tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40360502181101916182024-03-07T17:50:52.155-05:00Our Journey to MaelinShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-26942715094187600772009-01-18T10:53:00.022-05:002009-02-25T16:16:07.149-05:00The Holidays, 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyqrM5ci6GzGb0H02ULsN9216fj11aJqeKR7QpgLP9d41GQxUKnY47k_jzubAPwDC-jhRVwBS4ZXUhNj7eqqyUXTyklU5ZWAu2mZBbaDIIlQocFTAD6lL1UtpuhUCay8TbtwFb7rieZk/s1600-h/DSC03639fam.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301604798708128258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyqrM5ci6GzGb0H02ULsN9216fj11aJqeKR7QpgLP9d41GQxUKnY47k_jzubAPwDC-jhRVwBS4ZXUhNj7eqqyUXTyklU5ZWAu2mZBbaDIIlQocFTAD6lL1UtpuhUCay8TbtwFb7rieZk/s200/DSC03639fam.JPG" border="0" /></a>What a great holiday we had! Daddy was off work for the WHOLE TWO WEEKS with Maelin and Mommy, so we had a chance to spend tons of time together! (I'm wondering if Daddy would rather have been at work? LOL!) We had several christmas gatherings, including christmases at Grandma Schmidt's house the weekend before the actual holiday, christmas morning at our house, Grandpa Les and Grandma Pam's house later on christmas morning, Gramps and Gram Minkstein's in the afternoon that day, and at Nana and Papa Gleeson's place two days later. WHEW!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sJvtLqc3m9IFC1JmUmA3CPhNEUNdCvaN0M2C2EH52hfPmuK9SqZUPO5P36YYAmyMNVjG_OoOOB-3w6nF_lNAHZKfOJR023GylG7hovZH5J7PYOf2qy7ebPewe4csclZSXxrE60bchm8/s1600-h/s46048ca117092_4.mae2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301604801976259938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sJvtLqc3m9IFC1JmUmA3CPhNEUNdCvaN0M2C2EH52hfPmuK9SqZUPO5P36YYAmyMNVjG_OoOOB-3w6nF_lNAHZKfOJR023GylG7hovZH5J7PYOf2qy7ebPewe4csclZSXxrE60bchm8/s200/s46048ca117092_4.mae2.JPG" border="0" /></a><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0KJd0Ui-G4F6nS6dBPBl15SXJ43rif-5M7NmQJzkPj0BYvBQ74dbCo8J_TtNoe-JKJkgXi5uF7aU2_bj0E0tn_-MF2X5IZp0HuhB9fiez4GdlClThnGGp4y3nVzo3-EjI-nlQTESI8E/s1600-h/s46048ca117092_13mae5.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301604796098893682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0KJd0Ui-G4F6nS6dBPBl15SXJ43rif-5M7NmQJzkPj0BYvBQ74dbCo8J_TtNoe-JKJkgXi5uF7aU2_bj0E0tn_-MF2X5IZp0HuhB9fiez4GdlClThnGGp4y3nVzo3-EjI-nlQTESI8E/s200/s46048ca117092_13mae5.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div></div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbwmi05AYLhj8GcfPCVkcQHxvqrcri6Ow8OMBKcrIpZve7guqy2jxDYAOjf5h4Ft1bzPPmIxAAcTXVTbt4P5o3yiNXPdvlXMdBUkxvjJiux3IuplvGG6Zl_tyToI_V_ez5M4qK5hPcoQ/s1600-h/s46048ca117092_1mae7.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306841103538641874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbwmi05AYLhj8GcfPCVkcQHxvqrcri6Ow8OMBKcrIpZve7guqy2jxDYAOjf5h4Ft1bzPPmIxAAcTXVTbt4P5o3yiNXPdvlXMdBUkxvjJiux3IuplvGG6Zl_tyToI_V_ez5M4qK5hPcoQ/s200/s46048ca117092_1mae7.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3xc9IMeuBWX41t_nr-Y_RGwXycQcrZntBSGqyGa4PIKgI887vKHfmimaMaJuFA6FeW9PWpJa98-6MZ3pUW358AC2bMpRxD2N2JRNqchjQOhdI-8xR91_frhdo9R17szYloEi2I-ebYs/s1600-h/DSC03611present.JPG"></a></div></div>A couple of weeks before christmas, I took Maelin to the local Sears Portrait Studio to have her holiday pics taken. They turned out sooooo cute -- i had to share a few of them here! (And yes, i'm a rule-follower...i purchased the CD so that i could share these online!)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Coming up soon: CHINESE NEW YEAR!!<br /><br />xoxo,<br />Mommy (and the gang)Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-17125988197649268842008-12-06T11:25:00.000-05:002008-12-19T12:49:07.802-05:00Thanksgiving Weekend 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKTVz2g8ujKcxkccGjjrV0U54fCm4Egm0uXo2uuYl1Y2WTyKlPagpk0bPOhcudLBbYJujDKsZ_usBMt_y8Rz-IFgSo39PQHEUgrOH62edjTay59JNcWOkG9ZhnE_A9v1bYIXscASCcsc/s1600-h/DSC03546snow.bunny.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279686068315372930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKTVz2g8ujKcxkccGjjrV0U54fCm4Egm0uXo2uuYl1Y2WTyKlPagpk0bPOhcudLBbYJujDKsZ_usBMt_y8Rz-IFgSo39PQHEUgrOH62edjTay59JNcWOkG9ZhnE_A9v1bYIXscASCcsc/s200/DSC03546snow.bunny.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshD0lcEwUPzTAyfp3FrmMmu8s1IKtAfkeNleL-U-6m9r3uw1b5BYn3f5uaJhtcstRgUd6jY04IfhhV9ofXwjyuke6KJwMGINhT_zKVXbTfkv4wm3RMJ97x1IXBy6QkppB5FVfqURzj0s/s1600-h/DSC03544snow.angel.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279685759197725826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshD0lcEwUPzTAyfp3FrmMmu8s1IKtAfkeNleL-U-6m9r3uw1b5BYn3f5uaJhtcstRgUd6jY04IfhhV9ofXwjyuke6KJwMGINhT_zKVXbTfkv4wm3RMJ97x1IXBy6QkppB5FVfqURzj0s/s200/DSC03544snow.angel.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFScK3EdV1YXvAe742c9WBFW5wfG3220-nDeX3miJjFukqGGbn5ZLDCO_BRFTBkfoRrZGcwQ2Mnh4itRhD_LwBecpDVAlY9zfRLAxBte13sSufm_PAnOVd70XZqKFsPNX5O9BwBBRmsEQ/s1600-h/DSC03550sled.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279685336095146258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFScK3EdV1YXvAe742c9WBFW5wfG3220-nDeX3miJjFukqGGbn5ZLDCO_BRFTBkfoRrZGcwQ2Mnh4itRhD_LwBecpDVAlY9zfRLAxBte13sSufm_PAnOVd70XZqKFsPNX5O9BwBBRmsEQ/s200/DSC03550sled.JPG" border="0" /></a>Thanksgiving Day brought us an extra special surprise -- tons of SNOW!! Maelin enjoyed playing outside in the snow with daddy (making a snowman, being pulled around on the sled) in the morning and early afternoon. Then we got ready and headed to Uncle Jon and Aunt Laura Gleeson's house for Thanksgiving dinner.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBfYElOEOON92eZMysWjRxJHhqGBa86wTIQ2jzfx90QGuCcY0hu9VYdaH_Fi278DyaslSwFB-XhUlVWYmFPMv-MPUXsde2ux9B_NOe0UfM9ubcILlr9u10c7P2bxkokxJWVjHzwF80Fc/s1600-h/DSC03551xmas.lights.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279684874284188626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBfYElOEOON92eZMysWjRxJHhqGBa86wTIQ2jzfx90QGuCcY0hu9VYdaH_Fi278DyaslSwFB-XhUlVWYmFPMv-MPUXsde2ux9B_NOe0UfM9ubcILlr9u10c7P2bxkokxJWVjHzwF80Fc/s200/DSC03551xmas.lights.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPmAaRvCjFadz-DG1ARPtex1yuhafyc_9WSXwsTzPGpRC6XVZl0YdRNLi6kcR2Xju7yMgE7okqBS8cqRymiHCi0uX9dKl_kX9nV04-Zg4LPwJqmPa86pLS_C5vzVNsrC3ucMzHy_dhMs/s1600-h/DSC03563tree.deco.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279684611206028434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPmAaRvCjFadz-DG1ARPtex1yuhafyc_9WSXwsTzPGpRC6XVZl0YdRNLi6kcR2Xju7yMgE7okqBS8cqRymiHCi0uX9dKl_kX9nV04-Zg4LPwJqmPa86pLS_C5vzVNsrC3ucMzHy_dhMs/s200/DSC03563tree.deco.JPG" border="0" /></a>The day after Thanksgiving, Maelin and Mommy set up the Christmas tree. Daddy went hunting, so we figured out the lights (go girls!) and decorated the tree, as well. Maelin loved putting ornaments on tree -- all the blue ones here, all the bear ones here...it's a bit of a 'sorting' tree this year!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-3rWNqdXYBFUHLt1RjugaOz5YSYwtJsRoma2pNv2xy3qgqRJwuHd_Rr1xb2_kaw37qhXiRX3T-LcNF1-wQdPRwoXoYlLocBq1KAkJ537L5R2ZIWJNC-YTag585vzsrsPv37BKQmVzrk/s1600-h/DSC03565pirate.princess.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279684223184145602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-3rWNqdXYBFUHLt1RjugaOz5YSYwtJsRoma2pNv2xy3qgqRJwuHd_Rr1xb2_kaw37qhXiRX3T-LcNF1-wQdPRwoXoYlLocBq1KAkJ537L5R2ZIWJNC-YTag585vzsrsPv37BKQmVzrk/s200/DSC03565pirate.princess.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQMYNzRCXwlKvEAiAiaXApc7DQmf-c21yDlgaajKVB8fteChFdMkELvvxv8U2xXTMtz-DI8QOkHfXgZhJ-tg52jlie0gdaayDSThdPJG4GToQehTT7YFlXs9VSyIQ-oM9akpTs8WtXJo/s1600-h/DSC03566pirate.princess2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279684021073858802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQMYNzRCXwlKvEAiAiaXApc7DQmf-c21yDlgaajKVB8fteChFdMkELvvxv8U2xXTMtz-DI8QOkHfXgZhJ-tg52jlie0gdaayDSThdPJG4GToQehTT7YFlXs9VSyIQ-oM9akpTs8WtXJo/s200/DSC03566pirate.princess2.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div>These cracked me up, so i had to share them!! Maelin has been into her dress-up box a lot since Halloween. I'm not sure what this is, but i'll call it "princess pirate"!!<br /><br />Now we're busy getting ready for the upcoming holidays...<br /><br />xoxo,<br />ShondaShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-81290339210471133682008-11-01T21:10:00.001-04:002008-11-18T21:27:25.991-05:00our little fairy<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj0Cyna6LLkN3gv1oqMS4QhmPePwjeEDFGxpV183UlPuoCaBid9rm5fQfeYy7v4RDRXDEwtHZpBB_CjVaVyV3l0R1Xel2b4C90m3IzMGyTHGxwIV1GxYMlrKaVWuI8J7I9hB5kM-fdso/s1600-h/DSC03419pumpkin.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270186223584770658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj0Cyna6LLkN3gv1oqMS4QhmPePwjeEDFGxpV183UlPuoCaBid9rm5fQfeYy7v4RDRXDEwtHZpBB_CjVaVyV3l0R1Xel2b4C90m3IzMGyTHGxwIV1GxYMlrKaVWuI8J7I9hB5kM-fdso/s320/DSC03419pumpkin.JPG" border="0" /></a>Happy Halloween!! What a totally fun holiday! Maelin remembered last Halloween enough to be really excited about the whole thing this year. And thankfully Daddy doesn't mind having 'pumpkin carving' on his list of responsibilities :) He and Maelin carved two...both of which were proudly displayed on the front porch until they rotted and attracted the bees. Ugh.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J4EngTCGJJcnOAVXms2iOIOEGEloNriPLwMAdEVvfduIvpsXTmbdhiHy6_xosBXOy-kXYBnkMRgwpou7gtAU3S4BH-ofcQJnQM336DOH-fSjdmKx2aMIs_6XQbyqg6QpNSn_Ph0rncA/s1600-h/DSC03425halloween.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270186860277069826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0J4EngTCGJJcnOAVXms2iOIOEGEloNriPLwMAdEVvfduIvpsXTmbdhiHy6_xosBXOy-kXYBnkMRgwpou7gtAU3S4BH-ofcQJnQM336DOH-fSjdmKx2aMIs_6XQbyqg6QpNSn_Ph0rncA/s320/DSC03425halloween.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here's our little goblin! This year Maelin when i asked Maelin what she wanted to be for Halloween, she said that she wanted to wear the fairy costume in the dress-up box under her bed - haha! A money-saver to be sure, but i really wanted to buy her something cuter. So i went on a fairy costume hunt and found this one at The Children's Place. I love that store :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpj3KQj0TqISqB79XC3kZzlLzxzj7VBaru12RaAEO4HicJpu_i9MlM9QwBlSSzFoed_cZYH75aIGYebmxaVN7LlNxOqptZY3qvCyH9-doKtymypa-Q6YYoDcW0tNdBPMY39AErorUFuy8/s1600-h/DSC03424our.fairy.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270186526539964690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpj3KQj0TqISqB79XC3kZzlLzxzj7VBaru12RaAEO4HicJpu_i9MlM9QwBlSSzFoed_cZYH75aIGYebmxaVN7LlNxOqptZY3qvCyH9-doKtymypa-Q6YYoDcW0tNdBPMY39AErorUFuy8/s320/DSC03424our.fairy.JPG" border="0" /></a>Maelin spent the morning trick-or-treating and scavenger-hunting at school, and in the evening we made the rounds in North Branch. We started at Nana and Papa's, went to great gramps and gram's house, stopped to see a few aunts and uncles, and then rounded out the night at Grandpa Les and Grandma Pam's place.<br /><br /><div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-31503629934702917352008-10-14T17:05:00.003-04:002008-10-14T17:18:06.995-04:00the school pic<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8E6kbY-_ggeOk7czmC4EFGcgAOme7iVVbBVJzaAashR3FLBi3RW0qIi_spoQL5u6PSlKV-Ewo_Se1JhWYN-8lJ_akgM7LFP-nUlyStEH3hC09EBRDLweOu6mE3zVs_-E6dMAGcjY4128/s1600-h/Maelin.school.pic2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257119022390495746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8E6kbY-_ggeOk7czmC4EFGcgAOme7iVVbBVJzaAashR3FLBi3RW0qIi_spoQL5u6PSlKV-Ewo_Se1JhWYN-8lJ_akgM7LFP-nUlyStEH3hC09EBRDLweOu6mE3zVs_-E6dMAGcjY4128/s320/Maelin.school.pic2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Ohmygoodness...could she be any cuter if she tried?!? I just love how her picture turned out this year! And just so you know, i ordered the photo CD with her school pics, so i'm legal having a digital copy of this :)<br /><br />Things are going really well in school for Maelin. She's right back into the swing of things and loving school. I'll share a couple of cute stories, just because i can ;)<br /><br />Last week she was saying/signing something that i just couldn't understand....which is really not common, because i truly understand about 99% of what she says/signs. She kept saying, "Where is the speech .....?" and i just couldn't get the last word. The sign wasn't accurate, the speech wasn't helping...finally i figured it out ... she was asking, "Where is the speech THERAPIST?" I didn't know she knew that word!! I was glad to have figured it out, and i was impressed at her growing vocabulary!