Saturday, January 29, 2011

Changes in Sophie



Our family loves American Idol and Sophie loves to watch it with us.  She loves to sing and dance along with the TV.   Her speech has improved so much lately and we can actually  understand the songs she is trying to sing.  She also is all about crafts this week.  She will carry her little basket of art supplies around the house and color, cut, paint and glue for an hour.  She packs a bag of notebooks and crayons for each car ride.   She painted this picture of her Daddy with her paint brushes and art easel.  I thought it was quite impressive for a 3 year old.  She is also starting to become really interested in books.  I find her reading to her baby dolls and she is always asking to be read to at nap and bedtime now.  On her must read list is Cinderella and our new book , Sweet Moon Baby.  

Another post about eyes


"My eyes hurt mamma".  This is what Sophie says every morning as she is picked up and carried out of her bedroom.  There's nothing wrong with them.  It's just her way of saying the lights are too bright.  It's so precious and I just wanted to remember it.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Brown Eyes, blue eyes, my eyes, your eyes.....

Sophie has been all about things "matching" lately.  She wants us to have the same color plate when we eat breakfast, she pointed out that Camden and I are both wearing sweaters today and  she loves her PJ"s she got for Christmas that match her dolls.  The past few weeks she has been telling me, "your eyes are blue, ,me want blue eyes like mommies."  When I ask her what color her eyes are she says, "black".  I tell her that she has brown eyes like her Daddy.    She doesn't like that Madison has blue eyes like mommy and she doesn't.  She wants us to "match".  I"m not sure if this is the beginning of her noticing that she and I don't look exactly alike or if it's just her wanting to "match me".  I hope she knows I wouldn't want her eyes to be any different than what they are.  I think they are the most beautiful eyes in the whole world!




Ni Hao Yall











Sunday, January 23, 2011

Going Home Barbie

Finally getting to open the Barbie.


When you adopt a child from China you have to fly to Guangzhou to finish the process with the American Embassy.

  Most of the families stay at the White Swan Hotel http://www.whiteswanhotel.com/index.php?Locale=en-us.  They have a wonderful playroom that is sponsored by Mattel.  Before you depart from the hotel they leave you a special gift, A Going Home Barbie.  She is a Barbie with an asian baby.  Because we got two rooms, I was able to get two Barbies.  One has sat on Sophie's shelf in her room for two years now and one tucked away with special items we brought home from China for her.  For several days she has been asking for the Barbie.  This weekend we got it down and she was able to open it up and play with her.  Like most new dolls, she opened it, stripped it naked and then went on to the next toy.  

Saturday, January 22, 2011

She makes him cry


My dad is a great dad.  He loves his children, all of them the same.  He really loves his grandkids and they think he is the best!  If you ask Madison why he loves Pappy his response is, "because Pappy is always there for me.  I can count on him for anything and I know how much he cares about me because he gives of himself to me.  He always has time for me."   While waiting for Sophie, referrals from China slowed down.  We were told our wait would be 8 months, it was 3 years.  Pappy struggled.  He tends to be a worrier and he would talk to my mom about how worried he was that it might not happen and that he was afraid for me.   He was also the one who always asked if we had heard anything yet and if I was okay? Sophie is 14 years younger than his last biological grandchild.  He is in his 70's now and not as physically active as he was with the older kids,  but he is much more tender with Sophie.  She makes him cry.  If he thinks about her being in an orphanage, he cries.  If he thinks about her not making it home, he cries.  He thinks she is so pretty and he tells her all the time.  He also thinks she is smart and he tells her and all his morning coffee friends at McDonalds all the time. He brags on her constantly.  He is a good Pappy and I'm so glad that Sophie has him in her life.  Today he called and asked if she could play in the snow?  I didn't really feel like getting all her snow stuff on again but I told him she would meet him outside.  I want her to have as many of these memories of him as she can have.   Pappy is the reason my blog is titled what it is.  I'm 43 years old and my dad still calls me Doodle.  I can't remember a time in my life when he didn't.  He's a good Pappy. 





