Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival

It doesn't get much better than today. Grandma is here, so Amy is in heaven. Mom came to Chinese school with me today, and we met Daddy and Amy at Town Point Park for the Chinese Tidewater Community/ Hampton Roads Families with Children from China Moon Festival. Mom can now count to 10 and say the alphabet in Chinese, and she also knows how to make mooncakes.

Pinch me. After participating in all these festivals during that arduous wait, this was joy beyond comprehension.

I am very impressed by the Tidewater Chinese School and Jow Ga Kung Fu School.

Thanks Don!

This is what happens when Don takes the reins.

Thanks Don for being so enthusiastic about adjusting your schedule and taking full responsibility. I've been traveling a little this week and I am so comfortable with you in charge. What makes me so happy is that you genuinely enjoy it. As I said, I'm the luckiest woman in the world.

If I don't see the spaghetti facial, clothing and hair treatment, I don't have to worry about it.

Thanks Don!

This is what happens when Don takes the reins.

Thanks Don for being so enthusiastic about adjusting your schedule and taking full responsibility. I've been traveling a little this week and I am so comfortable with you in charge. What makes me so happy is that you genuinely enjoy it. As I said, I'm the luckiest woman in the world.

If I don't see the spaghetti facial, clothing and hair treatment, I don't have to worry about it.

Wedding rings and birthday parties

Here's Amy with Mommy's wedding ring. See how the shiny metal and stones make her smile?

Amy went to a friend's birthday party on Sunday. It was her first one! Here she is dolled up in her red dress for the occasion. It was lovely Jaedyn's 5th birthday. Amy loved being doted on and fed by Naomi and Jaedyn. She also reveled in balloons, clapping at the happy birthday song, and most of all: cake. I forgot to bring my camera to the party, but if I can get some pix from someone else, I'll post them.

The beautiful Miss Amy

Isn't she just beautiful? Here's your dose of Amy for the weekend. I'm off to a weekend of bliss. Namaste.

Cute stuff and yoga

Amy has recently taken interest in stuffed animals. (Please do not send more - we already have a million.) Here are her three favorites, Peng-you the cat, Keiki the Westie, and Angelica the pink bunny. Here, also, is a photo of Amy doing some work with Mommy's keyboard. And lastly, Patricia took these wonderful shots of Amy with Chuckey.

Don, thanks for giving me a treasured break, by playing Mr. Mom so I can attend the Yoga Conference (link upper right) this weekend. I am the luckiest woman in the world.

Beautiful in RED

On Friday, the theme at preschool was "red". I was supposed to dress Amy in red, and we don't really have any school clothes in red. So, I whipped out her special red dress. Isn't she stunning?

Don doesn't usually get in the crib, but this was in a hotel and Amy was having a fit. He thought if he got in and modeled happiness in the crib that she would imitate. We all slept in the bed any way.

Here's the family shot from the race last weekend.

Also, here's Amy in Mommy's pants. Don't laugh, they are a size 4, but they look VOLUMINOUS up against her pea pod body.

Rock N Roll Half Marathon and Amy's first outfit

Hello from the land of the Rock N Roll Half Marathon. Well, Don likes to play by the rules, and I let his paranoia influence my decision to bail from the race. See they say you can't use a stroller, but for &^%$#@ sake, they say you can't use a portable music device either. So my alarm went off after Don left the house this morning, and I parked on 50th street. With about 14 Virginia Beach blocks per mile, that gave Amy and I almost a 4 mile walk to the end of the race at 5th street. Being a spectator is okay. We got to see the first male and female runners. They are mostly living twigs from Ethiopia. The attire is much different for these twigs too. The females run in bathing suit bottoms! I guess when you are a twig you don't chafe. Well, I wanted to go through the end as a runner would, so I could see Don finish and be with him, instead of being separated into the spectator area. Also, since I paid for the honor, I wanted the complimentary beer, the bananas and the medal for Amy. So, I jumped under the tape and into the course at 24th street. (Just over a mile from the end). Well, I never expected the incredible undeserved attention. I jogged it in at what looked like about a 1:35 ending. I was jogging at my 15 minute mile shuffle with a regular, small wheeled stroller, but it looked like I was a half marathoner who was probably just exhausted. Well Amy must think Mommy is a rock star, because the spectators were shouting, "Awesome Mom". Then when I crossed the finish line, the announcer said, "And we have our first stroller-runner finisher" , "Great job" he announced for the crowds. Then a race official ran after to congratulate me and confirm my name and pace. If I were really in the race, I probably would only have crossed the 6 mile line! Don is the rock star, as he finished in 1:46:10. Just 1:10 over what he said he'd do if it were perfect weather, his neurons were firing perfectly, if the barometer were just right, and if his metabolism were in the right circadian rhythm.

Lastly, here is a picture of the sweet little outfit Amy was dressed in when they handed her to us on Gotcha Day. And this is the current configuration of stuffed animals in her room.

Congratulations to Don, the fastest Daddy Amy knows. Next year, Amy and I are waking up with Don.