Top this, Rachel Ray...

Chef June ( proud owner of a "The Queen does not Cook" apron) prepares and plates a gourmet appetizer of seared lemon ginger curry & white wine sea scallops over mixed field greens.

The china is Villeroy & Boch's New Wave pattern. My old taste in music is now my new favorite china pattern. It is china with no pattern.

After 4 long months, my friends have their travel date !

a mini letter to Ava:

Dear petite mademoiselle Ava,

Your wonderful Mommy and Daddy are so excited that they will soon fly halfway round the world to hug you and bring you home!

When your Mommy called me today to tell me they got the news of their travel dates, I just got chills and happy nervous (almost like 10 months ago when we got our call about our travel date)!

Yahooooo! Mary and everyone else cannot wait to meet you! I told Mary , in between Wiggles videos today, that you were going to be here soon! She said, yeh, apple, elmo, ball, aww done , pop-pop and nein (or was that nine). Not sure, but she will teach you all the words she knows!

Love,
June, Bruce and Mary

She had no nap...

No nap in the stroller, a short nap on the ride to the park, but zonked out in 3.8 minutes en route to chez June & Bruce (now known as Chez Mary, Castello de Mary, Mary's Crib... etc etc).

Mary travels across Pennsylvania to a mega amusement park

Potty Training may be in Mary's immediate future!

I introduced this potty bench to Miss M. the day after I found her in her crib in the a.m., sitting contentedly with her menagerie, with her diaper sitting at attention just to her right on the crib mattress. Fortunately, there was no poo involved!

More previews of summer fun!

Aunt Monique and Sebastian met us at the fair, which was held at a local Greek Orthodox Church center. All in all, Mary seemed very intrigued by all the rides and goings on. And the moussaka and the spanicopita were too die for! Yum Yum phyllo dough!

Mary's first train ride

At a church fair, carnival, whatever, Mary experienced her first amusement park ride, a caterpiller train. Daddy rode on the train with her while I photographed the tearful face ! The reaction was not as bad as when she 'met' Santa Claus, but she was a bit distressed at first!

Deck House

The Rules of a Toddler!

The Rules of a Toddler!

Mary must have gotten a copy of these rules either from her Nanny in YiYang, or from her baby yahoo group. She does seem to be at the keyboard a lot lately ! LOL.

If it is on, I must turn it off.

If it is off, I must turn it on.>

If it is folded, I must unfold it.>

If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.

If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.

If it is high, it must be reached.

If it is shelved, it must be removed.

If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

If it has leaves, they must be picked.

If it is plugged, it must be unplugged. If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.

If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.

If it is closed, it must be opened.> If it does not open, it must be screamed at.

If it has drawers, they must be rifled.

If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.

If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.

If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.

If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.

If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.

If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.

If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.

If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.

If it is paper, it must be torn.

If it has buttons, they must be pressed.

If the volume is low, it must go high.

If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.

If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.

If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.

If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.

If it is a phone, I must talk to it.

If it is a bug, it must be swallowed. If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.

If it is not food, it must be tasted.

If it IS food, it must not be tasted.

If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.

If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

'Ridin' in the Big Red Car

We happened upon a red car for Mary in a local kiddie consignment shoppe. It kept her amused the entire time I was hunting for shorts for her. This place is great and some stuff still has the original store tags on, i.e. never worn!

Tu sei qui

Hard to believe that it has been 8 months since we arrived home with Mary. And it's been slightly longer than 8 months since we first met her!

She has grown so much that some of the pants she had early on now fit her as cropped pants instead of full length pants.

Just today, she said walk, aww done and a few other words for the first time. Only a matter of time until she chatters non stop!

Mary sees Uncle Scott again !

The last time Mary Rose
saw her Uncle Scotty was when she first arrived in the USA, over 6 mos. ago.

This Mary Rose is far and away a different version than the unsure, somewhat scared little girl of September 2006. She knows this is her domain (and thanks to Daddy has her own domain name) and warmed up to her uncle (and godfather) very quickly!

Mary strikes a pose !

We opted not to do the mall Easter Bunny photo thing, after seeing the reaction when Mary 'met' Santa Claus.

Although Mary did not fully grasp the concept of the Easter egg hunt, she did gather the obviously placed plastic eggs and scarfed down a moderate quantity of chocolate. She would have eaten the entire large choco bunny had I not decreed that she had had enough.

a few more

One day til the Easter Bunny pays us a visit!

That's right, the Easter Bunny, not the spring bunny or the bunny with no particular affiliation, the EASTER BUNNY !