my heart to accept what my head already knows.

The Pumpkin Patch And Young Love

This week Lily's preschool class visited the pumpkin patch. I was able to join Lily and we had a wonderful time.

Much like Lily's recent horseback riding experience, what made this trip to the pumpkin patch even more fun was that Lily's new best friend was there.

These two little girls are absolutely precious together! It's young love at its very, very best. They are positively giddy in each other's company.

Riding a school bus, finding the perfect pumpkin, and a visit to the little country store were a lot of fun...but the absolute icing on the cake for Lily and Rebecca was sharing such a great day together.