<br /><br />Here's another one: today i had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so there was a sub teacher for a couple of hours. When i returned, i found out that some of the students, including Maelin, had not behaved well during Morning Meeting time, and they'd had time-outs. I sat them down and told them that i was sad, upset and embarrassed about their behavior for a substitute. Maelin said, "You sad, Mom?" I said, yes, i was upset with their behavior. She said, "But you still love me." LOL!! Yes, my sweet...even when i'm sad about your behavior, i still love you to bits!!!<br /><br />That's all for now...<br /><br />xoxo,<br />ShondaShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-43631993103931234732008-10-02T16:30:00.000-04:002008-10-02T17:28:31.006-04:0018 MONTHS :)Happy one-and-a-half years to US!! Some days i can hardly believe that our Little Miss MaeMae has been home that long...and other days i just want to take a nap! LOL! Here's what we've been up to this past month:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiswgcq2DI4836qbzYLzUzN7fA4tXW0CzcZejKWh5Kgwns4gmxe_kCj2UvvyfeN8WH4_Dx3sXuExU1eRjqsWwGsinFp_FmujE5Qi-WIieUBVhNv937PtaC7irWOcrm-LEEQh2H6nbfNN8/s1600-h/sept1a+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245223902984390306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiswgcq2DI4836qbzYLzUzN7fA4tXW0CzcZejKWh5Kgwns4gmxe_kCj2UvvyfeN8WH4_Dx3sXuExU1eRjqsWwGsinFp_FmujE5Qi-WIieUBVhNv937PtaC7irWOcrm-LEEQh2H6nbfNN8/s320/sept1a+010.jpg" border="0" /></a>We're back to school! Maelin is now in her 2nd year of preschool at the Michigan School for the Deaf, and i am her classroom teacher again this year. She is doing amazingly well...her language, both spoken and signed, is really taking off. I think her signed vocabulary is between 700-800 words. I lost track around 600! She is learning more and more spoken words but still relies on signing often, especially when there's any other noise around.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtjAGZ1c8fi2sgJh6xFWz69yA4Ctqy2AswjkUHIG6_MtNrR78DmUmTlxeSL2Gk50uhxIs8aD9aQ8h-NijW2Wt9eX1Xt71wXN2XfYLFKiobxaiZn41fGsQrp6TYec2UDmy134dRSJchg8/s1600-h/sept2d+003.jpg"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZxVRwMl5ygujpXtNMbC4btp0hTmNO_yfvhyYx2BYADJYLdA5zsyiDZjvnHJfNkMyVYysHq7cOvEUyV3SlZCW9vJehSeuHpeiB5VarBG03_o5OE2ySvjvJi32ZvT5VoY_GWIp7eRGyAo/s1600-h/sept2d+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245140784138955634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZxVRwMl5ygujpXtNMbC4btp0hTmNO_yfvhyYx2BYADJYLdA5zsyiDZjvnHJfNkMyVYysHq7cOvEUyV3SlZCW9vJehSeuHpeiB5VarBG03_o5OE2ySvjvJi32ZvT5VoY_GWIp7eRGyAo/s320/sept2d+004.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Look!! Maelin has glasses!! Here's the long and winding story: our journey into the world of vision problems began last spring. At our yearly spring vision screening at school, Maelin failed both the vision and acuity parts of the test. Uh-oh. The nurse initially diagnosed her with 'nystagmus,' which (as i understand it) is an involuntary movement of the eyes, which in itself doesn't impair vision, but doesn't have any treatment, either. Upon our school nurse's recommendation, i made an appointment for Maelin at a doctor in the Flint area who specializes in vision therapy. Getting her to do the eye exam was frustrating and comical - the kid can't see far away, and she can't see close up. For the problems seeing far away -- glasses! The problem seeing close up is called 'convergence insufficience,' not nystagmus. Basically, her eyes are working really hard to come together and focus on something up close, and therefore they shake. The doctor gave me the example of me trying to pick up a 20lb bucket of cement -- my arm muscle would shake with the effort (okay, my arm would break from the effort...!). Fortunately we've caught it really early -- most times it's diagnosed when kids are failing at reading in the 1st or 2nd grades. And fortunately it's treatable -- she needs vision therapy one hour each week for 6 to 9 months. Unfortunately, vision therapy is damn expensive!! We're not sure if our insurance is going to cover a portion of it, but we're hoping!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclNCVmG3edl8ZGdY7iHMyTzeXQcV7O6wvxWf6LqaCako5Ne7xk3cL5HaGUSL1kfOMsawA5U2-JOnn40Pv-lH_0agwFicB6W2RmhvGgqi_pMjwMZSvC1KazY6ZVlar0HM6vHqEIds6E6k/s1600-h/sept.oct1+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252658642594174146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclNCVmG3edl8ZGdY7iHMyTzeXQcV7O6wvxWf6LqaCako5Ne7xk3cL5HaGUSL1kfOMsawA5U2-JOnn40Pv-lH_0agwFicB6W2RmhvGgqi_pMjwMZSvC1KazY6ZVlar0HM6vHqEIds6E6k/s320/sept.oct1+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><div>Choosing glasses was somewhat of a nightmare. I tried to pick them out myself after the first hour-long vision appointment, but she'd had enough, and i was pretty overwhelmed by all of the new information i'd just received. We took Daddy with us the 2nd time, and Maelin was so uncooperative (which is really unlike her) that she almost knocked over a table at the doctor's office! We ended up going to the optical department of JCPenney's at the mall; we walked in, and Maelin put on the first pair and said, "That my favorite" and we bought them. LOL! They're somewhat purple (somehow i'm going to have to get over the fact that they don't match what she's wearing every day...i may need therapy myself...) and somewhat cute. My biggest fear was/is that the vision and hearing loses are progressive. Ushers syndrome is a scary prospect, but we'll deal with every ounce of everything that is Maelin with all the love in our hearts.<br /><br />I guess that's all for now. Love to all :)<br /><br />xoxo,<br />Mommy, Daddy and bespectacled MaeMae!<br /></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-41938988416542634812008-08-25T20:53:00.012-04:002008-09-05T16:15:57.398-04:00Wrapping Up SummerOur last "hurrah" for the summer was a family trip to Crystal Mountain Resort, just south of Traverse City. We spent a week with Jim's brother, sister-in-law, two nephews (ages 6 and 3 1/2), parents, sister, and brother-in-law. What a GREAT time!! Maelin could seriously live there! Here's what we did:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cQcngfgcTGVw7U2zBT3LlHvcQEGfPWzIg2Q7JZhZfOpF60-Qd2yoXxO336f5Mym24Gg3dJ_U79NGd_s1xMv1iZ_v6gGt9hnqNq9Ero_u1g_aOzdnrhwhMziRbJq53yAWukst5pwPynU/s1600-h/DSC03247daddy.swim.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238627295085823538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cQcngfgcTGVw7U2zBT3LlHvcQEGfPWzIg2Q7JZhZfOpF60-Qd2yoXxO336f5Mym24Gg3dJ_U79NGd_s1xMv1iZ_v6gGt9hnqNq9Ero_u1g_aOzdnrhwhMziRbJq53yAWukst5pwPynU/s320/DSC03247daddy.swim.JPG" border="0" /></a> We went swimming in the pool near our cabin for several hours each day. Maelin looooved the water, the slide, the fountains, the 'lilly pads,' and the deep water. She's still in a life jacket in water over her head, but she's a total fish and going to be swimming on her own soon! Here's a pic of Daddy coming down the slide with Maelin right behind him :)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQATIVjTCpy4Cnf1wQLUMFNrsudW3bJUBY-dS75QH1NKInJY_yz8vJb_QvjgKDK4YcDEiwX0tvXiuWJvoZ4ADUXYGhpDp31NOQV1Bontnrhdmt1gE_vbQDxMp2c39smDjI9i4augCYQI/s1600-h/DSC03274ringing.bell.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238627077619577474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQATIVjTCpy4Cnf1wQLUMFNrsudW3bJUBY-dS75QH1NKInJY_yz8vJb_QvjgKDK4YcDEiwX0tvXiuWJvoZ4ADUXYGhpDp31NOQV1Bontnrhdmt1gE_vbQDxMp2c39smDjI9i4augCYQI/s320/DSC03274ringing.bell.JPG" border="0" /></a> The resort has a four-sided climbing wall with varying levels of difficulty. Maelin and cousin Jacob climbed allll the way to the top of the Level One wall (which was about 20 feet up, i think). It was so exciting to yell and cheer them on, and then scream when they finally reached the top to ring the bell!! I love that she's so adventurous and willing to try almost anything!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFotiZ3sNWQV1n8jsKmLxCxqLyL00AUpehWm1Th9hRyU3iqlTedowlGOvR4XmZjxYv9Lhrfdcz6-Pda5tV27XIc5u_aQKbPaNNdjqQghEW1y00S4OrFcx2-T_i4UXhW9IckCEGS8Fj4hk/s1600-h/DSC03247daddy.swim.JPG"></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWvhwjGLplrd9oQARNKuB4Q50Wo8iLanfgeosbzTI47_KTaJV6q5w6bBA1TPtIbhy-jOCgsZqBk8UF7yIZ4AbztIoqmeSnWoiGX3h1hH1leCS4d0CyXQcQqN5U-BemdW3_S6eehlzI7c/s1600-h/DSC03232lake.mich.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238626222556476082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWvhwjGLplrd9oQARNKuB4Q50Wo8iLanfgeosbzTI47_KTaJV6q5w6bBA1TPtIbhy-jOCgsZqBk8UF7yIZ4AbztIoqmeSnWoiGX3h1hH1leCS4d0CyXQcQqN5U-BemdW3_S6eehlzI7c/s320/DSC03232lake.mich.JPG" border="0" /></a> One day Nana, Papa and the three of us drove up to Sleeping Bear sand dunes for the day. We saw a couple of scenic lookouts, climbed dunes for a while, and went swimming in Lake Michigan. Little Miss Water Bug was in her glory...<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyah51ZLv8w178Xnv8_4R3NJB-q6jeNnPeHA109HiA5dzFgvt_cwp2TTrKUNYtSg5OG4GtUUQxAGg0q2KIzmPq1oNYB527TlGPuaFDnYnRAMUn42QRs4SIfhPGgjXnBy1PU157H1mgRQg/s1600-h/DSC03217mtn.top.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238625946703368770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyah51ZLv8w178Xnv8_4R3NJB-q6jeNnPeHA109HiA5dzFgvt_cwp2TTrKUNYtSg5OG4GtUUQxAGg0q2KIzmPq1oNYB527TlGPuaFDnYnRAMUn42QRs4SIfhPGgjXnBy1PU157H1mgRQg/s320/DSC03217mtn.top.JPG" border="0" /></a>Crystal Mountain is a ski resort in the winter time, so they have a couple of different ski lifts in operation. One night we all took the lifts up to a scenic walk and overlook. Here's our happy family :) It was a great week, and we're hoping to go again next year!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Wt0SjBsJAoHZwTakGJkGOCurFWY5vkVevsaGRKsSSiNi-LyBuTm6YOQsi8jfPqP4iaQgxeJ4v2IqrZv9Hwgbm8_NC-YK61qG2AT3UHoWUJEYneDx9RO-qQ8y41YI09MfrHutMzD0uOc/s1600-h/DSC03316giraffes.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238625591685999698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Wt0SjBsJAoHZwTakGJkGOCurFWY5vkVevsaGRKsSSiNi-LyBuTm6YOQsi8jfPqP4iaQgxeJ4v2IqrZv9Hwgbm8_NC-YK61qG2AT3UHoWUJEYneDx9RO-qQ8y41YI09MfrHutMzD0uOc/s320/DSC03316giraffes.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>On the last Friday of our summer vacation, Maelin and i finally went on that trip to the Detroit Zoo that we've been meaning to do all summer! We went with Aunt Shelli, Uncle Darrin, and cousins Lauren (age 10), Drew (age 6), Adrienne (age 2 1/2), and baby Josie (8 months). We had a really great time, and i'm so glad we took time to do it before the summer got away from us.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobHXuADX72GjdSPmmixkhGXfZE478RxibexYJ7fkib5t8x1dNxz-8yXHe6lWO8n6GKVKp0zQ28anjtM4H57r5IvwW81PbN3pRNC5RNuWfKU2nqbswZALmzYnUzG4FBqIjPWrdejBXKdg/s1600-h/DSC03308moe.kids.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238628453414184258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobHXuADX72GjdSPmmixkhGXfZE478RxibexYJ7fkib5t8x1dNxz-8yXHe6lWO8n6GKVKp0zQ28anjtM4H57r5IvwW81PbN3pRNC5RNuWfKU2nqbswZALmzYnUzG4FBqIjPWrdejBXKdg/s320/DSC03308moe.kids.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>We rounded out our summer with a great visit from Mama's friend Maureen and her two kids, Adam (10 days younger than Maelin!) and Allyson, who just turned one. The kids played, the moms chatted, and of course we went out to eat!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>And now it's on to our next great adventure -- back to school time!!