2 little roses

happy Channukah!

2011-12-20T20:06:00.005-05:00

this year the fourth graders each had to write an essay on a miracle that had happened in their own life. Stefanie wrote about what a miracle it was that I was able to adopt her. I couldn't agree more.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T19:17:00.002-05:00

Jena all set to go out and Stef wishing I would get the camera out of her face so she could finish her homework!

Busy holiday season

2011-10-10T16:06:00.003-05:00

we are nearing the end of the busy High Holy Day season- so many holidays the girls don't have a full week of school for almost a month.This year I decided that we would celebrate Succot at our house instead of Amah and Zayde's, which meant we had to build our own succah. We celebrate the Harvest festival by eating in the succah, a temporary structure that must have a roof made of natural materials that allows you to see the stars at night. Thanks to Uncle Lenny we have the best succah. Of course, the weather man is now calling for rain the first two nights of Succot! Oh well.

the Sweetest Place on Earth!

2011-08-04T09:49:00.002-05:00

We just came home from a great trip to Hershey Park with Amah and Zayde. Uncle Dave was able to join us for the day at the Park so that Stef could go on all the crazy rides she wanted (since Mommy wouldn't). She went on all the rollercoasters she was tall enough for and there were alot! Some were so scary that Jena and I couldn't even bear to watch. Jena found plenty of rides that were her speed (not too high and not too spin-y) and Zayde and I even found a few our speed- slow and low to the ground. What's not to like about a place that gives you chocolate when you check in and kisses on your bed?

old friends are the best friends

2011-07-18T17:24:00.002-05:00

Stef left for a week of overnight camp today. Two of her friends from preschool went as well, which had us all digging out old photos of the three girls together. My, how they've grown!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-03T18:11:00.002-05:00

To start our celebration off right, we went to Independence Mall in downtown Philadelphia. We saw the Liberty Bell and then Jena took part in helping to fold the flag in front of the Constitution Center. We ended the morning with a great meal at my favorite Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. Last time I ate there was the day I had to get my fingerprints repeated for the INS when i was completing my application to adopt Jena. Both girls loved it too and can't wait to go back.

first grade here she comes!

2011-06-14T14:41:00.004-05:00

Jena's end of year Gan celebration "cruise"

notice anything missing?

2011-06-09T17:35:00.002-05:00

Jena is losing teeth faster than the tooth fairy can keep up! Looking more and more like a hockey player everyday

almost summer!

2011-05-30T17:43:00.002-05:00

enjoying some nice hot weather this Memorial Day weekend

Happy Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-08T20:20:00.001-05:00

We had perfect weather and a perfect family fun day at Storybook land!

Springtime!

2011-04-27T17:49:00.002-05:00

our pink tree is in full bloom and we saw a rainbow over Cherry Hill. Springtime at last!

Happy Passover!

2011-04-20T14:19:00.002-05:00

Why is this night different from all other nights...

2011-04-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

At the Passover Seder, the youngest child asked "The Four Questions" (Why is this night different from all other nights?). This year Jena is ready to ask the questions in Hebrew so Stefanie took on an added challenge and will be asking the questions in Chinese. In order to accomplish this, I translated the questions from Hebrew to English and brought the translation to our Piano teacher, whose husband then translated them into Chinese. I hope that after three translations the meaning is still basically the same! I hope to video both girls reading their parts but I could only talk them into doing one question each, and even that was under duress( hence the unhappy looks)
Happy Passover!

china sisters and best friends

2011-04-10T18:13:00.002-05:00

Eight years ago in china:

last night in our house

Happy Birthday Stefanie!

