* Music From Guangzhou *

Guangzhou Travel Group Reunion

2011-08-01T16:02:00.005-05:00

Okay, let me preface this post with the fact that I am fully aware it has been almost 10 months since my last post. In my defense, I have been working my b*** off getting a degree in Medical Technology. I finished my last class on Thursday and start 5 months of clinical rotations mid-August. Soooo, there might not be too many posts in the near future either :) But, I could not pass up the opportunity to share about our trip to meet up with several families that we traveled to China with 3 years ago!

Mandy Rose and I took off on Thursday afternoon and drove 500 miles to meet up with 5 other families at a beautiful bed and breakfast just north of Colorado Springs. Thursday was our actual 3 year anniversary of "Gotcha" Day! Unfortunately, Daddy had to stay behind because he was scheduled to work. Mandy Rose was in tears as we took off (which made Daddy sad...but also helped him know that she does LOVE him! Sometimes he thinks she believes he is just a potted plant....who pays the bills!)

Our first day in Colorado included a trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was beautiful and blessedly cool compared to the near 110 degree weather we have been having in Kansas! Lots of neat animals....and a good workout for Momma since it was mostly hills and stairs :) Mandy Rose appropriated the map and "supervised" our path through the zoo. She likes being in control and I have NO idea who she gets that from (heehee!)

There was something about the mountain air (or maybe all the hard playing) that had Mandy Rose sleeping in! I loved it! I took this picture of her not wanting to get up....just imagine a tiny voice saying "Nooooo!" That is until I told her the other girls were up and ready to play!

Beautiful girl!

One evening, they lit a fire and made s'mores for the girls! Such fun....and mega doses of sugar before bed!

One thing that all of us parents were amazed by is how these little girls, who had not seen each other in 3 years, were instant fast friends! They played together, without any fusses or fights, every hour they were awake! We had the bed and breakfast to ourselves almost the whole time and the girls just treated it like home. They moved from room to room playing with each other's toys...and occasionally checking in with the parental units! Mandy Rose really connected with little Miss Elizabeth!

Mandy Rose, Elizabeth, and Hannah enjoying their s'mores! Such precious girls!

Did I mention how much she liked her s'more?

There was a large volleyball court in the back yard at the B&B....otherwise known as a Mac Daddy sandbox! The grounds also included a playset and a two story playhouse with a complete kitchen! The Hideaway was the perfect place for our group to gather!

Having such a great time!

Goofy picture of my girl....she is definitely not easy to get to smile normally!

Goodbye Colorado!

Being goofy during a break in the drive back home!

All in all, we could not have asked for a better reunion! The girls had a blast! The parents got some great visiting in! We cried watching a video that one of our group made that included pictures from China, video of our actual "Gotcha" moments, and "Now" pictures of the girls from this weekend. We laughed, ate great food, shared stories....I just can't put in words how special the weekend was. We all met 3 years ago in China, but we truly got to know each other this weekend. Adoptive parents are just amazing human beings! I am so blessed!

Riding a Horse for the First Time!!

2010-10-30T06:32:00.002-05:00

To round out Jamen's birthday weekend, we took the kids for horseback rides on Sunday!

The little ones rode a pony named Zeus! Although, he seemed a bit tame and tired for that particular moniker! They were both pumped about riding!

All loaded up complete with helmets! Mandy Rose chose the blue helmet and Jamen chose the pink one with flowers! Heehee! They are so itty bitty that they could ride together which made it a little less scary of an adventure. Once they were up, they rode for a solid hour!

We got our exercise by walking around and around and around the arena!! But, it was worth it.

Cousin Lyndi got her own horse so she could join in the fun as well! She was as stoked as the little ones were!!!

Celebrating Cousin Jamen's Birthday!!

2010-10-30T06:21:00.004-05:00

Jamen turned four on the 23rd of October and we were able to be there to help him celebrate! My sister, Mandy, made this great fire truck cake! Then she let the kids have at it anyway they wanted! By the end of the weekend, the wheels, lights, and hoses were gone....and the frosting was smeared by little fingers! Not much actual cake was eaten, but Mandy Rose and Jamen were in heaven! Covered in red icing!

My sister, Mandy, and I! She is a best friend to me and an awesome mom!

Let the present opening begin! We got Jamen a piano just like the Mandy Rose has. He always enjoys playing with hers when he comes to visit.

More presents!

And then, of course, the work of getting the presents out of the boxes!

Why does it always require a screwdriver? Sheesh!

Happy Birthday, Jamen! We love you!

Pumpkin Patch Time!!

2010-10-30T06:17:00.003-05:00

In mid-October, we made our annual pilgrimage to the Applejack Pumpkin Patch! We were joined again this year by the Dresher clan! It was also a gathering of the local Families with Children from China, so there were lots of beautiful black-haired, black-eyed beauties taking in all the festivities!

My little punkin! Waiting for her turn on the barrel train ride! And, trying to "smile" for Momma!

Each year, I get another picture of Mandy Rose at the "Look How I'm Growing" sign! She is growing up so fast....maybe a bit too fast for Momma! I love the big girl she is becoming each day, but it goes soooo fast.

These are the pumpkins we picked! Mandy Rose says the littler one is for Daddy :) We also picked up a whole bag of funky shaped gourds for decorating the house for the holidays!

Riding the Midland Train!!

2010-10-30T06:09:00.004-05:00

At the end of September, on a visit to KC, we took the kids for a train ride! It is just a small old-fashioned train with passenger cars. The depot is in Baldwin City about an hour south of KC. The train takes you out into the countryside for a few miles and then back. It was chilly, but we had so much fun!

Jamen and Mandy Rose were almost beside themselves with excitement at the prospect of a train ride! These two are the best of friends!

The Midland Train!

This is grand fun, Momma!

Enjoying the ride with my favorite girl!

She was mesmerized!

I managed to catch this pic! Nowhere, Kansas!

It is so cool to be able to give and share these experiences with our children!

Country Wedding!!

2010-10-30T05:51:00.004-05:00

My brother Matt got married on September 11th! Mandy Rose was asked to be one of the flower girls! Actually there were four...and two of them were Chinese! My new sister-in-law, Reanna, has two adopted Chinese cousins. Their mom is actually a friend of mine from high school! Who would have thought all those years ago that two small town girls from Harper County would travel half way around the world to bring home our daughters! Amazing!

Mandy Rose was so pumped about being a flower girl! The wedding was held on Matt & Reanna's farm on a beautiful Saturday evening! It was the perfect setting for them! My brother Matt! He was so handsome! But, we had to tease him about the pliers holder on his belt! What a country boy!

Mandy Rose was very meticulous and focused on doing her job!! Isn't she adorable!

Exchanging their vows...Reanna was absolutely gorgeous! Notice the really cool backdrop! Reanna's dad found old barn wood and made two backdrops. One for the wedding and one for behind the cake table. It was so country and so fitting!

The very happily married couple!

They were even very nice to each other about the cake!

What country wedding would be complete without a stock tank full of beer and ice? Jamen and Mandy Rose thought it was there for their entertainment! At one point, we had to warn those coming for beer that they might want to dig to the bottom for the unshaken ones!!!! LOL!

Enjoying a wedding cupcake! At least the frosting anyway!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Matt & Reanna's wedding! Our whole family was gathered together...which doesn't happen too often anymore! They had a dance afterwards and Jamen and Mandy Rose boogied their little butts off! Mandy Rose even had me out doing the "Electric Slide"!! What fun!

Camping at Council Grove Lake!!

2010-10-30T05:41:00.003-05:00

Each year we have a summer gathering with Gary's old college gang! This year we decided to camp at Council Grove Lake. Mandy Rose had never been camping before and she was so excited about the prospect!

We loaded everything in the car....with barely enough room for the kiddo in the back seat!! First order of business was putting up the tent! Mandy Rose was right in the middle of it "helping"!! It was quite windy, so getting the tent set up was a bit challenging!

We borrowed this tent from our friends, the Dresher's. It is huge! But, really nice!

We were camped right on the water. Mandy Rose spent hours pitching rocks into the lake! Hard to believe there were any left when the weekend was over!

Home away from home! We might be camping, but Momma and Daddy have old bones and require air mattresses now!!

More rock play!

One of our gang, Miss Linda, brought this puppy with to snuggle with. She lovingly gave it to Mandy Rose to play with for the weekend...and then sent it home with her! His name is Buckley and Mandy Rose was thrilled!

Miss Linda also brought her hammock! She and Mandy Rose made great use of it all weekend!

As I said before, it was very windy all weekend. In fact, it just got progressively windier as the weekend passed. It made it hard to have a camp fire, but we didn't let it deter our enjoyment!

Enjoying the campfire with her buddies, Buckley and Valentino! I think Mandy Rose would like to do a whole lot more camping in the future!

We had a terrific weekend with the gang! Laughing, visiting, eating great food, drinking campfire coffee. The main reason we went to Council Grove was to have a chance to see our friend Joe, who lived there and had just started chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. We are so thankful that we did for it proved to be our last visit with him. He was an awesome man and a great friend. He will be missed terribly, but we know he is in a better place and no longer hurting.

Another First Day of Preschool!!

2010-10-30T05:37:00.001-05:00

Mandy Rose has begun another year at Westwood Preschool! She loves her teachers, friends, and all the neat activities that she gets to participate in. She is always ready and raring to go when it is a preschool day! I love that we have found such a good fit for her!

All dolled up for her first day! Mandy Rose and Mrs. Shirley

Mandy Rose and Mrs. Nelson

The smiles tell the whole story! She loves preschool!

Guangdong Girls!!

2010-08-29T19:41:00.003-05:00

We visited Omaha a couple of weeks ago to attend the wedding of our niece, Atarah. We had a great time and it was a beautiful wedding!

One great thing about visiting Omaha was getting to visit two of the families from our travel group! The kids just went to playing like they had known each other for years and us adults got in some great conversation! Hannah W., Mandy Rose, and Grace O.....aren't they all just beautiful?! This visit lit the fire under us to have a reunion of our whole travel group! It is in the works for next summer in Colorado! We can't wait!

Memphis Vacation!!

2010-08-29T19:21:00.010-05:00

Okay, sooooo, it has been a month since our vacation and I am just now getting to posting about it! Sheesh! What kind of blogger am I? .....A very busy, in school blogger! Oh well, better late than never!

We chose to go to Memphis for vacation this year. Actually, this is the first real family vacation we have taken since we came home with Mandy Rose. Somehow, China was NOT a vacation!! Although worth it!!! We took off from Wichita on the road to Memphis bright and early on Saturday morning. At a stop for lunch at Cracker Barrel, I got this cute pic of Mandy Rose! She has since decided that she wants to be a witch for Halloween. Gotta get going on finding a costume! Our first activity in Memphis was a trip to the Zoo! I had read that the Memphis Zoo was really terrific....had pandas too! So, it was high on our list! This is a rare shot of Gary (he hates the camera), but I thought it was really good!

