Roll Call: Who can share a positive thing about China?

The reason I'm interested is I'm soliciting suggestions. The world is full of negative forces. Media and other forces can amplify negativity (toy recall, pet food...), while totally overlooking amazing goodness. I plan to impart the positive side of the equation, in future posts. In addition to the amazingly adorable pictures and stories about Amy, I plan to spew positive ditties related to China. Every week, or more or less often, I plan to include links to things about Amy's birth-land, that are good. So please respond to this and future postings with things that you find are wonderful or nice about China. I will post links to the upper right, or postings to this blog as often as possible.

For starters, do you remember the beautiful star of Memoirs of a Geisha? Not a Japanese actress! Chinese! Zhang Ziyi is her name! And how about the Shaolin Monks, Tai Chi, Quigong and Tofu?

She's peeing in potties all over town!

Amy has peed in the bathrooms of Sakura, Hot Tuna, Citrus and First Landing State Park this weekend. She is a champ. She doesn't even remember the potty candy incentive any more. It is becoming natural. I'm so proud of my little potty pee-er. She ran a good fever from Friday night until Saturday. But today she seems back to normal.

I'm going Nemo and Happy Feet crazy. Can anyone recommend other DVD's that compare in holding a 2.5 year old's interest, while offering some needed diversion for Mom and Dad? I feel like I could recite the script of both movies!

No more diapers for Amy

Amy wishes Jacob a safe and pleasent flight to Houston Texas to receive special treatments. We can't wait until your immune system is strong, Jacob.

After the bad experience of trying to housebreak a yorkie and a deaf maltese, I was a skeptical about my ability to coach Amy to potty train. Well the little angel has performed like a champ, and has already said bye-bye diapers (except a pull-up at night). We only started this 5 days ago. I take no credit. I have gone with the potty training flow (advice) of my fabulous pre-school, and the geniuses there deserve the credit.

In honor of Jacob

I was going to write a little post about the adorable pictures of Amy eating her very first cob of corn. And I was going to write about the 7 (6 in photo below - but one came later), successful peepee-in-the-potty reward stickers. But I am stunned by the detailed news I've learned today about angelic Jacob, pictured with Amy in my post of June 10. Jacob is younger than Amy and is receiving major treatments for an aggressive form of cancer. God bless his Mom and Dad, who love him like he is the center of the universe, and who must be going through hell. Coincidentally, my friend Louise is pictured on that same post, and she is receiving treatments for cancer as well. God bless Louise and her family. Thank you for keeping Mom cancer free all these years. May Jacob's family and Louise's family be as fortunate as we are.

The weather oven broke, and it was a lovely high 80's weekend. Amy thrived on attention from Grandma, Aunt Linda and Uncle Mike

Summer fun! Where are the turtles and the dolphins?

Yesterday was splendid. We were out the door at 7:45 a.m. for a walk to the park. We went to go look for turtles (our usual), and to see if we could hook up with Daddy on his 10 mile run. We used to bat 1000, looking for turtles in the park. I haven't been able to find a turtle yet this summer. I know the water level is dreadful, so I'm sure that is driving the turtles away from our usual sighting spots. But where do they go?

Then we went to swim lessons, and Amy not only had fun, but she practiced theatrics! What a joy! Then we had family breakfast at Citrus, and then Amy and I grocery shopped for a picnic dinner to prepare for our evening boat ride. We stopped and told the manager of Food Lion, that Amy preferred shopping at Farm Fresh because they have carts with kiddy cars. He said we'll have them in November!!! Yes!

Then we had a lovely boat ride and picnic dinner. The only problem is that we haven't seen dolphins this summer yet either, and we used to see them on virtually every outing. Where are the dolphins and the turtles?

On closing, Amy is my honeybee.

Mommy tries her hand at face painting for the first time!

Look at this face!