As you well know, the Ladybug's 4th birthday was last Friday, March 19. I find it so hard to believe that she is already 4 years old, my how time flies by. She does have a fun party planned with her friends this coming weekend and I will definitely write about the party fun later. But, as a family we did go out to celebrate her birthday.
There is a wonderful (fairly) new restaurant in town called Coco Palace. They specialize in Thai, Japanese, and Chinese Cuisine. Although we have many Chinese restaurants in town, there are no other Thai restaurants, so we were excited to discover this restaurant. Last summer we finally made our way to the restaurant and were so happy we did. The food was magnificent! However, the menu is a bit pricey, so it is not a place that we want to frequent, just for the sake of our pocketbooks.
Immediately after visiting the Coco Palace, the Ladybug started asking if we could return. She absolutely loved it! I like to think that she just has expensive taste, but truth be told, the food really was that good. Each time we were out on the town, she would ask to go, which we would reply, "Not today honey, maybe some other time." After diverting her request for a few months, Daddy finally suggested that we go there for a special occasion... her birthday. That answer was exactly what she needed to hear and also gave us a special occasion that we could enjoy celebrating at the restaurant.
Since her birthday fell on a workday, Daddy and I had to work while she went to pre-school. Apparently, she was so excited about her special birthday dinner that she shared her excitement with her classmates and teachers ALL day. Needless to say, by the time I picked her up from school, she was ready to go home and get ready for her special evening.
The Ladybug chose to wear a beautiful purple Chinese dress, something we brought home for her from China back in 2006. The dress is gorgeous and looks sensational on her. She decided that she wanted her hair up for the evening, so I obliged... with lots of extra frills or course. She looked so grown up in her outfit, but just perfect for a special evening out.
We enjoyed an amazing meal at the restaurant. Every single bite we took brought oohs and aahs... we thoroughly enjoyed our time. The Ladybug LOVED being the center of attention for the evening. The Chinese waitress thought she was adorable and enjoyed how much she loved the food. As usual, she kept us laughing with her humor and silliness. It was an extremely fun evening and a great way to celebrate her birthday.
After our filling dinner, the Ladybug wanted some ice cream to finish off her special day. We decided to go to the best place in town for such sweet treats... Culver's. For those who have never been to a Culver's, it is not an ice cream place. Rather, it is a place that makes their own super yummy, thick and creamy custard. And, boy is it delicious! The Ladybug ordered her special kiddie sundae, and Daddy and I ordered our favorites as well. In the end, this stop was a great way to end a fabulous birthday celebration and evening out with the family.
As I look back on this day I feel so blessed. Blessed that this little girl is my daughter. Blessed that the Lord brought her to us. Blessed to have such a wonderful family. Blessed to have such an amazing life.
The Ladybug looking nice and fancy and the restaurant.
Four years ago a beautiful baby girl was born in Guizhou, China. That little girl was you, my little Ladybug. You soon went to live with an amazing foster mother who took care of you and loved you for 7 months. It was then that we finally got to meet you, and we all became a forever family. You were so tiny and delicate. Being able to hold you for the first time was a dream come true.
Over the past four years you have grown into an amazing little girl... spirited, silly, intelligent, funny, beautiful, honest, loving, musical, and so much more. You are a best friend to everyone, and find life a wonderful adventure. You are no longer a toddler. Instead, a full-fledged little (big) girl. Recently, you are most excited to be taking on a new adventure, that of big sister, and I cannot wait to watch you fulfill that role to a T. Life is absolutely wonderful with you little girl, and I cannot wait to see what life has in store for you.
Keep smiling Ladybug, keep hugging, laughing, dancing, singing, and bringing joy to everyone that you meet. Happy Birthday little girl, my little Ladybug. Enjoy!
Another Wednesday is upon us, so it is time to share another Black & White photo. This week I decided to show you my start-to-finish process for one of my favorite photos of my little Ladybug.
This past summer, my daughter was playing outside. She had on an adorable gardening hat and gloves, while dancing around in a frilly princess dress. Quite a silly combination, but she looked adorable. As she was walking around our deck, I happened to stop her just at a time when she was trying to pick herself up on the railing. This quick pause in her otherwise busy afternoon of playing and dancing produced an amazing image that I knew I could create into an ethereal delight. I used Photoshop Elements to do all of my edits on this image.
Here is the original image,
From there I softened the face, cropped the image a little bit and boosted the contrast. I really wanted those soulful eyes to pop, so I brightened them as well. Below is what I came up with,
After this, I turned the image into black & white. I absolutely love how beautiful this image looks as a black and white. It translates so well because of its simplicity.
But, as is often the case with me, I just had to play with it a little bit more. So, I went back to the colored image and "posterized" it with Photoshop, then cropped it into a square image. I then turned each of those two photos into black & white. Below are those four photos,
When I look at these last few photos now, I honestly see a girl far beyond my daughter's three years of age. The softened colored images also give her an almost porcelain look. As beautiful as these images are to me, with the soulful eyes and delicate features, there is one thing missing in all of them... my daughter's amazing, joyous, infectious smile. And that, is what I will be sharing next week. Until then...
This week I chose to go back further than when we first brought the Ladybug home. All the way back to my honeymoon with my dear husband.
My husband and I met and dated for four years before we finally tied the knot. We were wed four years to the day from the date of our first-date, the same day that we celebrated as our anniversary up until that point (I was just trying to keep it easy for my husband-to-be at the time *wink*). We celebrated with various close friends and family and enjoyed a wonderful ceremony and reception. Unfortunately, we soon had to part ways.
At the time, I was finishing my last year of school in California while my husband was enjoying his first year of teaching college in Colorado. Since we were wed in the month of October, we ultimately ended up spending the first nine months of our marriage apart from each other. We knew this fact when we planned the wedding, and although it seemed a bit unorthodox to some, being apart actually worked out perfectly for us. My husband was able to focus completely on his teaching without having to deal with newlywed issues as well as me monopolizing his time. I was able to focus on my final papers and student-teaching, both of which kept me away from home quite a bit. For us, spending the first nine months of marriage apart was actually perfect and I don't regret it in the least... after all, we spoke on the phone every night and spent every holiday together, so it wasn't all that bad.
After my graduation and the end of his first year of teaching, my husband and I set out to finally enjoy a honeymoon. Our destination, Alaska. We chose a one week Royal Caribbean cruise through the inner passage of Alaska. We thoroughly enjoyed every single day of the cruise. Alaska was gorgeous, and the people were so friendly. Who knows, maybe some day we will make it back there. The photo I chose for today's theme is of the "newlyweds" on the balcony of our room, in front of the quaint town of Ketchikan. Wow, I just have so many memories from that trip, and our life together. It is amazing to see where our life is now... and I don't regret a single moment.
I am a wife to my best friend, and mommy to two amazing little girls, both adopted from Guizhou, China. We are now a family of four and are loving our adventures with two "Spicy Guizhou Girls."