The Memphis Zoo is really a fantastic one! It was incredibly hot, but the ability to see some of the animals up close and personal, like this male gorilla, were amazing!

In the China exhibit, we came across this Buddha statue. Photo op!!! Mandy Rose did NOT want to sit next to this guy, but forced a smile so Momma could get a pic! Gary thinks it looks like him! LOL!

The biggest draw to the Memphis Zoo was the fact that they had panda bears. This is the closest zoo to us that does! We had been talking about seeing them for weeks! Of course, Mei Mei and Le Le were both sound asleep for our visit! Mandy Rose watched them for about 30 seconds and then said, "Okay, let's go!" Ah well....best laid plans and all!

When we had lunch, we enjoyed the company of two Gibbons monkeys! They just watched us like, "What you eating? Anything good?" Then they cavorted and swung all over their ropes. It was a very entertaining show for lunch time! We actually had a great lunch (usually zoos have fried crap to choose from)! This one had the best fresh deli sandwiches! Very yummy!

After lunch, we hit the playground for awhile before venturing off to see the rest of the zoo!

One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was feeding the budgies! Mandy Rose was not the least bit intimidated by all the birds feeding just inches from her! There were hundreds of them in all different colors! So magical!

The trees were just loaded with these pretty little birds!

A magnificent bed of black-eyed susans also screamed "Photo Op"! This was the best one I could get though. Little Miss Mandy Rose was extremely hot and tired by this time!

Just minutes later she was crashed out in her carseat! We hadn't even made it out of the parking lot hardly!

Day Two in Memphis, we went to visit Mud Island along the Mississippi River. It has a geographical representation of the entire length of the river that we could wade through! Really nice on such a hot day!

Barefoot and water...what more could a little girl want?

Day Three, we visited the Children's Museum of Memphis! We got there just as it was opening, which was really quite nice. Mandy Rose almost had the run of the place. She loved pretending to fly in this REAL FedEx airplane cockpit!

She insisted on Momma being her co-pilot! There were buttons and switches everywhere! Amazing how pilots learn what each one does!

Another favorite at the museum was the grocery store. They had little carts and items you could choose to purchase.

The really cool part was checking out! Mandy Rose scanned her "purchases" just like at the real grocery store and then an actual receipt was printed out for her! She kept going back to shop for more!

Practicing her dental skills!

Ooooh.... a puzzle! Her favorite activity!

Next, she became a fire chief! She was even pretending to shift! Can't reach the pedals, but she has the concept down!

After all the kid-oriented activity, we spent the afternoon at the National Civil Rights Museum. With a four year old in tow, we couldn't devote as much time to reading all the placards as we would have liked but it was an extremely thought-provoking experience. They have an actual city bus in the museum with a statue of Rosa Parks. Of course, Mandy Rose is too young, but I still tried to explain to her a little about what these images meant. The museum is housed in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968. It was moving to stand outside his room and view the balcony where he was shot.

The Lorraine Motel, Memphis.

The next day, we ventured out of Memphis and further east. We visited Corinth, MS and then went on to Shiloh. Shiloh is the site of a Civil War battle in April 1862. Gary has been several times. He took me there for the first time 10 years ago. While we were driving around, we came across Rhea Springs where I had taken some great pictures of Gary all those years ago. Only seemed appropriate to capture Mandy Rose in the same spot! Wow! How much life has changed for us!

Momma and Mandy Rose at Rhea Springs!

One experience that was new for all of us was hiking the trail to see the Indian Mounds. It had always been closed before.

The native peoples built these mounds roughly 800 A.D. They carried the the dirt from surrounding areas. I guess, originally, the finished product was covered with a layer of red clay to really make them stand apart. The tops of the mounds were reserved for temples, ceremonial sites, and for the homes of the higher ranked members of the community. It was really cool to see!

All in all, it was a fabulous family vacation! Mandy Rose is still talking about all that we did a month later! I love creating memories with her like this!

"Gotcha Day"...Two Years Later!

2010-07-28T21:34:00.004-05:00

Two years ago, Gary and I realized our dream. We became parents to the most amazing child! Mandy Rose stole our hearts in an instant. Each and every day since we have been awe-struck by the incredible blessing we were given when we were given this little girl.

I took the above picture just a few days after we returned home from China. On a whim, I plucked a Black-Eyed Susan from my garden and shot a few photos. Mandy Rose was so little, such a little angel!

Last year, when we returned home from our day of celebrating the anniversary of "Gotcha Day", I plucked another flower and shot some more pictures. I didn't realize until later that she was wearing overalls and a pink shirt like the year previous. She had grown and changed so much in that year!

This year, I must admit, I planned the pose on purpose. I decided I had a nice tradition going! I love overalls on Mandy Rose and made sure I had a pink shirt. Another Black-Eyed Susan and we were in business!

We celebrated our two year anniversary of "Gotcha Day" by going geocaching...one of our favorite family activities! We found some great "treasure" according to little Miss Mandy Rose! We ended the day by having supper with Mama Kitty, Papa, Uncle Matt, Aunt Reanna and Mandy Rose's cousins, Carlee and Waylon. What could be more perfect to celebrate the "birth" of a family than to spend it with family!!!

Mandy Rose has lost her baby looks....her little chubby cheeks and short hair are a memory. She is daily developing her personality and it is so fun to experience! She is so bright and funny and affectionate and precocious and.....I could go on and on. In a word, she is perfect! Happy "Gotcha Day" Mandy Rose! Momma and Daddy love you to the moon and back!

Mandy Rose-isms!!

2010-07-11T09:55:00.003-05:00

Four year olds are fabulous! I love this age! We are really seeing Mandy Rose's personality develop and shine. She is naturally funny....and very bright! (I might be a little biased, but I'm her Momma. I'm supposed to be!) We wanted to record some of the many unique things that Mandy Rose says day to day; they exemplify her silly, exuberant personality!

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Where does Daddy work, Mandy Rose?...."At the hossypital!"

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One of her favorite movies lately is Finding Nemo. She has taken to getting in your face and quoting Dory's line, "Do you want a piece of me? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?" If you ask her the same question, she will look you square in the eye and say, "Yes, I do!"

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Mandy Rose is very much into dinosaurs right now. She was describing herself the other day. "I'm pretty. I'm funny. And, I'm a T-Rex!"

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She has long been very interested in the moon. Now her interest is expanding to the stars. Daddy has been studying astronomy so he can tell her what the names of the stars are. She now confidently points out the planet Venus on the horizon in the evenings. Then, she will ask, "Where's Arcturus?" How many 4 year olds have that in their vocabulary?

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Mandy Rose spent a weekend with her Aunt Michi and Michi's boyfriend, who is a farmer. Ever since that weekend, she excitedly yells "Big round bales!" every time she sees any! She got to feed cattle with them and knows what they are for. When we are driving in the country, she will keep exclaiming at each appearance of more bales. Pretty soon, she says, "There EVERYWHERE!"

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Other common outbursts while driving include announcing places that she recognizes. She yells, "That's where Mrs. McClain works!" when we pass the school where she gets speech therapy. Or, "That's where we get steam buns!" when we pass our favorite Chinese restaurant. These announcements are made EVERY SINGLE TIME we pass these places! And, always with the same degree of exaggerated enthusiasm!

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This year in preschool, Mandy Rose learned how to write all the letters of her name. Now, you have to look at "the big picture" to see her name as they are not yet in a line. They are randomly dispersed all over the page...but they are all there. Whenever she sees an "M" on anything, she will say, "Up, down, up, down. That says Mandy Rose!" She gets a kick out of the Miracle Whip jar because it has a "M" and a "W" on the front. We tell her that means it is her bottle! Heehee!

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Lately, she has become very interested in praying at meal times. Sometimes, she forgets until midway through the meal and then she claps her hands together and says "I want to pray!" We must fold our hands together too. She prays first and then announces whose turn is next. We all have to say our individual prayers before the meal continues. I love her little heart and the fact that she is learning to express her gratitude to God. When she first started this habit, she wouldn't always get the "G" put on God. Her prayers would start, "Dear 'od...." So cute!!!

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Mandy Rose loves to help me cook! She drops everything when I announce we are going to make banana bread or cookies. She knows her role in these projects. She will tell me, "Momma, you measure. I dump!" Gary calls her the little "dumperumper!" She always giggles and tells him "That's punny!"

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Daddy plays another game with Mandy Rose regarding Delilah's name. Gary is NOT a dog person and the only reason we have a dog is because he ADORES his little girl and she desperately wanted one. He always refers to Delilah as "Mutt". Mandy Rose will argue.

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Daddy, "Mutt!"

Mandy Rose, "Delilah!"

Daddy, "Mutt!"

Mandy Rose, "Delilah!"

Daddy, "Mutt!"

Mandy Rose, "Delilah!"

Daddy, "Delilah!"

Mandy Rose, "Mutt!" :)

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Last, but not least, Mandy Rose has problems making the "f" sound. She mispronounces the word "fish" and everyone thinks it is hilarious!! She says "b*tch" instead. When we were playing in the pool one day, she was using her noodle to "fish" for me. I had hold of one end and she had the other end trying to "reel" me in. I kept saying, "I don't wanna get caught!" Finally, she said, "Out of the water, b*tch!" I thought my sister was gonna choke she was laughing so hard!!

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Well, there you have it! A glimpse into the world and mind of little miss Mandy Rose!

Going to the Zoo!!

2010-07-03T09:22:00.003-05:00

So, it is summertime in Kansas! We have been keeping very busy! Mandy Rose has been going to swim lessons for 3 weeks now and is doing fabulously! She loves the water and is performing all the tasks put to her by her instructor. She delights in going all the way under the water and retrieving toys from the bottom of the pool! I am very proud of her achievements! We have also been swimming with the Dresher's, went to a Wingnuts baseball game (again with our favorite people, the Dresher's), gone geocaching a few times, grilled out alot, and have been making regular trips to the zoo.

We are extremely fortunate that our local zoo is such a nice one. They keep adding new things and new habitats for the animals. The zoo has really cool gorilla, tiger, lion, chimpanzee, and penguin exhibits. They are in the process of developing a new elephant habitat too! We have a family pass, so we don't have to feel like doing the whole zoo each time. We can pick and choose which animals we are interested in that day. During this visit, the giraffe feeding station was open! Mandy Rose had so much fun feeding cottonwood leaves to the giraffes. She had no fear of them at all...getting very close to feed them each leaf. It was really amazing to watch her and so fun for her to have this experience! We got to be so close to these beautiful creatures!

Their muzzles were so soft!

