Today is David's birthday!!! Ella LOVES, I mean LOVES to sing the "Haddy Dirday" Song. We have a few versions that she has learned this year, but she always goes back to the classic Happy Birthday Song.
What a difference a year makes. Last year David's birthday lasted for 36-40 hours!!! It was spent traveling across many continents, up to the North Pole, and through several different time zones in order to get back home. We left Guangzhou, China on June 10th and through the miracle of flying back to the opposite side of the world that we had been on we arrived in LAX on June 10th (even after being delayed for 8 hours in Beijing!)
Needless to say I think having Ella sing "Happy Birthday" this year made up for the traveling craziness on his birthday last year.
~Mommy dee, Birthday Boy Daddy David, and our sweet little songbird (yes, I said "bird") Ella
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
1 Year Family-versary!!!
Today we celebrate being a family officially for one full year!!!
David and I look back and cannot believe that it has only been a year and yet at the same time we cannot believe that it has already been a year!!!
Our little Ella has changed our lives since the first moment we saw her photo.
We are so grateful that she found us...our world is complete with her in it.
May 25th 2011 - Family Day
~Nommy dee, Dadddddeeeeee David, and our little Bodhisattva of Joy Ella
David and I look back and cannot believe that it has only been a year and yet at the same time we cannot believe that it has already been a year!!!
Our little Ella has changed our lives since the first moment we saw her photo.
We are so grateful that she found us...our world is complete with her in it.
May 25th 2011 - Family Day
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
May 24th is Ella Day!!!
Today is what we call around these parts as "Ella Day!!!"
It is the date that we met Ella and fell even more in love with her than we thought possible.
We had just arrived in Guangzhou an hour before meeting Ella. Usually families get a chance to check into their hotel, eat, gather the gifts to be given, etc...We were whisked away from the airport to the Govenment Offices with no stops along the way. (You can hear David in the background explain to "Mr. Peter" (our Faciliator in China) that we have gifts, and we will get them, it just might take a few minutes!!!).
Moments after meeting - May 24, 2010
~Mommy dee, Daddy David, and Ella Chao Qiao
It is the date that we met Ella and fell even more in love with her than we thought possible.
We had just arrived in Guangzhou an hour before meeting Ella. Usually families get a chance to check into their hotel, eat, gather the gifts to be given, etc...We were whisked away from the airport to the Govenment Offices with no stops along the way. (You can hear David in the background explain to "Mr. Peter" (our Faciliator in China) that we have gifts, and we will get them, it just might take a few minutes!!!).
Moments after meeting - May 24, 2010
The first night in our "home" - May 24, 2010
Having fun on Mother's Day -May 8th, 2011
Happy Ella Day to our sweet girl!!! We cannot imagine a day without you in our lives and we are so grateful that you found us and chose us to be your Forever Family!!!
~Mommy dee, Daddy David, and Ella Chao Qiao
Monday, May 23, 2011
Comfort Food!
A year ago today we had just returned from a day of visiting the Beijing Olympic Venues, touring a Cloisonne Factory, and walking The Great Wall (of which you would have thought that I was a celebrity at the amount of stares and arm pulls to have my photo taken with various people...a blonde in China draws a crowd...a blonde in China, with light skin, and freckles...well look out!!!) and we were starving.
We went for a walk near our hotel in Beijing and came upon a 7-11! Now, do not be mistaken a 7-11 in China let alone Beijing is quite different than your local 7-11. I am sure your store is jam packed with all kinds of yummy goodies, a store in China is vastly unique. If you are looking for Bean Curd Milk or Pickeled Duck Feet then this is the place for you. If you are looking for some comfort food, well...you may need to leave your comfort zone to find new comfort food(s).
We loaded up our arms with goodies that looked a bit familiar with photos on the package that did not look too scary since we could not read what was written on the package (this will be something we rectify for our next trip to China...sign up for Mandarin classes now!) and walked back to the Hua Du Hotel, crossing some crazy intersections with people, cars, and bicyclists going in all directions at the same time.
Upon reaching our room, we opened up the package of noodle soup only to find that there was not any sort of eating utensil. We walked around the hotel for a bit to see if we could find some chopsticks. Nope! We looked in our suitcases to see if by some happenstance one of us had thought to pack a few forks or spoons. Nope! So there we sat wondering how we were going to eat our Bowl of Noodles when we spotted two toothbrushes that the hotel provided (they were enclosed in plastic wrap) so we thought...well we need to eat and we can use the stick part of the toothbrush so that is exactly what we did!!!
We tried our best to recreate our meal that night as it became our new comfort food in China. We ate this meal many times over the next 15 days!!!
Mmmm...Bowl of Noodle Soup, a can of Pringles, Coke Zero (at room temperature), and some wafer cookies. Ahhhhh....comfort food!!!
We went for a walk near our hotel in Beijing and came upon a 7-11! Now, do not be mistaken a 7-11 in China let alone Beijing is quite different than your local 7-11. I am sure your store is jam packed with all kinds of yummy goodies, a store in China is vastly unique. If you are looking for Bean Curd Milk or Pickeled Duck Feet then this is the place for you. If you are looking for some comfort food, well...you may need to leave your comfort zone to find new comfort food(s).
We loaded up our arms with goodies that looked a bit familiar with photos on the package that did not look too scary since we could not read what was written on the package (this will be something we rectify for our next trip to China...sign up for Mandarin classes now!) and walked back to the Hua Du Hotel, crossing some crazy intersections with people, cars, and bicyclists going in all directions at the same time.
Upon reaching our room, we opened up the package of noodle soup only to find that there was not any sort of eating utensil. We walked around the hotel for a bit to see if we could find some chopsticks. Nope! We looked in our suitcases to see if by some happenstance one of us had thought to pack a few forks or spoons. Nope! So there we sat wondering how we were going to eat our Bowl of Noodles when we spotted two toothbrushes that the hotel provided (they were enclosed in plastic wrap) so we thought...well we need to eat and we can use the stick part of the toothbrush so that is exactly what we did!!!
We tried our best to recreate our meal that night as it became our new comfort food in China. We ate this meal many times over the next 15 days!!!
Mmmm...Bowl of Noodle Soup, a can of Pringles, Coke Zero (at room temperature), and some wafer cookies. Ahhhhh....comfort food!!!
~Grateful for chopsticks, forks, and spoons a plenty Mommy dee and Daddy David, "who needs eating utensils when fingers work just as good" Ella!!!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!!!
I am just the most luckiest Mommy in the world.
I have the most beautiful and wonderful little girl in the entire world.
The sun rises and sets for me because of her.
She makes me smile. That smile will last all through the day and into the evening for no particular reason other than she said "Hi Momma" in her cute, sly little voice as she wakes up in the morning and looks at me with that sideway glance of hers with her hair sticking up in 20 different directions.
My love for her runs so deep, that I cannot imagine a moment of my life without her.
She is my heart, she is my soul, she is my love and I am lucky to be her Mommy.
~"Nommy" dee, Daddy David (who treats his girls like Princesses), and our sweet, adorable, "almost big girl" (that is what she says) Ella
I have the most beautiful and wonderful little girl in the entire world.
The sun rises and sets for me because of her.
She makes me smile. That smile will last all through the day and into the evening for no particular reason other than she said "Hi Momma" in her cute, sly little voice as she wakes up in the morning and looks at me with that sideway glance of hers with her hair sticking up in 20 different directions.
My love for her runs so deep, that I cannot imagine a moment of my life without her.
She is my heart, she is my soul, she is my love and I am lucky to be her Mommy.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
China Mommy
Over the last year we had been trying to decide what and when we could do something to honor Ella's China Mommy.
Each year we are going to plant a flowering perennial plant to honor Ella's China Mommy the day before Mother's Day.
We are going to make a small garden for Ella to plant these plants/flowers in our backyard. We hope that this will become a special spot for Ella as she grows and begins to ask questions or seeks answers that we may not be able to give.
Ella decided that this Asiatic Lily would be her flower this year...after all it is "yeyyo" (yellow) which is quickly becoming her favorite color.
~ Mommy dee who can never even began to express to Ella's China Mommy how grateful I am to her, Daddy David, and our little flower sprout that is growing up to quickly Ella
Each year we are going to plant a flowering perennial plant to honor Ella's China Mommy the day before Mother's Day.
We are going to make a small garden for Ella to plant these plants/flowers in our backyard. We hope that this will become a special spot for Ella as she grows and begins to ask questions or seeks answers that we may not be able to give.
Ella decided that this Asiatic Lily would be her flower this year...after all it is "yeyyo" (yellow) which is quickly becoming her favorite color.
~ Mommy dee who can never even began to express to Ella's China Mommy how grateful I am to her, Daddy David, and our little flower sprout that is growing up to quickly Ella
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Piddy Banc (Piggy Bank)
Ella received some "moo-ney" in the Easter Eggs she collected last week at our family holiday gathering. She LOVES putting the "moo-ney" in her Piddy Banc.
~Mommy dee, Daddy David, and our little "moo-ney" counter Ella
~Mommy dee, Daddy David, and our little "moo-ney" counter Ella
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