2011-03-30T19:48:00.005-05:00

when Stefanie calls my cellphone this is her ringtone:

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

To celebrate her birthday my very grown-up 9 year old took two best friends out to dinner where she ate an entire steak from the adult menu. This year she asked her Zayde for a complete set of the books of the bible in Hebrew/English translation and excitedly told her friends over dinner how beautiful the books were. She asked for a Jellybean Machine from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dave and an electric guitar from her mother. I think those three presents are an accurate reflection of the wonder that is Stefanie.
Girl, your amazing, just the way you are

stefanie the swimmer

2011-03-13T20:58:00.003-05:00

a great end to the swim season as Stefanie swam in 5 races at the championship meet and had 3 top ten finishes. She finished third in butterfly- not bad for the girl who, the first week of practice, told her coaches she didn't know how to do butterfly (because she couldn't do it "perfectly"). Since the meet was in Harrisburg we toped the whole day off with a visit and dinner with BJ and Olivia!Stef is in the green swim cap, in the lane closest to the camera.

an attempt at a movie

2011-02-27T16:17:00.002-05:00

if this works you should get to see a little movie of Stefanie's class program celebrating the Havdalah service (done on Saturday night to mark the end of the Sabbath). The class put on a 20 minute program, all in hebrew and wonderful to watch- now- let's see if my movie works ....

Happy Birthday Amah!

2011-02-14T15:30:00.002-05:00

We had the family over to celebrate Amah's birthday. Jena was an excellent older cousin, patiently showing Rafi how to play the wii and sharing all her toys without complaint. A quick pic of Stefanie as she was running out the door on the way to her last swim met of the season.

family playday

2011-01-18T21:29:00.002-05:00

everyone had a day off for MLK day so we picked cousin Rafi and Aunt Sarah up at the train station and went to the Discovery museum followed by lunch at friendly's. what more could anyone ask for?

snuggly girls

2011-01-09T21:55:00.003-05:00

glad they are making the footie PJs in all sizes now- I'm not ready for the girls to outgrow them!

snow fun

2011-01-08T12:56:00.001-05:00

fun on a weekend snowday!

a sporty Chanukkah this year

2010-12-09T14:03:00.004-05:00

Jena raked in the gifts this year with a baseball glove and tee ball set,rollerblades, hockey stick, puck and goal, football trading cards,cars cars and more cars as well as a Wii game (of Cars) and not be be forgotten- a trundle bed for her Babies. Stef went with the one 'big gift' and got an iPod touch. Everyone had a good laugh looking at Jena's giant pile of gifts and Stef's lonely little one. Now that Stefanie has an allowance and spends her own money (sometimes) she fully understand the value of 'good things come in little boxes' and asked everyone else who was buying her something to get her an iTunes gift card.

Olympic 2020?

2010-12-05T21:07:00.002-05:00

here's a peak at what has been taking up most of our time- the JCC sharks Swim team. Stef was thrilled to move up to the competition level of the team (the Mako Sharks). Practice a minimum of twice a week and first meet next week. i will be sure to share the results

Happy Chanukkah!

2010-12-05T21:02:00.002-05:00

a very busy holiday this year- Stefanie sang with choir at the local mall the first night and we rushed home to light candles and open gifts quickly so that everyone had a little time to play before going to bed, since it IS still a school night! Stefanie was thrilled to get the iPod touch she has been waiting "forever' for and Jena loved each and every gift, big or small, everyone was '"ust what I wanted"!

just because-

2010-12-04T21:10:00.002-05:00

--she looked so cute! so many pictures of Jena in her sports attire, I thought it might be nice to to post a picture of her looking pretty in purple

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T20:11:00.002-05:00

thankful for the best family

Yep- she's 6!

2010-11-15T11:49:00.002-05:00

Fruma Ruchal Naomi

2010-11-06T20:33:00.002-05:00

Stef had her first 'real' aliyah at the youth minyan today. Since I can't videotape in shul here is a repeat performance for the camera.

the Fab Five

2010-10-24T19:52:00.003-05:00

much easier to get all five Anhui girls to sit still this time around!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2010-10-24T18:10:00.002-05:00

Our second Anhui China Sister's reunion was wonderful. We didn't think we could top the trip from 2 years ago, but everyone agreed it was even more fun the second time around.

four years

2010-09-20T07:58:00.001-05:00

wow.

Happy New Year 5771!