Mandy Rose insisted on taking the obligatory picture with the gorilla statue. Of course, she was tired of it by the time Momma got the pose she wanted! LOL!

Another posed picture, but I thought it was so cute! The first time she buried her face in the flower and got covered with pollen! Fortunately, she doesn't seem to have any allergies!

I love this picture! This is from another trip to the zoo. We were watching the gorillas being fed and Mandy Rose was mesmerized! You can see the reflection of her eyes in the glass.

Our cheesy-smiling girl!! Having lots of summertime fun!

Happy "Half" Birthday!!!

2010-06-13T19:19:00.003-05:00

Okay, so we are indulgent parents! Do I think that is a bad thing? Um, no! Mandy Rose is an incredibly wonderful blessing in our lives and any way we can make her life special, day-to-day, is worth it. We don't know if her life was ever celebrated in the first two and half years she lived. So, we make it a point to celebrate it now! Tomorrow Mandy Rose will be exactly 4 1/2 years old so we had an impromptu "half" birthday party for her today.

She got one candle blown out!

Yea, I did it!!!

What's a birthday party without presents? Daddy picked out a "Polly Pockets" set for her. She loves it....but I'm wondering how long before these little pieces are missing or Delilah eats them!!

Our happy 4 1/2 year old girl!!

She's been playing with her present for the last hour...I think it was worth it! We love you sooooo much baby girl!! Happy "Half" Birthday!!

Ahhhh, Summer!!

2010-06-09T21:26:00.004-05:00

I think summer has officially started here at the Wenzl household! I have spent the last two weeks doing a pre-session class which is basically cramming a whole semester into 9 days! Whew, I would not want to do that again! I was in class for 4 1/2 hours each day and doing about 3 hours of homework each night after Mandy Rose went to bed. But...it's done and I have the rest of the summer free to play with my sweet baby girl!

Last summer, we had purchased a wading pool for Mandy Rose that required blowing up. That was fine last year, but this year it had developed a slow leak and Momma was getting uber tired of blowing the silly thing back up! So, we got a molded plastic one complete with a built in slide! Mandy Rose used this new pool for the first time this afternoon. She played for about an hour and half, only getting out when I made her due to the goosebumps and it being supper time! She said she was "trapped" here and I had to save her! She is such a silly little girl!

I just adore the joy on my daughter's face! She is a kid having all the fun in the world and that is as it should be. Gary and I enjoyed lounging in our camp chairs and just watching her. I don't know how to put it into words, but watching her enjoying her childhood brings me such a feeling of peace and contentment. I don't want this to ever end! I know she is going to grow up...but I wish she would stay 4 years old! It is such a wonderful age!

We enjoyed a nice summery meal complete with corn on the cob to top off the evening! Gary and I treated ourselves to a bbq grill for our Mother's/Father's Day present! We used it for the first time tonight. Had burgers, homemade cole slaw, and fresh corn on the cob! Can't get more summery than that...at least until watermelon comes in season!

Mandy Rose See, Mandy Rose Do!!!

2010-05-20T21:04:00.003-05:00

Mandy Rose is becoming very interested in imaginative play lately! She is constantly acting out the events she is witnessing in her day-to-day life. For example, shopping is a favorite game at our house now! She loads a basket with her "items" and comes to me to check her out. Then, I have to hand her a slip of paper that is her receipt. She says "thank you" and I say "thanks for shopping"! Another example of her acting out what she is seeing happened this evening. A few weeks ago, when we went to Karen's graduation, Mandy Rose was fascinated by the fact that her other cousin, Jessica, was pregnant. She asked fourteen hundred times on the way home from Almena, "Now, where is that baby?" Thankfully, she has yet to ask how it got in there!! That's a conversation for another day! LOL! Jessica had her little boy a few days later and Mandy Rose has enjoyed seeing pictures of the baby that used to be the BUMP in Jessica's tummy! Tonight, she shoved her jammies under her shirt and pretended to have a baby in her tummy too!

She looks about 6 months along, don't you think? Too adorable!! But, Momma is NOT ready for grandparenthood yet!

We also recently attended the birthday party of Mandy Rose's friend, Emma M! At lunch the other day, she turned her cheeseburger into an impromptu birthday cake complete with a french fry ("lit" with ketchup no less) as a candle! It cracked us up!

Happy Birthday!! Such an imaginative little girl! She definitely keeps her Momma & Daddy entertained!

Celebrating Cousin Karen's Graduation!!

2010-05-11T11:04:00.005-05:00

This past weekend found us on the road to northwestern Kansas to attend Mandy Rose's cousin's graduation. We always enjoy visiting this branch of the family and this weekend was no exception.

Saturday began with preparations for the party! Food was being cooked, tents erected, and Mandy Rose took on the chore of gathering pine cones from the yard (her idea!) It kept her very busy!

She almost filled this tote with pinecones! Of course, later in the day, she and some other kids scattered them all around the yard again! Should make for some fun mowing for Uncle Rich! Our next chore was to sweep the patio. Mandy Rose "helped" alot! I would sweep the pile one direction and she swept it the other! Eventually, we got the job done.

We are ready to party!!

Mandy Rose loves her cousin Karen! They have such fun together! Aren't they both such beautiful girls?

Karen had to have a picture with Delilah too! She thought she was such a cute puppy!

Waiting for graduation to start!

Kisses for Momma! We managed to keep Mandy Rose entertained until the graduation started. Then "Pomp & Circumstance" began to be played and the graduates filed in. Mandy Rose was standing on a chair next to me. When I turned around to check on her, I saw her swaying with eyes drifting shut! Graduation was right in the middle of nap time! Soooo.......

......this is how she spent the entire ceremony! And, yes, she does sleep with her eyes open!

Awake again and ready for the fun to begin! She was fascinated with the chocolate fountain! She tried strawberries, grapes, pretzels, marshmallows, and pineapple covered with the yummy stuff!

Uncle Rich and Aunt Judy have a ferret that the kids brought out into the yard. Mandy Rose and Delilah are mesmerized by the ferret! I really think Delilah was even more so!!

Mandy Rose got to spend quite a bit of time with another beauty from China, Elle T! They are just 9 months apart in age, but quite different in size! They played soccer, fed the dogs, played hide and go seek, and snuck marshmallows for several hours!!

This is Elle's brother, Alex, who is also Karen's boyfriend. He is soooo good with the kids! He played soccer with them for quite awhile!

There were lots of kids to play with!

Mandy Rose was tickling Karen telling her, "It has to be done!" This is the phrase that Uncle Rich uses when he tickles the kids and Mandy Rose picked up on it! It took 3 tries to get this picture! Karen accused me of taking my time so Mandy Rose could tickle her even more!!! All too soon, the weekend came to an end! We had so much fun! Karen has grown into such a lovely, bright, funny, sweet woman!

Weekend in KC!

2010-04-14T20:53:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was our monthly trip to Kansas City to visit Auntie M and Jamen! We picked Lyndi up, got our Starbuck's fix, and headed out early. We met Mandy, Matthew, & Jamen at Red Robin for lunch and then went on to the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead. It is a fabulous park! There are animals to feed and pet, old farm equipment to play on, playground equipment, and oodles of room to run! The kids had a blast!

Mandy Rose is wearing her new Shockers cap. Daddy got one and she had to have one as well! It is just a smidge too big so we turned it around backward so she could see! Jamen was convinced his hat was going to blow off! He walked around with his hands clapped to his head!

They got to pet a holstein calf. They also got to pretend to "milk" a cow!

Couldn't pass up a train!

Feeding the goats! Jamen and Mandy Rose were picking up feed that others had dropped, so they actually got to feed the goat for quite awhile!

Mandy Rose as a delicate flower!

I just love Jamen's eyes! Isn't he a cutie?

Enjoying cookies at the end of the day!

Hangin' out!

It was another wonderful weekend with family!

A girl & her dog!

2010-04-14T20:44:00.002-05:00

Mandy Rose absolutely loves her puppy, Delilah! I enjoy watching them play together. And, I cherish the memories she will have of growing up with Delilah. She is really a great little dog! She stills has accidents once in awhile, but she is well-mannered and not yappy (thank goodness!) Mandy Rose definitely considers Delilah her puppy and so do I....but I think Delilah considers herself my dog! She is usually glued to my side! LOL! Daddy still refers to her as "Mutt" and has daily arguments with Mandy Rose about her name. Daddy, "Mutt." Mandy Rose "Delilah!" Daddy, "Mutt." Mandy Rose, "Delilah!" Daddy, "Delilah!" Mandy Rose, "Mutt!" Ha! Aren't they too precious!

A Weekend of Easter & Egg Hunts!!

2010-04-05T08:25:00.005-05:00

This was a fabulous weekend for little miss Mandy Rose! We had 3 egg hunts and got together with lots of her friends for playtime! To top it off, the weather was perfect! Temps in the 70's & 80's and bright sunshine! The weekend started with a community Easter egg hunt in Augusta with the Dresher's. Cassidy kept Mandy Rose entertained by tickling her while waiting for the hunt to begin! She LOVES the Dresher kids!

The anticipation of hunting for eggs was intense!

And, they are off! I didn't know if Mandy Rose would understand the concept of rushing to pick up eggs, but I needn't have worried! She was "hoovering" them up with the best of 'em! She had a nice pile of eggs at the end. Momma had to explain why she was getting rid of the gum, but she still got alot of candy. I haven't let Mandy Rose have gum yet because I am dreading issues of gum stuck in her hair, the carpet, on the furniture.... I just tell her it is sticky, nasty stuff and so far she is buying my story!

Success!! Saturday evening, we had dinner with the Montieth's & Ewing's. Four little girls from China, aged 3 to 6 played for hours while their parents got some adult conversation! Met all of our needs! LOL! The girls played very well together and we didn't need to intervene in any fights or disagreements. It is wonderful to watch these girls knowing they all started their lives in orphanages half a world away and now they are friends!

Easter morning dawned beautiful! Daddy had hidden our eggs in the front yard so it was time for Mandy Rose to find them!

Such a pretty girl and sooooo happy!

She needed a little guidance, but you could tell when she spotted an egg! She would take off running saying, "There's one!"

The obligatory pose along the wall in front of our house! It's kinda like the hutch inside...serves as a backdrop for posed pics!

Daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are all in bloom in my yard! I LOVE Spring! Those cheerful flowers announcing the new season!

Later in the day, we went to our friends, the Keech's, for a barbeque and egg hunt. They put over 5 dozen eggs in their yard just for Mandy Rose! And, that was toned down from what they would usually do because I protested about it being too much!!! They had a blast spoiling our little girl! Brenda Keech has become a good friend from school. We have classes together and she is also working to get into the medical technology program. She and her husband, Ron, are the nicest people! We had a wonderful time and enjoyed yummy grilled steaks and chicken!

