Poletti Family Blog

Merry Madagascar ICE!

2012-01-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Madagascar ICE, was held at The Gaylord National Resort on the Patomic. This 15,000-square-foot attraction is a unique, interactive indoor wonderland created entirely of ice. ICE! is created by dozens of artisans who will migrate to the D.C. area from Harbin, China to craft this elaborate attraction out of nearly 2 million pounds of ice. It takes them nearly an entire month of 12-hour shifts to transform the refrigerated tent where the exhibit is held into a remarkable icy wonderland.

Gaylord Resort- Meet and great Dream Works' Characters

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Meilynn enjoyed meeting the characters at the Gaylord Resort. She loved seeing Gingy and her gingerbread house. We had fun doing a scavenger hunt for the magic beans. The fountain at the resort even danced to Christmas music. A couple of pictures were left over from the ICE exhibit. We were so happy to see the nativity carved from ice and hear the story of Christ birth. We love how the real meaning of Christmas was remembered. We have started a new Christmas tradition. We will come back to The Gaylord Resort next year to see their new ICE display.

Christmas in Washington DC

2011-12-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

We spent the day in Washington enjoying some of the Christmas decorations and events. This was our first time in DC over Christmas. We had a great time seeing the Train Exhibit at the conservatory. We went to see the National Christmas Tree and enjoy The Peace Trail. We ended the day in Chinatown at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We had such a great day!

Nick and Meilynn at the Reflection Pond

Nick in front of the Capitol of the United States

Christmas at the Capitol

The Capitol Christmas Tree from California

Christmas in DC

What a happy family.

All the ornaments on the tree were made by Children in California

Meilynn loved seeing all the flowers.

The National Train Display

Monkey Mountain

It took a year to build this display.

What a great train display.

Monticello

Meilynn love the trains!

The center room of the conservatory

Can we take this Christmas Tree home, mommy?

The Washington Monument

What a beautiful girl!

The White House

What a beautiful sunset

The National Christmas Tree

Meilynn saw Santa and Mrs. Claus at The Peace Walk around the National Christmas Tree.

Our family at the National Christmas Tree

So glad to see the Christ Child at the center of The Peace Trail.

There were trees from each of the States on The Peace Walk

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

We spent Christmas day with Uncle John, Aunt Bev, Grandma Peggy and Linda stopped by in the evening. We made lasagna for dinner and had Birthday cake for baby Jesus. Meilynn love singing Happy Birthday to Jesus! We enjoyed the blessings of our family time together.

Meilynn showing Uncle John her new Squinkey Cruise Ship.

Aunt Bev knitted Meilynn a beautiful poncho in her favorite color.

Raven loved his Christmas present from Grandma.

Nickolas loved his sweatshirt from Uncle John and Aunt Bev.

This was the present that Meilynn wanted the most. Thank you Grandma!

Nickolas enjoying Meilynn's chair while he opens his presents.

Now it's Grandmas turn.

Just what she wanted.

Starbucks Card!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

What excitement! The kids were up around 7:30 AM. Maybe earlier, but that is when they came to wake us up to go downstairs. We enjoyed our Christmas morning opening gifts and sharing our traditional french toast breakfast. Nick and Meilynn were so happy with the gifts they were given.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve we went to church for a beautiful Christmas Eve candlelight service. This helped all of us prepare for the coming of the birth of Christ. When we came home Meilynn prepared our home for the arrival of Santa. She sprinkled the lawn with reindeer food, left a note and cookies for Santa and then went to bed with the reading of The Night Before Christmas. It was hard for her to fall asleep with all of her excitement.

Christmas Tree Farm

2011-12-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

Today we went to cut down our Christmas Tree. We have a tradition to go to the Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our own tree. The kids look forward to this adventure every year.

Nutcracker-Little Chinese

2011-12-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

Meilynn performed in her second Nutcracker at The Strand Capitol in York. Meilynn dances with the Greater York Center for Dance Education. This year she performed as a Little Chinese. We could see such a difference in her performance this year. She was so confident in knowing her dance. Dan and I were so proud of her.

FWCC-Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Families with Children From China, Breakfast with Santa. Dan had to work today, so the kids and I were off to see Santa. Meilynn sat on Santa's lap all by herself this year. She is getting to be such a big girl. Nick had to talk to Santa also, if he wanted his gift card. He was a good sport. We had to leave as soon as Santa was back in his sleigh because Meilynn had dress rehearsal for the Nutcracker performance next week.

Lighting of the Christmas Tree- Rudolf Dance

2011-12-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Meilynn is member of The Glitter Girls at Greater York Center for Dance Education. They get to perform in special events throughout the year. Tonight they are performing at York cities lighting of the Christmas Tree. The Glitter Girls will perform a dance to Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. As you can tell they are all dressed to look like Rudolf. Love the antlers, button eyes and red nose. They all look so cute! What a great job they did with their dance.

Christmas in Hershey

2011-11-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

We had a house full for Thanksgiving Day. A lot of people stopped by during the day. My dad and Judy were here from Florida along with some of the Poletti Family, my mom, and Aunt Bev and Uncle John. We shared a wonderful dinner and enjoyed being together. We all have so much to be thankful for!

The Girls
Meilynn, Allie, Ashley, Abby, Mikaela, and Lexie

The teenage boys
Nick and Noah

Sharing Thanksgiving Dinner

The elf's return

Halloween

2011-10-31T06:30:00.000-04:00

This year for Halloween Meilynn went Trick or Treating with her friend Catie. Raven even dressed up to go Trick or Treating. He was such a good sport.

Our little Cinderella

Princess with attitude

Bumble puppy!

Meilynn and Catie after a long night of Trick of Treating

Raven says, "Get me out of this costume!"

Snow for Halloween

2011-10-29T18:21:00.000-04:00

Can't believe we got snow before Halloween. There were still leaves on the trees, this is one of the earliest snow falls I remember. The kids enjoyed sledding in the back yard.

Miss York County Pageant- Little Princess

2011-10-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

This is Meilynn's second year participating as a Little Princess in The Miss York County Pageant. She love to dress like a princess and escort one of the older participants. She did such a great job tonight!

Dutch Wonderland

2011-09-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

Second day of Kindergarten- First day riding the bus

2011-08-25T08:30:00.000-04:00

Meilynn couldn't wait to ride the bus for the first time. I think she was up at 5:30 this morning, she was so excited! She couldn't wait till it was time to go to the bus stop. As the bus pulled away an all I could see was her tiny little head through the big bus window, I couldn't help but tear up. My baby is starting Kindergarten! After she got home from school today she said, "Mommy, I am ready to go to 1st grade cause I know everything they are teaching me in Kindergarten." I just had to laugh. I proceed to tell her it was just the first day, you need to wait a little longer till it gets harder. I guess she was okay with that answer.

Just look at that smile.

At the bus stop, with her friend Larkin.

When will the bus be here? I can't wait!

You can see Meilynn through the window of the bus door.

She is so tiny you can just see her head through the big bus window. She's off!

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

Virginia Beach

2011-06-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Williamsburg Day 4

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Williamsburg Day 3

2011-06-15T09:32:00.000-04:00

Day three started at Water Country USA. We had a lot of fun swimming, riding on rafts and going down the water slides. I was so surprised how much Meilynn loves the water, after swimming lessons over the winter and spring I wasn't sure if she even enjoyed the water. Today we found out differently. She even went down the smaller slides with us. In the evening we had a picnic with all of our families together. We all had a great time together.

Williamsburg Day 2

2011-06-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

Our first full day of vacation we toured Colonial Williamsburg and then spent the rest of the day in Bush Gardens. Today we spent time with Mike, Heather and the girls. Meilynn loves being with her cousins.

Williamsburg Vacation

2011-06-13T08:50:00.000-04:00

This year we decided to take a vacation close to home. We spent the last three years seeing the "world". We will be spending our vacation with two of Dan's brothers and their family. We are all looking forward to our time together. Our first night in Williamsburg we spent at Bush Gardens. We couldn't believe we met up with Dave, Sharon and the boys and we didn't even plan a time. It was a great beginning to our vacation.

Happy 14th Birthday Nickolas

2011-06-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

The family celebrated Nickolas' birthday at Fugihana, one of our favorite restaurants. It is great to see Nickolas smile and have such a good time. We are very proud of the young man he is becoming. Can't believe in two years he will be driving. We love you Nick!

Greater York Center For Dance Education Recital

2011-06-12T08:10:00.000-04:00

What a special day for Meilynn. She had the chance to preform on the big stage the dance she has been learning in her dance class. She loves to be on the big stage. Who would have ever thought she would enjoy being in front of so many people. She did such a great job!

