EDDIE'S 4 YEAR PICTURES !

I almost canceled our appointment for Eddie's pictures because of the rain, but I'm so glad I didn't!

This picture is Eddie to a "T"... arms crossed, usually with a scowl; but somehow the photographer got him to smile! I had to promise him something "special" ~ about every five minutes ~ it worked and it just cost me a Spongebob book!


I just love the angel and his sweet facial expression...my boy :)








Here he looks so grown up with his hand in his pocket. I actually remembered I took a similar picture with Anthony at 4 years old (couldn't find the smaller version and it was too difficult to shrink the 8x10 or I would have posted it next to this).

It's amazing when I look back at Anthony's 4 year pictures, he was still a baby... and it was so long ago. I almost want to freeze time, because before I know it I will be looking back at these pictures and, oh... it will seem like so long ago.

A FUN & NUTTY EVENING !!!!

What a fun and crazy night I had last night at our Annual PTO Fashion Show & Chinese Auction! We started off by buying raffles tickets ( many local businesses donated gift baskets of goodies, dinners, a pitching machine, etc) and then walked around looking at all the great prizes and choosing which bag we wanted to drop our raffles tickets in - it was hard to choose and I ended forgetting where I put most of my tickets...

Anyhow, we ate and watched the fashion show where the models were our own teachers, administrators and aides. Then, came the time we were all waiting for - the prizes to be raffled off! Well, I did hear my name and won a HUGE bouquet of flowers - I screamed and clapped along with the table of women I was seated with (I actually thought I'd won a bouquet of flowers every month for a year...and then found out it was just that one bouquet)...that's o.k. because look how pretty they are!!!

Then, to my surprise, I heard my name called AGAIN!! I screamed, clapped and jumped up - I had no idea what I'd won (I wasn't paying attention) and then I learned that I won the following:

This GREAT lounge chair for the pool AND a jet ski for the pool!!! I was daydreaming about my boys racing around on this and just the look on their faces when I brought it home - I was thrilled!!

When I went up to claim my prize, they seemed confused and said someone had claimed this..."Uh? Maybe I hadn't heard my name after all?". Well, they checked and low and behold - I did win it! They told me to claim my prizes at the end of the night because they were so big "he, he" :) They actually made another announcement saying I was the winner and someone else was the winner of another prize, just to clear things up.


O.k, the end of the night is here and my buddy, Jenn said she'll help me carrying ALL of my loot back to the car. I spotted a woman dragging MY PRIZES across the dance floor heading for the door!! I thought she was one of the workers and said, "Hi, thanks, those are mine" and she says.... "oh, no I won them".

"WHAT?????"

I tell her, no they are mine and proceed to take her over to the raffle bags and look through them one by one until I find the right bag where MY raffle ticket is stapled onto! Then she says, "oh, I believe you". :(

WOW! Now, I still think she thought she'd really won and was confused .. most of my neighbors think she was booking it out of there because she knew she hadn't and wanted this great prize for herself ~ I'd hate to think someone would do that especially when this is all for charity.

I'm usually not a big winner at these raffles or even gambling, but last night was
MY night :)

Ahhhh, A SUCCESSFUL BABY SHOWER !

I'm finally back to posting, the last few days have been busy getting ready for a baby shower ~ it was for Meaghan Grace's mommy, Michelle (see side bar for blog under Mia's China Sisters: "Meaghan Grace").

We have been plotting and planning for weeks and boy was she surprised! We got her here under the pretense I was having a pocketbook party; and the picture below shows me on the phone with her about 15 minutes before everyone was to arrive!!!
















Here she is walking in the door ~ demanding to get first dibs on a bag :)















This is me, Michelle, Lisa and Melissa ~ all 3 of us planned the
shower together; and I am so relieved everyone had a great time and
that we were able to welcome Meaghan Grace into our lives
in such a special way!!














We cannot wait to meet you Meaghan!

TODAY IS EDDIE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY !

My little guy was born at 10:31 this morning ~ he weighed 6lbs., 13 oz. and, oh was he a sweet baby! I'd waited so long for him!















Anthony would ask all the time for a baby - he
desperately wanted to be a big brother ; and as you
can see he was the best brother from the beginning!
I love the way they are looking into each others eyes...















Happy 1st Birthday to my blue- eyed, blond
little boy (not sure where his coloring came from!)














Happy 2nd Birthday to my independent little guy...



















Happy 3rd Birthday to my head-strong, but sweet man!














HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TO MY BOY! He loves to
laugh and be silly. He is also considerate, loving, caring
and he is still my sweet baby boy ~ I adore you my Eddie!















Little Boy/Little Man

What are little boys made of?

Hopes and Dreams
Mischief and Laughs
Climbing up Trees
Splashing in Baths

What are the best men made of?

Hugs and kisses
Cuddles and Joy
Patience and kindness

Will make a man from this boy

Author: Clair Peach

6 MONTHS DOWN !

Wow, it's hard to believe that 6 months has gone by since we were logged in!