This is her "toned down" haul!! All in all it was a terrific weekend! I am so thankful for my daughter, getting to watch her experience the fun things of childhood, the friends we have, and great weather!

Dyeing Easter Eggs!

2010-04-03T10:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the day to get our Easter eggs dyed. Mandy Rose has been very excited about Easter this year! She is looking forward to all the egg hunts...and the candy, of course! When I got home from class, we got our supplies around and dyed a dozen eggs to hide Sunday morning here at our house.

I put her apron on her and she was quite careful, but we still managed to get dye on her shirt. Thankfully, it is an old one, so not a great loss! She was concentrating very hard on spooning dye over the eggs. I love how she holds a spoon at the very end!

We worked together to put funny face stickers on each egg when it was dried.

She is very proud of her finished product! She will have fun finding them in the yard on Sunday morning! And, she will enjoy the egg salad or deviled eggs afterwards as well!

While Mandy Rose is just 4 years old, Easter is mostly about eggs, candy, and Easter baskets. We have started talking about the true meaning of Easter and, as she gets older, we will make sure she understands. But, for now, we talk about Jesus and get pumped for candy!!!

"Jamen is my friend, Momma!"

2010-04-03T09:43:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, my sister, Mandy, stayed with us with her two kids, Lyndi & Jamen. Lyndi is 13 and spends most of her time with the lap top on her knees, posting on facebook, sending texts in between posts! Ah, the age of technology!

Jamen is 3 1/2 and as Mandy Rose says, "Jamen is my friend!" They play wonderfully together! Jamen is always calling out, "Mandy Rose, come on!" and off they run to some new adventure! It is so sweet to watch them play together and I am tickled that they enjoy each other's company.

Friends! Concentrating on finding matches for the Memory game!

They built tower after tower with the blocks. Of course, it had to be right in the doorway to the kitchen!! Our house is small and Jamen and Mandy Rose had it littered like a minefield in no time!

One thing that is very interesting is that both Mandy Rose's and Jamen's preschool teachers commented on how they don't play cooperatively with the other kids. Sure looks like they know how to play cooperatively to me! Maybe they just don't find their classmates as interesting! LOL!

Cousins!!!

2010-03-22T20:01:00.003-05:00

Mandy Rose got to spend the morning with her cousin, Olivia, today! Olivia is 5 years old. Even though she is only 9 months older than Mandy Rose, she towers over her! They had not seen each other in quite some time, but dove right in to playing like they were the best of old friends! They spent alot of time playing "Big Sister/Little Sister"! They are both only kids...suppose they are hinting?

It was fun to see the girls play together! There were no fights....just some dragging of feet when it came time to pick up toys! LOL! We need to have more playdates in the future!

New Tricycle!!!

2010-03-18T20:35:00.002-05:00

This week, we bought Mandy Rose a tricycle. I was starting to feel like a bad parent! Sheesh, she's 4 years old and doesn't even have a tricycle! We thought about skipping the trike and getting her a bicycle. But since she is still such a little munchkin, a tricycle fits her better.

Today was a gorgeous, spring-like day, so we ventured out to the park in search of a good area to practice on. We found an awesome concrete pad at Sedgwick County Park with lots of room to maneuver. Mandy Rose jumped on and with a little forward shove, took off pedaling around! It was so precious! Such an iconic moment for a parent! I snapped as many pics as she would let me!

Okay, Momma, enough pictures already! I want to ride! Mandy Rose chose this tricycle. It came in red, but she insisted on the pink and purple! All girl!

She abandoned the trike to make some new friends! She LOVES dogs!

After our tricycle practice, we headed to the playground with some new sand toys! The park was jam packed! Everybody is on Spring Break and we have bad weather (in fact, maybe snow!) heading in tomorrow. I think all of us parents had the same idea! We played for an hour and a half, soaking up the warm sun!

Days like today are what I dreamed of for years. I wanted to share warm, sunny days with a child of my own. I ached to be able to experience the world through my child's eyes. I hungered for the opportunity to delight her with swinging, rides down the slide, and new tricycles. I am blessed beyond measure! I love this beautiful little girl that God gave to me!

Wild Hair!!!

2010-02-28T19:53:00.003-06:00

Mandy Rose and I went down to Attica today to help celebrate her cousin's birthday! Carlene is turning one year old and lots of family and friends gathered for the shindig! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I have no pictures :(

Mandy Rose's hair has gotten long enough that I pull it up into pony tails on each side, braid them, and then twist them into buns with scrunchies. I think she looks absolutely adorable!! (I DID NOT have enough baby dolls as a child, so Mandy Rose pays the consequences, Ha!) She posed for a few pics with her hair all done up! When we got home and started getting ready for bed, I took her hair down. Oh My! What a wild hair do!

For having such stick straight hair, it is interesting to me how well it curls! I think she kind of looks like an Asian Diana Ross!!! She thought the bounciness of her hair was hilarious and ran laps around the house flinging it back and forth!

Wonder what she will look like in the morning?

~Chinese New Year~

2010-02-14T08:13:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Mandy Rose and I went to Hutchinson to join with other adoptive families in our area to celebrate Chinese New Year!! I love this occasion! I love getting her all dressed up in Chinese silks and I love her having the opportunity to play with other beautiful kiddos from China!!

This is the last set of silks we purchased while in China. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like her in the yellow (she looks so striking in red), but she was just adorable and gots lots of compliments! She even grudgingly stood still long enough for Momma to put a few curls in her hair!

She still challenges me by not smiling naturally for my picture taking!! But this one isn't too bad. I don't know about you, but when we were growing up, there seemed to be a particular place where our parents would place us for picture taking time. Gary has numerous pictures of he and his brothers all lined up along the wall outside their farm house. In our home, it is in front of the hutch!! Year by year, we can tell how much she is growing by her height in comparison to the hutch! Ha!! Not the most exciting back drop, but, oh well. She makes any outfit look good....but I am her very biased Momma!

Of course, the highlight of Chinese New Year, is the food!! Mandy Rose thoroughly enjoyed noodles, chicken, crab rangoon, and, the very authentic Chinese chocolate icecream!!!

We had alot of fun and got to visit with lots of friends! A perfect way to celebrate the holiday!!

She Is Just So Stinkin' Cute!!

2010-02-07T22:51:00.002-06:00

Every day I fall more in love with this little girl! She is so funny, affectionate, bright, and beautiful!! I am blessed to be able to be her mom! So, I think preschool is rubbing off on little miss Mandy Rose! We found her having reading time with her "babies"!! Too cute!!

Baby Waylon!

2010-02-05T17:09:00.002-06:00

This is the newest addition to my side of the family! He is the son of my baby brother, Matt! His full moniker is Waylon Adam Loesch! Isn't he just beautiful? My dad, aka Papa Ron, says, "No, he is handsome!!" Anyways, welcome to the family, Baby Waylon!!!

Long Time No Talk!

2010-02-05T16:53:00.003-06:00

I have been meaning to make a post to the blog for quite some time! It has been a very challenging few weeks since Christmas and I just haven't felt like writing. I had gastric bypass surgery three days before Christmas. At first, all went very well and I got released to come home on the evening of the 23rd. Christmas Eve found us at the ER and me not being able to stop getting sick! So....I spent Christmas in the hospital. Ugh! I felt so bad, I didn't really even feel like it was Christmas. I finally got to come home on the 26th. The next 4 weeks were very difficult. I struggled with constant nausea and pain. I ended up in the hospital one more time, this time with dehydration, on the 22nd of January. I definitely had moments of regret about what I had done to my body. But, after I got rehydrated, the nausea subsided and I began to be able to get in my daily requirements of fluid and protein and I felt MUCH better!! I am now learning day to day what my body handles food-wise and losing weight. Yea!! I have been overweight most of my life, with it just becoming more and more of a problem. When we were in the process of adopting Mandy Rose, it was a constant concern, until we got final approval from China, that someone would nix our attempt because we were too fat! Actually, if we had waited just a few months more, that is exactly what would have happened when China changed its requirement policies! I have pondered and researched GBS for the last 2-3 years. I made the decision that it was the right choice for me early in '09. I worked very hard the rest of the year meeting all the insurance and pre-surgery requirements. It is not a decision to be made lightly. But, I want to be healthy and I want to live as long as I possibly can for Mandy Rose. I also, frankly, want to feel better in my own skin! Anyways, fast forward to today. I am feeling really good! I am happy that I made this decision for myself and for my daughter. I look forward to being more active with her. I look forward to being around for a long, long time!!

Merry Christmas, Mandy Rose!!

2009-12-29T00:43:00.002-06:00

Last year, Mandy Rose didn't really "get" Christmas. Now, don't get me wrong. She "got" getting presents; but she didn't understand the meaning of Christmas. This year, we have talked alot about it being a celebration of baby Jesus' birthday! She would practice singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus....so cute! Of course, she is also into Santa, snowmen, The Polar Express, Christmas cookies, Christmas lights, hot chocolate, and presents!!! She is 4 years old after all!

It has been a crazy Christmas this year. I had surgery the Tuesday before and, unfortunately, had some complications that landed me back in the hospital for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (don't worry, I'm doing much better.) Daddy, Mama Kitty, and Papa Ron got to open a few gifts with Mandy Rose on Christmas morning but they saved most of it for when I got home. Since she is such a good kid, she was perfectly happy to open just a few things at a time! Lord, I love this little girl!

Mama Kitty & Papa Ron got her a new baby doll! We actually gave her the same doll when we were in China, so now she has twins!! We have named them YinYin (her nickname in China) and MeiMei! Rifling through her stocking! Santa left her lots of goodies!!

A whole stack of new books!!

Santa scored BIG TIME with a new keyboard for Mandy Rose!! She loves it!!

It even has a working microphone, so we got entertained quite a bit!!

Papa Ron chipped in and helped set up her train set...which she promptly tore back down again! Four year olds, sheesh!!

Last year, we started the tradition of growing an amaryllis for Christmas. I had to take a picture of Mandy Rose and this year's flower. They are both beautiful!!

Although this Christmas was not the ideal I had pictured in my head, Mandy Rose had fun and she learned more about Jesus. Really, isn't that what it should be all about?

Delilah!!

2009-12-17T21:22:00.004-06:00

For the last couple of months, Mandy Rose has been talking about a puppy. All the time, we are hearing, "I need a puppy!" "Momma, I want a puppy!" "Daddy needs a puppy!" There is the crux of the matter, Gary is not a dog person at all! He did not even want to consider the possibility.