2010-09-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

Everyone had a great time at my parents. The food was great and the girls had a fun time playing with Rafi. Most importantly I got some great pictures!

Wishing all our friends a happy and healthy new year!

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-07T19:14:00.003-05:00

The girls were up and ready to get the bus for kindergarten and 3rd grade and, yep, you guessed it, NO BUS! I drove everyone to school, had a few tears from Jena ("just a little crying" as she likes to say) and off they went. Both did get the bus home and both reported that it looks like this will be a good year. It seems I am a slow learner but after four years of this the lesson I finally learned is don't even bother waiting for the bus on the first day!

we love camp

2010-08-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

tie-dye day at camp

"the call" Aug 3 2006

2010-07-30T08:02:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that it has been four years since we first got a look at Jena's picture. Jena is older now than Stefanie was then. I remember looking at all her referral pictures and thinking that she really needed a smile on her face. Now, as I looked thru pictures to find ones to post, I can't find one where she isn't smiling. She is excited to be starting school and taking the bus with her big sister (big sister not quite as excited to have her on the bus). She continues to love sports of all kinds and keep me informed of the results of any professional philly team that played the night before. She still looks at every day as a party and every glass as half full. Can't imagine how empty our house would have been without her. And yes, there are no training wheels on that bike!

summertime fun

2010-07-19T09:58:00.003-05:00

we had a GREAT weekend, starting with a trip to BJ and Olivia's and finishing up with Dutch Wonderland with Rafi. Hot hot weather made it a perfect time for swimming in BJs pool and splashing in the water park.

July already?

2010-07-12T19:25:00.004-05:00

seems like the summer is flying by! Both girls are loving camp. They come home dirty and exhausted. Stefanie spent last week at Bethany Beach,DE with her china sister Olivia and had a blast. Even though Olivia only lives in Harrisburg we don't get to see her very much so when her mom invited Stef for the week we thought we would give it a try. I was a little worried Stefanie might get homesick but boy was I wrong- turns out Stef had so much fun she didn't feel the need to call her mother AT ALL. I had one message from her the whole week that simply said "hi mom- I am having fun'. Jena was not happy to be going to camp without her big sister, even after I told her that when Stefanie was 5 she didn't have a big sister to take her to camp! We still have our beach house vacation in Aug to look forward to.
two typical after camp pictures- jena on the kitchen floor waiting for dinner and Stef on her beloved computer

Stefanie the piano player

2010-06-19T15:55:00.002-05:00

Stefanie played beautifully at the concert as well...

Jena's first piano recital

2010-06-19T15:47:00.002-05:00

Jena was the youngest pianoist at the concert and it was down to the last minute whether or not she was going to participate. She finally agreed to play if she didn't have to announce her name.

end of an era..

2010-06-11T14:21:00.003-05:00

Jena had her end of year party at the JCC this week. Hard to believe that starting in September I no longer have to dive anyone to preschool in the morning. The school bus picks up right in front of our house- I just may spend the whole day in my nightgown! Jena is wearing her "not a princess" shirt, which she plans on wearing to Disney, so everyone knows she is NOT A PRINCESS!

notice anything?

2010-06-09T18:44:00.001-05:00

look who lost her first tooth today!

Storybookland 2010

2010-05-16T16:58:00.002-05:00

We made our annual trip to storybookland with Aunt Sarah, Uncle Dave and Rafi. This was the first year that Rafi agreed to go on many of the rides, after watching Jena do it first, of course, just to make sure it was OK. The weather was beautiful and everyone had a great day.

look what I can do!- part 2

2010-05-12T17:14:00.003-05:00

ok- it appears i can only upload one video per post so here is video #2

look what I can do!

2010-05-12T17:10:00.002-05:00

new computer- new video camera! here are two "test videos"

Hag HaTorah

2010-05-12T14:37:00.002-05:00

Stefanie had a special ceremony at school this morning where she officially received the first book of the Bible. The class lead morning services and preformed a play about creation. Amah and Zayde spent the night before at our house so that they could attend and Jena even got to miss school. Every time Stefanie's class puts on a program we are all amazed at how much they have learned.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T19:54:00.003-05:00

It was my turn to take care of the sick babies so I spent mother's day at work. I had two beautiful handmade pins to wear on my scrubs and all the other Mommies were jealous. We had an overnight guest on Saturday night and here is a picture of everyone having fun.