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>xoxo,<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div></div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-89529181517978989652008-08-08T22:18:00.008-04:002008-08-08T22:58:06.803-04:00California!Here it is -- our first big family vacation ever! Jim, Maelin and i flew to California on Friday, July 25th, to visit my friend Jan and her family. Jan and i have been friends almost our whole lives (legend has it that our moms met in a doctor's office while we were babies). We really try to visit each other every year or two, but for various reasons, it's been three long years since we last saw each other. What a great week we had with her!! She got to meet Maelin (aka Chatty Cathy), and i got to see her oldest son, 13-year-old Richie, again and meet her youngest, 8-year-old Jesse. Both boys were adopted, so we have lots in common :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzLsFGLPIjfcvXTx4-4xxzdI-10wcL1FqIHnSXrbGHtDYC-n6CEA3rjv1IYvJP_L_Rpvj-vusdT0lOF2S65Ev_8ZHzcC8xH40vKjhschtkJx2pynwdx2yu8ozDip2VhIzyhfAsnisTWc/s1600-h/DSC03069disneyland.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232338201231346690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzLsFGLPIjfcvXTx4-4xxzdI-10wcL1FqIHnSXrbGHtDYC-n6CEA3rjv1IYvJP_L_Rpvj-vusdT0lOF2S65Ev_8ZHzcC8xH40vKjhschtkJx2pynwdx2yu8ozDip2VhIzyhfAsnisTWc/s320/DSC03069disneyland.JPG" border="0" /></a>Daddy was DETERMINED to take Maelin to her first visit to Disneyland, so the three of us spent the day there on Sunday the 27th. Maelin loooooved all of the rides and sights, and we really had a great time. We couldn't resist the face-painting booth :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK_5borJ8HZ0Gz9V0egrnOi4uBEYgwdbVSY8oBReVZvRV0kwRP_qvFnwgmLKorIdKP8spNgqiRXLfOK3v41EDMoc-yhqRBZmVZBdxxylDNpSYP-bT8tEKADeGnthacCLxaHnyJvZCnVA/s1600-h/DSC03090chinatown.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232337802078686818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK_5borJ8HZ0Gz9V0egrnOi4uBEYgwdbVSY8oBReVZvRV0kwRP_qvFnwgmLKorIdKP8spNgqiRXLfOK3v41EDMoc-yhqRBZmVZBdxxylDNpSYP-bT8tEKADeGnthacCLxaHnyJvZCnVA/s320/DSC03090chinatown.JPG" border="0" /></a>On Monday the 28th, the 7 of us (Jan, her wife Lauren, their two boys, and the three of us) took the train from Claremont to downtown LA so that we could visit Chinatown. It was fun to walk around Chinatown, shop and see the sights. After the train ride back to Claremont, we drove daddy to the airport and dropped him off :(<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb7_9QzSuYN9sPYmw5W0Hqy6AzKd8_Bj2pta7oSowzwRmtYstHPUJJPXeufyOLk-WkRdmVuv4NqhFP5-mmcJdoRZBoBuqZrjJycJj2QcspOpwK56iGq3oPCzPF3qJTH59XMKjdfzekfw/s1600-h/DSC03103janandmae.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232337510376031506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb7_9QzSuYN9sPYmw5W0Hqy6AzKd8_Bj2pta7oSowzwRmtYstHPUJJPXeufyOLk-WkRdmVuv4NqhFP5-mmcJdoRZBoBuqZrjJycJj2QcspOpwK56iGq3oPCzPF3qJTH59XMKjdfzekfw/s320/DSC03103janandmae.JPG" border="0" /></a>While we were in Chinatown, Jan bought Maelin a traditional Chinese outfit that matched one she was wearing. Tooooo cute!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQxvNGov9pdIycj9vSKrMgyG6PYHpDhSUeQz5RAcJrF2XgRb-qFxgWH87ewmEGTTATuCKYwwsWksyoMvdK1XhfhMCTCKkpo0CMQDW6bo-J_Nxxc5G5QmVXu1C8R2zOSidY9Q5rbjpF5Y/s1600-h/DSC03113beacj.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232337246736945234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQxvNGov9pdIycj9vSKrMgyG6PYHpDhSUeQz5RAcJrF2XgRb-qFxgWH87ewmEGTTATuCKYwwsWksyoMvdK1XhfhMCTCKkpo0CMQDW6bo-J_Nxxc5G5QmVXu1C8R2zOSidY9Q5rbjpF5Y/s320/DSC03113beacj.JPG" border="0" /></a>On Tuesday (after the earthquake - scary for a midwestern farm girl like me!), Jan and i loaded up the kids and headed for the beach! Maelin had a faaantastic time playing in the waves! She spent almost the entire 3 1/2 hours in the water - didn't want to play in the sand at all!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On Sunday we're off to Crystal Mountain, Michigan for a week-long vacation with Jim's family (parents, sister and brother-in-law, brother and sister-in-law, and two nephews). We're looking forward to spending a whole week with Daddy!!<br /><br />xoxo,<br />Shonda (and gang)Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-39688191609467158652008-07-25T09:36:00.005-04:002008-11-13T14:29:29.498-05:00Summer Fun<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4znHk3-lh61Y3CAFApTPDLYeYFya0NTu1snC9sxiGKV5ZcQZXzA-A2BLS9w-LTdnU1xekjkMXJrI_jAovsGrSGaAin9TAn6u_dR6-dLAZ-FY_yuUd92DwHMeBJaDilMG1qkd83Y5MY8/s1600-h/DSC02903pool.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226019795032745122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4znHk3-lh61Y3CAFApTPDLYeYFya0NTu1snC9sxiGKV5ZcQZXzA-A2BLS9w-LTdnU1xekjkMXJrI_jAovsGrSGaAin9TAn6u_dR6-dLAZ-FY_yuUd92DwHMeBJaDilMG1qkd83Y5MY8/s320/DSC02903pool.JPG" border="0" /></a><div>It's been a beautiful summer, and we've been keeping busy during the long days that Baba is gone to work. Maelin just finished Tues/Thurs swim classes at the at the local community center (she wasn't thrilled with them; there's too much waiting and turn-taking. She'd much rather just flail around in the water un-instructed!), and we put up a 12-foot easy-set pool at home, as well. She's an absolute fish and loooooves the water! She's also been on a couple of boat rides with Baba and his friend Bill.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOdGtbsYPFhRgRH_E9kkM4im-Ju1hZwABtTXa1zyxPhFQdUhCrPz-vHfGUO3ASeQE2kM8hMLHsQfxWbx__AAoaPmZ3XSH5y83A0LRh1q9OdaqVCSNya1tpd7XqcE5a5fmKCITxjNpU-Y/s1600-h/DSC02876slide.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226019225175229058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOdGtbsYPFhRgRH_E9kkM4im-Ju1hZwABtTXa1zyxPhFQdUhCrPz-vHfGUO3ASeQE2kM8hMLHsQfxWbx__AAoaPmZ3XSH5y83A0LRh1q9OdaqVCSNya1tpd7XqcE5a5fmKCITxjNpU-Y/s320/DSC02876slide.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5QBDXO4i3UsMdpfYnfBkBiBuT9ZQxsIkUAGcbmGz5zUbuWo7M3bAX_W5kSg4HVlyYYD4yPXZi8YbMZ8l4BTzUL5GtI-Op38fYC0S1EHKaRuKkDK-PQsiMfsvZ5DhV42KtDtL0ApU9ZA/s1600-h/DSC02895park.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222524168449703186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5QBDXO4i3UsMdpfYnfBkBiBuT9ZQxsIkUAGcbmGz5zUbuWo7M3bAX_W5kSg4HVlyYYD4yPXZi8YbMZ8l4BTzUL5GtI-Op38fYC0S1EHKaRuKkDK-PQsiMfsvZ5DhV42KtDtL0ApU9ZA/s320/DSC02895park.JPG" border="0" /></a>The park has been another summer favorite. We've gone to several different ones, and she always has fun. Invariably, the other kids playing at the park at the same time are 'my friends' :)<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknA1leqt5-9k8ahf-ZhkKGVjtJKeJg-zbZW1ZHOZifdCpe4A2oaag3wUMTjrvnBK1aCbzAV_WXY3J2yW8ihdJtWEPKIoyGU7naUF6Loihd3n90jRODNiD00Zgj-IRFi5luTHMemwcdso/s1600-h/DSC02887museum.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226019453131147570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknA1leqt5-9k8ahf-ZhkKGVjtJKeJg-zbZW1ZHOZifdCpe4A2oaag3wUMTjrvnBK1aCbzAV_WXY3J2yW8ihdJtWEPKIoyGU7naUF6Loihd3n90jRODNiD00Zgj-IRFi5luTHMemwcdso/s320/DSC02887museum.JPG" border="0" /></a>We spent a fun day at the Flint Children's Museum -- what a FANTASTIC place for curious little ones!! Admission was only $4 per person; we left after 3 1/2 hours and Maelin was not even close to being ready to go! They have science stuff (energy, five senses), dramatic play (a stage and dress up clothes, a puppet show area), a play grocery store, and a play pizza restaurant. Toooo fun! And on Tuesdays, they open for free!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnznwSrGjPe5Df7RAG3rvhXWfG1OcsmFbQhkeTgn7aTLyqnP24_ZEqxbK8NuVlC34YL03E0XQtEwc5IHyfxWwOoMDVo7N9w-moEkTQ4HFPObCw_5UcEl_0KsW5_6-WDjcvDr1j3StR6A/s1600-h/DSC02930hey.mom.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226023659677574994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnznwSrGjPe5Df7RAG3rvhXWfG1OcsmFbQhkeTgn7aTLyqnP24_ZEqxbK8NuVlC34YL03E0XQtEwc5IHyfxWwOoMDVo7N9w-moEkTQ4HFPObCw_5UcEl_0KsW5_6-WDjcvDr1j3StR6A/s320/DSC02930hey.mom.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here's a pic from the 4th of July :) Maelin was really excited to see the parade making it's way toward us! <br /><br /><br />That's all for now...<br /><br />xoxo,<br />ShondaShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-13144592228648702892008-06-21T22:47:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:29.746-05:00When i get big...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeAmTA_O50sFE5p2e0bduzUPrWTztOxG9Goq62ZOkyS2-ocogT-CXSPWmDUUw4VgOp3UmM7551cnobg3kMGYMDL_i8ml2MJAswrEHvWMmB9vIYi3l-xrFBoxnJ1zw41iZMO6matEsgVc/s1600-h/DSC02828close.up.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214516070070192978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeAmTA_O50sFE5p2e0bduzUPrWTztOxG9Goq62ZOkyS2-ocogT-CXSPWmDUUw4VgOp3UmM7551cnobg3kMGYMDL_i8ml2MJAswrEHvWMmB9vIYi3l-xrFBoxnJ1zw41iZMO6matEsgVc/s320/DSC02828close.up.JPG" border="0" /></a>Maelin never ceases to make us laugh -- and her perceptions of the world around her are no exception! We are still firmly planted in the 'why?' stage, and she's constantly asking why she can't do something or have something. Sometimes the answer is, "that's for big people," or "that's for adults," or "you're too little for that." She's composed an ever-growing list of things that she plans to do. They always start with "Me get big, me..." Here are a few of my favorites:<br /><br />Me get big, me can wear hair gel.<br />Me get big, me can wear make up.<br />Me get big, me can use the orange hair spray.<br />Me get big, me grow boobs.<br />Me get big, me wear bra.<br />Me get big, me can touch stove (LOL!)<br />Me get big, me drive car.<br />Me get big, me don't have to hold hands in parking lots.<br />Me get big, me can cook. (Great! When would you like to get started??)<br /><br />I'm guessing that we'll have our hands full when Miss Maelin hits the teenage years!!<br /><br />Love to you all,<br />Shonda (and the rest of the clan)Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-1762842390727231562008-04-19T08:50:00.011-04:002008-11-13T14:29:30.273-05:00Smile, Sweet Pea!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFAjixP0az3V3_uYB-RRavGuqFBPa5NLG3IaIOt8tT470TtU3-PDDjSyVdUPK-5Ghv3_YPQTbB2neC1X4h-AgqjofSwnhv5RFWHEFvmZymK7HZ14F29P93gkFkKfTXbhsCALCxkG2JbA/s1600-h/number.four.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190942984880397986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFAjixP0az3V3_uYB-RRavGuqFBPa5NLG3IaIOt8tT470TtU3-PDDjSyVdUPK-5Ghv3_YPQTbB2neC1X4h-AgqjofSwnhv5RFWHEFvmZymK7HZ14F29P93gkFkKfTXbhsCALCxkG2JbA/s320/number.four.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho14d6fDOxQ-xqU74upRGitNDJO9tCxRWK1x5a5Q9-4r_SmZfF1Tn69zdIwjrubNwd2byBMRVjaL8vJKmLLenCYx80VQeHF00_3a_OWFx_9oVUwAt0mo1dv8zOk1y-I0BKO5w35nqK2UY/s1600-h/dress.flowers.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190943856758759090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho14d6fDOxQ-xqU74upRGitNDJO9tCxRWK1x5a5Q9-4r_SmZfF1Tn69zdIwjrubNwd2byBMRVjaL8vJKmLLenCYx80VQeHF00_3a_OWFx_9oVUwAt0mo1dv8zOk1y-I0BKO5w35nqK2UY/s320/dress.flowers.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOh73bwAEbjp14C9hC8kUAc_Erx-YhoZv8-Yq_Y402YVv6nHIQIctkYxQ0CkN64oDc1_HgRUF-PUw5ebQkMgVtBDOh8EgP1GIGvS47Sg1OlGItBdSUNTMiT53l4nAHiR1hi9zG1MYhGg/s1600-h/china.baby2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190942546793733778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOh73bwAEbjp14C9hC8kUAc_Erx-YhoZv8-Yq_Y402YVv6nHIQIctkYxQ0CkN64oDc1_HgRUF-PUw5ebQkMgVtBDOh8EgP1GIGvS47Sg1OlGItBdSUNTMiT53l4nAHiR1hi9zG1MYhGg/s320/china.baby2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgVUs82LJBTlLn7iCltapb-n3huW1uPyNAjnYMtyxUPaDsUxd0N-QOh3Y5cxNBt-9H1Q1HNTKIWPM8W_ZpZj4J4YH7bPaBf4LX1xydLqrdGdvmQURYeMUyLp7906Y5WzmpWDzjA8dw-0/s1600-h/china.baby.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190941881073802866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgVUs82LJBTlLn7iCltapb-n3huW1uPyNAjnYMtyxUPaDsUxd0N-QOh3Y5cxNBt-9H1Q1HNTKIWPM8W_ZpZj4J4YH7bPaBf4LX1xydLqrdGdvmQURYeMUyLp7906Y5WzmpWDzjA8dw-0/s320/china.baby.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Noy4xy_B7rCNMBEMPT_YdjYOIWSzsRg2wn6iYI9qFwPPXdYk2-FfnfiKFW0bxDHAAfmVSGCqbOb_wft7EakJQFW1ZrhSl1-bjhmpHCZOblSTlJkmFYVbbpQdg-pfp_E4E8uPeorLS4E/s1600-h/number.four.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div>During spring break (end of March), we went to a Sears Portrait Studio in Flint for Maelin's first professional pictures. It's good timing, because her birthday and Gotcha Day anniversary are two weeks apart. The spring dress was a birthday gift from Aunt Tammy, and the traditional Chinese outfit ("my China clothes") was purchased in China while we were there last year. <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Maelin definitely enjoyed getting her pictures taken, and we were THRILLED with the results! I <em>may</em> have spent too much money on them...including a CD of all the pictures so that i could post them on the blog!