Today, I was parent helper at Mandy Rose's preschool. During circle time, her teacher was asking each child what they wanted for Christmas. Mandy Rose didn't miss a beat..."I want a puppy!" So, when she went down for a nap, Gary and I discussed it and he agreed! Yippee! (Momma kinda wanted a puppy too!) I found an ad in the paper for miniature schnauzer puppies and called. There were several left, so I made a trip about an hour north to bring home our latest addition to the family! She is actually a toy schnauzer and will get no bigger than about 8 pounds (which means the cats will be bigger than her! Ha!) We named her Delilah. There is a little inside joke to her name. Our best friends, the Dresher's just got a new puppy too which they named Samson. So, Delilah just seemed to fit!

When Mandy Rose woke from her nap, Daddy told her that Momma had gone to get her a present. When I got home, I was carrying the puppy behind my back and Mandy Rose was asking, "Where's my present, Momma?" I asked her what she had told Mrs. Shirley she wanted for Christmas? She again said, "A puppy!" Then, I brought Delilah out from behind my back. She just looked shocked! She acted like she couldn't believe that Delilah was real! She has spent the rest of the evening carrying her, kissing her, loving on her! This evening, we went out for our traditional tour of Christmas lights around Wichita. Mandy Rose insisted that Delilah go with us and we happily obliged her. I know training Delilah will be work, but the joy on my daughter's face is worth it!

Merry Christmas, Mandy Rose!! Little Miss Delilah! She is only about 8 inches long and weighs maybe a pound!

Mandy Rose and her new puppy!

Look closely! Delilah is sleeping between Mandy Rose's legs! She stayed there during our whole Christmas light tour!

Goofing off with Daddy's hat while having hot chocolate at Starbuck's!

Our precious girl...how could we deny her anything!!

Happy Birthday Mandy Rose!!!

2009-12-13T11:08:00.004-06:00

This year's birthday party for Mandy Rose was at our house. The theme was Dora the Explorer. Last year, we had a HUGE bash and held it in the fellowship hall of a local church. This time around was to just be immediate family and close friends....a much simpler affair. Mandy Rose really "got" that it was her birthday this year! We have been counting down the days for last 5 weeks or so. She also starting making requests. She emphatically decided that she wanted cupcakes which I was happy to supply. They are much easier than a cake! I am no kind of cake decorator, but I think they turned out cute and everyone said they were really yummy! We had Mandy Rose take an early nap so she would be well rested for her party. Once she got up and dressed, she was READY for the party to begin! She sat in the livingroom chanting, "People...come to my party now, come to my party now!" Soon everyone arrived and the party was on!

My sweet little girl...she makes her Momma so happy!

Mandy Rose had been practicing blowing out her candles. Unfortunately, she tends to blow up her nose rather than down at the candles, so Momma helped her a bit!

Now it is time for the booty!

She got some really terrific gifts, very thoughtful! She has been enraptured playing with them ever since! One of her gifts was a Dora bath toy, so she most decidedly needed to take a bath in order to check that one out!

Mama Kitty and Papa got her a "Snuffles" bear. When my brother Matthew was about to be born, my mom went searching for the perfect teddy bear and found "Snuffles". Now, he might not admit it, but I bet that bear is still somewhere in Matt's house and he is 26 years old! He lovingly called him "Fells" and he got loved along the proportions of the Velveteen Rabbit! Mandy Rose was very excited to get her new teddy bear!

Aunt Michi gave Mandy Rose a $10 bill to spend on her own. She is young enough that she doesn't quite understand the pleasure of spending money, but she will soon enough!!

The party was a big success! Mandy Rose was the center of attention and loved every minute of it! We were thrilled to share the celebration with so many friends and family. Our little girl is a big 4 year old now. She's growing up!

Making Cinnamon Ornaments

2009-12-13T10:50:00.002-06:00

Last year, I started the tradition of making cinnamon salt dough ornaments for our Christmas tree. It is a fun project for Mandy Rose and I to do together and it makes the house smell amazing when they are baking! Even in the chaos of getting ready for the end of my semester at WSU, I still wanted to continue this tradition. We took one evening last week and got to work! Mandy Rose likes to help with each step of the process. I measure out the ingredients and she is my little "dumper". Most of it gets in the bowl! Then she helps me stir...until it gets too tough and she hands it back to me! LOL!

Cutting out the shapes is the best part! She really could do this on her own this year!

I think her next favorite part is watching the ornaments baking in the oven. Whenever I have anything in the oven, she insists on the oven light being on so she can watch! And, being the #1 member of the family, I gladly submit to her request!

Our finished ornaments! Aren't they cute? But she is even cuter!

Trimming the Tree!!

2009-11-30T23:21:00.004-06:00

As soon as we got home from Greenleaf, we started preparing to put up our tree. It was quite nippy in our house because our heater went out Thanksgiving morning. Since we were headed out the door for 4 days, we decided to deal with it when we got home (or rather on Monday). We set up our space heaters, vacuumed the floor, and brought all the Christmas boxes in! Well, almost right away, we blew a breaker and lost power in our livingroom except for the overhead light! I was undeterred. We forged ahead and added calling the electrician to Monday's chores (the breaker was completely broken and had to be replaced).

I started the tradition last year of picking out an ornament for Mandy Rose each year. She chose Mickey Mouse for the second year in a row! This is the ornament that gets placed first. When she moves out on her own (don't think about that now, Momma!), she will have a nice collection to start her own tree with! After Daddy helped her with that first ornament, Mandy Rose kinda carefully handed the rest of the ornaments to Daddy to put on the tree. Her oohs and aahs as I opened each box were precious!

The First Ornament of 2009! Isn't it cute?

S0000 excited!!

The magic of a snow globe!!

The obligatory "in front of the tree" pose!!

We still need to puts up the house lights but, Christmas is in the air at the Wenzl household!! Yea!!

Thanksgiving & Family!!!

2009-11-30T22:45:00.004-06:00

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving at Grandma's & Grandpa's house in Greenleaf this year. 3 of the 5 brothers were able to attend, so the house was pretty full. Of course, little miss Mandy Rose was the center of attention most of the time! It really is quite wonderful to see how our family has fallen in love with her as much as we have! I found a terrific way for Mandy Rose to help prepare the Thanksgiving meal. Tearing up bread for stuffing is just made to order for almost 4 year olds! She was thrilled to be Momma's little helper!

Mandy Rose and Karen!!

On Saturday, we went geocaching with Gary's brother, Rich, his wife, Judy, and our niece, Karen. It was a beautiful day, custom made for caching! We found most of the caches on our list, saw some really pretty countryside, and scored some neato treasure for Mandy Rose!

One of our stops was a point on the Oregon Trail!

The joy of jumping!!

This is the LARGEST cache I have ever seen(note the briefcase in the backgrouond)! Mandy Rose got a really neat whistle!

Beautiful Girls!!

Tickle Time...an Annual Tradition!!

First a ride on Uncle Rich...

...then Karen got her turn!!

Unfortunately, Mandy Rose's computer doesn't get Facebook!!

Cousin Don coloring while Kaitie (Don's girlfriend) looks on!

Like I said, Mandy Rose loved being the center of attention! I can't believe she got Don to color for her!

I am thankful for my God, my daughter, my husband, and my family! I am thankful that we can all create memories together!

A Friend's Birthday Party!!

2009-11-15T20:32:00.004-06:00

We spent Saturday morning attending the birthday party of little miss Sophie M. She is turning 3 years old! She has only been home with her forever family for a few months, but is blossoming with them! We were thrilled to be allowed to help her family celebrate her birthday! They chose Chuck E. Cheese as the site for the affair. Mandy Rose had never been, but she took to it like a duck to water! She ran from game to game with her little token cup in hand! She scored enough tickets to obtain 2 plastic Chuck E. Cheese spoons and 2 lollipops! A real haul for a 3 year old! Probably 10 cents worth of product for $10 worth of tokens! Oh well, fun was had and that is really all that is important!

The sweet birthday girl!!

Chuck E. Cheese....Vegas for children!!

See my winnings?

Adorable Birthday Hats! Mom, do you have to take my picture in this thing?

Enjoying the obligatory cupcake!

A hug between friends...so precious!!

Fall Fun!!

2009-11-15T20:20:00.005-06:00

Mandy Rose and Daddy "worked" raking leaves this past week. Daddy actually worked on raking...Mandy Rose "worked" on destroying the piles!! She had a ball and they actually got some leaves hauled to the compost pile. Such simple pure joy for a child!!

I still can't believe what a beatiful little girl we have! Mandy Rose was helping by pulling leaves off the tree!

JOY!!

Pretty girl!

Look at those piggies flying!!

An Adorable Clown Goes Trick or Treating!!!

2009-10-31T20:43:00.003-05:00

Is this not the cutest clown you ever saw?!

Mandy Rose has been down all this week with the flu, possibly H1N1! She had to miss preschool and gymnastics. She even missed her Halloween party at school! And, all week she has talked about trick or treating! Thankfully, today, she was fever free and no longer contagious so we got to traipse around our cul-de-sac and show off the costume!! I had ordered it several weeks ago. I found several really cute ones on the internet, so I gave her the choice. She decidedly chose the clown costume! She was so adorable! But, the cute little red circles I painted on her cheeks were nearly wiped off by the time we got home. No matter, little Miss Mandy Rose had a ball and came home with her pumpkin bag full of treats!

Cousin Jamen's Birthday!!

2009-10-31T20:23:00.005-05:00

The birthday boy! Isn't he adorable!

Mandy Rose and I went to Kansas City last weekend to share in celebrating Jamen's 3rd birthday! It was a simple family affair, but we all enjoyed ourselves! My sister, Mandy, made a wonderful supper of chicken enchiladas and her boyfriend made fresh, delicious guacamole!

Yummy Chocolate!!

Of course, there was cake! Chocolate to be exact! Everyone's favorite! Mandy Rose tucked right into her cupcake!

Cutting the cake....kind of!

Jamen did the honors and tried to cut the cake for everyone. He even leaned over and licked the frosting off! Well, he is the birthday boy and it is his cake to do with as he pleases!

Fascinated by the prospect of a new Thomas movie!!

Jamen's passion at present is Thomas the Tank Engine! Everything to do with trains is fascinating to him. In fact, he is dressing up as a train engineer for Halloween this year. He got quite a haul of neat presents for his birthday, including more trains!

Equally fascinated by the balloons!! Party with the cousins!! We had a good weekend again. It was our last at this house. Mandy has sold it and is buying a townhouse. Next time we visit, she will have moved. I always have liked this house and we have many good memories here! It was nice to end it with a party!

Applejack Pumpkin Patch!!

2009-10-18T19:24:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, we joined our friends, the Dresher's, and went to the Applejack Pumpkin Patch. We had gone last year for the first time just a few months after we got home with Mandy Rose. Last year, she was so little and wasn't able to partake in all the activities. This year was a whole different story!!!

Swinging with Daddy! Aren't they cute?!

