Halloween Scooby doo sightings!

Sccoby Doo has been seen running wild up and down our street, and will be lurking out there, mooching candy this very night!

October 2007 and October 2008

Mary at my 2007 birthday, and below, two photos of same, circa 2008.

Last year's bonne anniversaire and this year's bonne anniversaire cake ceremonies, to compare and contrast.

All dressed up for pre school class photo

I had to do some serious bribery ( the promise of a trip to dunkin donuts) to get Mary to pose in her pink paris girl style outfit. Incidentally, I got the sweater & skirt at a consignment sale that was held at of all places a firehouse.

Ballet class images

Mary likes her ballet/tap/gymnastics class. she even imitated one of the dance moves or poses and said the french word for it.

Passé (pahs sey) As a position passé means when a foot is placed near or on the other knee. As a movement passé refers to the working foot passing close to the knee of the standing leg.

At the Promenade

Instead of the usual no pictures please clause, Mary actually posed for me while sitting on this bench. Must have been the bribe of the yellow smiley face lollypop!

Click on "At the Promenade" above to see the slide show.

Zoo photos

We went to the zoo on a Friday, and they close the pony rides and camel rides at 2 o'clock on weekdays. Little did we know, so the kids did not get their pony/camel rides.

They did have a great time, and the weather was perfect, unlike the last time we went, during an earlier in the day than predicted torrential rainstorm.

Proud owner of a pink Barbie Jeep

Mary got this cool new car from her cousins, and loves driving it. She does not look where she is going, and has run aground or narrowly missed bumping into a pile of mulch.

Note to self: remind Mary to keep her eyes on the road, & not turn her head around to look in the opposite directions.

Last photo, Uncle Scott helps Mary stop the car!

More birthday girl color!

3rd Birthday Party and Chuck E. Cheese

Mary had a wonderful time at her birthday party, at the House of Cheese, and Mommy and Daddy didn't have to clean up at all!!
Excellent!




Handfull of photos from Mary's birhday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

John McCain plus eight!

We were watching part of the RNC coverage, and Mary kept hearing John McCain's name.
After a while, when his name was said again, she said "John McCain plus eight"!

Mary is a devoted fan of Jon and Kate plus eight, and a "Wee Publican", so her sentence was fitting.

Here are a few photos of the new swing n playset that was installed on Tuesday.

The artist at work

The artist at work!

Mary's 2nd pony ride

This is Mary's 2nd pony ride, the first took place at the zoo. At this fair, she also wanted to try the bungee/acrobatic ropes, where you are tethered between 2 ropes, and can bounce up and down on a trampoline. There were some kids her size trying it, but we opted out. Maybe next year.

Another look at Mary's referral photo

The first photo was taken less than an hour after we held Mary for the first time (Changsha, China, September, 2006).
This is one of the referral photos we received in July, 2006.

Little children really do hear and absorb everything

Just after bath, tooth brushing, and the few night time rituals that we do with Mary, we said her night time prayers with her. This usually consists of Dear God, Please bless ... folowed by a list of our family members. I usually finish the list with "... and bless all the little children, especially those in China."

Well, tonight, before I could say that phrase, Mary herself said, "...and bless all my friends in China"!

How amazing and great is that. We had not been discussing anything about China recently, although sometimes we show our pictures and our video of our journey to Mary, or point out the country on the map. We have not looked at these images for at least a month or more. I just think that is a really wonderful sentiment from the mind of a not quite 3 year old.

So I echo Mary's statement, and would like to include among those friends the grocery store worker who found our baby girl , picked her up and brought her to the police station, and to the Half the Sky nannies at the 'social welfare institute' (aka orphanage) who cared for her for the 1st year of her life.

I don't usually get all sentimental on this blog, but Sarah and little Trig Palin have touched a lot of emotional chords today!

Diana's wedding cake slice sells for $1,830

Former royal servant kept the 27-year-old piece in clingfilm in an attic.

Shades of Elaine Bennis dancing around Mr. Peterman's office eating a piece of Edward and Wallis's wedding cake. Attic or damp english basement, which storage method is worse?

Local fairs or 'fair-lees' as Mary calls them

We have been to 2 fairs in the area, and have another local one that starts Thursday night and a larger one this weekend (an hour away).

Mary loves the rides, especially the Merry go Round and the flying dragons or dinos or whatever the theme happens to be.