When we first decided to adopt the wait was 9-12 months; which seemed "do-able" at the time. Little did we know the wait would grow and grow and grow. I thought once we hit the 6 month mark we would be half way to Mia; however that does not hold true at this point. There are so many dossiers ahead of us and I'm sure many, many behind us!

It still amazes me that I can think about Mia every single day that goes by and I don't even know her... but I "feel" her and long to be her mommy so much I can almost "touch" her... she is in my heart already ~ amazing! It's hard to explain and probably hard to understand, but "it's" there.

Here's a big question: how many more 6 month "LID-aversaries" will go by before I see my Mia's face? Please, please speed up! Please

CELEBRATING EDDIE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY !

Wow, my baby is almost 4 years old! We had a party for him at the "Young Chefs Academy" and invited some of his closest friends. Eddie loves to help me cook and I thought this would be the perfect party for my little man. It took him some time to warm up and actually enjoy HIS party, but when he did ~ he had a ball!!!

The kids started out by decorating their chef hats, then helped and learned how to make the pizza dough! The kids got to roll out their own dough into a "pizza" shape and then added sauce and all the toppings. While their pizza's were in the oven, the kids got to decorate their huge cupcakes with all the trimmings! It really was a lot of fun and a different kind of party!

Thank you to all the Young Chef's who attended Eddie's party ~ we hope you had a yummy time :)

OUR LAST EASTER CELEBRATION OF 2007 !

We spent Easter at home; which was nice considering we've been out and about the last 2 days!



The boys and Penny wait "patiently" for Daddy to come downstairs to open Easter baskets!






We had Poppy & Krissy come by to join us for snacks, games and dinner! This is Eddie's new favorite place to play... yup, the stairs. By the way, we do have a playroom!!!!



















No holiday would be complete without Anthony challenging "someone" to a game of chess! He roped Krissy into a game and she graciously accepted!














We hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter with family & friends ~ HAPPY EASTER!!!!

EASTER AT AUNT MARY & UNCLE FRANK'S

We had another fun-filled day and night of Easter celebrating! Thank you Mary & Frank for a delicious dinner, lots of laughs and just a GREAT time! Also, Frankie we LOVED your "speical" desserts !

HAPPY EASTER (again)

PRE-EASTER FUN !

THANK YOU BARB & TOMMY FOR SUCH A FUN FILLED NIGHT! HAPPY EASTER !

GEARING UP FOR EASTER !

What a fun morning! We have a busy couple of days ahead: tonight we decorate eggs at Aunt Barb's house, tomorrow we celebrate "Easter" at Aunt Mary & Uncle Frank's house, and then on Easter Sunday we celebrate again at our house!

Anthony helped to make the "PEEPS Party Dippers" ~ we just melted chocolate chips in the micro and dipped the peeps in ~ let them dry and they are soooo yummy (I know because we made them for Anthony's religion class and the kids loved them!).








Eddie (the Ninja Turtle) helped to roll out the cookie dough for our Easter egg cookies!















We put a thin layer of icing on top (confectioners' sugar & milk) and then tried a "new" way to decorate the cookies....














I cut up sponges in small pieces (yes, they were new sponges:) and put a different color food coloring on each sponge. The boys dabbed the sponge on the cookies and they came out great!















I could eat them all ( boys included !!) O.k, back to the kitchen ~ I'm not done yet!!!

THE BOYS

ahhhh, my boys ~ just LOVE them :) We had a nice weekend ~ we basically stayed outside all day Saturday ~ it was gorgeous out. Sunday we went to see the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle" movie, which we thought was pretty good. Eddie's been running around in Ant's old "turtle" costume (must get a pic of this - he's so serious as he runs around in this get-up!).

Mia was mentioned this weekend...by the hubby ~ I love hearing her name! He was wondering when we should start fixing up her room... I told him it would probably be safe when we are out of the Review Room ~ this room really scares me! I know it will be a while until we are out of Review, and I would love to start painting and moldings and hanging up all the things I have acquired, b-u-t I've heard scary stories about getting past this room: you can be questioned and have to supply addition paperwork or doctor's letters; and this could set back your LID to a later date!!!!

O.k., let's not panic ~ I'm sure it will all work out ~ positive thinking :)

*I know I forgot to post a recipe yesterday - I told you I was forgetful - I'll get around to it...

SWEET MORNING ~

I had to grab my camera to catch this sweet moment. Anthony was petting and stroking Penny and you could just see the love ~ it was so very sweet.

Penny will be 2 years old next week and we still cannot believe how lucky we are to have found such an incredible dog! She has a great personality and I would even say she has a sense of humor...which is key in our house!

Each of the boys have a great relationship with her; Eddie loves to lay all over her and really test her! Anthony loves to jump around, laugh and yes, just be content to sit and pet her...

What a sweet morning . . .

