Summer playdate

Yesterday Alexa had her friend Sara over for the day. They go to the same school and actually met when they were just three at a different school where they both attended preschool a couple days a week. They had a blast playing together. Alexa is a very social kid which sometimes as an only is tough on her. She thrives on conversation and action. From the moment Sara arrived it was non-stop activity. They played princess, painted, did Shrinkydinks ( loved these as a kid), did sidewalk chalk, had lunch, watched a movie, and played some more. The day flew by for me. Amazing how much can get done when the little one is otherwise occupied. ; ) We look forward to more fun playdates with Sara. : )

Quiet Moment

Preschool was cool!

On the last day of school the kids get awards for their accomplishments and successes over the year. Alexa won 3, Math Whiz, an Artist award and one for Reading. She had a good year and we were pleased with how much she learned, especially how well she can read. She is in a Montessori school which we love, but the kids are encouraged to learn at their own pace, our little social butterfly apparently spent most of the year socializing and not applying herself to the best of her personal abilities. Our hopes and goals for next year in Kindergarten is for her to find her "focus" and apply herself more. She is extremely curious and capable and we are hoping next year she "hits the books" and gets down to business! I love her enthusiasm and energy but at some point she will have to learn to use these attributes to foster her love of learning instead of impeding it.


Here she is with her BFF at the Mad Hatters Mother's Day breakfast. These two cuties together are a bundle of energy and fun!

Here she is performing at the school talent show. She performed a Fairy/ribbon dance that she choreographed. She was really something to watch. Her joy really shines from her smile.

School's out!

Let's get crazy! Summer vacation has officially started. Time to lay around by the pool, go to the movies, sleep in ( haha, that's a good one!), stay up late, go on day trips, eat Popsicles, and have picnics.

For activities, Alexa is going to dance camp, trying karate, and heading to the farm for some good ol' Midwest fun.

Enjoy your summer break!

~~Aloha~~

Last week we spent a wonderful week on Kauai. About a year ago our friends, http://www.joyofgeorgea.blogspot.com/ asked us if we would like to join them in Hawaii this April. I have always wanted to take Alexa there as I had spent quite a bit of time there myself as a child and I was excited about showing her island life. Coincidentally, the week feel right on our 10 year wedding anniversary and we actually eloped in Kauai so it was all a perfect scenario. We spent the first 5 days in Poipu at the Marriott with our friends, then moved on to Hanalei Bay to stay the last 2 nights. We had a wonderful time with lots of amazing memories!

On the beach with cutie Georgea, her daddy and Alexa building sandcastles.

On our way out to dinner. We shared lots of laughs, good food and lots of ice cream!

We took Alexa to a fabulous Luau. We took a train ride around the plantation, learned lots about Kauai's history, fed some wild pigs, then returned for a fabulous traditional Luau show and a great Hawaiian feast.

Pineapple grove

Alexa LOVED the beach. This was a great little cove that was protected so the kids could go in the water by themselves and play. Alexa sort of tried snorkeling ( got the mask on, waded out, then said, "nope" and back she came). She spent lots of time in the water and made some local friends at the beach.

With Georgea hanging out in the morning. Love the matching pjs

Our island princess. She loved wearing the leis and was mesmerized by all the beautiful flowers

The girls before a night out.

Love this photo. It was so cute seeing the girls together. Alexa enjoyed being a "big sis" to Georgea and Georgea loved following Alexa around and "checking her out.

View from our condo in Hanalei. It was absolutely amazing. No televisions, radios or computers. Just the sound of the ocean. I could have stayed there for a long time!

Alexa and I spent a lot of time exploring and finding coral, shells and even a coconut, which the Chief actually opened for us.

Got to get some pool time in!

We took Alexa to the beach where we were married on. It was a really special morning. We spent time writing in the sand, taking photos and reminiscing. We even all held hands and reaffirmed our vows to each other as a family this time. It was really neat!

The Chief and his princess.

Just about the exact spot we stood ten years ago and promised our love to each other. It was a great trip with many wonderful family memories to last a lifetime. We loved spending time with our friends and look forward to more memories with them too. We love Hawaii as it holds so many special lifetime memories for both of us. I love now that Alexa can share that too.

Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone a happy Easter!

~Best Buddies~

This is Alexa with her best friend Claudia. Boy, are these girls two peas in a pod. They hang out every day at school and Alexa talks about Claudia constantly. She says " she knows Claudia's brain very well." I believe it! I'm not sure who is sillier but I sure know that they are the cutest best friends ever!