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>xoxo,<br /></div><div>Mama, Baba, Leslie and Maelin</div></div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-57215198950118660202008-04-02T23:36:00.002-04:002008-11-13T14:29:30.476-05:00HAPPY ONE YEAR!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3Xw_UtXQIlV2ykb2pHiJtdj0KX5Wqn9yscyyzAkFu8RVJogW1HTgfylbylS-Ej1aqeyxq1HkpHZB9fT1wvPaZkrYPgPcUiA8dz9_1qp08b8nvP9xbbj2kF-DJvpMedERQuCmGpOnspY/s1600-h/DSC02693happy.one.year.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185189748789267490" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3Xw_UtXQIlV2ykb2pHiJtdj0KX5Wqn9yscyyzAkFu8RVJogW1HTgfylbylS-Ej1aqeyxq1HkpHZB9fT1wvPaZkrYPgPcUiA8dz9_1qp08b8nvP9xbbj2kF-DJvpMedERQuCmGpOnspY/s320/DSC02693happy.one.year.JPG" border="0" /></a> I can hardly believe that one whole year has passed since we saw our Maelin for the very first time...I vividly remember sitting in the waiting area at the Civil Affairs Office in Chongqing. We didn't wait long before we saw an adult come around the corner with two little girls. When the first little one rounded the corner and came into view, we weren't sure if it was YuFeng or not. But as soon as the second little girl walked in the room, we knew SHE was our baby! I have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes just thinking about that first moment...i got down on my knees near her and said, "Hi, baby!" She was unsure of us (and Jim says she had a couple of silent tears but i don't remember that), but the van driver who brought her in kept telling her that we were her new Mama and Baba. We opened her backpack and gave her a baby doll out of it. After a few minutes she also got a sucker out of the backpack, and that was an ice breaker! She let us hold her, and i remember being surprised at how BIG she was!<br /><br />What she must have been thinking those first few moments...i can't even fathom. Now that i know her and love her so dearly, i can't imagine how she must have felt, having just been taken away from the only parents she ever knew. I hope they tried to explain it to her. I hope they tried to prepare her for the new family she would meet.<br /><br />Our time in China was busy and exciting, but we all got sick two days before traveling home. Those first few weeks at home were really difficult for me. We were sick, we were jet lagged, our sleep schedule was on China time (12 hrs difference), and she was grieving for her foster parents. The first day Jim went back to work, i panicked! What was i going to do for 9 hours at home alone with Maelin? The time crept by as we played with play-doh, played dress-up, looked at books (although she didn't enjoy this at all in the beginning), took baths (because she DID enjoy that!) and waited for Baba to come home. I must have looked at my watch 100 times a day. I was sooo exhausted... and quite honestly, i missed having a life of my own. I missed reading books and taking naps and going out with my husband and scrapbooking with my friends. My time was not mine anymore, and that was hard during those first months.<br /><br />Fast forward 365 days...what a difference! Maelin has become such an integral part of our little family that we can't fathom life without her...she is very attached to her 'new' Mama and Baba and no longer grieves for her first family. We often talk about the adoption journey: Mama and Baba were sad because we were home alone with no MaeMae (i don't mention that i used to read books and take naps - LOL!), so we flew to China to pick her up! We also talk about 'other' mama and baba, who took care of MaeMae while she was waiting for us to come and get her. We say that they loved her very much. Academically, she's making tons of progress in her first year of preschool at the Michigan School for the Deaf -- she counts to 20 (in both speech and sign), she recognizes 23 capital letters of the alphabet, tries to sing the ABC song (my favorite part is, "dubba-lou, eck, y, deeeee!"), and has an expressive sign vocabulary of about 400 signs.<br /><br />Tonight the three of us drove to our homestudy agency in Bingham Farms for our final post-placement visit with social worker Lorie (Leslie stayed in the dorm). Afterward, we went out for a celebration dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in Auburn Hills. We kept telling Maelin, "Happy One Year!"<br /><br />Thanks for reading, and thanks for staying with us during this incredible journey!<br /><br />Much love,<br />Mama, Baba, Leslie and MaelinShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-7002946778442386922008-03-19T23:08:00.002-04:002008-11-13T14:29:30.926-05:00Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiatPAuAuE6uU-M50dq0N_wysuI79DEd749rH5k3z0Cuj47rsNI_yMO2XLhB53edf7pfzgVL7N60adri_pRjaTGRYpQpp1Utu8HhdY7b9Oqr9j8oMCtzVPIrdX5oV7THRq1R27XH-0_Os/s1600-h/March3+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179927168311151634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiatPAuAuE6uU-M50dq0N_wysuI79DEd749rH5k3z0Cuj47rsNI_yMO2XLhB53edf7pfzgVL7N60adri_pRjaTGRYpQpp1Utu8HhdY7b9Oqr9j8oMCtzVPIrdX5oV7THRq1R27XH-0_Os/s320/March3+017.jpg" border="0" /></a> It's hard to believe that our little Love Bug turned FOUR today!! She has been looking foward to her birthday ever since she started seeing her classmates have their turn at the birthday thaaang! We've also been working on "how old are you now?" and "how old will you be soon?" She is so excited to tell people that she's four now! We celebrated with a birthday party at school with her classmates, complete with a crown :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGj6HRbl_aZk2IYPGYpUu8wFZhArN-pStUobiK2_HjrryTAE0CSOpY-Wsa7TGraYBDp2wqmCtcW5wWgHJvT4IwLc3_yAdqkZH-Vqz9QZOfPgw2-7ILOw-BMbPMBPM7SAt0h9wLUAyG38/s1600-h/DSC02526bday.applebees.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179907518835772418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGj6HRbl_aZk2IYPGYpUu8wFZhArN-pStUobiK2_HjrryTAE0CSOpY-Wsa7TGraYBDp2wqmCtcW5wWgHJvT4IwLc3_yAdqkZH-Vqz9QZOfPgw2-7ILOw-BMbPMBPM7SAt0h9wLUAyG38/s320/DSC02526bday.applebees.JPG" border="0" /></a> In the evening, we went to Applebee's for dinner, a rousing version of "happy birthday" courtesy of the waitstaff, and a hot fudge sundae!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky-Cjdcx_RgGE2prD31heEH4Mag9q9RibzglY3ByGSsB2OgbkkegU1XSmLW58mNj_Q2XqJgTdzoDKwAxWAiQFOYQBBqgr00kHyDB3vzXN-0PUYifpsC-sDgbUJ21Ewsy26w73tTw-aoo/s1600-h/DSC02535bday.bike.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179907441526361074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky-Cjdcx_RgGE2prD31heEH4Mag9q9RibzglY3ByGSsB2OgbkkegU1XSmLW58mNj_Q2XqJgTdzoDKwAxWAiQFOYQBBqgr00kHyDB3vzXN-0PUYifpsC-sDgbUJ21Ewsy26w73tTw-aoo/s320/DSC02535bday.bike.JPG" border="0" /></a> When we arrived home, Grandpa Les and Grandma Pam came over and gave her a birthday gift -- a big girl bike! No more tricycle for Maelin! She was soooo excited about the bike...she rode it around and around the house until bed time!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>We'll have her family birthday party on Saturday with both families. She's looking forward to "many people come my house" :)<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Good times, good times.<br /></div><div>-Shonda</div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-45760004543890187212008-02-17T15:24:00.016-05:002008-11-13T14:29:32.027-05:00What happened to January?!?I really try to post every month, but January just got away from us! I figured i should post some pictures now or i'll miss February, too!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz7sc2M-lRJwL9Dzf3z-kckErPZvylDHMPZl-sRfHOYPElDgabSRNXwlOw3ExXAaQ8fMsscvmTllQo94ZX3vxdghUCl39myyl_ObfaKE42nnsPiusTUD9BtCdPr0Gz9C36on7nNn0yUI/s1600-h/DSC02448three.of.us.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171866545987277010" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz7sc2M-lRJwL9Dzf3z-kckErPZvylDHMPZl-sRfHOYPElDgabSRNXwlOw3ExXAaQ8fMsscvmTllQo94ZX3vxdghUCl39myyl_ObfaKE42nnsPiusTUD9BtCdPr0Gz9C36on7nNn0yUI/s320/DSC02448three.of.us.JPG" border="0" /></a> This picture was taken at a family birthday party for Leslie, who turned <gasp>SEVENTEEN on January 6th! It's so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that the little 6-year-old who moved in with me over 10 years ago has become a young woman! Happy birthday, Leslie :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiM-Xv8mMwyrtMDkX3nRbHDTcII0TGhF2-c1ScPhmTIknvUVqr6JYB8ZduBGJ9rS6MitEmvT8jR4FS6EtxHkPX9TqA34ytl_vrcTY8Pt5lZmzohdXDInuNNES_bEafzAkKdHXIh3xYDiU/s1600-h/DSC02396mae.snow.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171866352713748674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiM-Xv8mMwyrtMDkX3nRbHDTcII0TGhF2-c1ScPhmTIknvUVqr6JYB8ZduBGJ9rS6MitEmvT8jR4FS6EtxHkPX9TqA34ytl_vrcTY8Pt5lZmzohdXDInuNNES_bEafzAkKdHXIh3xYDiU/s320/DSC02396mae.snow.JPG" border="0" /></a> What a great winter it's been! Our area has had near-record levels of snow for the year, and Maelin has had a BLAST playing outside with Baba! (You'll notice that Mama doesn't do much snow...or anything cold, really...i step outside to take some pictures and 'oooh' and 'ahhh' over whatever they're doing, then come back in and thank my lucky stars that Jim likes to play outside!!) Papa brought his golf cart back to our place, so Maelin and Baba ride it around, and Baba pulls Maelin behind it on a sled. When Leslie and Maelin play outside, Leslie makes great snow-creature creations and Maelin 'helps.' :)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-apPeky-PXkQFrrIp4EXvvohNKtkXFuogRqpnBSTWj_OLsG0NYovxWzCufv1EdzLsh1I541waara3rrYgoG8IIpGH5jrgHELhntPy6vPtc-u0hLOipw5o5uHLv6j5hC5Xvq5QGhhAQr0/s1600-h/DSC02474baba.mae.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171866095015710898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-apPeky-PXkQFrrIp4EXvvohNKtkXFuogRqpnBSTWj_OLsG0NYovxWzCufv1EdzLsh1I541waara3rrYgoG8IIpGH5jrgHELhntPy6vPtc-u0hLOipw5o5uHLv6j5hC5Xvq5QGhhAQr0/s320/DSC02474baba.mae.JPG" border="0" /></a> Apparently Baba was in need of a 'project' ... he tore up the carpet in the dining room and put down wood flooring. Maelin 'helped' again :)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimApndQQR5tvpOtqyir7zZSAwK1gHrrl-uM2D2bVDATvkA3xCkoz1NhJflPRBpsUjBH_m2c30JQJRPgR55cPot02NUlYgFR46kF5v_AmcBIpKi9y6XJrCzmy04kJaD47xdKpnnCu5lHSA/s1600-h/DSC02479CNY.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171865845907607714" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimApndQQR5tvpOtqyir7zZSAwK1gHrrl-uM2D2bVDATvkA3xCkoz1NhJflPRBpsUjBH_m2c30JQJRPgR55cPot02NUlYgFR46kF5v_AmcBIpKi9y6XJrCzmy04kJaD47xdKpnnCu5lHSA/s320/DSC02479CNY.JPG" border="0" /></a> Happy Chinese New Year! February 7th was the start of the new year in China, and we celebrated with dinner out at a local Chinese restaurant. Maelin said/signed "Happy New Year!" to every worker and patron that she met along the way!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLQU5kuYfsWJMr7EzxO6ehBZzZqG9AIV3J0n4OLGM6CaLJMOruBJIzk3siefOhBadESoDUtLf_ojA0f03UwlD_dEsyoWAZfbhii68bPRmOO4zdbZ_RQOHMvQxi3FHX0PFBXrxEn7SbtA/s1600-h/DSC02497zonked.out.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171865579619635346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLQU5kuYfsWJMr7EzxO6ehBZzZqG9AIV3J0n4OLGM6CaLJMOruBJIzk3siefOhBadESoDUtLf_ojA0f03UwlD_dEsyoWAZfbhii68bPRmOO4zdbZ_RQOHMvQxi3FHX0PFBXrxEn7SbtA/s320/DSC02497zonked.out.JPG" border="0" /></a> On Monday, February 11th, Maelin woke up at 4:00am sick, sick, sick! She had a fever of 103.something :( I took her to the doctor that morning, and it was just 'the flu,' so no meds or anything. Maelin stayed home from school the whole week and missed her very first Valentine party :( By Friday, she was still spiking 104 temps, so i took her back to the doctor. (They gave her an antibiotic, but probably just so they didn't have to see me in their office again...) Then Maelin was kind enough to pass the flu to both Jim and i, so all three of us were sick for several days. Mine, as always, morphed into bronchitis, so i ended up missing a day of school and getting an antibiotic, as well. In the picture above, Maelin was laying on the floor coloring, when she just rolled over and fell asleep! Being sick sucks, but it makes us appreciate it when we feel well again!!