Amelia Turns Uno

the duck cake, made by Kake Deevas--a little disturbing to cut into the head, but quite tasty


with the "smash cake"--can you tell how very tired she was? used her pointer finger to eat a wee bit at a time!


cousin annsley kisses the duck prize from the rubber ducky matching game in the duck pool. (notice a theme here?)




amelia meets "abby cadabby" who sings and dances--just like amelia herself! yippee!



the birthday girl in her push-along/ride-along from granna and papa



face painting on the deck. our friends jen and court stepped up to do the honors, as the kids lined up for a turn.



bubbles! cousin charlie and amelia enjoy the fun. again, note amelia's sleepy self--not crying but not smiling either! ready to crash!

Happy Birthday, Amelia!

From 100 (previous post) to 1...

Today was Amelia's birthday! Although her party will be Sunday, we did honor the little lady today in a few small ways. She brought muffins to school for her classmates, wore a big birthday princess hat, opened one gift and played in another gift, and danced as she was serenaded with the traditional birthday song.

First, a picture from one year ago today, when Amelia came on her own terms, three weeks before her due date and two weeks before the scheduled c-section. She came out squealing (a trait she continues to exhibit when things are not going her way) with red hair that was--and is--the talk of the town.


Then, a picture from her last night as an 11-month-old, reading her favorite bird board book.



Opening a gift (stacking blocks, which were not as fun as the wrapping paper). Playing in the new flower tent (also not as much fun as the wrapping paper).



And finally, muffins with her peeps--in the big princess hat.


Amelia has acquired various nicknames in her first year--Squealy Dan, Munchy, Luv Munch, Meemers, Mimi, Squatter McGee (!?), Moo-Moo, Stinkpot, Amelia-Bedelia, Squirrel, Speed Racer. She has developed a sweet (and strong-willed!) personality, gives out smiles freely, laughs the sweetest belly laugh and learns quickly. She snuggles like a champ, eats like a pig and dances like it's goin' out of style. Wouldn't trade her for a million bucks.

Happy First Birthday, Amelia!

A Century of Blessings

On Sunday, my sweet little grandma turned 100 years old! We had a celebration at our house, and "Bom-Bom" was transported here from the nursing home where she lives. It was a perfect day for all of us! Bom-Bom is rarely lucid these days, not usually recognizing us, asking for people who have been gone for decades, chanting nonsense words at times. But Sunday, she was amazingly clear. She smiled and hugged people, recognizing many of us. We were stunned and thrilled, as it seemed like she truly knew where she was and what was happening in her honor. I have no doubt that God wanted to make sure she felt all the love and blessings that day and that He opened up one of the little windows of her mind to let the sunshine in.

We have stacks of greetings for her, cards from friends and relatives and letters and certificates from senators, congressmen, mayors, governors and the President and Laura Bush. She was honored in the local newspaper and on the evening news. Word was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals radio announcer (she is a lifelong fan) and to the Today Show's Willard Scott.

Family members came from several states to share in the celebration, some we hadn't seen since her 90th birthday party. Amelia was the youngest partygoer--she will turn 1 this Thursday--and she toddled around, smiling and even letting a few people scoop her up for snuggles. Bom-Bom's nieces, nephews, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she followed the chorus with the words "God bless you!" It certainly brought tears to my eyes.

In all, the day could not have been more perfect. Not only did Bom-Bom know and appreciate all the celebration meant, we all once again were reminded of what an amazing woman she is. God bless you, Bom-Bom!



See Old Blog Post from Feb 15, 2008, for some of my favorite childhood times with Bom-Bom!

I will post pictures from the party once I get the disk from my dad--I am certain there will be some great ones!

Watch Me! So Funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

One Semester of Spanish-Spanish Love Song

Milestones for Mimi

One of Amelia's many nicknames is "Mimi." Her teachers at school have attached themselves to that one, too, so she answers to it easily. She is not just walking now--running is a better term. Her favorite toy has a mirror with lights and music--she squats in front of it and dances, kisses her image and laughs. This was a pass-along toy from cousin Annsley--thanks, girl! Mimi is also obsessed with PeekABoo Baby, a board book we now read about 27 times daily. Fortunately, all four of us can read it, since the words are simple enough for the 4-year-old, too. That way, no one person is overwhelmed with this fascinating work of infant lit. She loves bathtime: Fill up the big cup with water. Put the toys one by one into the cup to watch them float, giggling with each plop! into the water. Dump the water and toys. Repeat. Chew on shampoo bottle. Offer this to Molly and Rebecca if they are close by. Laugh hysterically if they also chew on the bottle. Repeat.

Amelia will be one on October 2. Wow.

Extracurricular Activities

The girls are loving school.

Rebecca is reading now--she likes to read Molly's spelling words to her each night for practice--and is learning new French and sign language words each week in Pre-K. Molly loves math and is excelling in all her subjects. She still loves art and amazes us with the level of detail in her drawings.

In addition to school, Molly continues in her Brownie girl scout troop. She and I will be taking yoga together also. Rebecca started gymnastics. She's the smallest in her class ("except for a girl named Taylor and she's 3"), so we figure she may qualify for the Chinese Olympic gymnastics team in 2012. After all, she'll be 8, I mean 16, by then.

Things in China Other Than The Olympics

My sister Meredith recently returned to her home in Thailand from China and emailed some pictures to those of us who are less adventurous. I like to live vicariously through Mer, who looks a lot like the rest of us but seems unrelated in so many other ways. :) She changes the world on the Thai-Burma border and travels in Vietnam, Cambodia and China. I, on the other hand, think I'm special because I drive a hybrid and I recycle a lot. The last place I "traveled" to was Dyersburg. Despite our differences and our very expansive separation for much of the past 10 years, Meredith is one of my best friends. Here I am--I mean, here she is--in China, with a yak, on a mountaintop and hiking at Tiger Leaping Gorge: