Jazzie and Tahlia

Baking

You probably know by now that I love to bake with the girls, so when I saw these cute little aprons I simply had to get them!

 Let's bake!

 

We did not make cupcakes but ended up with two pumpkin breads and one pumpkin pie.

After spending some quality in the kitchen with the girls last night, I felt like I had redeemed myself a bit since the night before was not a good night. It was far from the kind of bed time routine I like to have and I hated that I wasn't a better mother that night. However, last night was great and I have let go of what happened the night before. And so have the girls...

America's Next Top Model?

 

  

Can I just say...

...that I was a little sad I when I realized when the girls and I were at the Children's Museum today (they were off school because of Election Day) that they were too old for certain area's. However, I SO enjoyed the fact that they were so interested in area's they've been too young for up until now. We got to explore some area's of the museum that have been unfamiliar to the girls until today.

We spent a LOT of time in the area where the kids can learn about the way the city was in the 1940's. They loved seeing all the old fashioned cars, clothes, appliances, etc. We also spent a lot of time looking at how babies grow in utero and learning about the different stages of labor (it's all very tastefully done and at a level the kids can understand). Jazzie was sweet when she said: "I don't remember coming out of my Chinese mommy's belly, but I remember you holding me for the first time".

We had a great time at the museum today and after my post from yesterday I can honestly say that besides feeling a little sadness that the girls are growing up so fast, I am excited about this new "older and more mature" stage my girls have entered.

I loved and enjoyed my girls then:

 

...and I love and enjoy them now.

Moments

Wow, is it really November already? October came and went before I even knew it! I love the month of October. Absolutely LOVE everything about it. The weather changes, apples and pumpkins are everywhere and Halloween is here. I have really enjoyed last month. All our Halloween parties were so much fun, but they also made me a little sentimental. I was thinking about how I will never again go to a Kindergarten Halloween party since Tahlia will be in first grade next year. How Tahlia will never be at one of Jazzie's parties again, because she will be in school full-time herself. These are moments that I'll never have again. The girls are growing up so fast and the days are going by even faster. I am finding myself wanting to hold on to these kind of moments and wanting to remember every part about them. All the while trying to remember to enjoy all the moments that are still to come. From the big ones to the small, every day ones like watching my babies eat their breakfast before school:

And watching my baby Lily look up at me with her brown puppy eyes:

 

"Use your precious moments to live life fully every single second of every single day."
--Marcia Wieder

Halloween recap

Our Halloween festivities started in the afternoon with a party for the kids on the street. We painted Halloween shirts in our garage:

 

We did a pumpkin waddle race:

Jazzie got some help from a neighbor:

We played the donut-on-string game (I am telling you; it is always a BIG hit!)

 

 

Jazzie once again did not want to play. She was afraid she wasn't able to do it with all her missing teeth ;-)

Here are the kids getting ready for the "candy rain":

Here it comes!

 

 

The party was a great success and the kids had tons of fun! We suggested that since they already got all that candy from the candy rain, that we could skip Trick-or-Treat, but they didn't go for it ;-)

All ready for Trick-or-Treat:

Yes, we had two Cinderella's this year. When Jazzie saw Tahlia's costume, she decided she wanted the exact same one. I wasn't sure how Tahlia would feel about her sister being the exact same thing for Halloween, but she was excited. She exclaimed: "We can be two Chinese Cinderella's!".... And so they were...

My two beautiful princesses:

 

School Harvest Party

Both girls had their Harvest Party at school yesterday. Tahlia's was in the morning. I didn't take a lot pictures at her party, since I was working the craft table. Here are just a couple of her making a candy necklace:

After Tahlia's party we had lunch with Jazzie and while her class was at recess, we helped set up Jazzie's class for their party. Tahlia was very excited to be a part of the second grade party as well :-)

They made a cute votive holder by gluing squares of orange tissue on the glass holder... 

 

They decorated pumpkins:

Jazzie did not want to play the "eat the donut from a string game". Tahlia on the other hand joined right in!

 

She had a hard time getting the donut off, so Jazzie decided to lend a hand:

 
  
The kids voted on which pumpkin food they liked the best (pumpkin cookie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin ice cream, Pumpkin Peeps, pumpkin jell-o jigglers and pumpkin seeds):

Jazzie really wasn't too sure about the pumpkin seeds. She kept smelling them, but was too afraid to eat them ;-)

Both parties were a success! And now I need to get ready for the neighborhood Halloween party this afternoon and Trick-or-Treat tonight.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Pumpkin carving

The girls were SO excited to be carving their pumpkins last night:

It was Tahlia's first time using a knife by herself (for the most part). A little scary, but she did great:

Tahlia went a little crazy with her "boo's" :-)

Poker face

I can't believe that when Alex came over on Sunday he taught his little sister how to play Texas Hold em!!!