Happy Birthday Stefanie!

2010-04-11T19:13:00.002-05:00

Since Stefanie's birthday fell in the middle of Passover we had to wait until now for the party. She had her whole class and a few other friends together for a roller skating bash. A good time was had by all.

Happy Passover!

2010-03-31T18:04:00.002-05:00

for our friends in warmer places...

2010-02-07T19:24:00.004-05:00

a little bit of snow at our house this weekend.....28 inches of snow- 42 inches of Jena!

the X'ian girls take DC and Jena learns why football players wear helmets.

2010-01-19T11:20:00.002-05:00

We went to DC on Sunday to meet up with BJ and Olivia (Stef's China sister) to see the Terra Cotta warriors. As soon as we arrived Jena slipped on the wet sidewalk and landed smack on her head. After a quick trip to the ER, we all saw the warriors. The next day we had the best weather - 55 and sunny- and everyone enjoyed the metro subway ride to the Smithsonian museums. All three girls like the rockets and spaceships, the dinosaur bones and the Hope diamond. Stef and Oliva chatted and giggled nonstop. The second Olivia stepped off the Metro on her way home Stef said "I miss her already" It was a great weekend, concussion and all!

home from texas!

2009-12-21T21:14:00.002-05:00

The girls had an absolute blast during our way too quick visit to El Paso this past week. We went up to 'the bear house', which is my Aunt's townhouse in Ruiodso New Mexico and all the cousins came- 10 kids under the age of 10! A house full of instant friends. Best of all we missed the two feet of snow that fell in cherry hill and came home to a plowed driveway.

Happy Hannukah!

2009-12-12T18:20:00.002-05:00

here is what Hannukah looks like at my house this year-

super special hockey celebration!

2009-12-04T22:39:00.003-05:00

Instead of a birthday party this year, I promised Jena I would take her and her best buddy Jason to a hockey game. When I made this deal I figured we would go to one of the minor league games- the Phila Phantoms. I then found out the phantoms no longer play in Philly and thought I would be stuck paying big bucks to take two 5 year-olds to Phila Flyers game (at 150$ a ticket for the cheap seats!) Well- lucky me- the Phantoms came back to Philly for one game only and we were there. To say Jena was excited would be an understatement. As you can see she was literally on the edge of her seat.

Holy bat-party! theres' a five year old in the house!

2009-11-15T20:32:00.003-05:00

My superhero chose a batman theme birthday party and a bat-crazy time was had by all! Nothing says party time like a couple of two year-olds doing the hokey-pokey and, as a special treat, Stef played happy birthday on the guitar. Jena loved every minute of her party and tomorrow we have cake and goodie bags for all her friends at school. Since Jena considers herself everyone's friend we had to get special permission to bring the two 4-year old classes together so that everyone (all 50 kids!) can celebrate together. With a Spiderman cake, of course! That's my girl!

pumpkin time!

2009-10-25T18:33:00.002-05:00

We had wonderful fall weather for our trip to the pumpkin patch with Aunt Sarah Uncle Dave and Rafi (who is almost 2!). After picking out the best pumpkins in the patch everyone had fun at the new playground. Jena even got to wear her costume to the costume parade at Chinese School.

Shana Tovah-- Happy New Year

2009-09-20T19:40:00.001-05:00

three years of Jena

2009-09-17T20:44:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that it was three years ago today that Jena joined the family. It is even harder to believe that Jena is now older than Stefanie was when we traveled to China. She continues to look at the world thru her rose colored glasses, always looking on the bright side. Every so often she will test out her angry attitude and march off in a huff. It seems so out of character that it is hard not to laugh at her. She is suprising us everyday with things she has learned like "look- I wrote 'Mommy' on my paper!"Everyone is her friend and everyday is a party. The world would be a better place if there were more people like Jena in it.