Princess For A Day

2010-10-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

Meilynn had the chance to participate in the county pageant. She handed a rose to two contestants and then escorted them across the sage. Meilynn and her BFF, Rilyn had a great time doing this together. They stood beside each other on the stage. Meilynn came down the steps waving to us. The little princesses were even interviewed. She was asked her name, how old she was and what was her favorite color.

Our Travel Group Reunion

2010-07-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

We attended our travel group reunion in Ennis, Montana this week. We had such a great time seeing all the families and spending time to get reacquainted. All the children had such a great time. What a connection we will have forever with these wonderful friends. We became forever families at the same time. Now that the reunion is over we can't wait for the next one. You all are so special to us.

Fourth of July

2010-07-04T14:16:00.001-04:00

To celebrate the Fourth of July we went to a local park to watch the fireworks. We had a picnic at the park and ended up running into my cousin, Shannon and her family. It was great to celebrate together. Meilynn covered her ears during the fireworks. She was so tiered from rolling down the hill and then running back up, she actually fell asleep during the fireworks. The fireworks were some of the best I have ever seen , including Disney World. We defiantly go here again next year.

Mt. Gretna Lake and Beach Club

2010-06-26T18:17:00.003-04:00

Each year Dan's work picnic is at Mt. Gretna Lake and Beach Club. The kids love to go and spend the day at the lake. Meilynn really enjoyed the water this year.

Princess Dance Camp

2010-06-24T08:25:00.000-04:00

Meilynn took dance lessons for the first time this summer. She went to a Princess day camp with her BFF's, Rilyn and Larkin. Dan even had a chance to dance with his princess at home. Meilynn really enjoyed her first experience with dance. Of course it was so much easier because her friends were by her side.

Our Sweet Girl

2010-06-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

Hope you enjoy the beautiful pictures of our sweet girl. She loves to pick flowers, even if they are just clover.

Today Nickolas Is A Teenager

2010-06-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

Today, June 10, 2010, Nickolas is now a teenager. I can not believe he is 13. Time has gone by so fast. I can remember the day he was born. I could never imagine how our lives would change! Nickolas you are a blessing to your family. We are so proud of the young man you have become. We love you! Happy Birthday!

Nickolas had his birthday party at Speeway 94. Everyone had a great time ! He was so excited to get his I Pad for his birthday.

Memorial Day Picnic

2010-05-31T13:15:00.000-04:00

Meilynn's Preschool Picnic

2010-05-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

Today had to be the hottest day of the year so far. The children all had so much even though it was so hot. Meilynn enjoyed seeing her classmates for the last time before summer. I know she will miss all her friends over the summer. We plan to get together with some of her friends for play dates and dance class. Thank you Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Piro for such a great year, you both are so special to Meilynn.

Kaitlyn, Rilyn and Meilynn

Meilynn enjoying the hula hoop.

I can't believe she went through this on her own. What fun!

Meilynn giving Mrs. Hall her end of the year gift.

Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Piro with a few of the children from Meilynn's class.

Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Piro with those smiles that meant so much to Meilynn.

Meilynn and her best friend Rilyn.

Candy scramble.

I will miss you Mrs. Piro!

CYMS Fife and Drum Corp in Williamsburg, VA

2010-05-15T21:23:00.004-04:00

The Central York Middle School Fife and Drum Corp participated in the 2010 Drummer's Call in Williamsburg, VA on Saturday, May 15th. There were 14 Fife and Drum Corps from the US and Canada. They started off the day with a parade through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. After each of the Corps finished the parade they would stand on either side of the street to tip their hats as the next Corp came through. After the parade each Corp presented their field show. We came away with a new appreciation for fifes and drums. The Corps really put in a lot of time to preserve the history of fife and drums. They ended the day with a torch lit parade through the streets. After the parade all of the Corps met in the middle of the street for a jam session. They all played together. It was phenomenal! We really enjoyed watching Nickolas participate in this historical event.

Williamsburg, VA

2010-05-15T17:12:00.002-04:00

We went to Williamsburg for a long weekend to see Nickolas march in the CYMS Fife and Drum Core. The weather was beautiful. We especially enjoyed walking around all the beautiful gardens. Meilynn was excited to try on anything Colonial. As you can see in the last couple pictures they had a special place for children to explore toys played with in Colonial time. Meilynn's favorite was Hotch Potch. He was a doll that children used to learn their letters. It came with flash cards illustrating the position of the doll for each letter. We learned that the Colonial alphabet had only 24 letters, they didn't have j or u. We ended up buying Hotch Potch to bring home with us.

Kite Festival

2010-05-08T11:04:00.001-04:00

Today was the FWCC Kite Festival. It was soooo windy, almost too windy to fly a kite. We had two kites along but the wind snapped the our largest kite. We made the best of it even though we only had our kite flying for about a half hour. Meilynn also enjoyed blowing bubbles and swinging.

Two Years Ago Today

2010-04-07T16:46:00.007-04:00

Two years ago today we were waiting to meet the little girl we prayed for, the child that God had chosen to complete our family. I remember that day like it were yesterday. Meilynn has come so far in two years. She is such a loving little girl! We were shopping last night and Meilynn sang a song that she made up about our family the whole way through the store. Everyone that heard her just smiled and said how lucky we were to have her. It brought tears to our eyes. She knows her story and is now sharing it with anyone who will listen. We are so blessed to have two wonderful children! Thank you God for the gift of our children!

Meilynn April 2010

Meilynn April 7, 2008

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T09:23:00.000-04:00

Easter morning the kids were up early. They just couldn't wait to search the house for their Easter baskets. After we went to church we spent the rest of the day at my brother's house. We enjoyed Easter dinner together and Lisa had lots of fun planned for the afternoon. We had a great day celebrating our Lord's Resurrection.

Zion's Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-03T09:46:00.003-04:00

Today our church had it's annul Easter Egg Hunt. There were 3,000 eggs hidden for the children to find. The children completed a craft and had a snack while they waited for their age group to be called. Meilynn is starting to understand how these egg hunts work. I can remember when she only picked up one egg and thought she was finished. She has come a long way as you can see from the amount of eggs she picked up today. As we celebrate the joy of the Resurrection we are so thankful for our children and the love they have for the Lord.

Painting Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T09:04:00.003-04:00

Meilynn had a great time decorating Easter Eggs. This year she picked out a Tinker Bell egg decorating kit. She just loves Tinker Bell. As you can tell it was the theme of her birthday and now the theme of her Easter egg kit. Just look at her wonderful creations. She had a great time this year decorating her Easter eggs.

The Philadelphia Zoo

2010-03-31T08:55:00.001-04:00

Meilynn's preschool class went to The Philadelphia Zoo today. It was a beautiful day, the temperature was around 70. We walked around the zoo with Rilyn's family. Meilynn and Rilyn have become best friends. They do things together that we know they would never do alone. We are so grateful that she has such a wonderful friend. We took pictures of all the animals we saw today. Meilynn and I are going to make an ABC Zoo book with all the pictures we have. I think the highlight of the day was Meilynn's first pony ride. She told us over and over again that she wanted to ride the pony. We made sure she knew that she could only go by herself and that we couldn't come with her. Rilyn's parents told her the same thing. The girls surprise us! They both took the ride by their self. We knew the only reason took the ride was because they were doing it together. You can see how happy this made Meilynn. We had a great day spending time with Meilynn.

Hershey's CMN Easter Egg Scramble

2010-03-27T17:15:00.000-04:00

The annual Hershey's Easter Egg Scramble went butter than last year. It was so windy last year, so Meilynn cried most of the time. This year it was still chilly but not windy. Meilynn picked up one egg than she just stopped. We had to tell her it was ok to pick up more eggs. She just wasn't sure how this whole thing worked. There were over 8,000 eggs on the field. This would have been overwhelming for anyone.

After the egg hunt we went over to Chocolate world. We rode the Chocolate World tour ride, participated in a scavenger hunt and had Meilynn's picture taken with the Easter Bunny.

Washington, DC - Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit

2010-03-20T16:40:00.000-04:00

We had the privilege today to see the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit in Washington, DC. It was a great exhibit. We all learned so much. It was amazing to see the warriors, they are in such good shape for being 2,000 years old. The history behind them is incredible. After we saw the exhibit we walked to the White House, Washington Monument, the Mall and the Capitol. It was a beautiful day, just a week or so early for the cherry blossoms. We all had a great day!

Meilynn's 4th Birthday Celebration!

2010-03-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

Meilynn celebrated her birthday today at Build-A-Bear Workshop. She had a very special day with her friends. Meilynn decided to she wanted to make a bunny. She picked a Tinker Bell outfit for her bunny and named her "Tinker Bunny". How original! All of the children had a great time making their new stuffed animals. After naming their new friends we had pizza and cake. What a great 4th birthday for Meilynn!

Happy Year of the Tiger

2010-02-27T08:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Year of the Tiger! We had a great Chinese New Year Celebration. It was two weeks late because of the snowy February. The kids enjoyed many crafts, received a red envelope, watched the Lion Dancers and ate our traditional New Year meal. The high light of the evening was Meilynn's Chines class singing two songs in Mandarin. It was so special. Dan had to take Meilynn out in the hall while the Lion Dancers performed she was frightened by them and the loud noises. After she recovered from that the kids had the lantern parade. It was a great evening!

Snow, Snow And More Snow

2010-02-11T08:31:00.001-05:00

New Year's Day

2010-01-01T10:37:00.006-05:00

We had the traditional pork and sauerkraut for dinner today. This is the meal you are to eat on New Year's Day for good luck. Nickolas and Meilynn put their one strand of sauerkraut in their mashed potatoes, so I guess they are covered in the luck department. What a silly tradition.

Poletti New Year's Eve Picnic

2009-12-31T10:17:00.000-05:00

It is a family tradition that the Poletti Family had a New Year's Eve picnic. The picnic started with dad, mom and seven children. Who would have imagined it would have turned into this. Everyone was home and able to attend this year. There was a total of 36 people there today. As you can see there was snow on the ground this year. The annual football game was such fun. We had a great time being together.

All 19 of the grandchildren and Leah, Matt's wife.

The whole Poletti Family

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-25T09:07:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas, even though Meilynn was not feeling well. She was a trooper. I know she would have been so much more excited if she felt better. Nickolas couldn't wait to get downstairs to open his presents. We mad him wait till 7:00 am. I took Meilynn all day to open her gifts. She would open a couple and then wait awhile. I guess this is still a little overwhelming to her. Nicolas' favorite gift was his PS3 and Meilynn's favorite gift was her castle. What a blessing to be together and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. I am just so grateful that Meilynn has the opportunity to love the Lord.

The kido's and their stockings.

Meilynn opening the gifts in her stocking.

This stocking is extra special to Nickolas because Grandma Juice sewed this for him.

I guess that gift was a hit, Wii Sport Resort.

Have to have American Eagle gifts!

Yes, Santa even brought Nickolas a Lego.

He really had no idea he was getting a PS3.

Yes, even baba is having fun opening gifts.

Yes, it's a bad hair day, but, I love the gift Meilynn made for me.

Her smile says it all!

Yeye, you made a hit with the Tinkerbell leap frog game.

Meilynn with her Uncie John, yes that's what she calls him.

Nickolas and his grandma, she is wearing the sweatshirt with his footprints on from when he was five. The footprints where made into snowmen. She will never part with that sweatshirt.

Meilynn gave her Aunt Bevie a jade bracelet.

More American Eagle!

Mom and her special box from the jeweler.

We are having so much fun opening gifts together.

Santa, I love the princess paper you wrapped my gifts in.

A couple of her gifts.

Meilynn and her God mother, Nena. Yes that is what she calls Linda.

That gift was a big as she was.

A PS3 game, yes.

Just what I wanted, cool!

Nena, I love my castle, what a great find!

Yes, I love my Raven's gear and cup!

This is so big, I can even sit in the center of the courtyard.

Maya having fun watching Meilynn open her gifts.

We gave Maya a gift from her favorite clothing store, Justice.

Cole, loving his Wii game!

Taking Christmas Pictures

2009-12-13T08:28:00.001-05:00

Trying to get our Christmas picture was a challenge! One looked good, the other made a face. Meilynn's eyes were closed on a lot of the pictures. Oh well, we got a couple good ones. These are my munchkins and I am so thankful for both of them.

Christmas Tree Farm

2009-12-06T17:42:00.001-05:00

We went on our annual adventure to cut down our Christmas Tree. This year was Nickolas' turn to pick out the tree. It definitely is an adventure finding the "perfect" tree. You can see in the first picture that Meilynn found the tree she wanted, on that was just her size. We had a great time. The last picture has to be one of my favorites. It was taken after we had the tree decorated. You can really see how much Meilynn loves her brother and how much her brother loves her.

