Staying Cool!... UPDATE!!!

UPDATE:

The Butterfly awoke from her nap and low-and-behold, she wanted to get back into the water... surprise, surprise! The butterfly put on her hat and raced outside for more fun. New photos of the fun from the rest of the day follow at the end of the post.

In case you didn't know, there is a heat wave moving across this continent. We have had temperatures in the low 100's for the past few days. We are doing everything we can to stay cool, which usually means we are staying inside in the nice air conditioned house. However, today I decided to do something else with the girls.

We have a nice little kiddie pool, as well as a water-squirting hop-scotch toy. Unfortunately, we don't have a yard quite yet to put those things out on. But, we pulled out some tarps, the hose, and our new water toys, put them on our deck, and let the water flow! The girls had a blast staying nice and cool in the blistering heat. The baby is now taking a nap... she tired herself out from all the fun. Who knows... the girls just may jump back into the water in a few hours. It doesn't get dark here until after nine so we'll have to wait and see.

My little bathing beauty!

"Cheese!"

The Butterfly playing in the water.

No exactly sure what she was looking at in particular, but she sure does seem intrigued with her belly.

Running through the water... what joy!

Sisters.  Hopping, skipping, and jumping together through the water.  Having fun!

Fun in the pool.

A thirst quencher.  Yup, mommy broke down and gave her a soda.  Enjoy it kiddo!

Summer fun and memories!

Now, just imagine how much more fun we will have when we finally get our lawn!

Update photos from after the Butterfly's nap!

A well-rested, happy little girl!

Trying to catch the water droplets.

The Butterfly loves water, and playing with it out in the sun is one of her greatest joys!

This is one happy, little Butterfly.

A giggly Ladybug is hanging out in the pool (which was, with the extreme heat, quite warm).

Silly, little girl.

Trying to catch the water droplets.

Lots of fun in the sun (... and no, for those of you who are wondering, my eldest did not suddenly grow breasts.  She and her sister found the little water discs that go with the hop-scotch game, filled them with water, and decided that they wanted to put them in their tops.  Silly girls!).

~~Aloha!

Planting

The Ladybug is a very hands-on type of girl. She LOVES science and thoroughly enjoys conducting experiments. As a matter of fact she was quite bummed this past week when I had to leave her home while I spent my days teaching at a science camp for middle school kids. Though I did have a blast at the camp, I did miss her enthusiasm for all things science!

Anyway, to make up for the time we didn't get to spend together during the week, I got her something that we could do together now that it is summer and because we are finally settled into our new home. The Ladybug has been "bugging" me about doing some planting recently, but since our yard is not quite finished yet (or even started for that matter), I have had to postpone that request for a while.

Well, we were walking through every child's favorite store... Toys 'R Us yesterday when I spied this really cool growing kit for kids. I knew that it was just what we needed to get started. So, we bought it and brought it home. The Bug was so eager to get her thumb nice and green!

As you can see from the photos below, she did a great job of starting the process of growing flowers. She was quite disappointed to find out that although the soil grows immediately when we added the water, the flowers did not do the same. We will keep you posted with the flower growth.

Putting the soil into each of the cups.

Watering the soil.

Comparing the watered soil on the left with the unwatered soil on the right.

Getting ready to plant the seeds.

Planting her first seeds.

Placing the seed cups into her terrarium.

Placing the terrarium on the front porch.

My happy little gardener!

~~Aloha!

Nice and... Soft!

So, we are in the midst of potty training. Thus, the Wee One (the Butterfly) is running around the house stark naked all the time! Now for her, this is exactly how she would prefer to walk around everywhere if we let her. She just loves going... um... full commando! Unfortunately for her, society hasn't quite accepted that as a social norm. Sorry kiddo! In the mean time, we are constantly asking her is she needs to go to the bathroom, hoping to catch her in time to encourage her to go on her potty chair. You know the routine!

So yesterday morning, right after breakfast, she and the Ladybug were playing. I, as per the usual routine, asked her if she had to go potty. Which she gave me her normal reply, "No mommy." Sigh...

She then disappeared for a couple minutes. Honestly, I hadn't really noticed that she had walked out of the room (after all, she was just playing with her sister). But, then it happened... she walked back in the room. And I... GASPED!

(Not what you thought, was it!)

I immediately told her to "Freeze!" and not touch anything!!! After all, we are in a brand-spankin' new house, new carpet, new floors, new paint, etcetera. If she looked like this then what in the world did the room look like where she decorated herself this way? Fortunately, not that bad. Anyway, the Butterfly decided since she was super-naked, that she was the perfect canvas for lots and lots of lotion. You see, the little one has two obsessions (that I know of right now), brushing her teeth, and to slather herself with lotion or liquid soap or anything else that she can get her hands on at that point in time. So, when she walked into my room and saw a box that I had just set down on the floor, a box that I was planning to empty later in the day, what she saw was... LOTION!!!

Sigh... looks like I really need to be much more careful with this little one. And, in case you were wondering, yes, she is super soft now!

~~Aloha!

One Year Ago Today...

It seems so hard to believe that one year ago today we were in Guizhou, China, meeting, holding, hugging, and kissing our Baby Butterfly for the very first time. You can read about that special day right here. She was such a tiny, timid, terrified baby on that day and for the days that followed. She could not walk, she could not even crawl. She was so unsure of us, we were so different from what she had known for the 14 months of her life so far.

We looked different, we smelled different, we sounded different, we even treated her differently than she was used to at the orphanage. Because of all these differences, the Butterfly cried and cried and cried. She was terrified. She didn't know what was happening. She was being taken from everything that she knew. As I think about this, I try to put myself in her shoes. How would I react if I was taken from everything that I knew in my life? Honestly, I would probably revert back to my "terrible-two year-old" stage and throw a tantrum, screaming and kicking. And, after the initial tantrum, I would curl up into myself and cry.

It is when I put myself in the Butterfly's shoes during those first few days that I understand why she cried so much. She did not know what we knew. She did not know that she now had a family, her very own mommy, daddy, and sister. She did not know that she was going to receive love and support for the rest of her life. She did not know that she would eventually go to school and have the opportunity at a great education and future. She did not know that she would have her own special room and her own special bed in a comfortable, loving home. She did not know... she just did not know.

August 2010

But, in the days and months that followed, the Butterfly slowly opened up. She learned to trust. She learned to love and receive love from us. She learned to laugh and play, and how to make us laugh with her. She learned who a mommy and daddy are. She learned how much fun a big sister can be (and sometimes how frustrating a big sis can be as well!). She learned what a family is, and that we are her family.

I look back on photos of those first days and I get teary-eyed. She was so scared.

And now look at her. She has grown up so much in just one year's time. She is an independent, happy, silly, joyous, loving little girl with a bit of an obstinate streak in her. She keeps us on our toes most definitely, but brings so much joy to our lives each and every day.

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

(Sporting her new bike helmet and some adorable ladybug boots... on the wrong feet! Yup, she accessorized herself this morning!)

So now, one year later, we are celebrating this special day. The Butterfly's Forever Family Day! Congratulations little girl. We are so happy to call you our daughter, so happy that you are part of our family. You have brought so much love and joy into our lives. We loved you before we met you, we loved you the day we first were able to give you hugs. We love you so much more today than we ever could imagine, and we will love you for the rest of our lives. Thank you beautiful Butterfly for coming into our lives. Thank you for being my daughter. I love you!

~~Aloha!