At school they had a "twins day" where they were supposed to find a friend and dress alike for the day. Well, you can imagine that was an easy task! : )

2nd Hubei Family Reunion

In Austin Texas at Ray and Angel's house the first night. A couple of the girls weren't there yet, so are not in the photo. Big Emma and little Alex are siblings of two of the girls. We had a great Chinese dinner and we all enjoyed catching up with each other. The girls weren't shy and immediately were best friends again. They had so much fun playing together!


In downtown Austin the next morning by the river.

All the girls at the Austin Children's Museum where we celebrated all their birthdays together and exchanged gifts. We all had a blast!

Outside the museum. We caused quite a stir wherever we went. We are a crazy bunch!

Next, off to some good ole' Texas barbecue. The girls were super silly after dinner and oh so tired!

The party didn't end there. It was back to the hotel for a quick stop to get into our pj's and back we went to Ray and Angel's for a pj party. The plan was to stay over but the girls ( and moms) were wiped out so we left a bit before midnight to get the girls in bed. The guys had a boys night out so the came in soon after us. We were wiped out from the day!

The last day of the reunion was a farewell Dim Sum brunch. All the girls wore their traditional dresses and looked so pretty. They sure do know how to pose!

Next, the moms and then the dads. We are picture happy bunch!

We had a wonderful time! It is always sad to say goodbye. This group is like family and we enjoy getting to know each family better each time we reunite. The girls love being together and we hope they form lifelong bonds and friendships with each other as the years go on.

The final stop before we headed home was a stop at our adoption agency Great Wall China, which is located in Austin. We were very lucky to have a chance meeting with Ms. Snow Wu. She was super nice and accomodating, taking time from her morning to talk with us and take photos. It was great to show Alexa where it all started.

The Long Goodbye

My beloved Georgie lost her battle with Lymphoma early Tuesday morning. This photo was taken last March and shows my baby healthy, the way I need to remember her. She was diagnosed in July 2009 and was only given 6 months to live with aggressive chemo. She was stage v at that point but we had so much hope. She defied us all and lived 9 full months. Her spirit never wavered and every week we went to chemo her doctors called her "the wonder dog". She was a fighter and we truly cherished every moment of the past nine months. She certainly got spoiled, getting a scrambled egg every Sunday and as many treats as she wanted. She and I spent many quiet moments sitting in the sun together. She lived 10.5 years and I know she was happy for all of them. She was like a child to me and was my constant companion, never leaving my side. The void I feel right now is immense. When you experience anticipatory grief, it is such a long goodbye. Even though I feel blessed to have had her for an extra 9 months, I feel so robbed because had she not gotten cancer, she would have lived until she was 18. Her spirit was that great! I will always miss my sweet girl.

Today's Adventure

We live right on the edge of the Tonto National Forest. About 5 minutes from our house is a place called Sears Kay. Hundreds of years ago the Hohakam Indians lived on this land and we have quite a few intact Indian ruins around where we live. We hiked up today and checked out some really great ones that we had yet to discover. Alexa brings her walking stick on all hikes and was the self designated leader.

Here she is entering some ruins of the structures that the Indians used as rooms.

There is Weaver's Needle in the background. The views are amazing up there. We've had a lot of rain, so the desert is very green..not the usual but very pretty.

That's Four Peaks with snow still on it in the background. It was a beautiful day and a great family hike!

Mary Poppins

Today we went to see Mary Poppins. It was really great. We went with our friends from dance class that we have been friends with for a couple of years. All three girls are 5 years old and they all looked so cute dressed up for the theatre. I wish I could have gotten a photo with all three of them but I didn't want to lug my big camera in when I knew I really couldn't take photos anyway. I was glad that Alexa had seen the original movie once so she could follow along with the story. The music and dancing were fantastic. I love taking Alexa to different types of shows so she can get a taste of everything. She loves plays, ballets and musicals so far. She also enjoys live music and this week for school we have a field trip to the Symphony. I think she will really enjoy that as well. All this exposure to culture and she'll probably leave home at 17 to join a punk rock band!

Traditional Chinese Brush Painting

One of the gifts that The Chief got Alexa for Valentine's Day was a traditional Chinese brush painting kit. It is meant for adults and is quite involved but you know dads, they don't know or care, so we opened it up and she gave it a whirl. You paint using watercolors with these beautiful brushes and you also use an ink stone. It is actually something that I would also like to try as well. Kids are much better at just diving in and trying it with no fear of failure like adults do. This is Alexa's painting of two little birds. I just love it. I plan on framing it and hanging it in our bedroom.