It's a playhouse, a space ship and a box!

Shasha got a new playhouse from Santa!!! She certainly loves playing in it... but I think she loves playing in the box it came in! Currently, we think she wants to be an astronaut. All she wants to do is go to space... so the box is now a spaceship! And though the "box spaceship" is out of this world fun... she insists on going to see real spaceships! I told her that the next time we go to Disney World she could go for a ride on a spaceship. She just looked at me and said, "No Momma, not a ride spaceship... a real one!"
Why can't a really big box just be a good enough space ship for a three year old???

Happy Birthday to Jesus!

I almost forgot the cutest thing about Christmas with our family. Shasha insisted that we put a candle in a piece of pumpkin pie and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus... and so we did... more than once! It was so cute. At least she reminded us all about the TRUE meaning of Christmas!

It was a Magical and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Christmas is most definitely a magical time of the year. It has always been one of my favorites... although I still prefer my birthday (I like to celebrate for the entire month of August!)Despite the fact that I have been a bit under the weather (and still am more than a week after my first sudden symptoms) I was able to enjoy both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family. I can't believe the difference a year makes! Shasha loved Christmas this year! She was just so very excited! Everyday she would wake up in the morning and ask what day it was and then say, "A couple more days till Christmas!"
Yesterday she woke up in the morning a little ...well, scared! She was a little bit scared to go to bed on Christmas Eve knowing that Santa was basically breaking into our house that night. She woke up and looked right into my eyes and said with sadness, "Momma, I don't think Santa came to my house last night."
"Why do you think he didn't come?" I asked a little concerned. She had been anticipating the jolly man's arrival for weeks!
She responded, "Because I didn't her any jingle bells last night." (thanks Pop pop and Nancy for the Santa's always watching jingle bell effects for the last week...) But then she thought for just a second and proclaimed, "But I was sleeping so maybe that's why I not hear them!"
Then she jumped out of bed and ran to wake up Daddy. We all went downstairs and Christmas was officially started! A baby doll, Megablocks and the almighty Moonsand awaited beneath the trees... yup, trees... Shasha has her own miniature tree in the living room. Nancy and Pop pop and Grammy and Dappy soon came! Shasha opened all of her presents wanting each one out of all of the packages, tape and plastic straps as they were opened. We ate a Christmas breakfast and then it was time to get ready for more presents at Grammy and Dappy's house!
A McDonald's Drive-Thru was waiting from Santa by the Christmas tree. I thought that no other gift would compare. It wasn't something that she asked for but certainly seemed to be the Christmas toy of choice! All day long we were forced to drive on our hands and knees through the drive thru and order happy meals. Even if you didn't want a happy meal... "You want fries with that?"
"I'll take a McFlurry," ordered Aunt Sarah.
"You want fries with that?"
"Hmmm... I'll have hotcakes and sausage," ordered Dappy.
"You want som fries, too?"
She loves it. What more can we say?
The problem? She loved her doctor's kit about 10 seconds prior to getting her McDonald's items. Let's see Doctor or ... McDonald's Drive thru?
Finally, way later that night we finally returned home so Scott and I could open our presents! Welll... Shasha actually opened them for us! We just said thatnk you to each other! Then we all played with our new toys and fianlly settled into bed around 11 pm. We don't like to waste Christmas Day or night!
There will be more Christmas tonight at Nancy and Pop Pop's and Shasha can't wait. She already asked if Christmas is going to last a whole month too. Obviously, my Birthday rules now apply to Christmas!

Only 364 more shopping days till next Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from Santa and Shasha!

Shasha sure loved seeing Santa this year! She went to two Christmas parties and told Santa the same thing at both parties..."I want Moonsand!"
At both parties she receievd a Barbie Doll! She does love to play with them and has since added a doll baby to her Christmas list! She had to go to Macy's to deliver her new Christmas letter to Santa on Monday! It said:

Dear Santa,
I have been a good girl this year. I would really like it if you brought me Moonsand and a baby doll for Christmas. You can leave them by my Christmas tree.
Merry Christmas,
Shasha

All I want for Christmas...

is Moonsand! The Farm one!