Breakfast with Santa

2009-12-05T14:11:00.001-05:00

Our local FWCC (Families With Children Form China), had their annual breakfast with Santa today. The children had a great time decorating cookies, playing games, and having a special visit with Santa. Meilynn did great, as you can see by the pictures. She actually sat on Santa's lap, I couldn't believe it! I did tell her if she wanted her gift she would have to sit on his lap. I guess it was the gift that made the difference.

Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-20T13:54:00.002-05:00

Today was Meillyn's Thanksgiving feast at preschool. Each child had to bring in their favorite food to share for Thanksgiving. We had hot dogs, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, ice cream, etc. It wasn't the traditional dinner. The kids sang songs and recited poems. It was a great time.

Fife and Drum Corp

2009-11-15T07:55:00.002-05:00

Nickolas is in the middle school's Fife and Drum Corp. They had a performance at the York Colonial Court House, celebrating the Articles of Confederation. It was a beautiful day and the corp performance was spectacular.

Preschool Fall Festival

2009-10-30T22:43:00.001-04:00

Today at preschool Meilynn enjoyed her fall festival. The children painted pumpkins, decorated cookies, played pumpkin bowling and had their faces painted. The children paraded in their costumes and were handed a treat from each of the parents. They sang songs and recited poems the learned in class. It was a great afternoon to spend together with all her friends.

Trick-or-Treat with Grandma Juice

2009-10-27T08:37:00.002-04:00

Tonight Meilynn and Nickolas went to Manor Care, where Grandma is staying to go trick-or-treating. Nickolas stayed with Grandma and helped her hand out the candy, while Meilynn and I went to visit the other rooms. Each resident had candy to hand to the children. I am not sure who enjoyed it more the children or the residents. You could just see both of their faces light up. It was such a nice treat for all of them. Grandma was so glad that Meilynn and Nickolas came tonight. Although as soon as it was over she was ready for bed. We love you Grandma Juice! Thanks for all the good treats.

A Rainy Day At Cherry Crest Farm

2009-10-24T07:43:00.000-04:00

Today we went to Cherry Crest Farm. We knew there was a good chance of fain today but we have had rain for the past three weekends. If we didn't go today we wouldn't get to go this year. It rained and poured but we stuck it out till they closed the farm. We didn't have to stand in line like last year. We got to do a lot in the little time we were there. It was actually fun walking around in the rain. If you look close in some of the pictures you will see how hard it was raining when we were in the pumpkin patch.

Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival

2009-10-03T09:42:00.001-04:00

Tonight we celebrated The Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival with our FWCC group. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening. This was an actual picture of the moon that we could see at the festival. Nickolas won one of the games. The older children had to put grapes in their mouth and say Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival in Mandarin. Who ever could put the most grapes in their mouth and still be understood saying the phrase was the winner. Nickolas had twelve grapes in his mouth! Meilynn played a traditional game with eggs. The person who didn't break their hard boiled egg was the winner. Meilynn broke hers with the first try. Meilnn enjoyed making a lantern for her flashlight. We all walked the trail with our lanterns to view the moon and stars through the telescope. We had a great time celebrating The Chinese holiday.

I couldn't help but think when I was looking in the sky at the moon..... I thought about how this same moon shown in the skies of China eight hours ago. This made me think of Meilynn's birth parents and how grateful I am for the gift they have given me. I just want her birth parents to know that Meilynn has a lot of wonderful people in her life that care about her and love her so much. She is experiencing so much, learning every day, she is growing into a beautiful pre schooler and is filling our lives with so much joy and love. I really can't imagine my life without her, but at the same time my heart aches for her birth parents and what they are missing. I hope somewhere deep in their hearts they know how much she is loved by her forever family. Our two families will be forever connected even though we don't know who they are.

Band Day

2009-09-25T09:24:00.001-04:00

Friday night was band day at the high school football game. Elementary, middle school and high school bands all where on the field playing together. It is always a great performance. This year with Nickolas being in middle school, he got to sit in the stands and play during the football game. We are so proud of our drummer.

Fort McHenry

2009-09-12T09:10:00.000-04:00

Today we decided to visit Fort McHenry. It is so close to home but it is a National Park we have never been to. We didn't get to see much because they were closing for a special celebration this evening. One thing Nickolas got to see was the Fife and Drum core. It was interesting for him to see now that he is a member of the middle school core. Since we didn't get to take the tour we will have to make another trip to the park. After we left Fort McHenry we spent the rest of the day at Inner Harbor.

