Madi's First Library Card!

Wow. Call me a nerd, but I never thought I'd be bragging about this one (if you knew me in my younger years, you'd understand.) Madi got her first library card today!! I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't had one since I was a kid, so I feel like I'm redeeming myself through my three-year old daughter:-)

Last week, we started going to story time on Tuesday mornings. Once I explained the concept of the library to Madi today, she ran around like crazy grabbing books to "borrow"--she knows the term well from family members. So here's the list of her very first choices:

Barney-Follow Me (it was the first one she saw since someone left it on a table--very appropriate after our trip to see him)

Go, Dog. Go!

Counting (another one left on the table)

Care Bears-Adventures in Care-A-lot DVD

Angelina Ballerina-Dance of Friendship DVD

I didn't have my camera with me, but I managed to snap a photo through my cell phone to commemorate the moment!

Together Forever

About a month ago, as we were unloading groceries into the van in the Publix parking lot, Madi and I had a very deep conversation that I will never forget. It went like this:

I said, "Stay close to the van Madi. A car could come, and I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything to happen to you." As I helped her into her car seat, she replied, "Like a doggie?" I replied, "Yes, Madi, like a doggie." She gazed at me in all seriousness as I buckled her in and said, "I wanna be with you forever Mommy."

I couldn't believe how fast tears could actually run to my eyes and I hugged her so tight. It was such an intense moment. It was as if she "got" the whole concept of life and death. Maybe Madi is an "old soul".

Flashback: Gotcha Madi!

On September 3rd, we celebrated Gotcha Day with Madi. For those who are unfamiliar, this was the day that Madi was placed in our arms forever two years ago. This year, my head was swirling with so many thoughts about how much this child has changed our lives. She continues to amaze us on a daily basis. God is so good.

This year, we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa at the China Dumpling restaurant. Madi was accompanied by her two favorite (at the time) princess figurines, Jasmine and Belle. At one point, our waitress grabbed one of them from the table and pretended to take it away. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a look of distress from our child!! She was horrified and buried her head in my shoulders. Once we convinced her that the waitress was just playing, Madi got over it, but every time our waitress neared the table, the princesses went 'in hiding' under the table and Madi looked like a warrior ready to fight!

Earlier in the day, Madi was surprised with a special delivery cookie arrangement from Aunt Kathy (YaYa) and cousin Kelsey (Boo Boo). She shared her cookies with her closest friends and family members and is still enjoying them on occasion (from the freezer).

I hope my friend Carmen doesn't mind me posting this poem, but it was so appropriate and heartwarming that I wanted to share it. She posted it on our MeiMei group when her family celebrated their 2nd year anniversary as a family with their beautiful daughter Ami Mei.

The Gift of Life

I didn't give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

Is like a dream come true.

Though I didn't give you the gift of life,

Life gave me the gift of you.

Our Stylish Daughter

In the past few weeks, Madi has discovered 'accessorizing' (something her Mother doesn't do very well:). This weekend when we were away, she would wake up, roll over, and peel a necklace over her head followed by six bracelets--and very particular about their order and which ones belong on which arm. It's so funny because she seemed to be leaning 'tomboy' (still does at times since she's so athletic), and now she's a 'girlie girl' too with lots of jewels and makeup to show for it! Her favorite dress-up partner is Daddy! She adores putting various crowns and tiaras on him! Thank goodness he's the best Daddy in the world:-)

The trip to Orlando

Our trip to Orlando was so much fun. We were visiting our friends, the Durneys, whose daughter Kylie was born in Wuwei City--the same city where Madi was born. They are one month apart in age. Judy and Sean were such wonderful hosts. They took us to Universal and Sea World. We saw so many cool things that the girls passed out on the car ride home both days! They were little troopers, to say the least.

One of the many highlights of our Orlando trip was seeing the Barney Show at Universal! Madi absolutely loved seeing Barney and Baby Bop; however, she was quite certain that she did not want to meet him 'up close and personal' when given the opportunity! Kylie, on the other hand, who is a 'seasoned' Universal visitor, jumped at the chance to give Barney a big hug. More to come...

17 years ago today....

Jimmy popped the big question!!!

Where to Start?

Okay...so we're a little late to the party. Madi turned 3 on September 19th, and here we are, finally putting a blog together! So on our way home from Orlando today visiting with our dear friends, I did some thinking about how I plan to approach the two years that we've missed with Madi in our lives.

So, my current plan is to sporadically post "flashbacks" to various points and events as they pop into my head. Sounds a little disorganized? I know, I know--you don't have to say anything--my blog will be just like me--a little "flighty"!!!

The beginning

Hellooo!!! Thanks to our good friends Judy and Sean, we now have a blog!!! We are so excited to start posting about Madi's world! Please stay tuned...