Double Happiness

1.5 minutes of happiness!

Click Here to see a 1.5 minute slideshow of more photos from this morning.

Riding the dragon!

(I got the kit to create this awesome collage from A Foreign Life.  Thanks Mary-Ann!) 

We visited the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum today and met up with some friends.  From the left:  Salsa twins - Rose and Marie, Hohndel twins - Heike and Sarah, Gwen and Maddy, and handsome little Charlie leaping for joy!   Helen was also there but she was feeling a little bit camera shy.

It was pretty chaotic but the kids had a blast.  Good thing it was totally enclosed!  The sand table seemed to be a huge hit and Rose thought it was tasty too!

I'm convinced there's a bit of Mad Scientist in our Madeline.

Bad Photos

Family FotoFun Friday Challenge #19 
Post your pictures on your blog and leave a link and a comment here before 2/23/07. 

This week's photo challenge is "bad photos".  You know -- the ones where someone looks horrible but someone else looks really good so you can't bear to send the photo to the recycle bin?   Sure, you can always crop out the bad part but what fun is that!?  :)

Please don't forget to leave a comment after you leave your link. 

This picture was taken near the elevators of the China Hotel in Guangzhou just a week or so after Maddy's adoption.  I love the photo because it's the only picture we have of the girls wearing my favorite matching dresses.  We bought the dresses in the gift shop of The Majestic Hotel in Nanning (dirt cheap) and there's no way they'll fit them again this summer.  Daddy doesn't usually look like this.  No, he wasn't drinking.  :)

This is one of the best photos of Maddy but poor Gwen!  Anyone who thinks Gwen always takes a good picture needs to take a good look at that face! As always, click any photo to see a larger view.

Family FotoFun Friday Participants
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1. a bicycle built for three 2. mexican chopsticks 3. Now We Are Six! 4. Waala Family Adventures 5. Motherhood and Other Ramblings 6. waiting4news99 7. Just Keep Swimming 8. Daily Grind 9. Cannon Fishbowl

10. Nobody told me! 11. Mei Mei Journal 12. Salsa in China 13. She\'s a-DORI-ble!!! 14. Our Three Daughter 15. Why do these kids keep calling me mom? 16. onetwogrow 17. Raising Cami Rose 18. Julie

19. Are They All Yours? 20. season star 21. Journey with AnnaClaire 22. A Mei Mei for Avery 23. Random Thoughts 24. Bang the Drum and Shout! 25. Two "Twin" Terrors

Gettin' my slobber on!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day but I found my present this morning when I dragged myself into the office to check email.  Sitting atop my keyboard (where Sweetheart knew I couldn't miss it) was a sweet little assortment of See's Chocolates -- and an even more sweet card. 

Even though a card and chocolates are typical Valentine's fare, there's nothing typical about my amazing husband.  He's amazing and I love him!  I really don't know how I got so lucky but I hope he keeps me around forever!

It wasn't my favorite collection (that would be "Nuts and Chews") but it was probably even better because at least half of the decadent little items were things I won't eat (Ewwwwwww!  I detest creamy centers.  So, just think of all of the calories my Darling saved me!)  Best yet, each rejected item was something my daughters positively drooled over!  And, we all know Miss Madeline could use the calories more than Mommy!

Of course, the only way to know if the center was something nutty and/or chewy was to bite it.  So, I did what I had to do and here's the mutilated box of chocolates several hours later.  Most of the empty spots are courtesy of Gwendolyn and Madeline who weren't too proud to scarf what Mommy slobbered on.

Maddy's haircut

Maddy's hair is very fine but, in the six months we've been home, she has LOTS of new growth!

Unfortunately, the new hair is much shorter than the rest of her hair so that just made her hair look thinner.  So, today she got her first "big girl" haircut!

She was such a brave little trooper!  She sat under the black cape on the big chair with the booster seat and held as still as she could!  In the end, she was even prettier than before!

When her hair comes in more evenly, we'll consider letting it grow out like Gwen's.  Meanwhile, we'll enjoy how pretty she looks with her short style!