We started the day warming up on the swings! Last year, we thought that was all she was going to do! This year, just a few minutes worth and she was ready for something new! After checking out the goats, rabbits, chickens, and alpacas, Mandy Rose spotted the BIG slide! Her friend, Cassidy, graciously went down with her a couple of times! She was all smiles!

Cassidy and Mandy Rose on the slide!

Next, came the zip line! I would probably have not thought she was big enough for this yet except she does this each week at gymnastics! She still looked awfully little, but she held on! She had such a look of determination on her little face!

Whee!! The best ride is on Daddy's shoulders!! Getting ready for a train ride!

On the way back! That is her friend, Cavin, in the car in front of Mandy Rose!

After the zip line, the little kids rode the "train". Mandy Rose looked at us as she pulled away like she wasn't quite sure about this. She was all smiles again when they returned! She told us it was "bumpy"!

Riding to the pumpkin patch on the trailer!

Finally, it was time to ride out to the pumpkin patch. Once we got out there, Mandy Rose wandered around looking for the perfect "little punkin". Every time we pointed one out and asked her if that was the one, she would say, "Nope!" Eventually, we gave her a choice of a couple and she picked one. We could have been there all day!!! Daddy got his pumpkin and we were ready to ride back!

Searching for the perfect punkin!!

This is the perfect one! And the pumpkin isn't that bad either!

We finished up by choosing some neat gourds to decorate with and paid for our stash! The day was wonderful! We had perfect fall weather...sunny, a bit cool, but not windy! We also got to share it with good friends! Afterwards, we shared a yummy supper of chili at the Dresher's house while the kids played! A great new tradition!!!

Sick for the First Time!

2009-10-14T23:32:00.003-05:00

It has been 15 months since Mandy Rose became our daughter! Wow! Since that first day in China, she has been an INCREDIBLY healthy little girl! She has been exposed to numerous "bugs" and always walked through with little more than a runny nose. And, even that would only last a day or so and then she was right as rain! Well, officially, Mandy Rose has gotten sick for the first time (with us anyways)! She picked up a particularly virulent little virus (not H1N1) from another little girl. In fact, of the kids that played together that evening, at least 6 have gotten sick. The original little one actually ended up in the hospital with febrile seizures. She is back home and doing well now, thank you God! Mandy Rose has had a fever for 3 days and has now developed a very croupy cough. Her sweet little voice gets very froggy. My daughter though, is handling illness in her usual way. She is soooo very easy to take care of. She hasn't been that cranky; maybe a bit more cuddly, but I'm kinda digging that! The worst part of this whole illness to her is that she doesn't understand why she can't go to preschool and gymnastics!! Anyways, today I was thinking of when we were in China. We were in Guangzhou the whole time since that is where Mandy Rose is from. We took several trips for appointments and such that drove us right by a hospital. We were there in July and it was HOT! And HUMID! Every time we drove past that hospital, there would be a line all the way down the street. We asked and our guides informed us that people would show up at the crack of dawn and wait in line for HOURS for their turn with the doctor. I know there is a problem with healthcare in this country, but.....when Mandy Rose is sick, I can just run to Walmart for tylenol or cough medicine. If I have to, I can call the doctor and be seen within a few hours. Hours that I can wait out in the comfort of my own home. If it was really serious, we could go to the ER and be seen almost immediately. I am so grateful for the privileges we have in the United States! I am so thankful that we have the ability to take care of Mandy Rose whenever she gets sick! Now, here's to my little one getting all better!

Moon Cake Recipe

2009-10-09T20:51:00.003-05:00

I have had a couple of requests for the recipe that I used to make moon cakes. I got my recipe from the book "Moonbeams, Dumplings, and Dragon Boats". It is a great children's book that explains the stories behind some of the major Chinese holidays. I did modify the recipe a bit and used just peach and apricot preserves for my filling. Anyways, here is the recipe...

Five-Treasure Moon Cakes

Crust:

4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dried milk powder

1 Tbs baking powder

1tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Filling:

1 12-ounce jar apricot preserves

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1/4 cup raisins

Glaze:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbs water

1. To make the crust, sift together the flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, and beat vigorously until the mixture "ribbons" off the beaters, about 5 minutes. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture, folding after each addition. Mix to a rough dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly to a smooth dough. Form the dough into a long, snakelike roll and cut it into twenty pieces.

2. Mix together the ingredients for the filling and stir to combine evenly. Divide the filling in half. Cover one half with plastic wrap. With your hands, roll the other hlaf into a long snake and cut it into ten pieces. Uncover the first half and repeat.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Using your fingers, press each dough piece into a three-inch circle, making the edges thinner and the middle thicker. Spoon a portion of the filling into the center, gather up the edges of the dough, to enclose the filling, and pinch the edges together to seal. Roll the cake into a ball. Press into a lightly floured moon-cake mold or carve a crisscross design on top. (If you are using a moon-cake mold, unmold each cake and arrange the unbaked cakes with the design side up on a cookie sheet; chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours to set design.)

4. Arrange the cakes about an inch apart on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Brush the surface of the moon cakes with the glaze. Bake the cakes for about thirty minutes until golden brown. Cool the cakes on a rack and serve.

Like I said, I did not make the filling in the recipe. I just used peach and apricot preserves alone, but it was very tasty. I also added almond extract to the recipe. One other thing I noticed as I was typing this was that I only put 1 tsp of baking powder in instead of the called for 1 Tbs. Probably would have made mine a little lighter. They were still yummy. I highly recommend eating them when they are still warm!! Enjoy!

Celebrating Family and the Autumn Moon Festival in Greenleaf!

2009-10-06T19:51:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, we traveled to Greenleaf to visit Grandma and Grandpa! Mandy Rose loves to go anywhere and especially enjoys visits to Greenleaf. As we turn the final corner and are just 4 or 5 miles away, she can see the grain elevators of this little town. She always says, "There's Greenleaf! There's Greenleaf!" She knows she is almost to Grandma and Grandpa Klozenbuchie (Her version of Klozenbucher. A mouthful for anyone, much less a 3 year old!)

Our little "Shocker" girl!!

It was beautiful weather this weekend. We took advantage of it and played in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard. Mandy Rose's favorite activity is jumping off of their front porch! She tore around the yard, playing with the freshly fallen leaves.

Peek-a-boo!

A goofy picture I took of the both of us!

While visiting Grandma and Grandpa is fun, we do need to bring a bit of "home" with us. Mandy Rose has developed a voracious passion (and I am not exaggerating) for Dora the Explorer! Grandma and Grandpa do not get all the cable channels we do at home, so we bring along a portable DVD player to let her get her daily dosage. Once she tunes in, the earth could open up and swallow us all and she wouldn't blink an eye! She is incorporating Spanish into her vocabulary which sometimes makes interpreting what she is trying to relate even more of a challenge. What is she saying? Well, first, is it Spanish or English? She came out of the bathroom the other day, underwear in hand, saying, "Ayudame, ayudame, Momma." Translation..."Help me, Momma." Daddy is requiring even more help understanding his little one these days!

Completely engrossed! Notice we are growing her bangs out and are in that very awkward "how to keep them out of the eyes" stage!

Thank God for portable DVD players!

Our visit also coincided with the Autumn Moon Festival. I have recently bought moon cake molds off the internet. I brought all the recipe ingredients with me and was armed to try my hand at making homemade moon cakes. Last year, the festival snuck up too fast after our return from China. I was still adjusting to parenthood. This year, we wanted to make sure and have a family celebration of this Chinese holiday.

Folding up a moon cake

Patting in the mold

Freshly molded moon cake

Really neat wooden moon cake molds I got on the internet!

The end result!

The finished product was definitely not perfect. The tops cracked so you couldn't really see the lotus design anymore. But, they were YUMMY!

We sat out on the front porch and looked at the moon while we enjoyed our fresh baked moon cakes. We talked about how pretty the moon was. We talked about all of our family and how much we love them. We talked about Mandy Rose's birth mother who still lives in China. We talked of the foster mother who cared for her for a year. I'm not sure that we were all that traditional in our celebration, but we had fun with our version of the Autumn Moon Festival!

The moon we gazed at.

As ususal, the weekend passed too quickly. We will return for Thanksgiving. We loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa Klozenbucher. We also enjoyed a visit from our nephew Don and his girlfriend, Kaitie. It is soooo cool how everyone in the family, including the girlfriends, have come to love Mandy Rose as much as we do!

Kaitie and Mandy Rose

Don and Kaitie! Don't they make such a cute couple!

Damp Fools!

2009-09-27T09:46:00.002-05:00

Friday, September 18th, was our 10th wedding anniversary! We had made plans months ago to visit a quaint little town in Arkansas called Eureka Springs. We had heard from many of our friends that it was a really neat little place to visit. Beautiful country, interesting Victorian architecture, and tons of little shops to browse. We decided that, afer waiting so long for her, we didn't want to take this trip without Mandy Rose.

So, the weekend finally arrived and off we went on yet another great Wenzl family vacation! Insert sarcasm! Just like our trip to the Amana Colonies in May, there was just a spot of precipitation that dampened our activities and moods! In other words, it rained buckets!! We still attempted to enjoy the community, but trying to shop with a 3 year old holding on to one hand, bags in another hand, umbrella in yet another hand (wait....do momma's have more than 2 hands?) Eureka Springs is more diagonal than horizontal, so the sidewalks and streets quickly became slick, limestone bedded brooks! Trying to keep Mandy Rose from slipping and falling (unsuccessfully, I might add) was quite a challenge when you add in my propensity for taking tumbles on flat, dry land! We gave up and headed back to the hotel for lunch and naptime. Momma was losing all patience and feeling sad about how this special trip was turning out. And, Daddy was actually still battling a bad cold and did not feel very well.

After nap, we hit some of the outlying shops and had a bit more fun. We also asked a local shop owner for a recommendation of where to eat that evening. We said that barbeque sounded good. She directed us to a place called "The Rockin' Pig Saloon". We had driven by it earlier in the day and remarked about all the motorcyles parked out front! The shop owner was correct! It was excellent food! We did feel a tad out of place though. We were the only ones not wearing leather and "doo rags". And, although, we have our wrist tattoos, I am sure the patrons would have scoffed at our "ink"! The next day was still rainy, although not as heavy. We had plotted some geocaching spots, so we decided to do that before heading home. As we left the hotel, I realized I did not have my glasses. Back to the hotel we went. We tore that place apart 3 times, looked through each piece of luggage, even sorted through each individual piece of in the trash cans! No glasses! We went back to the last places we had been the evening before....no glasses! By this time, I was in tears and feeling very defeated! We spent a few hours geocaching. We had some fun, but it was very slippery, muddy work! We couldn't really get that filthy and then have to drive 5 hours home for a shower. We finally called it a day and headed home. A few things were finally learned on this trip! First, shopping oriented vacations and 3 year olds do not mix! Second, for one's anniversary, it is very acceptable to leave the kiddo at home with friends. Everyone deserves some time off! Finally, I have to learn to relax. I need to emulate my daughter who, despite the weather and lost glasses, had an awesome time! Not every vacation is going to be a wonderful success! I got to spend time with the people I love most in the world. Doing that anywhere and in any kind of weather is wonderful on its own merits! BTW, the glasses were found in our dirty clothes bag when we got home! Thank God!!