</div><div> </div><div><br />Coming soon: Maelin's 4th birthday (3-19-08) and the one year anniversary of our Gotcha Day (4-2-08)!!</div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-15782255291632205572007-12-29T20:56:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:29:32.813-05:00Maelin's First Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cr0RFtVCeHqC-VYcpnvjzrJItV2-NqHITuzbyPRg0mmDDavb7LnHIZFPSyL-g5I8M9LERMK1qfupCzFrI5AD-ZzFz4vzIPstz_RdeZGbysDD_NM1rNLLW0I3e-GmqTHr_A-BRbr42oY/s1600-h/breakfast+with+santa+019.mae.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149583814837886690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cr0RFtVCeHqC-VYcpnvjzrJItV2-NqHITuzbyPRg0mmDDavb7LnHIZFPSyL-g5I8M9LERMK1qfupCzFrI5AD-ZzFz4vzIPstz_RdeZGbysDD_NM1rNLLW0I3e-GmqTHr_A-BRbr42oY/s320/breakfast+with+santa+019.mae.JPG" border="0" /></a>How exciting Christmas is through the eyes of a child! Maelin has absolutely embraced every aspect of the holiday season, starting with her first visit with Santa! Our lower elementary school classes participated in the annual Breakfast with Santa event, and although i prepped Maelin for it ("Santa will give you a present, but you'll have to sit on his lap..."), i wasn't sure she'd be willing. Fortunately, many of her classmates forged bravely before her, so by the time it was her turn, she was fairly confident no harm would come to her!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9-dGtyVGGhIIMYI3t9GvkgyTLDQeOCXcGaJvhSwo7tSA9wDpAG8MxsQ4cPGlUJk02wa3ClurMmPemlIWayEnJwGc5wYwZWfycovBXplZ2Clwm6Yim-SGi8zJx31_5Nrf_WLQHs7nneE/s1600-h/DSC02180the.fam.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149583217837432530" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9-dGtyVGGhIIMYI3t9GvkgyTLDQeOCXcGaJvhSwo7tSA9wDpAG8MxsQ4cPGlUJk02wa3ClurMmPemlIWayEnJwGc5wYwZWfycovBXplZ2Clwm6Yim-SGi8zJx31_5Nrf_WLQHs7nneE/s320/DSC02180the.fam.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here's the annual Christmas picture that Jim dreads so much each year! I have to start talking about it days in advance, just to prepare him - LOL! I'm sure his reticence has nothing to do with the fact that i'm completely anal-retentive about the whole procedure, from clothes and hair to sitting positions, and that i make him suffer through about 20 shots (and sometimes multiple sittings) before i'm even remotely satisfied. It's for posterity, dammit!!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDzUn1LhXQ5L1iVI4q9Sua80qhKiOiCczrIIg6c7nA0xXdQKBR6xM1XiEXQSwgaq0D2DOUFxRNBF7UYWYZJpGr2j1GRfjQCXzLUQ8-OO9MKusLsEWoeA6s7-Mk0mj26tEz36xuXZgySk/s1600-h/DSC02211les.xmas.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149583024563904194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDzUn1LhXQ5L1iVI4q9Sua80qhKiOiCczrIIg6c7nA0xXdQKBR6xM1XiEXQSwgaq0D2DOUFxRNBF7UYWYZJpGr2j1GRfjQCXzLUQ8-OO9MKusLsEWoeA6s7-Mk0mj26tEz36xuXZgySk/s320/DSC02211les.xmas.JPG" border="0" /></a>We're all excited that bowling season has started again, because that means Leslie spends weekends with us! Last week we had an extra-special treat: Leslie's sister Brandi (who is a student majoring in Deaf Education at California State University Northridge) came and stayed two nights with us! We also took advantage of the extra time together for Leslie to open her Christmas gifts, since she won't be with us during the two-week Christmas break.<br /><br /><div><atomicelement id="ms__id4"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3vk5ZFw_PnUj0qnbavxsPWI5N4qBAysHhJDkrlBuuKhYtjIs3LWlmqz09LmgB4e0wzGlkD8a_Mw36-4u31evKnAvGLGWy8jL4nAkn_kH5HoFNVjJ0OCtxpDr41mqg-CTW-VlpcE13ik/s1600-h/DSC02252family.JPG"></a></atomicelement><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz5y2MUc0FkOISNmXJS7s6-92jy8iS7XLlOSWi7l8uA-Vff0HoI44NYrqoCk-DV-PptrV1MOyyBrmkO8Pt4KRvciwrpJk7rvVoRDCV11Z5CfvSntgWlAuPHPOoPA97PO-BNV4Sp5Nwfo/s1600-h/DSC02298kitchen.set.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149580185590521506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOz5y2MUc0FkOISNmXJS7s6-92jy8iS7XLlOSWi7l8uA-Vff0HoI44NYrqoCk-DV-PptrV1MOyyBrmkO8Pt4KRvciwrpJk7rvVoRDCV11Z5CfvSntgWlAuPHPOoPA97PO-BNV4Sp5Nwfo/s320/DSC02298kitchen.set.JPG" border="0" /></a>CHRISTMAS MORNING!! Maelin woke up around 7:45am (yes, we're sure it will get much earlier in years to come...) and was thrilled to realize that it was finally time to open all those presents! She got a few small things (clothes, a snow suit, Magnetix, books), but her 'big' gift was a new kitchen set with dishes and food accessories! <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46__K28NxlqzhRhYJEhMSELR7Q7VZYiqC00c8N4X3_Y-YXNc8UI-TGNSAiW0jIEpuFFoJNeHfAcyQPKOX60LGtjoN4JM39XmJC29bHnlUU19LKQpg8lVquYrbwIXkRwG4bFZNNkARPGw/s1600-h/DSC02306slinky.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149579803338432146" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46__K28NxlqzhRhYJEhMSELR7Q7VZYiqC00c8N4X3_Y-YXNc8UI-TGNSAiW0jIEpuFFoJNeHfAcyQPKOX60LGtjoN4JM39XmJC29bHnlUU19LKQpg8lVquYrbwIXkRwG4bFZNNkARPGw/s320/DSC02306slinky.JPG" border="0" /></a>After Christmas morning at our place, we got ready and headed to Grandpa Les and Grandma Pam's house for family Christmas with them. I love this shot of Maelin - i think it captures her excitement about the whole day! In the afternoon, we headed to Great Grandpa and Grandma Minkstein's house for a meal and a few more gifts. We also had Christmas Eve at Nana and Papa Gleeson's house (which was really nice) and Christmas at Great Grandma Schmidt's house last week...WHEW!<br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to all of our dear friends and family out there :)<br /><br />Love,<br />Mama, Baba, Leslie and MaelinShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-60788914454146704072007-12-05T21:54:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:29:33.433-05:00Much to be Thankful for...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo1yZ9hYMzPH0ckLAHEi3g1MdzoFy5nRbUBCGaUPpONp50sGFj9TJsiDCzrx3qAbdsdeo4ABmxumpRhhUwfnlVFMbv8DA9_K1oRIO6bJqJRrXh1j3iZiB_12nJdvukPAOfUylfIB0ysE/s1600-h/DSC02120josie.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140685161912974850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo1yZ9hYMzPH0ckLAHEi3g1MdzoFy5nRbUBCGaUPpONp50sGFj9TJsiDCzrx3qAbdsdeo4ABmxumpRhhUwfnlVFMbv8DA9_K1oRIO6bJqJRrXh1j3iZiB_12nJdvukPAOfUylfIB0ysE/s320/DSC02120josie.JPG" border="0" /></a> WE HAVE A NEW BABY!! My sister Shelli gave birth to baby #4 this morning at 3:56AM! Josie Kate weighed a very small 7lbs 2oz (her other three were 9lbs 8oz, 10lbs 2oz, and 8lbs 15oz, so this one seems so tiny!) and is 19 1/2 inches long. My mom and i (and Shelli's husband Darrin) were there to watch Josie make her way into the world. What a beautiful experience! I am soooo thankful for a healthy baby niece, an amazingly strong sister, and the opportunity to have seen the births of all four of my nieces/nephews!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0ELourZjGke7ePmrhbkJS9PPcZdV0m0S2iOyYpY3KUoNtqim2tcsTW0LYQA2BXK8bE4VdripRz4DSDi0rUwctPJVUsivbubIPTKY1DVguhUmp3sOwfuNULZa3ZGoh1pqap305Z5eJ3E/s1600-h/DSC02076snowman.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138088756215885682" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0ELourZjGke7ePmrhbkJS9PPcZdV0m0S2iOyYpY3KUoNtqim2tcsTW0LYQA2BXK8bE4VdripRz4DSDi0rUwctPJVUsivbubIPTKY1DVguhUmp3sOwfuNULZa3ZGoh1pqap305Z5eJ3E/s320/DSC02076snowman.JPG" border="0" /></a> We were thankful to wake up on Thanksgiving morning to the first snow of the year! A beautiful blanket of snow (just a couple of inches) on everything...and Maelin was sooooo excited! She and Baba spent some time outside making an awesome snowman...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KTFMkQp8ioB88Ux4OpVxKL8PcIUlopn1aGy6DgZDOh-mhbfwfXWzvFrISk8YVvYvUM01KzfRGqs9t7oTwwF-VLAfdtid_cVURRfhxMGv9l_zycqw8Pda-_JCdSd89mtSzTBu65rt28w/s1600-h/DSC02074sledding.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138088537172553570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KTFMkQp8ioB88Ux4OpVxKL8PcIUlopn1aGy6DgZDOh-mhbfwfXWzvFrISk8YVvYvUM01KzfRGqs9t7oTwwF-VLAfdtid_cVURRfhxMGv9l_zycqw8Pda-_JCdSd89mtSzTBu65rt28w/s320/DSC02074sledding.JPG" border="0" /></a> ...and sledding down the not-so-big hills around our house! We were definitely thankful for Baba's safe return home after seven days of hunting up north.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hzIwUSSAM6zfnTCtJGma6dODVoicWSKm62m82vqRZCe4m3R6VU_h4mh7WqX4GMkUtnvbDngeP6AHqn5NL9c7xCJBmy2Mxv2UaW0p1S4Y44ZLJJEXHeXc6XqkaHg6SGmx1ZN8QJUBhAc/s1600-h/DSC02065mae.adam.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138088142035562322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hzIwUSSAM6zfnTCtJGma6dODVoicWSKm62m82vqRZCe4m3R6VU_h4mh7WqX4GMkUtnvbDngeP6AHqn5NL9c7xCJBmy2Mxv2UaW0p1S4Y44ZLJJEXHeXc6XqkaHg6SGmx1ZN8QJUBhAc/s320/DSC02065mae.adam.JPG" border="0" /></a> While Baba was up north, Aunt Maureen and Adam came to keep us company and stay overnight with us -- we had a blast! We did some shopping, went out to eat, played at home, and best of all, Mama and Aunt Maureen got to stay up until 2:00AM and talk til we couldn't keep our eyes open any more! </div><div><br />We've made a break-through in our nightly bed-time routine. While Baba was gone up north, Maelin and i started working on her going to bed by herself! We played up the fact that she looooves to do things by herself, and she went to bed that Sunday night while i worked on school work at the table. The first night took 45 minutes and she yelled for me three times (but didn't get out of bed), so i considered it a success for the first night! By the third night, she went to bed by herself without any calling out for me :) Buuuuut, then Baba came home the next night, and she thinks she's missing out on something at bed time! Every night she says, "Not MaeMae bed do-by-self!" She's actually done very well, but it's taking time. I'm thankful for the extra time to catch up on things around the house while she's falling asleep!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>I'm also thankful for those of you who are still reading our blog :) Last Sunday marked 8 months since Adoption Day (4-2-07), and we appreciate those of you who are still hanging around!<br /></div><div><br />xoxoxo,<br /></div><div>Mama, Baba, Maelin and Leslie</div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-23082935082722384242007-11-04T17:23:00.000-05:002008-11-13T14:29:33.829-05:00Mae's First Halloween<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWCxyrAL5tPxgckV0xR3EGjvNag7PJQkJ5mroDBoJuYWl2uj9_XI6tKHxs0gyErNWGLNs00OYte0BGaEnx9AN1iWdVt9h9JDBz5Frv87aO0hhzy6NlrmABURBtNOHU4qUnS03-Oigvlc/s1600-h/DSC02014family.pic"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129116701997878658" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWCxyrAL5tPxgckV0xR3EGjvNag7PJQkJ5mroDBoJuYWl2uj9_XI6tKHxs0gyErNWGLNs00OYte0BGaEnx9AN1iWdVt9h9JDBz5Frv87aO0hhzy6NlrmABURBtNOHU4qUnS03-Oigvlc/s320/DSC02014family.pic" border="0" /></a> I mentioned about a month ago that we'd reached the six-month mark since our adoption of Maelin. We had an appointment with our homestudy social worker, who sent a report to our agency in California. Along with the report, we needed a few pictures, so we took an updated family picture last weekend. Aren't we cute?! :) Jim set the timer and we all posed...i figured that Maelin would be completely confused by the timer and no one really taking the picture, but she "cheesed" just perfectly! Now we have a new game: Maelin makes us sit on the hearth in front of the fireplace while she runs over and 'sets the timer' on an imaginary camera, then runs and sits with us, commanding everyone to smile! It's fairly comical!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNtPHK_o9KyXRC0IX6QbQCchJEcBz-MuMWKd5zRJASzb8r2_aArWd5URaQguSz-vpFIxL9FIl3nLseJgk2b1p411MrEBz2epp8-_DoF24e3M_mBKrB-24MlPQu2-xfLVs2AawrR_0KWc/s1600-h/DSC02039pumpkins.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129116062047751538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNtPHK_o9KyXRC0IX6QbQCchJEcBz-MuMWKd5zRJASzb8r2_aArWd5URaQguSz-vpFIxL9FIl3nLseJgk2b1p411MrEBz2epp8-_DoF24e3M_mBKrB-24MlPQu2-xfLVs2AawrR_0KWc/s320/DSC02039pumpkins.JPG" border="0" /></a> Maelin and BabaDaddy spent last Saturday afternoon gutting and carving two pumpkins from Papa and Nana. At first she was enthralled, watching BabaDaddy's every move...by the end, she was riding her tricycle around the garage while he finished carving the second pumpkin - haha!