Biker Girl

Dallas got a pink motorcycle for Christmas. It was a gift from my parents. Dallas sits on it and scoots it around. She is terrified of pushing the pedal to make it go and freaks out whenever she accidentally hits the pedal!!! Give it time Poppa, she will soon be zipping up and down the driveway. Dallas, you will NOT own or ride a motorcycle when you are older!!! So enjoy this one while you can.






Trying out Bubba's motorcycle for him.

Fun in the Sun

Celebrating with Family

Dallas and I went to my Parent's house for my birthday dinner and cake Sunday afternoon. My Mom baked "Turducken"(Turkey stuffed with a Duck stuffed with a Chicken). It is delicious but the dressing in it is a bit spicy. We had family over from Baton Rouge. My SIL Melissa and niece Windsor and nephew Jace. Since we wouldn't be seeing them again before Christmas, we decided to let the kids open their gifts. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Dallas and cousin Windsor

Cousin B's new puppy "Sophie" or "Fofie" as Dallas calls her.

Bubba and Sophie. Dallas calls him Bubba because she can't say his name.

Cousin Jace

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is my Mommy's Birthday. She is a young 40 something! We are going to my Grammie and PaPa's house for cake and presents later. She says I don't have to buy her anything because my hugs and kisses are the best present ever. Happy Birthday Mommy. "I Wuv Ooh"

Dallas
XOXOXO

Playing with Uncle John

Dallas just loves her Uncle John. He came over the other day and they spent some time playing in the yard in the wonderful 80 degree weather we had. Ladies, my little brother is still single!

Introducing Mary Elizabeth

Our good friends Dee & Bill just received their long-awaited referral of a precious daughter today. Mary Elizabeth was born October 6, 2006 and resides in Guizhou Province, PRC. Her Chinese name is Guan Min Huan. Congratulations Dee & Bill, Mary Elizabeth is precious. Dallas can't wait to meet her new friend "Ary"!

I Love this Kid!!!

Dallas & Santa 2007

I'm Still Around...

I've just been in a bit of a "blogging slump" lately. There have been a lot of things going on around here this past month and I just haven't felt like blogging. My little brother Joshua went to Iraq a few weeks ago and I have been feeling down. Dallas is a "little terror" lately and is constantly keeping me on my toes!!! The best news is that I found my half brother who was adopted!!! We have been emailing back and forth and finally spoke on the phone for the first time this past Friday. I have two more nieces!!! Hopefully we will all get together soon as we have many years of catching up to do. I will leave you with a picture of Dallas and I do promise to post more this week.

It's Not Even Halloween Yet, and Christmas Is Out

I don't know about where you live but Christmas is already out here and it's not even Halloween yet. They started putting things out about 3 weeks ago. I've already got most of Dallas' toys purchased and hidden in the house. Please don't tell her!!! We went to the mall before Chinese school today just to do a little shopping, Yeah right! I wanted to go to H*llmark to see the ornament collection for this year. I always buy a few of their ornaments each year. I saw this one and had to have it. It is way too cute. It is dated Christmas 2007. It will fit on my tree perfectly as I don't have a theme to my tree. It seems to be just whatever I like.

Cutie Pie Pics

Things have been busy around here lately and I haven't had a chance to post. Here are some pics taken over the last couple of weeks.

Chicken Pox!!!

Yes, Dallas now has Chicken Pox!!! She was fine yesterday. We went to to our Mommy Sing with Me class at the Conservatory and she acted totally normal. Last night I went to put her pj's on her, and they were all over her torso. I didn't know what it was so I took her to our local ER. This would explain the viral infection and high fever she had recently. We chose to have Dallas re-vaccinated when we returned home but she still managed to get them. Hers is a mild case though, thanks to the vaccine. We still have to keep her at home away from everyone. I felt so bad when I had to call people this morning that we had contact with the last several days. This is not going to be a fun week. We finally got her play area in the backyard fixed up and now she can't go outside because it is still in the 90's here. Maybe my house will finally get a thorough cleaning!!!

Time for an Overdue Update

I was talking to a good friend last night who reminded me "Susan, you need to update your blog. Dallas isn't sick anymore." I have been meaning to update but have just been too lazy something always seems to happen when I sit down to update the blog. Yes, Dallas is better now. She ought to be especially after two trips to the doctor and one to the ER. Turns out she had a rather nasty virus that just wouldn't go away.