2nd grade already? and one happy peacock!

2009-09-09T19:05:00.003-05:00

First day of school for Stef and true to form the bus didn't come. Why should this year be any different? Stef is thrilled to have two of her best friends in her class this year. Jena is now in the peacock room. Her 'elephant' class from last year has been mixed with the 'fish' class. Some of her friends are with her in the peacocks and some are in the giraffe class. I carefully explained this to her before the first day, a little worried that she might be upset. Her response to me was "That's GREAT- I get to make new friends!" I love her always positive outlook on life.

back from the beach --time for school

2009-09-08T19:21:00.002-05:00

we had a great time with friends in the Outer Banks, NC. Wonderful weather, the girls spent all day in the ocean or the pool. And, big milestone....it was the first time in 6 years that Mommy got to sit on the beach with a book! Now time to go back to school.

come and play......

2009-08-01T19:43:00.002-05:00

...everythings A-OK....we had a visit from Julie T, Kacey and Nana Susan too and all went to Sesame Place for the day. The kids had a great time and I am happy to say the adults were pleasently suprised to have a good time too! Here are some pictures of everyone enjoying the day. Jena loved meeting the characters and Stef got her 'hair wrap' that she had been waiting for all summer.

summertime fun!

2009-07-07T19:34:00.003-05:00

It was visiting day for Jena at camp and here are a few pictures of her having a blast! Stef was at free swim during my visit and came over for a quick hello. I've also posted a picture of our driveway chalk-artwork.

..and the years keep rolling by...

2009-06-18T19:10:00.002-05:00

It is the last week of school already. Stefanie spent the week playing games and winning the first grade spelling bee, Hebrew bee and a coming in second in math. Jena was the proud winner of the friendship award because "she is a friend to everyone". A few pictures to compare to the first day of school. Camp here we come!

we're still here

2009-06-07T19:25:00.002-05:00

we've been busy helping Zayde adjust to his new hip. the girls have been real troopers, putting up with multiple long drives and visits to the hospital and rehab. We are all happy that Zayde is now home and doing great. Here are a few new pictures of Stefanie from Authors Night at school. everyone in the class wrote books and read them aloud to the parents. The pictures of Jena are from her pulmonalogist appointment. All I had in my purse to play with was my camera, so she had a great time taking pictures of herself as we waited for the doctor. Two more weeks of school- yippee!

Mothers Day: part 2

2009-05-10T18:54:00.004-05:00

We met Aunt Sarah, Uncle Dave and Rafi at Storybook land (our local amusement park) and everyone had a great time. The girls rode every ride at least once and Rafi did a lot of watching and pointing. Stef was especially happy to have her Uncle Dave there who agreed to go on all the crazy spinning rides that Mommy won't set foot on. We then had Amah and Zayde and our good friends Alisa, Dori and Kate over for a barbeqe. Fun, friends, family and food : everything a Mommy could want for a great mothers day!

Happy Mothers Day: part one

2009-05-08T09:37:00.002-05:00

Stefanie and her class prepared a wonderful Mothers Day brunch. They made pictures and wrist flowers for all the mothers , as well as bagels and homemade kugel. I also brought home a beautiful flower in a handpainted pot. On sunday we are going to celebrate with a trip to Storybook Land and then Amah and Zayde are coming over for dinner. More pictures to follow.....

Party Like a Rock Star!

2009-04-05T19:10:00.002-05:00

Stefanie celebrated her birthday with a Rock Star party and 17 of her closest friends. They all had hair, nails, and make-up then had a dance party. I'd say a great time was had by all.

this is what 7 looks like-

2009-03-31T19:26:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday Stefanie! we love you! and a picture to let you know Jena is back to her old self.

this is jena---this is jena on steroids----

2009-03-28T20:38:00.002-05:00

Good news no pneumonia, bad news bad 'asthma exacerbation'. My sweet baby is a demon child. There is no telling what will set her off.It is like the lion cage at the zoo- throw some candy at her and run the other way. Thankfully she is much better and only 3 more days of the evil meds left.