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDhYABfAx6fvYpAoBEeMOMpfhmTsTY68X_a3tajo1VVs0vucFDdfyHe13dU_WyLQGnle_xE24oQNkKWfeAP6c-YIfOUwd7tzw9Z06BUXD_t_YTuGcaHspRTfl3F1mj7iRaiJjCJRotJY/s1600-h/DSC02045lovebug.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129115662615792994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDhYABfAx6fvYpAoBEeMOMpfhmTsTY68X_a3tajo1VVs0vucFDdfyHe13dU_WyLQGnle_xE24oQNkKWfeAP6c-YIfOUwd7tzw9Z06BUXD_t_YTuGcaHspRTfl3F1mj7iRaiJjCJRotJY/s320/DSC02045lovebug.JPG" border="0" /></a> I wondered how Maelin would react to the whole Halloween hustle and bustle, but she did just great! I bought her 'ladybug' costume at Old Navy for $11 (score!), and she was t-h-r-i-l-l-e-d!! The three of us went to a Halloween party at the Deaf Club in Flint on the Friday before Halloween, where she played games and hung out with some of her classmates and schoolmates. It was really a good time. On Halloween day, she wore her costume to school and had a blast trick-or-treating around the school. By that evening, Mama had had enough Halloween, so we only stopped two places to trick-or-treat: Great Gramps and Gram's (Mama's grandparents), and Papa and Nana's house. We stayed at Papa and Nana's house for a while and played with Jacob and Lucas while everyone visited. Then we headed to Uncle Darrin and Aunt Shelli's house for a birthday celebration for Cousin Lauren (who turned 10 on Halloween) and Adrienne (who turned 2 the Thursday before). <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Leslie has been staying in the dorm a lot this school year. She comes home one or two nights each week, and Maelin looooves it when Leslie is home! This is the first year that Leslie has chosen to stay in the dorm on Halloween instead of coming home with us...i guess that's a sign of growing up! The end of the first quarter of school is coming up; i've heard mostly positive reports from her 10th grade teachers, so we're hoping for a good report card. :) <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>With Halloween successfully behind us, we're looking forward to the next big holiday 'first' with Maelin. We're guessing since Christmas involves presents, she'll handle that one alright, as well :)<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Love to all,<br /></div><div>MamaShonda, BabaDaddy, Leslie and Mae</div><div> </div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-21615843161295632432007-10-19T21:26:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:34.501-05:00Random Thoughts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qQ-3piubnzN4sDm7FNExeo-T70asbOaZSb_d_TNT8bJ2Vtdn9WwJjc6RsKx-rCN_BB7dAYa4-31VYbVWjhtudkI1LLpmCd4-WQ6uJfANI72vATQeaDlFXWqpzQmV8Ay73QvGztS_Djc/s1600-h/DSC01887mae.tub.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123227855116890226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qQ-3piubnzN4sDm7FNExeo-T70asbOaZSb_d_TNT8bJ2Vtdn9WwJjc6RsKx-rCN_BB7dAYa4-31VYbVWjhtudkI1LLpmCd4-WQ6uJfANI72vATQeaDlFXWqpzQmV8Ay73QvGztS_Djc/s320/DSC01887mae.tub.JPG" border="0" /></a> I've decided that our newly-painted bathroom wall is way too plain...it needs a collage of pictures of Maelin in the tub! Here's the first picture in my new collection :)<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGRk0IiNyYemzy1dywsMvXXbFP7B1p1Uh1WK0oJx3lSjmo0miT7qMyYtbMJzorvOxWdJn92dJVeHV_qCU2SnDfVynr2B5HdauK0cIujJp1RFNH8xmOeMnYdsjcA4BCw6fIga2lQZibhE/s1600-h/DSC01890Les.SF.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123227683318198370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGRk0IiNyYemzy1dywsMvXXbFP7B1p1Uh1WK0oJx3lSjmo0miT7qMyYtbMJzorvOxWdJn92dJVeHV_qCU2SnDfVynr2B5HdauK0cIujJp1RFNH8xmOeMnYdsjcA4BCw6fIga2lQZibhE/s320/DSC01890Les.SF.JPG" border="0" /></a> Leslie stayed with us last weekend for MSD's Homecoming. We loved having her at home for a few days! On Friday night, she went to the Homecoming dance, which was a 50's theme (hence the white t-shirt, black leather jacket, pony tail and scarf!). But she let me put some make-up on her, and i thought she looked beautiful!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0ieyZN4GCf1ugCeEJaR1jGjYvQDA0wXiNgQVC_IAtU1OqkS7ZHgLFMEugxvWohDVkiJLwzsLC9G7UVQIwICT_1-6d-jEN-1cnQZhbhGqK7N23MSU9yrYx_YzHqm6uUyUhDlnEcC3VQI/s1600-h/DSC01912mae.glasses.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123227481454735442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0ieyZN4GCf1ugCeEJaR1jGjYvQDA0wXiNgQVC_IAtU1OqkS7ZHgLFMEugxvWohDVkiJLwzsLC9G7UVQIwICT_1-6d-jEN-1cnQZhbhGqK7N23MSU9yrYx_YzHqm6uUyUhDlnEcC3VQI/s320/DSC01912mae.glasses.JPG" border="0" /></a> Mama's birthday was this past Wednesday, so we had the Frampton and Gleeson gangs over for cake and ice cream. The kids found a bunch of play sunglasses, and i had a blast recording their silly-ness for posterity! <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfUZbvX7Q7QP3M1PeJVYI4AZTyvlY4VRV2KLOw5rBnCA2mov4Or2FK0xZtpb3LsqvYICRNEK4dFFg8YApHQJ6tUqDQzcxh5UqSP1fIVGOWp6WHTXRUsPcvN7JEoz_G232FtvbIzMwqyc/s1600-h/DSC01927threeofus.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123227288181207106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfUZbvX7Q7QP3M1PeJVYI4AZTyvlY4VRV2KLOw5rBnCA2mov4Or2FK0xZtpb3LsqvYICRNEK4dFFg8YApHQJ6tUqDQzcxh5UqSP1fIVGOWp6WHTXRUsPcvN7JEoz_G232FtvbIzMwqyc/s320/DSC01927threeofus.JPG" border="0" /></a> This has got to be one of my all-time favorite pictures of Maelin and Leslie and i ... just us girls :)<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>I've had an interesting past few weeks. In addition to having a broken ankle (which is getting much better now), i got two spider bites which required a trip to the doctor, a shot and three prescrptions. We had Maelin's 12th IEP meeting (okay, i'm exaggerating, but you know us, we call them every couple of months just for shits and giggles...) which was extremely stressful, and then, because i don't have enough on my emotional plate right now, my purse was stolen from my classroom on Wednesday morning before school! Leslie's sidekick (pager) was taken, as well, so we've spent the last week or so closing accounts, cancelling credit cards, replacing things and doing damage control. *sigh*... But even in light of the stressful events of late, i have much to be thankful for, and i won't soon forget that.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Love to you all,<br /></div><div>MamaShonda (which is Maelin's new name for me...ha!)</div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-57829336673797508942007-10-02T21:25:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:34.741-05:00Six Months<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl80PTJDMnligQ43tSi_4y1KyZMkvnWufwOR9SWOq0CmmXH8XnhZCFXR_x2vs3h1r8tGobYV02bbLlEh_5ohoaan-RqfSytfACaAL7eOOjhzLkFUGzWU9eapn2Ae93xtXjV5j38kblTek/s1600-h/DSC01878swing.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116916903186591794" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl80PTJDMnligQ43tSi_4y1KyZMkvnWufwOR9SWOq0CmmXH8XnhZCFXR_x2vs3h1r8tGobYV02bbLlEh_5ohoaan-RqfSytfACaAL7eOOjhzLkFUGzWU9eapn2Ae93xtXjV5j38kblTek/s320/DSC01878swing.JPG" border="0" /></a> Today is the six month anniversary of Maelin's Adoption Day... I'm thinking back to April 2nd and wondering how much she understood of what was going on. Did she understand that we were her new Mama and Baba? Did she wonder where we were going when we got in the van or on the airplane? I'm thinking of her foster parents and wondering how they coped with the heartbreaking task of letting go of such an amazing child. I'm remembering how much our lives have changed in the last six months, both positive and negative. In some ways, it feels like much longer than six months...i can't remember the last time that i had a couple of hours at home to myself...and i'm wondering what the heck i did with all of my free time before Maelin!!<br /><br />Maelin has started calling Jim "BabaDaddy," which i think is completely adorable! A few times she's called me "MamaMommy," but Jim is consistently BabaDaddy :)<br /><br />We're in our fifth week of school, and Maelin is doing very well. Getting up at 6:30am isn't always easy, but she loves going to school and talks about her classmates all the time. New signs she's started using in the past couple of weeks: who, which, now, remember, again, bib, forgot, new, said, you, excuse me :)<br /><br />It's late and i'm exhuasted, so that's all for now...good night!<br /><br />xoxoxo,<br />Mama (and BabaDaddy, Leslie and Maelin)Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-21016568738847589372007-09-10T16:01:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:34.977-05:00School's In!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwoFL-pUHq9aZbhjlg2qIIUsyFhjNiksXd6SCo6FLoDvkbPtVKtyUCjsaNFO2CmL58Bswygsoa0YXo8GfLUrOuwNZAOlMTZMj-fg9L98f1KkC7myPWCcXwPMs_NRDCvMLx63ntrKgsak/s1600-h/DSC01826firstday.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108669807856696754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwoFL-pUHq9aZbhjlg2qIIUsyFhjNiksXd6SCo6FLoDvkbPtVKtyUCjsaNFO2CmL58Bswygsoa0YXo8GfLUrOuwNZAOlMTZMj-fg9L98f1KkC7myPWCcXwPMs_NRDCvMLx63ntrKgsak/s320/DSC01826firstday.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eECaALNMk4-CsbZgjNUYQKpeb771aJTbiXinm-Em2Wce43CDhCQVy7eRQEalUPx1YKSJSUgVl3jUXF0qE8NnCEwVxI5HHCZFMc3V5oY1oMaDcF-zuIzIDmQHV9lO5lLT3HByru2HMhw/s1600-h/DSC01827firstday1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108669743432187298" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eECaALNMk4-CsbZgjNUYQKpeb771aJTbiXinm-Em2Wce43CDhCQVy7eRQEalUPx1YKSJSUgVl3jUXF0qE8NnCEwVxI5HHCZFMc3V5oY1oMaDcF-zuIzIDmQHV9lO5lLT3HByru2HMhw/s320/DSC01827firstday1.JPG" border="0" /></a> So we're smack-dab in the middle of a 'fake smile' phase, but i still think she's beautiful on the first day of school! We worked the 2nd half of the summer on earlier and earlier wake-up times so that 6:30 on Tuesday morning wouldn't be a shock to her system, and it was worth it. She was a little unsure of things that first day -- where are we going, what are we doing? But each day since then has gotten better and better. She rides to school with Mama every morning, and after school she takes a van that drops her off at Baba's work. So far, so good! :)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>In other news, i'm officially an invalid. We have been trying to spiff up the place, and it was barn-painting-day on Saturday. Most of my friends know that i will go to just about any length to get out of work (ahem)...so i fell off the ladder while painting and broke my ankle! First broken bone of my life, and it really sucks. Trying to care for a 3-year-old has not been easy (hopping and crawling around the house - ha!), and trying to teach six of them during the school day is truly challenging! But my aides have been wonderful (like they really have a choice - grin), and we'll see how things go. <br /><br /></div><div></div><div>More later,</div><div>xoxoxo,</div><div>Shonda</div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-57676991919893607892007-08-10T20:27:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:35.920-05:00The August Post<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDtwEkC5RsSaBe_f-WgXGiAoc3bzJxQdmRCBh7RIusMlJugzgcpw7bdDRkw24YOxVdLqJZHkX7MBLBAtfIfmsztZS76rxCx5umLpBJk1KAga9ffJJ4cAa8ZtqFyZAOu9ulj1CuOyZIMI/s1600-h/DSC01636porch.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097244189000931826" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDtwEkC5RsSaBe_f-WgXGiAoc3bzJxQdmRCBh7RIusMlJugzgcpw7bdDRkw24YOxVdLqJZHkX7MBLBAtfIfmsztZS76rxCx5umLpBJk1KAga9ffJJ4cAa8ZtqFyZAOu9ulj1CuOyZIMI/s320/DSC01636porch.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here's my new favorite picture of Maelin! She's sitting on our front porch in her new favorite shirt, which was a gift from Aunt Maureenie :) And when i say it's her favorite shirt, i mean she wants to wear it every day...and if it's in the dirty laundry, she whines for a few minutes until she's sure that i won't just dig it out and let her wear it anyway!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAsPQ4i3keXN9QeKIEj1Ne_7rE8r9bE4r9IKZ1UEeMMve6Hu_Bi1e5hWpXuaxOOgAReraAlC8kp86ysOqr9xBlL7GdAl9FwoPHkDGtM1bU_pcKQ1ymDvPcSsC8HlG800432VC5YgmhYQ/s1600-h/DSC01645fair.