Monday, June 22, 2009

A Family Photo - Finally



It's only taken us a year to get this done.


Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Gotcha Day + One Year

What a difference a year makes.



Our beautiful daughter, Myah.

Exactly One Year Ago...

It's so hard to believe that we became a family of four one year ago today. Time has flown by and we can't believe how far we've come in just one year. We miss Taiwan greatly and each day this week Rob and I have looked at each other and said, 'Remember what we were doing a year ago? Remember Snake Alley? Remember the hot springs? Remember the night markets? Remember....?'



Remember this moment?

Monday, June 15, 2009

A Lesson Learned

The other weekend we found a pair of really nice rollerblades at a thrift store along with knee pads and wrist guards for $10. We had the brilliant idea that it would be 'fun' for Caleb to learn to rollerblade. I don't know if 'fun' is the word we should have used. Exhausting, painful or tiring would probably have been better (and more realistic) choices. Below is some advice to other parents - most of it was learned the hard way through first hand experience.





When teaching a child to rollerblade here are a few simple rules that most parents with half a brain should follow:


1. Don't wear flipflops while teaching your child. Opt for reinforced steel-toed boots.


2. Don't bother to paint your toenails before teaching your child to rollerblade. Your toenails will turn a lovely shade of
purple all by themselves.

3. Parents (not the child) should be the ones wearing kneepads. And shin guards. And full body armour.


4. Inform child before beginning lessons that you expect them to try to balance on their own. They should not lean back against you and expect a 'ride' around the park while you push them.


5. Make sure to explain that there are brakes on the rollerblades. These should be used to stop - NOT the parent's shirt.


6. Parents should start preparing for lessons by lifting 60lbs with their arms (no cheating and using your legs or back) and holding the weight for two minutes before dropping weights on toes. Repeat 5 times every ten minutes.


7. Tell your child they are doing great no matter how much they fall down.


Friday, June 12, 2009

The Longest Flight of Our Lives



One year ago today, we were a little busy. And pre-occupied. And EXCITED! We left for Taiwan to bring Myah home last year on June 12th. At the time, we couldn't see past just bringing our baby girl home. Now, looking back at the past year, I constantly wonder where all the time has gone.

Trip to the Beach







We went to the beach the other weekend and it was NICE! There is other news to share about that trip, but I'll save that for a later date.

Myah loved the sand and the water, but in the end the water was the clear winner. She'd stand at the edge of the surf, yell 'Mama!' then make the sign for 'more' and point at the water. She might not be talking much, but she gets her point across loud and clear.

Caleb is a hard-core water lover. He was in the ocean from the time we set foot on the beach until we had to leave. We were in the West Palm Beach area and the water was so clear - you could go out to your shoulders and still look down and see your toes.

Other favorite activities were building sand castles (Caleb), smashing said sand castles (Myah), diving down to see fish (Caleb), pretending to eat said fish (Myah), chasing kids and jumping waves (Mommy), lounging on the beach and keeping sand off the blanket (Daddy). Overall it was a great vacation and we all enjoyed the time away.
:-)


Monday, June 8, 2009

Corn on the Cob

Myah had her first taste of corn on the cob the other day. It was a huge hit - as you can probably tell by the cheesy smile. If you listen carefully you can hear Rob asking if anyone wanted another ear (of corn). Myah, not quite understanding, starts poking her finger in her ear as if to say, 'No thanks, got one right here.'