It's Christmas in Disney World!

We just returned from 5 nights of the Christmas Season at Walt Disney World!! We went with our friends, Jackie and Tony, and had a magical time... Well, I hope that they had as magical a a time as we did! Vacations always seem so much better when you share them with friends! This was the first time that we stayed in our home resort, The Animal Kingdom Villas. It was a wonderful experience and was decorated so beautifully for Christmas. Everywhere you went in the Disney Resort and Parks was covered in Christmas lights and decorations and the holiday music was filling the air!

We went to Mickey' Very Merry Christmas Party and EPCOT's Candlelight Processional. Christmas was certainly in the air!

Though this was Shasha's 3rd trip to WDW, this trip was like a brand new experience to her! She was truly excited and loved everything! Though she was looking forward to Dumbo and the Teacups... Splash Mountain was by far her favorite ride! When she jumped off the ride she screamed, "I liked it, I liked it!" She will have to wait to ride it again in a few months when she grows another inch! She was just a tad too short but Scott had her walk on her tip toes onto the ride!

We learned a few important lessons while in Orlando as well:
1. Yes, Florida does get cold. Brrrrr...
2. Yes, we did eat too much! Those TWO milkshakes put me over!
3. Riding Mission Space first thing in the morning DOES make you feel sick ALL DAY!
4. Nemo is hiding everywhere!
5. And, Always go through the CORRECT security check at the airport on your way to your flight! Although... going through the wrong one does give you good practice!!

Thankful to be TOGETHER!

We had a great holiday weekend together! We did so many things together as a family! We enjoyed so many enjoyable moments together that will be remembered. We made "homemade" cookies to take to nana Myrt's for Thanksgiving... well, about as "homemade" as I get these days is break them off and put the little squares on an ungreased cookie tray. But Shasha is happy... We also continued with our radition of adding to our Christmas wreath made of little Shasha hands. Every Thanksgiving for the past 3 years we trace Shasha's little hands and create a row onto our wreath. It is neat to see Shasha's hand size change each year! This year was extra special because Shasha actually traced and "cut" out one of her own handprints all by herself! I displayed it at the top of the wreat and highlighted it in gold glitter!
We also decorated our Christmas trees a bit early this year. There are 4... 5 counting the undecorated pink feather tree in Shasha's bedroom. Our large living room tree is hot pink, lime green and turquoise with bright white Moravian star lights this year. Very different but I saw the colors while out shopping and had to have them! We also have a Disney tree, a tree decorated with handmade beaded ornaments and one that is Shassha's and displays all of her own little crafty ornaments.
My mom and dad took Shasha to swimming lessons on Saturday so that we could go get our Fingeprints completed for our Taiwan adoption. Our appointment was at noon but we left early because we weren't sure where the Philly USCIS office moved. We were in and out by the time our appointment rolled around. I wouldn't say that the office is convenient... afterall it was an hour and a half drive but it sure was better than going to center city Philly!
And I almost forgot about Shasha's gingerbread house made of foam! It was messy but came out very nice. Shasha really enjoys being crafty. She would much rather have something that she can DO than something she can play with! I sure hope Santa is listening.
Also, Nancy bought Shasha a beautiful winter coat. Shasha looks so grown up in it and Oh so beautiful.
This has been a Thanksgiving holiday worth celebrating!

Thankful for new pants in a much smaller size!

I am thankful that I went shopping today and bought 2 new pair of jeans 6 sizes smaller than the ones I was wearing at Easter time this year! Wow... now that's an eye opener!

Thankful for my friends

This holiday season I am especially thankful for my friends. I am certainly thankful for all of them but especially Dawn and Linda. You know... I have to be honest here. After my best friend, Jen, passed away I truly didn't think that I would ever allow myself to get close enough to anyone to ever call them my best friend again. The loss was simply too much for my heart to handle. Sure, I have lots of friends... but I always just want to be sure that I don't allow them to get "that" close. I tried my best to protect myself from ever being hurt again. It has taken years...but I finally had to admit that I do have a best friend. Dawn. We do so much together... work, after school activities, laugh, talk family,even diet together. We just have fun. Too much fun sometimes. And because she knew Jen, I find it easy to talk about her and she helps me remember all of those cherished memories that I WANT to ALWAYS remember. And together with Linda... we spell trouble. Linda is who I want to be in the future. She is my role model.... my mentor... my Disney Double. I like who I am when I am with her. I know that I can always be myself and be honest and these two friends will still like me for who I am at the end of the day. That is what makes Dawn and Linda true friends. I realized that I was smiling more than ever again. My wall has finally come down and do you know what? I am happier now. Thanks Dawn and Linda.

