Another fun filled day at school for the munchkin!

She loves it SO much... just wish she wouldn't look like a drowned rat after playground time! LOL... this kid sweats more than anyone I have ever met!

 Oh, and her favorite classmate is Brandon, the little boy sitting next to her... her first crush??

Ok, so this is really how they took their naps today... Tommy fell asleep with his glasses on!  I didn't want to, but had to wake them or I could just picture those specs getting squished!

Thought this was one of the cutest... This is basically what our bed looks like in the morning! Rach loves to climb into bed with us when she wakes up, and Penny likes to perch on top of Daddy's head!  Apparently our sleep number bed is rough for Penny too... she can never find a comfy spot, so she meanders all over the place.  On top of Tommy's head is a popular spot, probably because she won't get kicked!

Went out for a yummy dinner with the folks to Olive Garden.  Yeah, we really do like this place!  I know it's a chain, but I'm absolutely hooked on that Chicken & Gnochi soup!

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday I was holding this little girl for the first time. But now, here we are 3 years later and she has actually started going to SCHOOL!  We checked a few places, but had the best feeling about one of the local Temple preschools.  Best part was my mom actually knows the Preschool director!  Turns out her mom & my mom were friends for years, until her mom passed away.  I knew her mom too.  Lovely woman. And her daughter (Morah Joanne) is just as sweet!

 Her other teachers are Morah Jonla, Morah Allison & Morah Cheyenne.

Telling Penny that she is going to school today

She's all ready for her 1st day of school!

1st day hugs for Daddy

1st day snuggle for Momma

Here's her class!  Some of the kids had already gone home for the day

These beauties have their nest just above the Preschool Building!  Yes, they ARE Bald Eagles!

 After she came home from her first day of school, I asked her how she liked it...  Her words?  It was "Awesome and Great".  Then she told her Nana & Papa that it was "Cool & Fun".  Not sure, but I THINK she liked it! LOL

 It was another dinner out with Nana & Papa... tonight, we went to Applebee's (gotta love BOGO coupons!). 
It was almost comical, but our waiter was practically flirting with Rachel all night long... ok, so it was comical and creepy at the same time..

 We all enjoyed our dinners. I always like going out to eat (not just for the obvious reason of not having to clean up the kitchen) because I get to enjoy my meal at LEAST 2 days!  And they wonder why American's suffer from obesity!  the portion sizes are nowhere NEAR the standard they should be, but I can't complain... I can never finish my meal (even sharing it with Rachel) so I get to enjoy the leftovers!

The good thing about creepy waiter guy paying so much attention to our table was, he was more than happy to take a family picture for us!  Thanks, creepy waiter guy!

Flames of Paradise

 One of the most incredible things about living down here are the amazing sunsets.  The sky seems to burn as all the different colors converge to make a beautiful canvas... I love to see what each moment brings as it changes...

 I always wished I could paint... I would love to recreate some of the beauty I see... preserve it forever...

At least I can take a picture of the things I find most beautiful!

Cat's Squirrel

 Today Aunt Margie & Uncle Charlie had a yard sale... and Rach made out like a little bandit!  Her favorite find of the day were these 2 fun friends!  Rocky & Bullwinkle!!!
"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat..."  She immediately remembered watching one of "daddy's shows" with him... (he has a collection of old cartoons, and of COURSE Bullwinkle is one of them!!!)

Later on, it was off to a yummy Italian dinner in town with Nana & Papa..  Rachel made an especially good impression on the waiter, who rewarded her with a VERY BIG goblet of ice cream!  Now THAT is a Happy face!!

Happy Family

 Happy Parent's Day!
Funny how I never heard of this "holiday" until I became a Happy Parent! HaHa...  But, not to let an excuse to celebrate go by unnoticed, we decided it was a good excuse to head out to PF Chang's for dinner!  We usually stick closer to home when we eat out, but I had a coupon for a free Lettuce Wrap (which I really enjoy) & it got me in the mood. I actually think that for the most part, they are overrated, but the lettuce wraps remind me of when I was in Paris (I know, strange isn't it?),  The Chinese restaurants there serve lettuce wraps instead of egg rolls & that was when I first tried them. Yummy!

Anyway, I had gotten these adorable bows for Rachel, and she was willing to pose all over the place while wearing the beautiful pink flower bow, so I took advantage of the moment!

 Daddy's little girl (s) :-)
They both love to snuggle with Daddy... He looks pretty happy about it too, doesn't he?

 Papa was ready to eat some yummy Chinese food!

 My beautiful baby girl & I.  wish I'd thought to move the straw out of her way!

Nana, Rachel, Papa & Daddy...

Our Happy Family...

This last one is one of my favorites. She's such a beautiful little lady....

Best of Friends

Side by Side, Best Friends Forever...

Whenever she can, Rach likes to cuddle up with Penny. They are SO good together... we couldn't be more thrilled with our 2 best girls...

Kiss The Future

 Is this a glimpse into our future????  OY VEY!!!  I really don't know what is going thru this little girl's head sometimes, but I walked into the kitchen to find her checking out her "boobies"!  She had 2 of Penny's doggie balls under her PJ's, & she was parading around the room!  I only wish mine stood up that well! LOL...

And here is our furry four-legged child, just chillin... Penny sure looks comfy, doesn't she?

Three Years Ago Today...

This time three years ago I was bouncing off the walls, waiting for an e-mail or a phone call from our agency.  We knew it was going to happen SOME time that day... we were going to finally find out about the beautiful baby we were waiting for all this time. 
It had been 3 years since we started the process to adopt a little girl from China. When our journey began, we were told it would take roughly 6 months from the time we submitted our paperwork, until the finalization of an adoption.  Well, it took quite a bit longer than we were told, but looking back, it was something that had to happen!


As anxious as we were, we now know that had it taken only 6 months, we would not have the perfectly special beautiful girl that we have now!  Everything happens for a reason, right?