Welcome Lily Anderson!

So a while ago we started talking about maybe getting a second dog so Chloe would have someone to be with during the day when we are at work/school. I held Malia off since we had vacation coming up. I told her we would 'talk about it' once we got back from vacation and she didn't forget. Since we have had such good luck with the dogs from a breeder nearby, I checked her site to see when she was maybe expecting a litter. It turns out she had some just ready to go to new families. We went there Wednesday afternoon to look at the adult dog for adoption and the puppies. We all feel in love with the puppies, especially the tan puppy. After thought, we decided to wait and think about it for a couple days. Needless to say we went back yesterday for her. We also had another single mom and her daughter join us since they were dog hunting. They decided to take home the sister to our puppy. It has been so much fun already and Lily is a sweet adorable puppy.

Camping at Lake Independence

So we tried out camping over the 4th weekend at Lake Independence. This was with others from the FCA (Families with Children from Asia) group. I am totally a suburb girl and my idea of roughing it is a motel instead of a hotel. I usually do not enjoying the outdoors unless I can be in the pool. However, Malia really wanted to try camping after seeing it on Kai Lan and Strawberry Shortcake. She thought she knew everything we needed to do after watching these shows. For her sake I decided to try it with this group since it is close to the cities and with a group of other campers.

Off we went on Friday despite the heat and humidity with the new tent in the van. It was amazing how much you need to bring for camping versus staying at a hotel. Anyway we got to the group camp site, found a location, and I managed to get the tent up fairly quickly and without issues.



On Saturday, the girls rode their bikes, played at the playground, swam in the lake, built sand castles, and toasted marshmallows for smores. The humidity was pretty high and there was a good chance of storms so I was planning to pack up and head home after the camp fire. However when we returned from the lake, Chloe had managed to tear out the tent window (from the outside) because she was mad that she was left behind. This was the final vote to ensure that we packed up. I am proud that we made it work even with the elements and it was a good first try at camping. I am even willing to patch up the tent and try camping another time when it is not so blasted hot. Malia had a blast with our group and the other kids.











We wrapped up the weekend with a Saints game where they have fireworks after the game. We did this last year and it was a lot of fun and it was just as good this year. The fireworks were awesome and end up almost right over your head. I almost started crying again this year during the fireworks. It is so touching to be sitting with my little girl and with the songs about America it just hits me how lucky I am to have her here with me. It was a wonderful end and the Saints also won the game and Malia even got into the baseball this year.






I hope everyone had a safe happy holiday weekend. My prayers go out to Deb who is eagerly awaiting her referral this week. She has been great during her painfully long wait and I can't wait to hear that she finally gets to see Sophie's face!

Disney and more...

We went on a trip to the beach and Disney (I know, again). We did a road trip this time in the new van. We had 4 generations in one van and we did MUCH better than I expected. We went to St. Pete's beach first for a couple nights and then to Disney before heading home.


The van...


Loving the sand!


Malia, Jude, and Buzz


Malia and Belle


No fear on the water slides


Universal Studios and trying (twice) to see the new Harry Potter section



And celebrating Grandma's 60th birthday!





During the rest of the time off work we went to the mall







Finally we had Malia's 4 1/2 birthday celebration






Now, on to camping for the first time with Malia.... stay tuned in for updates as I am sure there will be many stories:)

Getting updated....

Sorry, I have gotten really far behind on updating my blog. Here is part of the update!

First, we got a new car - well van actually and we love it.


Malia had her dance recital. She rocked it again this year.




We celebrated memorial day - thanks Joan, Elizabeth, and Ella

Bathroom Remodel and Photo Class

So we have wrapped up the last elements of our bathroom remodel yesterday. I painted and installed the new shower curtain rod. It looks awesome and I am so glad even the paint is now done although I am really sore today.





In addition, I am taking an online photography class as something for me. It is such fun capturing moments with Malia but she is getting a little tired of me with the camera so it was nice that I had this week as a break from class. It is so cute because Malia is also a budding photographer. She loves to borrow my camera to take some of her own pictures. Her aim is getting much better.






In addition, Malia has been doing fantastic with her activities. She LOVES gymnastics. I realize that she likes dance but loves gymnastics. I guess I know what she will be doing next fall. Recital for dance is coming up in the beginning of June and she just tried on her costume (over the dance leotard/skirt) but you get the idea. Finally, she is still going great with swimming lessons. She can swim a good distance completely on her own. She can also swim and flip from her stomach to her back by herself. It makes me proud to see how quickly she is learning.





We also had fun today at the baby shower for our friend Kami. She will be united with her daughter hopefully by the end of the month. This has been a long journey since she has been waiting 4 years. Our single moms group only has one member left waiting for her referral which should be coming in the next month or two. We can't wait to have the shower for Deb so our group is complete. I feel for Kami and Deb since their wait has been so incredibly long. They have been troupers!