6 years already???

2009-03-25T16:17:00.002-05:00

yep- 6 years ago today I was in China meeting Stef for the first time. 6 years went by in the blink of an eye. I am at work and she is out celebrating by doing her favorite thing- shopping for new clothes!

two new Roses

2009-03-23T13:29:00.003-05:00

I gave in. We now have 2 fish in the house, Lemonaid and Orange Juice. It's been 24 hours and they are both still alive.Wish me luck.

Hag HaSiddur

2009-03-19T20:37:00.005-05:00

a very special celebration at Stef's school tonight when she was presented with her own prayer book. The class put on a hour long performance of song for all the parents. Stefanie was very proud to have a solo part. The prayer book cover was needlepointed by out good friend Judy- it has Stef's hebrew name and a very Stefanie-esque picture of Jerusalem on the front, the China symbol for love on the back and hard candies and roses along the spine. Pure Stefanie style all the way. Everyone agreed it was a beautiful program.

snow day!

2009-03-02T20:23:00.004-05:00

finally- a snow day! sledding, snow angels, pink rosy cheeks and a nap on the sofa. Perfect.

a Monster in the house

2009-02-19T08:42:00.002-05:00

Jena is on oral steroids for a rash gone wild. The last two times she has needed steroids she has been a beast. We are waiting for the monster to appear!

Friends and Flowers

2009-02-14T09:15:00.002-05:00

we went to Longwood gardens and met up with our friends BJ and Olivia. Stefanie and Olivia are China Sisters, having lived in the same orphanage and, although she only lives about 2 hours away, we don't see her as much as we should. My mother and Jan hadn't seen her since she was 4 and now she is 7! The girls played together great and are thinking of becoming penpals.

E-A-G-L-E-S---GO EAGLES!

2009-01-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

Everyone ready for the big game. Here is also a picture of Stefanie the last time the Eagles were in the superbowl...

Jena the ENT surgeon....

2009-01-09T21:20:00.002-05:00

so we had spaggetti for dinner on tues night. Halfway into the meal Jena tells me her throat 'feels' funny. She isn't choking and is talking without a problem so I figure there can't be too big of a problem. I have her eat more noodles, drink some water, eat some bread. Nothing makes the 'funny feeling' any better and she is also a little gaggy. I had a GI bug last week so I wondered if she isn't just getting sick. I have her sit on the sofa with a tupperwear puke-bucket (just in case). She seems fine but continues to gag and say something is 'funny'. Finally I figure maybe something went down the wrong way and she needs to throw-up. I take her into the bathroom and, in a mother-of -the-year-award-winning-moment I stick my finger down her throat several times, (never too soon to teach your daughter the key to bulemia!) she gags but that's it. Finally I get a flashlight and look- there are two strands of spagetti stuck in the back of her throat, hanging back behind her tonsils! I get on the phone to my pediatrician to try and brainstorm how I can get the noodle out without taking a trip to the ER. We talk about squirting water down her nose, grabbing it with forcepts etc. As we are on the phone problem solving, the girls go into the bathroom to check out the problem for themselves. Next thing I know Jena yells "I got it!" and comes out holding 6 inches of spaggetti noodle in her hand! It was like once she understood what the problem was she just went ahead, stuck her hand in, and took care of it. This will be a great story to tell at her medical school graduation- preformed first foreign-body removal at age 4.

Wishing you a sweet new year!

2009-01-02T21:07:00.004-05:00

We went to upstate New York to visit my friend Kathy and her family. The girls had a great time playing with Eliza, who is 8. They got 6 inches of fresh snow and everyone enjoyed sledding on the big hill next to their house. we celebrated the new year with chocolate fondue for breakfast-- a great way to start a sweet new year!

worrying about post-holiday letdown...

2008-12-27T20:41:00.002-05:00

only one more day of channuka left. It is always a rude awakening when, after eight days of opening a present every night, suddenly - no more presents!