Thankful for my family

I am so very thankful for my family... Shasha, Scott, My parents, my grandparents, my brother and sister-in-law and Nancy and Charlie. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without them all.
Life would sure be boring without Shasha asking me a million and half times ,"Why, Momma?" or telling me that I am wrong. She puts a smile on my face every single day.
Scott keeps me grounded. He is my true best friend and companion. I am grateful that we have so many of the same interests and can share so many moments of our lives together. I am not even sure that I could make it in this world without him by my side.
Not sure what I would do without my parents. They are who make me...me. They do so much for Scott, Shasha and I and I depend on them so very much. Just last weekend Shasha was sick for the first time... Honestly, the first time. Who did I call? My mommy! Our house was drafty in Shasha's room last week. My Daddy took care of that for us too. I am so thankful that my parents are such a big part of our lives.
My grandparents show me what life is all about. Through each of them I see the simple joys in life that should never be taken for granted. I love them all so much and know that I should learn more about my past through them.
Shaun and Sarah are always here for us. They are reliable and even though they want no children of their own, they have stepped up on every occasion to help Scott and I complete our family through adoption. I am so glad that my brother and I have been friends all of our lives... minus the little sibling things... but everyone has them right?
Nancy and Charlie. Though they are not blood relatives they are part of our family. I am so thankful to have them accept us as part of their family. They treat Jenni like their very own granddaughter and she is so very lucky to have them in her life. I love the simple reminder of friendship in my life everyday and the open opportunity to talk about Jen. I am thankful that we are as important and meaningful to them as they are to us.
This Thanksgiving... I am thankful to have so many people with to share life's simple joys.

Thankful for this little face!

I am so very thankful for Shasha! I look at her every single day and thank God for her. She is beautiful. She is smart. She is healthy. She is happy. And Yes... she is spoiled rotten!!!! Everyone says that she is the lucky one... but they are all wrong! I am the lucky one... well, Scott and I are the lucky ones if you really want to get technical! Can you even believe how much she has changed??? The top two photos show it all... from August 2005 until August 2008... however, take a good look. That little face is exactly the same!

Thankful our Shasha is Healthy!

Shasha had her three year old check up yesterday and her diagnosis... PERFECT! She was so excited to go to the doctor's office and couldn't wait to see her doctor. She wanted to play with all of the toys in the waiting area. When her name was called for her appointment she ran to the nurse! She hopped on the scale and stood perfectly still as she weighed in at exactly 30 pounds! Next, she stood straight as a soldier and measured in at 37 and 1/2 inches tall! She is growing like a weed right now! She had her arm "hugged" by as they took her blood pressure. I couldn't believe how good she was for this! Then off into her little room where she sprawled out onto the patient's table. She checked out all of the doctor's "tools". She has a little make believe doctor's set at Nancy and Pop Pop's and and so as an expert doctor herself she told us what her doctor was going to do with each of them. She did need to get 2 shots and she was actually excited to get them. She knew that they would pinch just a little bit and shewas OK with that. She sat on my lap and she did tear up and give a little wimper but when she was offered a lollipop for being such a good girl by the nurse... she was all smiles again! And so this Thanksgiving... we are so very Thankful that our precious little girl is happy and healthy!
And yes... only I would take photos at the doctor's office...

Thankful to receive our I-797 for Taiwan!!

As this Thanksgiving holiday approaches we are very thankful that we have received our I-797 in the mail today! This is great news! Actually the great news is that our assigned fingerprinting appointment fell on a day that both Scott and I are free and off from work! Slowly, we are moving towards the adoption of our little one from Taiwan. I wish that we had a better timeline but our agency doesn't want to give us any false information on a wait time... so instead they just don't give us any. It is rather frustrating... but very exciting all the same!!

