When I was away on a trip to Schroon Lake, New York with my teen group last week my mom told me Gracie missed me. My mom said Gracie would call out my name and then looked around for me. My mom told Gracie I was away and this satisfied her for a little while. A few hours later she would do it all over again asking where her sissy was. Mom said Gracie would even look at pictures of me and ask again where I was. Mom also shared with me that if there was a noise out in the garage or a noise up stairs Gracie would look at... more

Two nights ago, Gracie and I had a pajama party in my room while our mom and our dad were cleaning out Gracie’s toy box that sits in the living room. Mom and dad asked me if I could take Gracie in my room and watch her because they did not want Gracie to get upset when they bagged up some of her toys she had out grown so that we could give them to friends with younger children.

During our pajama party I fixed Gracie’s hair and put her hair up in a ponytail. Her hair is finally long enough to pull back. She sure looked cute... more

Christmas with Gracie was a blast this year. She was so funny because when it came time to open our Christmas presents she looked confused since we told her she could not touch the presents in the days leading up to Christmas. Once we told her it was all right to open them her face lit up with excitement.

Gracie received a Leap Frog learning system with books she could change out, a mega color doodling pad and three Blue’s Clues DVDs just to name a few. I gave her a Dora the Explorer bathtub... more

Well, it has been a few days since I have written, but with the preparations for the holidays and having a cold, it has been hard for me to get on the computer.

It is almost Christmas. Just ONE more day! I can hardly believe it is that time of year again! Today my mom, my dad, Gracie, and I went to my Maw-Maw’s (Grandmother’s) house for a Christmas Eve brunch. My Maw-Maw is such a good cook so we had all kinds of great things to eat. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, HOMEMADE biscuits, country ham, tenderloin, oranges,... more

A few Saturdays ago, Gracie and I had so much fun! I took Gracie out to play when I decided to rake the yard for a leaf pile for Gracie to jump in. As a little sibling typically does, she wanted to do what her older sibling was doing and rake leaves as well. She walked over and picked up the little red rake and started helping me. We have a few bigger trees in our front yard so I decided to wheel the wheelbarrow around to gather up the leaves and transport them to the back yard where the leaf pile was. We raked the leaves in the... more

Gracie is really into having tea parties with my mom, dad and me. For Gracie’s second birthday my Aunt Kirey gave her a ceramic tea set. On each little teacup it has a ladybug and on each plate it has the saying, “Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home.” My Aunt Kirey found this set and just had to get it for Gracie because ladybugs are a sign of good fortune in the Chinese adoption community.

Gracie will open the plastic bag where we store the pieces so they do not get lost and dump them out on the living room carpet. When we see her do... more

It’s funny the words toddlers use to try to communicate. For example, when my sister wants a drink she says, “mu-mu.” Sometimes when she is trying to say the right word she ends up saying things like “nummy” for yummy, “baw” for ball, “Bah” for our cat, Buster, “wa-er” for water, “bir” for bird and “doddie” for doggie. Sometimes Gracie will say the sounds of the objects instead of the word of the objects like “choo-choo” instead of train and “meow” for cat.

At times I think to myself that it will take forever for her to... more

Thing One and Thing Two hit the road and it was a sight to behold.

Trick or Treating got off to a late start for the dynamic duo but that did not stop us. We were on a mission…a candy-seeking mission.

Mom strapped Thing Two in her stroller otherwise known as the “Thing Mobile” and Thing One waited patiently holding the candy holding contraption otherwise known to humans as a canvas bag.

We were off ready to conquer “Candy Land.” The night air was rather comfortable for our mission. We approached our... more

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. What is it about bubbles that babies love so much. Hey, I will admit it. I love bubbles as well. For that matter my dad enjoys blowing bubbles with Gracie. Forget about Christmas or birthday gifts. Just give her bubbles. She is the queen of bubbles. She has a bubble making machine, a bubble blaster, bubble wands in all shapes and sizes and an industrial sized container of bubbles so that she does not run out. She even has bubbles that smell like chocolate for crying out loud. Her obsession with bubble does not stop there. She must have... more

1. Rake the yard in a pile of leaves you and your sibling can jump into. Plus, it might be a favor to your parents for a clean fall lawn!

2. Go to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin then take it home to carve a jack-o-lantern together as a family. It’s best if Mom or Dad does the carving if you are still young yourself. Besides, you and your sibling get the fun part of scooping out the insides. Or just paint the pumpkin. Messy? Yes, but so much fun.

3. Make a scarecrow together. Use an old pair of jeans and a big... more