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097241882603493858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAsPQ4i3keXN9QeKIEj1Ne_7rE8r9bE4r9IKZ1UEeMMve6Hu_Bi1e5hWpXuaxOOgAReraAlC8kp86ysOqr9xBlL7GdAl9FwoPHkDGtM1bU_pcKQ1ymDvPcSsC8HlG800432VC5YgmhYQ/s320/DSC01645fair.JPG" border="0" /></a> A few weeks ago, we took Maelin on her first rides at a little carnival in Davison (again, the favorite shirt!). She loved the cars, merry-go-round, and slide-ala-burlap-bag, and then went on the big ferris wheel with Mama! I put my arm around her for the first few rotations, and then she moved it away -- no fear at all in this girl! She wanted to ride the bigger rides, but neither Baba nor i would ride them with her!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQfBVzsPiAoay6WJcFHS_dR7rcy6SSyU33FR_VA0yMPraPJ9Y0ISSUf8yrBilyAKK9EMoSuoTLQzgaoebMsSlvSPKQXCqs5DqojDK41rp9X6LR7jQyhB98sQq21QllFO5x0yILT-aufY/s1600-h/DSC01598train.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097239795249387986" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQfBVzsPiAoay6WJcFHS_dR7rcy6SSyU33FR_VA0yMPraPJ9Y0ISSUf8yrBilyAKK9EMoSuoTLQzgaoebMsSlvSPKQXCqs5DqojDK41rp9X6LR7jQyhB98sQq21QllFO5x0yILT-aufY/s320/DSC01598train.JPG" border="0" /></a> It's been great to have Leslie with us for a few weeks this summer! We went swimming at the beach, played at the park, and (pictured here with the shirt...did i mention it's her favorite?) rode the Huckleberry Railroad at Crossroads Village. Maelin really enjoyed the train ride :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirAoI5_Tel0_EGytunnubhxVP1gruYOUg7eZ5ziX0W9OK6FghS5CvUdz9eEEH3IcvEgrxIZmBf1GTY9m1fnt00q5PYF4ia5r4SbZKOP6mxSBW5bzU-VEJnCR-2v44SrSBejyu643bl0c/s1600-h/DSC01695ladder.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097237377182800322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirAoI5_Tel0_EGytunnubhxVP1gruYOUg7eZ5ziX0W9OK6FghS5CvUdz9eEEH3IcvEgrxIZmBf1GTY9m1fnt00q5PYF4ia5r4SbZKOP6mxSBW5bzU-VEJnCR-2v44SrSBejyu643bl0c/s320/DSC01695ladder.JPG" border="0" /></a> We've been doing a few home-improvement projects over the last several weeks -- ripping off wallpaper and painting the bathroom, finishing the upstairs closets, bleaching the gunk off the shingles, experimenting with sandblasting and staining the outside of our house -- and Maelin loves to be in the thick of things! She looooves helping Baba fix things...he says she's going to be an engineer when she grows up :)<br /><br />I can't believe that the summer is coming to a close! Ten weeks sounds like such a long time, but it really flew for Maelin and i. We've really and truly had a wonderful time together, and althought i'm looking forward to the start of a new school year, i will miss the days at home with Maelin! And just for those keeping track (me!), Maelin's expressive sign vocabulary is at 233 words!! What an amazing little girl...we love her soooooo much :)<br /><br />xoxo,<br />ShondaShonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-12849756197109046842007-07-13T15:38:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:36.731-05:00July already?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_qZjoh_aka65CVC3alys13K7vEF4_H8Xl-97iB8hEq5L63IcaNHIkwWk7EjNhVU0wZnP8b22qeE0Labu1b5Voy-3FaCiiDrjcrJDZ6k185eoyQ4r4mz4eSbpk2UtdLI7rEEE0xvhXZ8/s1600-h/DSC01382anniversary.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086771100518662674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_qZjoh_aka65CVC3alys13K7vEF4_H8Xl-97iB8hEq5L63IcaNHIkwWk7EjNhVU0wZnP8b22qeE0Labu1b5Voy-3FaCiiDrjcrJDZ6k185eoyQ4r4mz4eSbpk2UtdLI7rEEE0xvhXZ8/s320/DSC01382anniversary.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXhFmooZq_7WHSpldh0D24X4kJy4e-kRUWmueQhQ-jGY8xxeiSCJx8Vv1jWHueMhoFl5a4BSEtLz4kJqRt9AfFX-0vWwbfvokaQsStsMI7H8FV0W-1usMctD1qL_XGN6tHCF3JEXzb_0/s1600-h/DSC01473towel.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086770726856507906" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXhFmooZq_7WHSpldh0D24X4kJy4e-kRUWmueQhQ-jGY8xxeiSCJx8Vv1jWHueMhoFl5a4BSEtLz4kJqRt9AfFX-0vWwbfvokaQsStsMI7H8FV0W-1usMctD1qL_XGN6tHCF3JEXzb_0/s320/DSC01473towel.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP-ApP2XwvSVe89R_baV4caUDxHRDYoB6dVf8Xw4BEZBObcEADWF8K8iOEZ50SAXHlz-8sQayfOMCn_InBHWSdlaFEx0oMzQqVul-Gee_4Yb514USCdGqJKM_hw30lBECzp9mK_IErnI/s1600-h/DSC01554mud2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086770091201348082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP-ApP2XwvSVe89R_baV4caUDxHRDYoB6dVf8Xw4BEZBObcEADWF8K8iOEZ50SAXHlz-8sQayfOMCn_InBHWSdlaFEx0oMzQqVul-Gee_4Yb514USCdGqJKM_hw30lBECzp9mK_IErnI/s320/DSC01554mud2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIN7oAsJqigBmIcL-BOFX2_HU2QlAYY5CZ2eHMz5TR253RqJ2sMnrykdasXASgQS02W0pmSiW4SLgAG6hJ7DiSGwavfuBy3jXjJlWPhK5xAR2yUxzX4ewV4eGOP9NpolSp5u8DfKI6Mg/s1600-h/DSC01410maelin.shoulders.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086769047524295138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIN7oAsJqigBmIcL-BOFX2_HU2QlAYY5CZ2eHMz5TR253RqJ2sMnrykdasXASgQS02W0pmSiW4SLgAG6hJ7DiSGwavfuBy3jXjJlWPhK5xAR2yUxzX4ewV4eGOP9NpolSp5u8DfKI6Mg/s320/DSC01410maelin.shoulders.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirblYp3alSda6trGOqD8r4gd2bwy_IJr4epMmoT_s5Vt3cFNVdn8VOVd_CF1G9UX6QXVAVStkPQFyCHgx0uNwZMZR03kPE4yTUV6SwfoRspyS9RFvFhDIeP8MEe9Olt6EwzjDX5LWuIU/s1600-h/DSC01461beach.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086768652387303890" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirblYp3alSda6trGOqD8r4gd2bwy_IJr4epMmoT_s5Vt3cFNVdn8VOVd_CF1G9UX6QXVAVStkPQFyCHgx0uNwZMZR03kPE4yTUV6SwfoRspyS9RFvFhDIeP8MEe9Olt6EwzjDX5LWuIU/s320/DSC01461beach.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I can't believe that three weeks have gotten away from me since i last posted here! You would think that i could commit to posting once a week, but we've been so busy! Even if Maelin and i stay home and play all day, there just isn't time to do more than check email. Maybe if we had cable internet i would do it more often, but dial-up sucks, and it takes me forever to get logged in and upload pictures. Anyhoo...<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Speaking of pictures, the top one is Jim and i on our 3rd wedding anniversary at the end of June. We went out to eat at Damon's in Grand Blanc while Maelin played at Aunt Laura and Uncle Jon's house (thank you Jon and Laura!!). <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>The second one was taken just a few days ago; we got together with my friend Kara and her two kids for a day at the beach ... what a great time! (The last picture was taken while we were swimming at the beach also.) Before i realized it, three hours had passed! Anyway, Kara and her kids gave Maelin a new towel, and she looked so cute in it, i just had to get the camera :)<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>The third picture was taken last night. I wanted to water some of my flowers that i can't reach with the sprinkler, so Maelin kept herself busy in some sand...andwater...and made a deliciously messy mud puddle! She said she was 'cooking' and told me over and over, "Don't touch!" <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>The next one was taken on the Fourth of July (you can tell i'm pretty concerned about the order in which i've posted them...). The three of us went to North Branch for the annual parade, and Maelin loved it! I think the tractors were her favorite part, but she really liked the horses, too.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Leslie was at summer camp at MSD this past week. She had a wonderful time canoeing, playing kickball, swimming, fishing, and traveling to Lansing to watch a Lugnuts game. Now she's staying the weekend with a girlfriend. They're going to Ohio to hang out on their boat for a couple of days, so that should be fun!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>I guess that's all for now. I need to wake up Maelin from her nap if we want any hope of a decent bed time tonight! <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>xoxo,<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-13306112881318491792007-06-23T21:50:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:37.441-05:00School's Out!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhwkaalcoZPfTjnbHJ2IGhC2Xw_tZODS1WEam_BoM1FJE9GaSXs6qJmxvBCVMeIsRD0n_JFOjV90GU_Hy_DnFvLttpEqVYBNiqvjQOhmdv_BtY_rWNXdjFYNB5wdeQ1Uafhbx9lwHlrA/s1600-h/DSC01319watering.can.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079450381033489394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhwkaalcoZPfTjnbHJ2IGhC2Xw_tZODS1WEam_BoM1FJE9GaSXs6qJmxvBCVMeIsRD0n_JFOjV90GU_Hy_DnFvLttpEqVYBNiqvjQOhmdv_BtY_rWNXdjFYNB5wdeQ1Uafhbx9lwHlrA/s320/DSC01319watering.can.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazdj9Nc7F07CT52nHExk1B8vcZWE5OMnHdYHLTErtO6W_4u9E6gUG1Wounf3Pv2wmwMhTygdc3oXKlWd_Y2PSxAzwVTZIeXH7kA1eaYwW9DPtXz1rIR-BVARNHG4ns3Q1jBkRUwxKrF0/s1600-h/DSC01332chapstick.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079450123335451618" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazdj9Nc7F07CT52nHExk1B8vcZWE5OMnHdYHLTErtO6W_4u9E6gUG1Wounf3Pv2wmwMhTygdc3oXKlWd_Y2PSxAzwVTZIeXH7kA1eaYwW9DPtXz1rIR-BVARNHG4ns3Q1jBkRUwxKrF0/s320/DSC01332chapstick.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj4jvOSpGkwmC3wc1Tk_VLMhIri9MPsB5ywRuX1ZSSMlTmoQ4FjtpCs7JqSCTxwcqsUFe04lGJ3sk5MDYSiGWxLVcwvv5ZuRRJnxGqK1et1_Xt3ZAGrPwdrnL71aM-dCC9qNmeXH9qt4/s1600-h/DSC01337maelin.dress.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079449053888594898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj4jvOSpGkwmC3wc1Tk_VLMhIri9MPsB5ywRuX1ZSSMlTmoQ4FjtpCs7JqSCTxwcqsUFe04lGJ3sk5MDYSiGWxLVcwvv5ZuRRJnxGqK1et1_Xt3ZAGrPwdrnL71aM-dCC9qNmeXH9qt4/s320/DSC01337maelin.dress.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99ym9pi2C5f7z6fr-qs8Bl3P5koKXLCBRK3z6ZWqfyPHDBhJ1fqLpwe3zaSOjAPeUQ-zrHCuHF1G4JvoY4IApby-3FmvxxZZ-YI-qdFVx_HR_nIEYZ29y7ot4I1SpdfaHlzII2IzD3Qw/s1600-h/DSC01347sprinkler.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5079448538492519362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99ym9pi2C5f7z6fr-qs8Bl3P5koKXLCBRK3z6ZWqfyPHDBhJ1fqLpwe3zaSOjAPeUQ-zrHCuHF1G4JvoY4IApby-3FmvxxZZ-YI-qdFVx_HR_nIEYZ29y7ot4I1SpdfaHlzII2IzD3Qw/s320/DSC01347sprinkler.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Isn't she beautiful?! <br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>I'm so thankful to have survived the last couple of weeks of the school year and made it to the point where Maelin and i have ten weeks to spend together :) We are getting back into the groove of being together all day again -- balancing down time at home with short trips out to keep us busy.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>The third picture down is our first time putting Maelin in a dress (she's SUCH a tom-boy and so darn active, they seem impractical except for special occations!) so we could go to a wedding reception. One of Jim's second cousins got married, and we attended the reception in Vassar last weekend. Maelin had a great time dancing -- what a hoot!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Our other recent adventure was a mini-surgery to remove any fluid that might be lurking behind her eardrums and causing additional hearing loss. We arrived at McLaren Hospital in Flint at 5:30am (ack!!) on Wednesday morning, and i walked back to the surgery room with her just before 7:00am. I was really worried about the whole thing, especially the anesthesia, but all went well. The doctor found no fluid behind either ear, so we know that her moderate hearing loss is just what we thought -- sensorineural and not affected by any ear infections. She also got her first hearing aids a couple of weeks ago, so we're working on wearing them more and more each day. She hasn't shown any real responses to them yet, but we'll go back to the audiologist in Flint some time next week for a follow-up appointment.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>That's all for now. Maelin is sleeping, Jim is gone to a poker tournament, and i'm exhausted. Good night!!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>xoxo,<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-65110790889220290202007-06-03T22:02:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:38.133-05:00Our New Favorite Thing - Swimming!