Gymnastics: Round Two!!

2009-09-24T21:01:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post about our second gymnastics experience! This one was much, much better!! We were going to go into a parent/tot class, but it didn't start until next week. So, this week, we joined in on another beginning 3 and 4 year olds class. This was a COMPLETELY different experience from last week. First of all, the class had several first timers in it and the teacher was much more laid back. She was very patient with all these clueless kiddos bouncing off the walls! I wouldn't want her job! Anyways, I watched Mandy Rose enjoying herself and obviously starting to learn some of the techniques. By the end of the class, I knew we were where we were supposed to be! I am thrilled that we got Mandy Rose into a good class and she is having fun!!

Gymnastics: Leotards, Somersaults, & Fun!

2009-09-21T20:57:00.006-05:00

This past Monday, Mandy Rose had her first gymnastics class! We enrolled her in the class because we want her to try lots of new things and have lots of experiences. She loves to run, jump, climb, and play so this seemed the perfect outlet for her! We have others in our adoptive community who have warned us that they also started this way... a once-a-week, 45 minute class to learn basic tumbling skills. And, now, their daughter trains 4 times a week at a gym that is 45 minutes away from their home! So be it! If Mandy Rose becomes passionate about this, we will support her fully! But, for now, it is just supposed to be a fun, active opportunity for her.

Mandy Rose was enrolled in a beginners, 3 to 4 year old class. From the very beginning of the class though, it was apparent that the other little ones knew a whole lot more than she did! I figured, she would pick things up as she went and tried not to fuss too much over her. Easier said than done. The instructor helped her out by showing her the proper way to do somersaults and some of the other warm up activities that they were doing. Mandy Rose was having a ball despite not knowing what she was doing! She didn't care if she wasn't doing things quite right and that is the way it should be for 3 year olds. They don't need to be worried about performing perfectly!

Working on her somersault!

Success!! Look at that victorious smile!!

The problems began when the kids moved into the "obstacle course" room. There were about 12 stations, each with a different movement that Mandy Rose was supposed to do. She was helped at some, but was on her own for most of them. The class had about 15 kids and just not enough adults/helpers to follow each kiddo. They would throw out terms like "straddle" and "pike" and "donkey kick", etc. that Mandy Rose has never heard before. Bless her heart, she was trying to do each station, but she wasn't sure of what was expected of her. I was becoming more convinced that we needed to be in a different class. Then, I was absolutely certain! The teacher held Mandy Rose back at one station, saying that the another child got to go first because, "you are messing around." I was livid!! How dare she chide my daughter! I got up right then and went and spoke with the director to get her into a different class! How can this woman expect a 3 year old with absolutely NO experience to automatically absorb everything that was expected of her in a brief few minutes of explanation? I was so angry, I was crying. Hacks me off when I do that!

It is hard to know when to step in for your kids to protect them and when to let them experience the "lumps and bumps" of life. If Mandy Rose had been attending this class for awhile and was goofing off or not paying attention, I would have not said a word about her being called down. But this was just simply uncalled for! Don't people realize that the negative words they use with children dig in deep and stay put? Fortunately, in this case, I don't think Mandy Rose even understood that she was in trouble. She still had fun. I just want to make sure that gymnastics continues to be fun or why do it?

After class was done, I went up to this teacher and told her that we would be moving to another class. I told her that she needed to understand that Mandy Rose had no gymnastics experience. I told her that Mandy Rose was not "messing around", she didn't know what was expected of her. The teacher told me that she knew this was Mandy Rose's first class and that she understood. I couldn't help but think, "Then why did you talk to her that way?" I will be avoiding this particular woman's class from here on out!

Anyways, long story short, we will be starting a parent/tot class this week! Soooo, that means her momma is gonna look a fool trying to help her learn what all this is about! That's okay! Anything for my sweet Mandy Rose!

Gang Get Together!!

2009-09-12T10:20:00.004-05:00

I've explained before, but for those who are new to our blog, we have a group of friends affectionately known as the "gang". Gary met this group of wonderful people when he first went to college out of high school 34 years ago! We all get together twice each year, once in the summer and once in January for our Christmas. This past weekend was the summer get together and it was hosted by Todd & Lisa Goodheart. A few years ago, we switched the summer gathering to coincide with Labor Day weekend. It is so nice to have several days to sit and visit, getting caught up on the last half of a year! We rotate who hosts the summer get together. This year brought us to the Goodheart's lovely country home. They have a wonderful big front porch to sit and visit on....just like in the goood ole days! We also enjoyed watching the wide variety of birds drawn into their feeders. We were treated with scrumptious barbeque, salads, and desserts all weekend long! No one walks away from these get togethers having lost weight, that is for sure!!

Lisa generously provided Mandy Rose with the tools for art projects! Mandy Rose very much enjoyed the front porch, especially after she figured how to climb up it from the trellis at the end! She did that over and over and over...getting filthy and having a ball!

Last year, the summer get together took place just 3 weeks after we got home from China. Everyone in the "gang", including Momma and Daddy, was commenting on how much Mandy Rose has blossomed in the last year. She surprised everyone last year by being friendly, happy, and out-going. Gary and I were still very new as parents and learning the ropes. This year, we are an established family! Mandy Rose, of course, is still very friendly, happy, and out-going! That is just who she is! She had a terrific weekend spending time with each member of the "gang". The only member she was a little shy of was Doug, but only because of his beard, I think. Doug has played Santa for the last several years and has grown a long beard to more look the part. Mandy Rose didn't know if she wanted to get too close to all that wild woolinesss! LOL!

Learning to blow bubbles with Linda!

Hanging with the "gang" on the porch! She has her chair and her drink, just like the rest of us!

Linda brought a lovely bag of books to share with Mandy Rose!

On Sunday afternoon, several of our group decided to go on a nature walk. Mandy Rose and Daddy tagged along. They were gone for over 1 1/2 hours!! I figured Mandy Rose got carried virtually the entire way. But, I was told when they returned that she had walked at least a mile on her own! These 4 adults took much longer to walk this trail because of Mandy Rose. Not because of her little legs and shorter steps, but because they kept stopping to show her things. Several remarks were made about how seeing things through a little one's eyes makes them interesting all over again! I experience this on almost a daily basis! If only we could retain this wonder of the world that is innate to a child!

When they returned, I asked if Mandy Rose got to "pee in the g'ass" which is one of her favorite pasttimes while out and about? No, she didn't. When I lifted her off of Joe's shoulders though, her pants her soaking wet! I thought, "Oh dear! She has peed on Joe's neck!" But, it was not the case! Her pants had wicked up all the sweat off of Joe...her undies were completely dry!! She obviously had lots of fun exploring the country!

Riding on Joe's shoulders!

Tossing rocks off the bridge! What kid doesn't love to do that?!

The long trek home! What a little trooper!

Playing "Lasso Golf" with Lisa!

Still practicing her bubble blowing skills!

Once again, we had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with friends! We relaxed, laughed, shared stories, and ate excellent food! Gary and I always so look forward to getting together with the "gang", but now they are becoming a part of Mandy Rose's memories and history! That just pleases me to no end!

First Day of Preschool!!

2009-09-03T19:23:00.020-05:00

Mandy Rose had her first day of preschool today! She has been counting down the days for the last month! Especially after I started school, she always wanted to know how many more days until preschool! Well, today was the day! We chose a preschool that my dear friend, Tonya, used for 2 of her children. In fact, her littlest one was going to go there with Mandy Rose this year, but they decided to move to a different town this past summer. I think Tonya was heart broken about our two little ones not getting to go to school together. She even contemplated driving 45 minutes one way to bring him to this particular school. The teachers talked her out of it. And, she knew that it wasn't practical anyways. Tonya has always spoken very highly of this preschool, so I knew that was where I wanted Mandy Rose to go. It has been open for at least 30 years! At the parent's meeting, I was bowled over by the fact that 8 out of the 10 families that are participating in Mandy Rose's class were alumnae of the preschool themselves! And, now they were sending their children! That speaks volumes about the quality of the school to me!

Pretty little girl in red!

She got tired of all the picture taking! She wanted to go to preschool!

Outside Westwood Preschool! She was so excited!

These are Mandy Rose's teachers, Mrs. Shirley & Mrs. Nelson! They have a sincere love for little ones!

Mandy Rose had a great first day! She had absolutely no issues with my leaving! I had to remind her as she was dashing off to find something fun to do, that Momma still needed a good-bye kiss! Sheesh! Momma likes to be missed a little bit...but it was more like, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Then, when I picked her up they were out on the playground. She saw me, waved, and dashed off for another go at the slide!

There are just 10 kids in Mandy Rose's class, but there is another adoptive kiddo! Isn't that cool? She is from Korea and her parents used the same agency as us. In fact, her mom remembers us from a Holt picnic a couple of years ago before we got our referral! Small world syndrome strikes again! I had planned on donating some adoption themed books to the preschool so that Mandy Rose's family story could be talked about sometimes too. But, especially now that there is another little one with a similar family makeup! I talked with Mrs. Shirley and Mrs. Nelson and they were very open to including that in their curriculum! I have ordered 5 books and I can't wait until they get here and I can give them to the school! I also plan on bringing something to celebrate the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year when they come around! It is great that her teachers are so positive about doing this!

I am really looking forward to all the neat things Mandy Rose is going to learn at preschool. And, the new friends she will make! I am going to be helping out from time to time as a parent helper and that will be cool! It will give me a chance to observe her in that environment. See how she tackles her world on her own!

Exploring Exploration Place!

2009-09-03T17:13:00.004-05:00

Last week, we took advantage of discounted tickets to a local kid's musem. Gary works at an area hospital and for employees it was buy one ticket get one free on the 27th. This just happened to fall on Gary's day off! We hadn't taken Mandy Rose to Exploration Place yet, so we decided that this was the perfect opportunity!

Exploration Place has a wide variety of exhibits for kids to explore and enjoy. The traveling exhibit right now is about whales. They had the skeletons of whales, rooms with recordings of whale song, a room where we watched a video about how sperm whales hunt via sonar, and even a mock life-size heart of a blue whale! It was big enough, you could climb through it! Other exhibits feature flight, nature in Kansas, tornadoes, dinosaurs, a castle where you can dress up and play, and a special area for kids 3 and under. It is really rather cool! Mandy Rose had a blast!

