Madi meets a Gator!

Yesterday, at the very last minute, we headed over to the library for a native animal exhibit. Madi touched a snake for the first time and even touched a baby alligator though she was shaking! It was a really neat experience, and we learned a lot about our Florida wildflife.

Biker Mei Meis

I have definitely failed at devoting any blogging time to our dear Mei Mei community. The Mei Mei group, which means 'Little Sister' in Chinese, is a group of precious little girls from China and their fabulous parents. We get together on occasion for playdates and especially for birthday parties! This week, we met Ami Mei and Kayla at the park for some play and bike riding. The girls had so much fun playing together. We are blessed to have such a tight-knit group of girls who will grow up together.

Boo Boo's Back!

This year, Boo Boo brought a friend with her! It has been such a blessing for Kelsey, since this is her first visit without Grandma here. Madi took to Lauren right away, especially when she picked up the vibe that Lauren would play with her! We have had a great visit with the "big girls".

Madi's New Ride

Grandma Pauline didn't take very long to get into our heads from upstairs! I fully blame (or attribute) our recent impulsive purchase on her! Something (or someone) prompted me to pick up the phone last week and call Chrysler dealerships looking for a 2008 minivan in the color Sandstone.

The first dealership I called had one in stock, fully loaded, and it just happened to be the color Sandstone. We went and looked at the vehicle only to find that it may be a little 'bigger and better' than we could afford. When we asked about any other 2008 vans, we were told that we wouldn't find one anywhere. Of course, I didn't believe them, so I got on the phone and called every Chrysler dealership in the area. There wasn't a 2008 to be found. We went to another dealership to comparison shop, and that's when we realized that we had been presented with the deal of a lifetime with my first phone call. We drove back to the dealership and finalized all the details. Now we are the proud owners of a beautiful and safe new minivan!

Come to find out, Grandma had been telling Grandpa for months how concerned she was about us in our old minivan, which was a time-bomb. I know in my heart, she orchestrated that deal and prompted me to make that call. Thanks Grandma:)

The First Trophy

Last weekend, Madi brought home her first trophy for cheerleading at the YMCA. She was so proud of herself. She accepted the trophy and ran right past Jimmy and I to get up the bleachers to Aunt Diane and Uncle Rick who attended the big event. On the way home, she just kept looking at Aunt Diane and saying, "I can't believe I got this!" It was her first taste of reward in sports, and I'm sure it will be the first of many for her!

Fly Away, Dragonfly

Oh Madi--how do I even begin to express what you and Kelsey meant to your Grandma. She loved you unconditionally from the first moment she touched you and laid eyes on you. You and Kelsey had a special bond with Grandma like no other.

I remember when we came home from China and Grandma and Grandpa picked us up from the airport. It made her so happy that you were glued to Daddy and wouldn't go to her right away. That's when she could see how much you and Daddy already loved each other. She sat next to you on the car ride home and sang songs and talked to you. She also took your little hands and did "Whoops, Johnny" on your little fingers. She and Grandpa stayed with us for five days so she could be sure that you were comfortable in your new home. She adored dressing you and bathing you and especially feeding you. You were her little China doll, and she was always so proud of everything you did.

Grandma taught you so many things. She taught you how to chew gum before you were two! She went through pack after pack teaching you how to chew gum and spit it out. She taught you how to use scissors at two and cut hearts out of paper. She loved doing workbooks with you to teach you how to trace and paste. Grandma also loved to pretend with you. I swear she's responsible for that wild imagination of yours! She was always your baby and you were her Mommy that tended to her every need. She loved being the dragonfly when you were the butterfly and Grandpa was the Stinkbug. You would all fly from house to house pretending to taste the yummy--and sometimes not so yummy things that your Mommies would make. The three of you played that game for hours!

Grandma loved giving you baby dolls and really-- any toys that looked fun! I think deep inside giving you all those fun things made Grandma feel like a kid again and she wanted to play them with you! She also loved baking with you, and now Grandpa loves baking with you too!

There are so many memories that we have in our hearts. Mommy and Daddy promise not to ever let you forget about your Grandma. She helped make you into the special person that you are, and we are forever grateful to God for being blessed with her loving presence. She is a part of you. She will always, always be with you.

Weekend with Aunt Diane & Uncle Shrimp

Aunt Diane and Uncle Rick (aka Uncle Shrimp) came back again for a visit last weekend. We managed to spend some more good quality time with them, despite the difficult circumstances with Grandma. Madi was very excited for their arrival and took to them instantly, once again.

One of the highlights of their visit was the "Beer Garden" that she and Uncle Rick planted. They buried beer bottle caps in the ground. Madi tried to use Uncle Rick's beer to water their 'seeds', but he wasn't so willing to pour it out! Madi finally settled for water!

Madi's favorite game was to ask us all questions about our favorite things (favorite flower, favorite fruit, favorite car...) and she would, not by coincidence, claim that all her favorites were the very same as Aunt Diane's. Madi loved being 'partners' with Aunt Diane every time they had the same answers, which was every time!