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-02T16:49:00.006-04:00

Today was the first day of Preschool. We were only there for an hour and I could stay with Meilynn. She seemed to be very comfortable in her class. I tried to stay to the side to see how she would react to the other children. You can see from the pictures she did great. The children had time to play, they did circle time, read a book and had time to decorate their folder with their hand prints. It was a great first day of Preschool. The real test will be on Friday when I have to drop her off and leave. I am not sure if she will make it for the two and a half hours. Maybe I should be more worried about mommy! This is going to be hard for me! I will let you know how it goes on Friday. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

First Day of Middle School

2009-08-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe today was the first day of Middle School for Nickolas. I can remember his first day of Pre School! When I look at this picture I can't believe the young man he has become. Nickolas didn't want me to take our traditional first day of school picture on the front porch. There were people at the bus stop and he didn't want them to see me taking a picture of him on the first day. I think my heart is broken. I know I have to let go and be happy I could take the picture inside. My little boy is growing up!

Nickolas on the first day of seventh grade.

Sunset in Naples

2009-08-05T18:41:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed time on the beach watching the sun set. It was just a beautiful evening. I think it was probably on of my favorite times at the beach. It was cooler and we just enjoyed each other and the beauty that God created. It was tranquil.

Naples, Florida

2009-08-01T17:31:00.001-04:00

We spent the week at my dad's in Naples, Florida. Meilynn started to love the pool and ocean. The kids swam in the pool daily. Meilynn used her vest and she now will swim around the pool on her own. She made such progress this week. Nickolas always enjoys his time at grandpa's, it is hard to get him out of the pool.

Legoland

2009-07-03T18:02:00.002-04:00

When we first told Nickolas we were planning a trip to California he made us promise we would spend a day in Legoland. Nickolas has loved to play with Lego's since he was very young. He still enjoys building creations with Lego's. He really enjoyed having his dream come true, getting to spend a day at Legoland. Next week when we go home he will attend a Lego camp at a college near our home. They use the Lego's and then control their creation by the computer.

Last day at Disneyland and California Adventure

2009-07-02T15:26:00.006-04:00

We had to say goodbye today to the Young Family. We met for breakfast before they had to leave to return home. We have enjoyed this time we spent together! The children all got along so good together. You would think that they have been best friends for years. We have such a connection that will only continue to grow over the years. God has truly blessed our family with the connection we have made with our travel group. It was a tearful goodbye but we know we will see them again next year in Montana for our travel group reunion. We spent the rest of the day in Disneyland and California Adventure. Meilynn and I had our first mom and daughter character dinner with the princesses. The joy on her face says it all! I wasn't sure how she would react to the princesses but you can see she was mesmerized. We had a great time!

Meilynn found a new friend, Cami.

Our friends and travel mates, The Young Family.

Meilynn couldn't wait to be in the picture with Lori and I.

They had a great time together!

California, what a great place to visit.

Every time we saw Minnie Meilynn want to get a picture taken with her.

I love California adventure.

Finally, someone has bigger muscles than my baba!

I love Goofy!

Watch out Meilynn's driving.

Another picture with Mickey, never can have enough!

What a wonderful vacation we had!

Look at our happy girl!

Mommy, I don't know who I am standing with.

Meilynn enjoyed her first princess character dinner.

Our little princess.

You can see how much Meilynn is enjoying meeting all the princesses.

Bell is Meilynn's favorite princess, you can't tell by this picture.

Wow, another princess to meet.

I love Snow White!

Is this all for me?!

We see Minnie for the last time before we leave the park.

Mickey!

Outside Disneyland

What a great way to end our time in Disney!

San Juan Capistrano

2009-07-01T08:40:00.002-04:00

Today we met the Young family and we took the Amtrak to Mission San Juan Capistrano. It was a beautiful mission. We enjoyed our tour and then had lunch together. After we returned Dan took Nickolas and Cami back to Disneyland and California Adventure. Meilynn and I had dinner together and then went to Downtown Disney. Meilynn enjoyed making Princess Callie at Build A Bear. What a great day in Southern California!

California Adventure and Balboa Beach

2009-06-30T20:42:00.001-04:00

Today we went to California Adventure for the morning. In the afternoon we met the Young's and went to Balboa Beach. We had a great afternoon on the beach, enjoying the serenity of the ocean. In the evening we had a great dinner at Benny Hana's.