 

 

That's what big brothers are for, right? Teaching you important life skills ;-)

Help!

On Friday both girls will have their Halloween party at school. I am helping out at both parties and my job for Jazzie's party is to organize the "Perfect Pairs Game". It is a perfect pairs game.  Here is how it works: I will use construction paper to cut pumpkin shapes.  Then I need to make a list of perfect pairs.  Heres a few examples:  peanut butter and jelly, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Beauty and the Beast and so on. I will write one name on each pumpkin paper and separate the pairs. One pile will be used as decorations around the classroom.  The other "pair" will be taped to the bottom of each child's chair.  When it is time to play the game, each child removes their pumpkin from the bottom of the chair and tries to find their match somewhere in the room.  Sounds fun and easy, right? Well, besides the three examples I gave earlier I am having a hard time coming up with pairs that are appropriate for second graders. Please help! I need some ideas :-)

And speaking of Halloween, here are Matt and I at our neighbor's Halloween party last Saturday:

So proud of my girl

During Jazzie's first visit to the orthodontist a couple of weeks ago, it was recommended that Jazzie get four teeth pulled. Her teeth are crowding her mouth and the teeth on either side of her middle front teeth were not able to come down because her k-nines were in the way. So today I took Jazzie to her dentist to get the job done.

Jazzie was very nervous because she kept thinking about the last time she got teeth pulled. About a year ago Jazzie had 6 teeth pulled (including two extra baby teeth). We saw an oral surgeon for that since some teeth were still inside the gums and had to be dug out. I tried to explain to Jazzie that it was not going to be as bad this time, since the teeth that were going to be pulled were not inside the gums. But of course she was still nervous.

When we got there, the dentist pulled me aside and told me that since her teeth were deeply rooted, he wasn't expecting it to be easy. My heart sank. I was told it was not going to be a big deal at first, but now I wasn't so sure. But we were already there, Jazzie was prepared and I really didn't want to prepare her for yet another appointment, so we decided to go ahead and see how she would do. She got some laughing gas and a local anesthesia. She did great with that. Then it came time to pull the teeth and Jazzie did so well. Her legs were shaking, but other than that she did not make a sound. The teeth were out before I even knew it. I was so proud of my girl. She has gone through SO much and every time she amazes me with how brave she is and how well she deals with everything that is thrown her way. Even the dentist mentioned how he did not expect her to to do this well.

Jazzie has always been and continues to be my super star...

After biting down on some gauze she was given some liquid Tylenol which ran right out of her mouth because it was so numb that she couldn't feel it :-) She then got a popsicle for on the way home which she happily ate. However, she had melted popsicle juice running all the way down her chin and neck, because she couldn't feel it. By the time we got to school she was worried about not being able to eat her lunch, so I told her I would stay in case she needed help. I am glad I decided to stay because she couldn't feel the straw when she tried to take a drink and she had a hard time finding her mouth.

Once again Jazzie has a toothless smile and who knows how long it will be before they'll grow in. At only 7 years old, she has had 10 teeth pulled already. But since all this means that Jazzie will have beautiful and straight teeth in the end, it's all worth it. I hope the tooth fairy brings plenty of cash to leave under her pillow tonight.

School pictures

It has been a while since we've had a decent school picture of the girls, so I wasn't sure what to expect when the pictures came home on Friday.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jazzie's picture actually wasn't too bad. Sure, I now wish I had chosen a different color background and the collar of her shirt looks kind of messy, but the picture actually captures her pretty well.

Tahlia's picture on the other hand, is a different story. I do not think it captures the real Talley at all and I see a definite re-take in her future ;-)

 

And the winner is...

Jazzie helped me pick a winner of the LeCreuset loaf pan yesterday. I wish I would have been able to take a video of her doing so, but I am not able to upload video onto my laptop (I think I need a Flip!). So, I decided to just take pictures instead. I printed and cut out all the comments (I'm sure there must be a better and more high tech way to do this, but Jazzie enjoyed helping me cut all the strips).

She then put them all in a plastic bin...

She stirred them around and picked one strip (without peaking, of course!) 

And the winner is:

A closer look:

 

Congratulations to Briana's Mom! I'll be contacting you ;-)

What's wrong with this picture?

Jazzie needed some cheap tennis shoes to wear when playing outside. She has outgrown all her old shoes and I did not want her wearing her nice school shoes when playing on the swing set or riding her bike in the neighborhood. So, I was on a mission to find some cheap tennis shoes for her. Imagine my excitement when I found the shoes above for only five bucks! However, when the girls came home and I showed Jazzie her new shoes, they were both less than excited. Why? Tahlia was upset because they didn't have them in her size. Jazzie was upset for a whole different reason:

"Mom, I HATE Tinkerbell; those shoes are for 5 year olds!!!!"

Well, I am so sorry!

I keep forgetting that my daughter is such a mature girl now who is obviously way too old for Tinkerbell (rolling my eyes)...

She keeps reminding me that she in second grade now, that she is 7 years old and that she likes "teenager things" now like make-up, high heels and chapter books with no pictures.

Obviously Tinkerbell is not considered to be a "teenager thing", but I digress. Back to the five dollar shoes...

I was not about to part with my great and thrifty find, so I got out my trusty cuticle clippers and removed Tinkerbell:

Problem solved. Until she takes a closer look at the back of her shoes:

 
 
At least for now she's happy.

And lastly, what is wrong with this picture???
 
  
It's the fact that my girls are playing on the neighbor's swing set while we have one that is almost exactly like it right in our own backyard. The difference is that ours is bigger! Go figure...

Review/Give-away

Today I received my brand new LeCreuset loaf pan from Cookware.com. Just look at it; isn't she pretty???

The color is scrumptious. I love it so much...

 

I didn't waste any time trying it out by making some pumpkin bread:

Yum...

 

Not only is this pan pretty to look at, it baked my pumpkin bread very evenly and beautifully. Plus it's LeCreuset and who doesn't love LeCreuset? If you haven't tried any of their pieces, you must. They are the best.

Now tell me you don't one of these pretty pans! I know you do, so I am giving one of them away. Just leave me a comment before 10 PM (EST) on Thursday and l will randomly pick a winner...

Concentration

Don't you love the look of concentration on Jazzie's face? Jazzie is my girl who can spend hours on a project. Her attention span is longer than anyone I know. She has always been that way. Before she got her cochlear implant, she could sit for a LONG time just looking at books, looking at flash cards, putting stickers on paper, etc. Back then I attributed it to the fact that she was deaf and that her lack of hearing was being compensated by her doing visual things. However, now that she has her implants, she is still that way.

The other day, Jazzie's teacher showed me a book that Jazzie had been working on during "Writer's Workshop". Her story was good, but her illustrations were even better. She had taken more time to get the illustrations just perfect, rather than the story itself.

She always pays very close attention to detail and she can get quite upset if whatever she is doing doesn't turn out to be the way she had envisioned it and she will not quit until it is the way she wants it. Yes, she is a perfectionist as well :-)

Tahlia on the other hand is the complete opposite. No matter what the activity is, Tahlia always finishes WAY before Jazzie does. When we paint, Tahlia will finish 8 pictures in the amount of time that it takes Jazzie to do just one. This is true for everything we do. In the picture above Jazzie is working with her Perler beads. This is the perfect activity for Jazzie because not only does it take an eye for detail, but a tremendous amount of patience as well.

I am sure that all this attention to detail, her determination to get things perfect, her never ending attention span and her patience will serve this girl well.

I've got nothing - just 3 pictures of my baby and her baby

 

Baking with Tahlia and upcoming give-away

We've been having some chilly weather here for the past few days, so I decided it was a perfect time to do some baking with Tahlia. I enjoy baking with both the girls, but baking with one girl instead of two is a lot easier (no fighting over who gets to do what) and I just love the one-on-one factor of it.

Of course we made our famous pumpkin bread. Here is Tahlia scooping the pumpkin out of the can:

 

She was so proud to be doing everything by herself ;-)

See that little flour hand print on her bottom? I love it. Here is a closer look:

 

Time to add the nutmeg and we're not talking about the pre-ground stuff. We only like the fresh kind!

And it's ready for the oven!

 

I usually bake my pumpkin bread in two loaf pans, but every now and then I bake it in a bundt pan. It looks very pretty after it is baked, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Plus, as someone who loves to bake I find it fun to experiment with different bakeware. I recently bought some Rachel Ray Cookware. She has some fun and funky looking bakeware! However, my heart belongs to LeCreuset, so I will be giving away a LeCreuset loaf pan - perfect for making pumpkin bread! More details coming soon!