Friday, January 21, 2011

Fasting

On Tuesday my friend Becky and I made a pack to fast from the internet.  It wasn't something we planned on when we got up that morning, it just sort of came about.  I called her complaining how I just couldn't seem to get anything done lately; the house stayed messy, I was going to bed late which caused me to get up later which made me feel behind all the time.   She was feeling the same way and after talking it over we both realized what was going on, we were spending way too much time time  on Facebook,  shopping on the internet, blogging, reading blogs etc....It wasn't just on our computers, its also on our phones.  We had the  internet with us wherever we went.  We were constantly checking these things throughout the day and had to acknowledge that it was a great way to procrastinate.
 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything."   Because we felt we were starting to be "mastered" we made a pact to fast from all things online.  We had to check our emails because of things coming from the kids school but everything else we were taking a break from.  It was a little difficult at first but once I saw how much more time I had during the day by staying off the computer it was worth it.  Sophie was 5 minutes early to school instead of 5 minutes late.  The laundry stayed done, the house stayed straight, I worked out at the Y.   I just didn't realize how much time these things were taking.  So now that we are back to using our computers and Iphones, how do we not allow these things to become so addictive again?  For me, I am just going to limit how much time I let myself be on the computer.  I'm not going to even turn it on in the mornings.  Later in the day or in evening after Sophie's in bed I will probably be my computer time.  I'm sure it is something that I will always have to keep in check.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Breakfast







I love to go out for breakfast.  There is something about going out and getting a good cup of coffee and biscuits with gravy that just makes me happy.  We had no intention of doing that this morning but we made the mistake of having the Food Network on and there happened to be a show on the "Best Breakfast you can get".  Camden and I looked at each other and said, "let's go out."  We were going to go to Cracker Barrel but on a whim decided to go to Wagner's Pharamcy.  Waggner's sits on 4th Street directly across the rear entrance of Churchill Downs.  It has been there since 1922 and has served a many famous Jockey's, owners and trainers of some of the best thoroughbreds and Derby Winners.  I didn't know till I looked at the menu but the owner won a Throw Down against Bobby Flay with her famous omelet.  I was tempted to get that but had to go with my breakfast favorite, biscuits and gravy.  Another fun little tidbit is there used to be a hardware store next to Wagner's it was called Schobe's Hardware.  It had been there for years.  The owner of that store built my house and lived in it from 1949 till sometime in the 80's.  I'm sure they ate at Wagner's often.  It was a very satisfying breakfast.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow Day January 2011

Today was our 4th snow day of the year.  Sophie waited patiently for her brother to get up, I think she woke him up about 1130am.  I had told her earlier he would help her build a "no no man".  


Her brother was dropping snow on top of her head.

Here she is seeing the snowball he is about to throw at her.

Then what she had been anticipating all morning, the no no man. 



A couple of things

Sophie has outgrown her changing table.  She hasn't needed it for diaper changing for awhile but we have kept it because it has been a great place to sit her , put on her clothes, fix her hair, put on her shoes etc....Since new toys came in for Birthday and Christmas it was necessary to move the changing table out.  It was a little sad for me.  This was a place of bonding for us.  During diaper changes, after baths, we would lay her up here, give her baby massages with lotion, kiss her little toes and a place where daddy "always puts Desitin on the baby".  (He is big on prevenative diaper irritations has been since we had Madison)

The other day I  looked over at Sophie from my seat on the couch and laughed out loud.  She had pulled Aiden's  pants down and was pretending that she was going potty.  I told Daddy to look and without missing a beat he said, "don't let her pee on my speakers!"  Sophie looked at him very seriously and exclamied, "Aiden needs  go potty Daddy".  

I think she is finished.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Date night with my son

Madison and I are so much alike.   I could tell that he had some things on his mind so I asked him out for coffee.  Just the two of us spent a couple of  hours drinking black and white latte's and talking about everything from friends, to religion to colleges.  It was a good time with a great kid.  As he changes so do our roles.  Although in many ways he still needs parenting, he also needs someone to just listen.   It was two friends having great conversation.  I am looking forward to more coffee dates with my son in the future.

Friday, January 7, 2011

I've got the blah's

I wish I could blame it on the weather but that's not it.  I'm not sick or hormonal.  I've got an opportunity that requires a decision and I'm struggling.  I tend to over think and over analyze most everything so when it comes to making certain decisions, I can get myself stuck in the "what if's" and that causes me to be overwhelmed which causes me to be "blah".  Camden is great about helping me put things into perspective.  We are planning to spend some one on one time together this weekend so hopefully I can figure some things out and get over this mood.  I really hate feeling this way.  If that doesn't work I'll trying shopping or chocolate.  That usually helps.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Purging

The phrase, "opposites attract" describes Camden and I to a T.  Our personalities are completely different.  One thing that we've always had in common is we both hate clutter.  Watching the cleanup crew come do their work on an episode of Hoarders is like Nirvana for us.   New Years Day has always been a day of purging.  I have spent most of the day cleaning out my bookmarks folders on my computer, emails, I cleared about 30 + apps off of my iphone that were never used, and cleaned out my secretary where I keep all the family paperwork.  Camden has been going through clothes and de-cluttering our lirope out front that never got cut down.   This afternoon I will begin the process of purging the family budget and cutting out all unnecessary expenses.  It's easier for me to focus on the New Year when the previous years "clutter" is gone. We are making good progress so far.