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkuTZwKOmnAAT9zsDGYac5zjKiL2p2Ed16Ks4wugxjIRfsCWG2s1Alnk8RRcBq3d19DKaH48oRGQ2qRSBW2FHJiiJ7SdVME7-VsUQfPG1KHhjjlssJuvO6viUF_eJ6sL4WoE-Br9xK5o/s1600-h/DSC01290with.baby.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072025228703998018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkuTZwKOmnAAT9zsDGYac5zjKiL2p2Ed16Ks4wugxjIRfsCWG2s1Alnk8RRcBq3d19DKaH48oRGQ2qRSBW2FHJiiJ7SdVME7-VsUQfPG1KHhjjlssJuvO6viUF_eJ6sL4WoE-Br9xK5o/s320/DSC01290with.baby.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiX8NFDLbTshJUi9G8yBltr355LWmcVPUZo3j_OEIfVTKNnzkNxeWi67tZlVT-Zju6MDOhCj7wNcs1GJMptub74YvxOTrSrG9RW2NSPPKLBI82dmZd2vAHr0tu0XfopO-Pyaddv2BSFM/s1600-h/DSC01282sprinkler.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072025018250600498" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiX8NFDLbTshJUi9G8yBltr355LWmcVPUZo3j_OEIfVTKNnzkNxeWi67tZlVT-Zju6MDOhCj7wNcs1GJMptub74YvxOTrSrG9RW2NSPPKLBI82dmZd2vAHr0tu0XfopO-Pyaddv2BSFM/s320/DSC01282sprinkler.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHASx9vvZ7QKQP-o7HUGiPz04CrmJ8loqfJgJkJ9RJ2ErwMLE_RQsbXofnkpg2v0EC4A8uPTJa-_BoBxYVt3V6sCuRcooJdwpb6G-mx-XHgOMdHqTY46nE1x8PnDwBsFlVffNdVhMR3W8/s1600-h/DSC01269lady.tramp.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072024640293478434" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHASx9vvZ7QKQP-o7HUGiPz04CrmJ8loqfJgJkJ9RJ2ErwMLE_RQsbXofnkpg2v0EC4A8uPTJa-_BoBxYVt3V6sCuRcooJdwpb6G-mx-XHgOMdHqTY46nE1x8PnDwBsFlVffNdVhMR3W8/s320/DSC01269lady.tramp.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-091f39x8Fq3uq5SkxLx2e7h0QAUK6rxDIwZIb7f9Imffo1oyRKrug-Xl_-PvjU04HJ7BhhvcYiyr8DM-46brpSNr4aYyj1Np1564pP1PprksgYJTh0xYJrEX5Hx3NLOyARLXsmRkCiQ/s1600-h/DSC01268swimming.lauren.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072024374005506066" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-091f39x8Fq3uq5SkxLx2e7h0QAUK6rxDIwZIb7f9Imffo1oyRKrug-Xl_-PvjU04HJ7BhhvcYiyr8DM-46brpSNr4aYyj1Np1564pP1PprksgYJTh0xYJrEX5Hx3NLOyARLXsmRkCiQ/s320/DSC01268swimming.lauren.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Well, being back to work all day -- especially at the hectic end-of-the-year time -- and keeping Miss Maelin busy every evening leaves very little time for blogging! As you can see from the pictures above, we have a new favorite pastime: swimming! I took Maelin and Laura (bottom picture) to the Lapeer Rec Center on Memorial Day, and we had a grand ol' time! We have been running through the sprinkler at Uncle Jon and Aunt Laura's house, and we ran through one again at Great Grandpa and Grandma Minkstein's (second pic) this past Saturday. The top picture was also taken at their house. In it, Maelin is sitting with cousin Adrienne, also known as 'baby.' Ha! The third picture happened when Baba and Maelin were jousting for the same piece of faux crab meat one night. I thought it was a perfect 'Lady and the Tramp' moment and couldn't resist catching it on film! :)<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Maelin continues to amaze me at the rate she's picking up signs! I have several more to add to our tally, but i think we're at about 85 signs now! She's also picking up a few spoken words, but it's just so obvious that she's a visual language learner at this point. Signing has been such a blessing for us! Our communication with Maelin would be seriously limited without it.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>That's all i have time for right now.<br /></div><div>xoxo,<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-20763020324295685712007-05-26T22:04:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:38.646-05:00Surviving the First Week Back<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsx59ba9PGdj5JsJd8jScdQJjKTQPaEllufuCn7tPtdhQMZy7UDe80S9TJuhyphenhyphenwCTamsJreh9upac36KT1XFUchreOto7RTYUSC95t75SKX2ivvApxNdCXEqgXcPfvtn7KZCw47Bx3xBM4/s1600-h/DSC01207maelin.cape.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069064376402286738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsx59ba9PGdj5JsJd8jScdQJjKTQPaEllufuCn7tPtdhQMZy7UDe80S9TJuhyphenhyphenwCTamsJreh9upac36KT1XFUchreOto7RTYUSC95t75SKX2ivvApxNdCXEqgXcPfvtn7KZCw47Bx3xBM4/s320/DSC01207maelin.cape.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-QPQrQU_7huchUlWfpPeq8wtbxIGbGfCwaw5kTtF6BH1UJ9ZArRCKJuzi2jz4e09GHMFjSydDYGze3A31PlYgtMH2ejmHqa987CU8B74zIyewUhc-C0yhN7qFaGCbbcBMntcZtlPOR0/s1600-h/DSC01248cupboard.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5069063878186080386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-QPQrQU_7huchUlWfpPeq8wtbxIGbGfCwaw5kTtF6BH1UJ9ZArRCKJuzi2jz4e09GHMFjSydDYGze3A31PlYgtMH2ejmHqa987CU8B74zIyewUhc-C0yhN7qFaGCbbcBMntcZtlPOR0/s320/DSC01248cupboard.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's been an interesting week! Bright and early Monday morning, i got ready for work and left Maelin and Baba to fend for themselves (Baba wakes her up at 8am, gets her ready for the day, and drops her off at Aunt Laura's house around 9:15am). On my way to work, i heard a sappy country song and started crying ... thankfully, Leslie was sitting next to me, so i had to choke back the tears and kept driving. When i arrived at school, i cried in front of the first person to ask me how i was doing! But the rest of the day was busy and happy, and before i knew it, it was 3:30 and i was jumping in my car and heading off to pick up Miss Maelin! Truly, it is nice to be back at work. I love my job, and i'm happy to be back :) It's hard to know that Maelin is not with Jim and/or i all day, but she's doing just fine at Aunt Laura's house with Jacob and Lucas. She really enjoys having playmates every day. I can hardly blame her -- i'm not nearly as fun as Jacob ;)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Maelin and i have enjoyed spending the long weekend together. It was raining on Friday morning, so we got ready and went to the post office and the grocery store. Baba called us while we were still in Lapeer, so we swung by his work and picked him up for a family lunch :) On Saturday, Stacey (my good friend and MSD co-worker) and her 8-month-old daughter, Josie, came to visit us for a few hours. We had such a nice time visiting with them and playing with the baby! <br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Funny story: earlier this week, Maelin pointed to bird poop on her swing, and i told her what it was. We cleaned it off and went on with our lives. The next day, she found some on the ladder to her slide, and we identified it as 'bird poop' again. Then a couple of days ago, i was trying to wipe the gunk out of the corners of her eyes, and she called it bird poop!! I had to laugh at that one!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>In the top picture, Maelin is wearing a cape and hat that was hand-made by Ellen, who is the great-grandmother of one of my students, Jason. Even though Jason moved to kindergarten this year, Ellen still stops to visit me in my classroom :) If you can see in the picture, Maelin's baby doll is wearing a matching hand-made cape and hat ... thank you so much, Ellen!!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>That's all for now. Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend :)<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4036050218110191618.post-8326903228575550572007-05-20T09:11:00.000-04:002008-11-13T14:29:39.151-05:00The Weekly Update<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURtfEdpg043diYBheiA2JOumFD7LeyNolOdVHuqs6g1ytWcIgANqdVreGMeIaBLnh8iMUmieW7QKvqZtxG22mWUHZyu2p1H8mXQE1Uwjey02zrQsf4u9iMOToqFoZ0BE4s4qUBIRGFZA/s1600-h/DSC01230mothers.day.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066631968918837362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURtfEdpg043diYBheiA2JOumFD7LeyNolOdVHuqs6g1ytWcIgANqdVreGMeIaBLnh8iMUmieW7QKvqZtxG22mWUHZyu2p1H8mXQE1Uwjey02zrQsf4u9iMOToqFoZ0BE4s4qUBIRGFZA/s320/DSC01230mothers.day.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmaGZguwBLyCHviLpIs0pr5vLzHLxav6GA0WCG-KAJOAAc5FAwp4DDm5Brd45wBvzFdO8AmnrGMfVUNF1bjGb2_Jkjcpi08XSEO6C_Gc5_ChUET7zGmXMfYm4W47t5_iSZ7N0g9MMXxM/s1600-h/DSC01238frosting.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066631698335897698" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmaGZguwBLyCHviLpIs0pr5vLzHLxav6GA0WCG-KAJOAAc5FAwp4DDm5Brd45wBvzFdO8AmnrGMfVUNF1bjGb2_Jkjcpi08XSEO6C_Gc5_ChUET7zGmXMfYm4W47t5_iSZ7N0g9MMXxM/s320/DSC01238frosting.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgeIneV-I7crpD0wnbijAaQOTRmmhcZHnk-R6v2eH0uKDX93mYRwiGiV5-oiLLQx2gz4gC4Yndw_0PwSA5TvpwtMJBXgWMcHK-5oSPkuQ7cPv6n6NiLJ1uDB99cBgq3DM_7KWeSxz9fA/s1600-h/DSC01245tato.head.glasses.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066631457817729106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgeIneV-I7crpD0wnbijAaQOTRmmhcZHnk-R6v2eH0uKDX93mYRwiGiV5-oiLLQx2gz4gC4Yndw_0PwSA5TvpwtMJBXgWMcHK-5oSPkuQ7cPv6n6NiLJ1uDB99cBgq3DM_7KWeSxz9fA/s320/DSC01245tato.head.glasses.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWR6ZswKW9xZ2YXs_Y4aGOZUbN7viCTnz-_MMhhhHsGLxYqGbmZ4FyZanc0d7U3bCRviCS1fdhIzk53vmKisvBPdSklIgPYe7lzVfj2NxFkOxtsYVAybO16D-K_dKyqyUMSIVkAPMI9JM/s1600-h/DSC01246potato.head2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066631062680737858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWR6ZswKW9xZ2YXs_Y4aGOZUbN7viCTnz-_MMhhhHsGLxYqGbmZ4FyZanc0d7U3bCRviCS1fdhIzk53vmKisvBPdSklIgPYe7lzVfj2NxFkOxtsYVAybO16D-K_dKyqyUMSIVkAPMI9JM/s320/DSC01246potato.head2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />It's Sunday morning, and Baba is having breakfast with Maelin, so i thought i'd jump on here and post a few of the more recent pictures of our cutie-pie :) We have been together almost seven weeks as a family. Each week gets better and better as we get to know each other more. She has become a bit of a Mama's girl at night time -- won't let Baba lay down with her at bed time any more! I think it hurts Baba's feelings a little, but it seems logical that she would want Mama when it's 'comfort' time. Baba's expertise lies in the areas of 'fun' and 'outside' :)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Last Monday we finished up Maelin's hearing testing at the audiologist in Flint. When we were done, we ordered hearing aids (our insurance covers most of the cost!!) and made impressions for earmolds. We're hoping to slowly get her used to the hearing aids during the summer months so that, when she starts school in fall, she'll be wearing them full time.<br /><br />We've also had several 'assessment' appointments with our local school district, in preparation for her IEP. So far, we've met with the teacher consultant for the hearing impaired (sorry, their title, not mine!), the audiologist, a speech/language pathologist, and an early childhood teacher. We have two more left -- another early childhood teacher and one more appointment with the speech/language pathologist. I am hoooooooping that we'll get the IEP scheduled before this school year ends, so that we can get all of the arrangements made before school starts in the fall. Cross your fingers for us!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>I am going back to work on Monday (tomorrow) with very mixed emotions. I miss my students and i love my job, so there is some excitement in getting back to work and into that routine. But i have a sick feeling in my stomach at leaving Maelin every day for four weeks. The upside: she'll be staying with my sister-in-law Laura, and if i have to leave her to anyone, i'm glad it's her. Jim is planning to stay home each morning so Maelin doesn't have to get up quite to early. He'll get breakfast for her, get her all ready, and then drop her off at Laura's around 9am or 10am. I'll take off right after work each day and be there by 4pm. And after June 15th, we'll have the whole summer together :)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Leslie is at Desales (in Brooklyn, MI) for an Art Workshop weekend with other deaf and hard of hearing kids. Thankfully, she rode down with one of the houseparents (it's two hours each way!), and she'll ride part-way back with the same woman. We'll pick her up at Great Lakes Crossing this afternoon. Maelin will be happy to see her :)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Take care-<br /></div><div>xoxoxo,<br /></div><div>Shonda</div></div></div>Shonda and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871147336423437120noreply@blogger.com2