"Little Bit More"

What wonderful weather we are having here in N.Y. ~ it hit 70 degrees, and as I write this post Anthony is in his shorts-wearing-glory running around with his friends. As many of you know, Anthony loves to be in short sleeves, shorts, tank tops...basically summer wear. However, it becomes a problem when it is barely 50 degrees in the morning and he is begging to wear shorts, "because they said it's going to be really hot out" , later on!!!

While Anthony was still in school, Eddie and I headed over to the beach by my parents house for some fresh air, sun and playing in the sand! Eddie had a blast and so did I, walking along the beach and just being with Poppy and "Ma", as Eddie calls my mother!

















Here is my "bathing beauty" posing on the rock :)








Eddie could have played for hours in the sand, digging, making "sand castles" out of sticks (don't ask) and burying rocks. I was sorry to tell him we had to leave to go to the bus stop for Anthony... whenever he has to stop something he's doing, Eddie's famous response is, "just a little bit more"... I warned him in advance so he would have lots of little bits more to play at the beach...

sorry Anthony, but I promise we will go to the beach next week during Spring Break ~ hope the weather holds up for my promise!

Spring has Sprung !

I think it's really happened...Spring is in N.Y.! The boys have been outside (nonstop) playing baseball, kickball ~ that's Anthony; and Eddie has been playing trucks and going on the swings! What a nice weekend.

Well, I know I forgot last Sunday to post a recipe, but that's just me - I can be forgetful... anyway, this is a weekend favorite:

PUFF PANCAKES
The pancake:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

The topping:
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 Tbs confectioners' sugar

1 Heat oven to 425 degrees. Divide butter between two 8-inch round cake pans, and put in the oven to melt. Meanwhile, mix eggs, milk and flour in until batter is smooth.
2. Remove pans from oven and pour half the batter into each pan. Return pans to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until pancakes are very puffy, firm and golden-brown on edges.
3. Squeeze lemon over pancakes, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

They are yummy-licious!! Enjoy!

HAPPY SPRING ALL !!

Yes, I'm showing snow pictures on the 1st Day of Spring! A lot of the snow has melted here, but you can still see the "white stuff"!


Anthony has always loved to help out around the house, but now that he is getting older he runs off with his friends the first chance he gets. Here he is shoveling a path for Penny by the back door.















Here is Eddie earlier in the day playing in the snow with Penny. They both had such a great time together. Penny is a great playmate, she loves to jump around and bite snowballs ~ I was laughing so hard just watching them :)

*Hopefully this will be the very last snowfall of the year. It's expected to warm up by the end of the week in NY ~ yeah!!

THE DAYS GO BY . . .

5 Months LID Today !!!

This past month flew by ~ I cannot believe we've been logged in for 5 months already!

I had a dream last night and I think it was about Mia. Someone gave me a baby and she needed a bath. I remember in the dream I kept looking at the baby and thinking, "does she look Chinese?"
After the bath I was drying her off and I got distracted by something and when I looked back at the baby she was eating my foam ear plugs (I've been sleeping with one ear plug for years, since living in the noisy city!). I was panicked and I kept swiping the ear plugs out of her mouth! This baby had a ton of those ear plugs in there and I thought I would never get to them all!!! I ended up waking up; but I wrote this dream in Mia's journal ~ this date may have some significance and I wanted to record it! Only time will tell ~

FORGOT TO SHARE A RECIPE!!

Hi, Sunday came and went and I've been trying to share a recipe once a week with you! Now, maybe you didn't miss it on Sunday, maybe you didn't like the recipe's I've shared so far...but, it's my blog and, "I'll share, if I want to!" :)

I just finished making a double batch of these muffins...hope you enjoy them as much as my family does:

BEST BANANA-CHIP MUFFINS
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 mashed bananas
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees
1. Cream together sugar, oil and egg.
2. Add the next 6 ingredients and stir well.
*3. I usually sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of the muffins before they go into the oven.
4. Cook 20-30 minutes and enjoy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXA !

Our niece, Alexa is 10 years old today!!
Have a wonderful birthday honey ~
we love you so much!!

PROUD!

ANTHONY WON A 1st PLACE TROPHY
IN CHESS!

I am busting with pride! Friday night was the last Chess class for the winter season, and Anthony was tied for 1st place with another boy: each Friday night Anthony attended a class and then played 2 games where his score was recorded. He & Taylor were tied!

They had a ceremony in the auditorium; where we found out that Anthony would have to play for the 1st place trophy! Talk about pressure!! They even took out the Chess clock and had 5 minutes to make each move - then they would have to hit the clock after each move - I was biting my nails!

Anthony handled the pressure well and afterwards when I asked if he was nervous he said, "I wouldn't really say I had butterflies in my stomach, but I think they were chess pieces in my stomach".


It's a tie for 1st place!

I love the way he has his hand over
his heart ~ such concentration!







"Is "Nan" done yet?"











After winning, Anthony plays
a game with his teacher! Of, course
the teacher won this game...







Anthony calls his Uncle Johnny (his first
chess teacher) when we get home to tell
him the good news!









"Did you win one for me too?"










Congratulations Honey! We are so proud of you!