Happy Channuka!

2008-12-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

our house is ready for Chanunka!

2008-12-13T17:04:00.003-05:00

The Menorahs are out and the candles are ready. I decided to torture the girls a little by moving their wrapped gifts out in the open. They can look but not touch and they ask me a million times a day what is in the boxes. The Dora wrapping is Jena's pile, the snowman wrapping is Stef's and the mixed assortment in my gifts from the girls. All are things they have found in the house and wrapped for me. It's the thought that counts! A few pictures of everyone dressed up for the piano recital.

Piano Fall 2008

2008-12-13T16:27:00.004-05:00

Here is the latest piano recital. I hope you enjoy not only the playing but also get a kick out of listening to Hatikvah; the national anthem of Isreal, being played in front of a christmas tree. If you listen closely you can also hear Jena, being ever so quiet, asking over and over for her sticker book. My fault since I told her she could have it after Stef finished playing and I wasn't clear that Stef was playing two pieces.

snuggly girls

2008-12-04T20:22:00.002-05:00

both girls are especially snuggly in their footie PJs. So much so that at our house we call the PJs "snugglies". A few after bathtime pictures to enjoy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for we had to celebrate thanksgiving twice this year. We had dinner on Wed with friends and dinner on Thurs with family. A lot of good food and a lot of laughter-- friends, family and fun--- happy thanksgiving!

the Party Girl turns 4

2008-11-18T20:09:00.003-05:00

In Jena's world, everyday is a party. She celebrates every moment of everyday, doesn't sweat the small stuff and always looks on the bright side. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't have some sort of memory of her life before adoption because she approaches every day as a time to rejoice. Her birthday party was a perfect example of her outlook on life. For weeks we had planned a swimming party after school. She was very excited to pack her suit and her goggles this morning in anticipation. At 9am I got a phone call- bad news, the pool had a plumbing problem so her long awaited swim party was now going to be a 'gym party'. When she was 4, Stefanie would have needed a Xanax to deal with such a dissapointment. True to form, Jena paused for a moment and then yelled "yeah - a moonbounce!" As you can see from the pictures no one missed the pool at all. Party on- Jena!

trick or treat!

2008-11-01T17:34:00.003-05:00

Jena has been waiting for weeks to wear her Supergirl costume. She ran down the street yelling "can you see my cape flying?!?"Getting the candy was almost secondary to the fun of being Supergirl. Turns out it was so much fun that she wore her costume all day Saturday too. Just like last year Stefanie decided that she wasn't going to dress up and would rather give out candy. Why spend your time and energy walking the neighborhood when there is always plenty of candy at home? Here is a great picture of Supergirl and Stef in her Friday dress attire, or - as I called her Fashiongirl!

we're still here!

2008-10-17T13:11:00.002-05:00

yes- we are still here and all is well, just crazy busy with work,school and Jewish holidays. I took these pictures this morning as everyone was getting ready for school. I should have some pumpkin picking and halloween pictures by the end of the month.

ANHUI 2006 ---- DISNEY 2008

2008-09-22T09:21:00.003-05:00

To say we had GREAT time in Disney is an understatement! It was exciting to see our travelmates from the big china trip and to watch the Anhui Girls play together. All three of the girls have grown into wonderful little people, with unique personalities and yet they fell right in step with each other. Here are a few 'then and now' pictures- enjoy!

all dressed up

2008-09-13T18:26:00.002-05:00

we had a big party weekend with our friend Julia's Bat Mitzvah. Here is a picture of the girls all dressed up for Friday night services.

back to school

2008-09-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

One first grader and one Elephant (formerly an Owl). School started for Jena on Tues. After 2 weeks home with Mommy she was in no hurry to go back. There were a few minutes of crying, to just make sure I knew she'd rather be staying home, and off she went. By day 2 she was running into the room to see all her old friends.
Stef started school this morning. We are already ahead of where we were last year in that the bus did come the first day! As you can see we were well prepared with our sign. Stef is very excited to be in first grade where she tells me there is no rest time and they get to eat in the lunchroom.

look who came to dinner!