My very first give-away. I am so excited ;-)

Jazzie's adoption video

After struggling to figure out how to upload our adoption video's to the blog, I was finally able to put Jazzie's video on YouTube. I am still working on trying to get Tahlia's on there as well.

I have put a link to the video in the sidebar on the left, but here it is now. I still can't watch the moment of me holding Jazzie for the first time without crying. It was such a powerful moment...

Trick or Treat bags

Last night the girls made some bags that they will take when Trick-or-Treat time comes. I got some glow-in-the-dark fabric paint and told them to let their imagination go wild. And so they did:

The girls started out on the conservative side, but they quickly decided to go from drops to blobs of paint...

 

I on the other hand went for a more demure look:

 

I don't think Jazzie is going for the "less is more" technique here:

 

I am glad the girls used their imagination; they had a great time and with all the glow-in-the-dark paint they are sure to be seen on Halloween Night ;-)

A piece of art

Last night after dinner Jazzie got out some paper and markers and made this:

Even though I like the front, I like the back even better:

Heh...I love that girl ;-) 

Jazzie and Alex

So I've been trying to come up with a word to describe the relationship between Alex and Jazzie and I am having a hard time thinking of one. Whenever Alex comes over, Jazzie's attitude changes. I am not quite sure how to describe it. Sometimes she will totally ignore him and not answer his questions. Sometimes she has an attitude like she can't be bothered with him. Sometimes she squabbles with him, saying he is mean and not nice (which by no means is even close to being true!). But then there are times when she acts silly around him, wants to be chased by him, wants to play with him and she definitely likes showing him off to her friends.  Part of it all tells me that whatever she is doing is just part of her being the sassy little sister who likes to give her older brother a hard time, but part of me tells me that she is closing herself off for whatever reason.

I have noticed this kind of closed off behavior not only around Alex, but other members of the family as well. And the interesting part about this is that they are all men. She acts this way with Matt's dad and even with Matt to an extent. I notice her getting very protective of herself by not wanting to make eye contact and by giving backwards hugs. She is usually not like this and has no trouble looking people in the eye or showing affection by giving people hugs. However, when it comes to Alex, Matt's dad and even Matt, she will turn around and hug them. I have to wonder why she is doing this and what she is trying to protect herself from. Jazzie has gone through so much in her young life already and even though she is doing so amazingly well, I have to wonder what lies beneath those those brown eyes of hers...

Some more fun Alex/Jazzie pictures:

 

Shirts and magnets

Now that fall weather is here, I am so excited to finally put the short sleeves shirts away and get out the cute long sleeve shirts I've been waiting to put on the girls. Here is one of my favorites:

Every now and then Jazzie will discover something new that her cochlear implant processor will stick to. She has hung her processor on the fridge, the car and on a dry erase board. She recently started seeing what will actually stick to her head. Her latest discovery: a magnetic clip...

 

Pumpkin farm

Ever since we first brought Jazzie home we have gone to this local pumpkin farm where they set up themed area's with pumpkins. The girls love it and so do I. That is the reason why when the girls asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday today (I'm 39 today!), I told them I wanted to go the pumpkin farm :-)

Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy: 

 

Aladdin: 

And Princess Jasmine:

Tahlia was thrilled when she discovered Tinkerbell:

Time to pick our pumpkins:

 

 

 

Jazzie had a good time checking out all the small, funny-looking gourds:  

We needed some small pumpkins that we will paint:

 

It was a sunny but cool day with a bright blue, clear sky. After picking our pumpkins, we visited the apple orchard down the street to get some more apple cider. I just LOVE fall. I could not think of anything better to do on my birthday :-)    

Elvis lives!

Today I had lunch with Jazzie at school. Jazzie likes it when I come for lunch and Tahlia loves to go on Fridays since not only is it pizza day, but Elvis performs. Mr. Jones is the custodian at school by day and an Elvis impersonator by night. Every Friday he sings for the kids and they LOVE it. Right after they sit down with their lunch they start chanting "Elvis, Elvis, Elvis"... When the kids see him take the stage they start screaming, Mr. Jones puts on his sunglasses and leather jacket, the music starts and Elvis appears ;-)

 

Then he starts walking through the isles, high fiving everyone:

Friday lunches are fun and yummy at P. Elementary School :-)

 

 

Thank you. Thank you very much...  

She makes me smile