Mandy Rose started her adventure playing with the puzzles!

Lots of time was devoted to playing with the trains! There is a universal appeal to playing in water!

Horse Ride

We spent quite a bit of time at this riding horse! It rollercoasters down the ramp and shoots her across the room! Then, of course, parents come in handy in setting it all back up again! Those parental units do have a purpose after all!

Cooking with style!!

This is the coolest contraption! It allows the little ones to be inside a bubble! How wonderful!

Am I really flying this thing?

Wow! It's windy!

In one area, they have some stuff about tornadoes. This is Kansas after all! One machine simulates a tornado with smoke. Then, there was this chamber we stood in that simulated the winds associated with a tornado. It produced winds in excess of 80 mph! We were being blown away, but it was fun!!!

All in all, we had a wonderful family day! I have said before, it is amazing to see what has become commonplace to Gary and I through Mandy Rose's eyes! It all becomes new again!

Back To School

2009-08-26T21:53:00.005-05:00

For almost 18 years, my career was being a nanny to lots of really special kids! I loved being a nanny! I fed my maternal needs by taking care of these great kids. But, the truly hard part of my job was when it came to an end. It always did. The kids would get into school full time and the parents just couldn't justify having a full time nanny. So, I would start fresh with a new family. The last time though, I just knew I didn't want to start again. It was too hard and I was ready to try something new. So, I decided to go back to school. Actually, my sister helped alot in my making that decision. We were shopping and talking and I made the ultimate mistake of saying that I didn't know if I was "smart" enough to go to school after all these years! Yikes! Wrong thing to say! I got a complete dressing down right in the middle of the store! So, as I said, I decided to go back to school. I started slow, just a couple of classes, but I loved it! I thought Pharmacy school would be what I would like to do. I have slooooowly accumulated credits for these past few years. Life, death, and illnesses got in the way, but didn't stop me. One big thing changed though and that was when we decided to adopt! When we got our referral and then brought Mandy Rose home, I decided to take a year off from school. I wanted to focus solely on her. The past year has flown by! I have loved every minute of being with Mandy Rose, getting to know her and getting to know what being a momma is all about. Time keeps marching on, though, and this fall it was time to go back to school. I have taken all of my classes at a local community college. Great school, small classes, very hands on, half the expense....but now it was time to move to the big school! I have been beyond nervous about going to the university. I knew my classes were going to be large. I knew that hauling my oversize carcass around campus was going to be challenging. I knew I was going to be one of the minority older students. But, I just decided to put one foot in front of the other and trust that I would conquer this place! While pharmacy school was my original intent, I have changed my major to Medical Technology. When I decided on pharmacy, I was partly thinking I would go to school because I didn't have children. I could devote myself to all the work involved in going to pharmacy school. I could sacrifice and commute home weekly so I could attend the only pharmacy school in our state. All of that changed when Mandy Rose became a part of the picture. Now, I feel really good about the career I have chosen and it won't keep me away from my sweet baby girl! It has been a great first week! I have a great schedule and several very interesting classes! I walk around campus feeling very proud of myself for pushing through and continuing to work towards my goals. I prepared for my first week of school by touring the campus, making sure I had my textbooks, packing my backpack, buying those last minute supplies. The one thing I was totally unprepared for was how much I miss Mandy Rose when I am at school! I know I can't bring her, but in the middle of the day, I would give anything for one of her sweet kisses!

Testing the Waters of Daycare

2009-08-19T20:37:00.013-05:00

Heading in with Daddy!

Yesterday, we took Mandy Rose to daycare for the very first time. I have taken this first year off to spend all my time with her and really cement our relationship. Now, I am starting back to school to finish my degree and that puts us in the position of utilizing daycare. We are very fortunate that the hospital that Gary works at has an excellent child development center. All of his co-workers with kids enrolled there love it! It is extremely reasonably priced and very convenient for Gary to drop her off before his shift. Also, being affiliated with the hospital, this daycare has later hours which we needed since one of my classes is an evening class. We are not the normal 9 to 5 family. Gary works second shift at the hospital, so he can be home until 2, but is gone most evenings.

See my spiffy new backpack!

Gary and I have both been really playing up daycare to Mandy Rose. We told her about getting to play with other kids and how they have a really cool playground. We also let her know that she gets to bring her nifty new backpack on the days that she goes! She has been excited about it, but then yesterday morning, every time I brought it up, she would shake her head "no". I thought, "Uh-oh", this could be problematic. But, in usual Mandy Rose form she had absolutely no problems.

"I can totally handle this guys!"

We actually didn't need daycare this day, but we wanted to have her first day be one where we could come and get her if she was really having problems. She was fine. We felt like something was missing all afternoon. I jumped up at one point thinking I had forgotten to get her up from nap. Gary checked the clock every few minutes just waiting until it was time to go pick her up! We love our little girl!!

Diving right in!

We were told that she did great! She was very talkative about all the things she did that afternoon! Gary said she just kind of looked up like, "Oh, hi Dad." when he got there. She gave me the biggest hug tight around my neck when she got home! I think she had a good time, but I also think she missed her Momma and Daddy a wee bit!

I had one more picture to post, but Daddy warned me she might not appreciate its presence in the ether later on in life. I was showing her one of the NEAT things about daycare is the potty that was just her size! Of course, she had to go pee then and I had to take a picture of it! It may not go on the blog, but it is definitely going in the scrapbook!!

The Passing of a Friend

2009-08-13T17:28:00.012-05:00

Today is a sad day at our house. We had to make the decision to put our 13 year old cat, Sejanus, to sleep. He is a cat that insisted on going outside! We didn't really want him to, but he would sit at the door and yowl non-stop until you let him out. I told Gary that letting him outside might shorten his life, but keeping him inside would definitely do it!! Anyways, he has been allowed out for the last several years. He, unfortunately, didn't know how to back down from a fight and was not capable of winning one. He started limping a few weeks ago. When I examined him, I couldn't find any sign of a wound, so I thought he just sprained something. But, I was wrong and it got infected really badly. We have been doctoring him here at home (have lots of experience from previous battle wounds), but today, it became obvious he needed to visit the vet. The infection in his leg was quite bad and it was going to cost at least $600 to heal him. It was a difficult decision, but we did what we thought was best. I have complained about him for years....his yowling, his frequent wounds to nurse him through, his propensity for eating and drinking and then immediately yakkin' it up on my carpet. But, I cried like a baby when we buried him beneath our lilac bush.

We explained to Mandy Rose that Sejanus was very sick so the doctor made him go to sleep. We told her that he doesn't hurt anymore and is with God. I don't know if this was the best way to go about it, but how do you explain death to a 3 year old?

2009-08-09T22:44:00.002-05:00

Today is my birthday. I am 44 years old. I find myself thinking about the 40 years difference between Mandy Rose and me. Her daddy is almost 52 so they have 48 years between them. Some people probably think we are nuts to have a little one "at our age". Sometimes, I wonder if Mandy Rose will mind having older parents? Will she feel strangely about our age when she is a teenager? I know that, in general, she will think we are weird when she is a teenager no matter what our age, but will it be troublesome to her? I also think about my desire to adopt again. Gary isn't sure. He is perfectly happy with our family unit as it is. But, I envision a sibling for Mandy Rose. Another little one to call me Momma. But, at what age is it irresponsible or selfish to have another child? Is there even such an age? I don't feel old. I feel tired most days, but I don't think that is because of my age. I think a certain 3 year old has a little bit to do with that! Another birthday has come and gone, and I just find myself thinking....

2009-07-30T21:05:00.003-05:00

This evening the light was similar, the same flowers were blooming, and Mandy Rose happened to be (I promise I didn't plan it) in a very similar outfit as when I took one of my favorite pictures of her last summer when we first got home. Soooo, I stood her up against the wall and shot several pics to get one decent one! Any other mommas know what I am talking about? She seems to save her best smiles for right as I am turning the camera off! Dang! Anyways, this is Mandy Rose this evening.

And this is Mandy Rose last summer right after we got home! She has grown up so much! But, she is still every bit as beautiful!

2009-07-29T22:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my doorbell rang. When I got there, no one was there. As I turned to go back in, I saw the FTD box! Inside was a beautiful bouquet of multi-colored roses and a sweet note from our friends, Jim & Laure Reid! It was a bouquet in honor of my first actual Mother's Day! She had remembered the exact date that we got our sweet baby girl! When I talked to her on the phone today, she said that she knew people would recognize the traditional Mother's Day. She wanted to commemorate the anniversary of the day I actually became a mother. What an awesome thought and awesome friends! Thank you Jim & Laure for being your sweet wonderful selves!

2009-07-28T10:51:00.002-05:00

A year has gone by since we adopted our little sweetheart. Inevitably, this brings to mind all the changes that have been made in our lives. Raising an energetic 3 1/2 year old presents challenges that three old cats never did! We used to get up and go to bed whenever we wanted. Mandy Rose's schedule dictates differently. We used to watch whatever we wanted on TV. Now, we are regular watchers of "Little Einsteins", "Curious George", and "Mickey Mouse". We use to make regular excursions to visit family without much fuss. Now, we depart with our car loaded to the max and take twice as long to get there due to all those frequent potty breaks! The list goes on, but the point is, our lives are forever radically changed. And, we love it! We have a daughter who is more precious to us than any thing else.

A year ago, she got very nervous and anxious around other people. She was easily upset by new situations. Today, she is a social butterfly! She loves to meet new people and go new places!

A year ago, Mandy Rose weighed 26 pounds and was 33 inches tall. Her legs were covered with bug bites, scabs, and little scars. Her hair was just to her chin. Today, she weighs 30 pounds and is 36 3/4 inches tall. She has beautiful, soft brown skin. Her hair has grown at least 5 inches and I am able to even french braid it!

A year ago, she came to us speaking no English at all. That first night she started to repeat words after us. Today, she talks constantly! Sometimes, we wish she would be quiet for a bit! LOL!

We have often heard it said that this first year passes so quickly, but it seems that their child had been with them always. Now, we can fully relate to that statement. We don't really remember when Mandy Rose was not the center of our world, someone to be considered in every choice we make each day. This past year has just, "whoosh", flown by! Unfortunately, we know the years to come will pass all too quickly for us.

Daily, we thank God for the precious gift of Mandy Rose. We strive to be the best parents we can. Somedays, we blow it, but we love her through it all and she loves us!

2009-07-27T00:05:00.003-05:00

Welcome to our new blog!!! We have been blogging with another site for the last year, mainly because it was well known to be no problem in accessing it while in China. But, after a year, it is no longer free so we decided to make a change. We hope you continue to read and enjoy our journal of life with Mandy Rose.