Celebrating 12 years... Taiwan...and our 3 year old!

Last weekend Scott and I celebrated 12 years of marriage.... that's right 12 wonderful years together! Sure, we have had our ups and downs and our good and bad.... Hasn't everyone? I have never been happier to share my life with someone and I know that we will stand the test of time and grow old together happily. I am so proud to call him my very best friend and I enjoy every moment I spend with him. We are a rather inseperable couple. We do everything together and spend all of of our available time TOGETHER with Shasha. I count my blessings each and every day and look forward to adding to our family!


Speaking of adding to our family... we talked to our Taiwan case worker today. She seemed to be very certain that our wait for a referral from Taiwan would not be long. Since we have asked for a child of either gender and many couples in front of us have requested a girl... she says that our wait should go by very quickly. That also means that we are most likely to receive a referral for a little boy!!!!
Now... onto the BIG news!!!! Shasha turned 3 years old today!!!! I measured her in at 39 inches tall and 31.0 pounds! She is just so beautiful and so very smart. She picks up on everything! She sings her ABC's, knows her states in alphabetical order through Idaho (just a bit short of 50 Nancy!!!!), and can even write her name. Her favorite word at 3 years old... ACTUALLY. And I love to hear her say it... ACTUALLY! The other night we went out for dinner. Scott ordered and the waitress turned to me and asked for Shasha's order. Shasha redirected the waitress and said, "ACTUALLY, me will have the soup, please."
She has her own thoughts and makes up her own mind. She is her own little person for sure! She has the best manners. Please, Thank You, Bless you, Excuse me and Your Welcome are a regular part of her vocabulary and it brings a tear to my eyes when I hear her little mouth be so polite. Did I mention how beautiful she is??? And it is something we tell her often. Never a day goes by without that compliment. She is beautiful on the inside and the outside. She makes me so very proud to be her Mommy! I could just gush Shasha all day. She is my... and Scott's true joy in life! And she is 3... three years old TODAY! One year ago she barely spoke 15 words. Today... there are times I wish she had an on/off switch. But hey, as I am reminded on a daily basis... she IS MY CHILD!! My Three year old... and may I add... my three year old is very excited to be getting a brother...or a sister! She wants to share all of her baby socks with him/her. That is her idea... not mine! Happy Birthday Shasha!

Trick or Treat

Wow... How cool... two nights of trick or treating and tons of candy! Shasha loved trick or treating this year and she did it two nights in a row! On Thursday night we trick or treated all over our little Township... two hours... 7 stops! That it the trick or treating I have always known growing up here in the township. For the most part, the houses are just far apart that you must pile into the car... buckle up in the carseat (which by the way requires removing half of your costume) and then driving a mile and half to the next candy stop... where you need to reassemble your costume before you knock on the door or ring the doorbell! The Township has grown for sure since I was a kid trick or treating, but even over all this time a car is still needed for successful candy aquiring on Halloween night! However, those 7 stops are all to houses of people we know and so mucho amounts of candy and other Halloween treats are always received.
On Friday night we tyrick or treated at Shasha's godparents house! Wow... what a difference! We walked through the neighborhood (now I know why they sell glowsticks) and said Happy Halloween to house after house. We did 7 houses... and Shasha called it quits after only 1 hour! She wanted to go back to Nancy's house to help Pop pop hand out treats to all the little kids.
It was a great holiday... and I think that my little witch is just the most beautiful witch in the world:o) Happy Halloween!

Ladies and Gentleman, Children of all Ages

This past weekend we took Shasha to the Ringling Brothers Circus that came to town. It was quite fun and considering the tickets were only $10 each... a pretty cheap outing for a VERY rainy day. Of course, we did also pay $10 for a cheesy circus hat filled with cotton candy. I think the cotton candy was Shasha's favorite part of the circus! She was disappointed because there weren't any donkeys, monkeys or horses there as well. But I am not really sure why she was expecting donkeys at the circus anyway?????