I have made the decision not to send her back to preschool until next year. I just don't think she is ready yet. I was really looking forward to my two mornings of quite time each week but her well-being is more important now. I am putting her into activites at least three times a week that way we both get out of the house. I signed her up for Mommy Sing with Me lessons at the symphony orchestra. Nobody told me that it was also an aerobic workout for me!!! Saturdays she goes to Chinese school. Yes, I have the class clown. She entertained everyone instead of learning how to sing a cute song. We are also going to get family memberships to the zoo and Children's Museum. Definitely enough to keep us both busy. I am taking her back to the beach in Bilioxi tomorrow. I got a news lens for my camera and am anxious to try it out. Here are some pictures taken over the last several weeks. I will defintely post the beach pictures when we return.


All smiles until the dentist comes in!!!






Her favorite ride at the mall


Taken while she was sick

First Week of School and Guess What...

Dallas gets sick!!! I finally decided to send Dallas to a really nice Daycare not far from the house two mornings a week. We are working on her social and emotional skills at the request of her speech therapist. Tuesday went pretty well. She didn't even cry when I left. She only hit a kid twice so that's a plus. I went to pick her up at 2:00 pm and they said she was okay until naptime. She refused to take one and proceeded to scream for two hours!!! No problem as I gave her a late nap at home. Thursday was a different story. She was crying as I walked out the door. Three hours of peace and quite at home!!! Then the phone rings. My heart sank when I saw caller ID. "Come pick Dallas up." She screamed for three hours and refused to eat lunch. We agreed to try it again next week for a few hours and slowly build up. Yesterday(Friday) Dallas woke up with "Summer Snotfest 2007" going on. She was also drooling more than a St. Bernard. Off to our favorite ENT, Dr. David. As much as all the members of my family visit her office, her kid's college education will be paid for!!! So today we have to stay home and miss the annual FWCC luncheon. One look at her snot crusted eyebrows would probably get us tossed out anyhow. I was so looking forward to adult conversation today. Hopefully her medicine will kick in soon and she will take a nice nap.

First Trip to the Beach

We stopped at Bilioxi Beach last week while taking Skip over to take care of some business for work. The devastation from the hurricane is still overwhelming. Most of the beaches in that area are closed but we found a few in Bilioxi that were opened but still not lots of people around. Dallas didn't know what to think of the water and sand. She wasn't scared but she wasn't going in!!! It was at least 100 degrees so we didn't stay for long before making the 3 hour trip back home. We will be back in the area after Labor Day so hopefully we will have time for her to play in the sand and get wet.

Few Ideas for the Quilt

I been going through websites looking for ideas for the quilt. I really don't know what I want it to look like yet. The final design depends on how many squares I receive. Now to figure out who I can get to make the quilt for me help me make the quilt!!! Here are several designs that I am leaning towards.

100 Good-Wishes Quilt

To welcome and celebrate a new life, it is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei or 100 Good-Wishes quilt. The custom is to invite family and friends to contribute a square of fabric and a wish for the baby. Most of the square is sewn into the quilt, while a smaller piece goes into a creative memory notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a square of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

Here is what you would need to send if you choose to participate:

(1) One 12x12�square of pre-washed 100% cotton fabric. This type of fabric is best, as it washes and wears better. Select a fabric that is meaningful to you. If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than one good wish note and pieces of fabric. In China, these quilts were originally made from the garments of family and friends surrounding the child with luck and good wishes.

(2) A 3x5(or larger) card with a wish dedicated to Dallas. Please include a separate scrap of your fabric glued to the card. What would you wish for a child to have in her life? Some ideas are good health, perseverance, compassion, love, and a sense of humor. Use that as a guide for your good wish note. It can be something original you wrote, a favorite poem, lyric, or quote that has special meaning to you, or your favorite Bible verse. Please remember to sign your wish and include your city and state. Your wish-card can be elegantly simple or colorfully decorated with stickers and photographs, or whatever else that tickles your fancy. Anything goes. This card will go into a scrapbook for her to always be able to see all those who waited and prayed for her to come home.

Skip and I hope you will be able to participate in this gift for Dallas. We just want for her to know how loved and cherished she is, not only by us but by so many others. I haven’t decided on how I want the quilt to look yet and what main colors I want to add to it. So I will wait for all the squares to come in and then decide once I see all the beautiful squares you have sent. If you do decide to participate, please email me at lingbabygirl-blog@yahoo.com.

One Year Ago Today....

Dallas stood for the very first time by pulling herself up in the computer room. I remember turning around and there she was standing up grinning at me. I tried to take a pic but I got one right after she fell. Then about 5 minutes later, she did it again and I was waiting with the camera. Then she practiced it over and over until she got tired. Later that day, she started crawling for the first time. Seems like a lifetime ago. Definitely one of those moments I will never forget!!!