2008-08-18T09:54:00.002-05:00

We had quite a treat, with a weekend visit from Julie T and Kacey! They were coming to the Jersey area to visit friends at the shore and were able to spend a night at our place. Julie and I agreed that it made us happy to watch how well the girls hit it off. I doubt they understood the connection they have, but, they pulled out the "I Love You Like Crazycakes" book and tried to figure out which baby they were of all the babies in the 'big room'. It was a busy fun time with trips to both build-a-bear and blueberry picking at our local farm. The best part of all is that we will see them again in a few weeks at Disney.

a day at the beach

2008-08-13T19:11:00.002-05:00

We all enjoyed a day at the jersey shore last weekend. Stef has always loved the ocean and, after about 2 hours, Jena did too! This was great progress for Jena since last summer she was terrified to even put her toes in. She still would only go in if I held her hand because she "doesn't want to float away!". I promised her I would hold on tight and soon she was jumping over the waves yelling "I do- I do -I do like the ocean!" I am very glad she has decided to like the ocean since we are about to spend a week at the North Carolina beach.

Stef's new camera

2008-07-30T18:51:00.002-05:00

I promised Stefanie that if she was cooperative with her piano lessons all summer (at 8:45 am!) I would get her a digital camera. Today was the day and here are a few of her pictures. I found the camera she wanted on half price sale at target and looking at it now I think it is a nicer one than the one I have. I may need to borrow it. I also need to figure out how to set the date!

new haircuts!

2008-07-19T11:09:00.002-05:00

Stefanie has been bugging me all summer to let her cut her hair short for 'locks of love'. After her best buddy came home from vacation with a short 'do I knew I was fighting a losing battle. So-- here is picture of the new Stef after getting 8 inches cut off. It sure will be a lot easier to do in the morning! After seeing Stefanie's haircut Jena agree to go a little shorter too.

"I don't like camp"

2008-07-09T19:48:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture of Jena and friends. You can see just how much she isn't liking camp.

Happy Campers!

2008-07-03T20:36:00.004-05:00

Both girls are going to the JCC camp this summer. It is 'big girl' camp- they take the bus, play all day and swim twice. Jena quickly figured out that camp means all day away from mommy and no nap. She starts each morning saying she doesn't want to go but gets off the bus with a big smile and excitedly tells me all about her day. She is now swimming underwater all by herself. Stef went to camp last year and is having a blast. She loves learning the latest songs and fashion trends from her teenage counselors. This summer she has mastered diving and is working on a "flip". She has been a great big sister and takes her responsibility very seriously. Jena sleeps on the bus on the way home but Stef tells me that is OK because she puts her arm around her so Jena doesn't fall off the seat.Before you think Stef is all sweetness, in the next breath she complains that she ALWAYS has to sit with Jena. Ahh- sisterly love.

piano 2008

2008-06-21T19:56:00.002-05:00

another great performance

end of the year program

2008-06-12T19:07:00.003-05:00

Stef had her end of the year program today at it was adorable. The kindergarten teacher calls the class "the Bookaneers" and they have had pirate ship theme all year. The program was a "cruise" through the past year. Here a a few pictures of Stef and her friends. I also added a picture of Jena from her "fathers day" brunch. She is hanging out with her pack of boyfriends. She loves to play with the boys and according to the teacher, they all call her 'my Jena'. This is the one I need to keep an eye on!

a day well spent

2008-05-30T20:13:00.002-05:00

Our pool opened on the memorial day weekend. The girls didn't seem to care that the water was barely about freezing. They spent two hours in the water and fell asleep while I was making dinner. Party till you drop!

Happy Mothers day

2008-05-14T07:27:00.002-05:00

I was showered with priceless works of art and serenaded with songs. What more could a mother ask for!

Tent City

2008-05-07T20:30:00.002-05:00

It seems the best thing about a tent is keeping your sister out. I may be wrong but I think this was how the Great Wall got started.