20 Months Old and 6 Months Home!

I haven't taken too many pictures of Meili recently. I'll have to do something about that! Here she is this morning after thoroughly enjoying some cream cheese. (The bagel was just a delivery mechanism...)

The highchair cover was in the wash. I don't have an excuse for the lack of a bib.
Cute, even when she's messy!

Later in the day, we went to the park across the street. This is her 'I'm going to sit here and look nervous until I adjust to my new surroundings' face.

She's pointing to the camera here and asking to see the 'baby' on it. It would be a whole lot easier if she would let me get one good shot of the 'baby' first. :)

Distracted by a squirrel.

Better turn the camera off and let her see the 'baby.'

The most momentous thing to report this month is that Meili finally broke the 20 pound mark and is officially on the growth chart for weight albeit at a whopping 3rd percentile! This means no more monthly weight checks and no more 'heroic measures' in padding her calorie intake. Wahoo!

Twilight Party

Audrey and I hosted a Mother/Daughter Twilight Trivia party last weekend and had a great time with friends. Here we are after finishing our 'Italiano.' Nice to know that we can seat 12 around the ping pong table!

The Moms.
And the Mother/Daughter pairs:

C and co. won the trivia game
and went home with the coveted 'Golden Onion!'


A & L

A & M

C & M

Me and My Girl

What a fun evening! Thanks to everyone that came!

Florida State Fair

In Utah, the kids had school off for Pioneer Day. In AZ, it was the Rodeo and here in FL there is a school holiday for the fair. I couldn't convince the kids that actually attending the fair was optional so off we went. We didn't plan to do any rides but I knew we would have to do this one as soon as I saw it. It takes me back to my childhood.

Noah in the lead.

Audrey racing her friend.
The Mom's Race-Yep, I lost.

Cookie decorating.

Brushing the very patient cow.

The food at any fair is always interesting. In the south, they take it to the next level. Do you see the sign for 'FRIED BUTTER' and 'FRIED PEPSI' in there? Crazy.

I let the kids pick one item. They chose a fried Snicker bar and split it 5 ways (I picked up lunch for them on the way home.) I smelled it-not worth the calories to actually eat it!

You can see here that Meili was done with the fair. It was noon and she was overdue for her nap. She actually did us all quite a favor. We left right after this picture was taken. Shortly after we got home, a tornado came through the fair and took out a few of the large tents. We heard that it was chaos and several people had to be hospitalized. Thanks for the meltdown, Meili!Fried Snicker Bar

Burrito Baby

Meili Grace has been a picky little eater since we came home from China. It drives me nuts trying to figure out what she will eat on a given day because what worked yesterday doesn't always work today. With any of our other kids, I would offer them a meal and if they didn't like it, they could try again at the next meal. I don't quite have the heart to do that to Meili and since she is still below the growth chart for weight, it probably isn't a good idea anyway. Luckily, there are a few things she will always eat when offered and burritos are about her favorite right now. She will start asking for a 'bweedoh' at about 8:30 am most days. Definitely her mama's girl!

Noah's New Glasses

Here are my handsome little boys on their way to school. On Fridays they get to wear jeans and 'spirit shirts' instead of the usual school uniform which is a big deal to them. This was also Noah's first day wearing his new glasses. He has seen an eye doctor for a check up every year since he was three and never had a problem with his eyes. Just recently, he began complaining about not being able to see the board at school. Sure enough, he needed glasses. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, I guess.

I was a little nervous that Noah might get teased at school but when I asked him what his friends said on the way home, he said, 'They told me I looked like a celebrity!' I could just hug his entire class! I'm guessing his 'celebrity' look was due to the transitions lenses at recess.

19 Months Old...

and 19 things I love about Meili Grace...

• How easily she learned how to 'beat box' from her siblings


• How she will stop (even in the middle of a tantrum) to rock out to any music she hears


• How she sucks her thumb and rubs the thumb-sucking hand with the other hand when she is about to fall asleep


• How whenever she sees Matt and I kiss, she will pucker up for a kiss from both of us


• How she calls her jammies her 'mimi's' and Noah, 'Wah Wah'


• How if anything drops, she'll say 'uh-oh' repeatedly until someone picks it up


• How she has learned all of the hand motions to the Popcorn Song and will use the same motions to embellish any other song she hears


• How she is the first one to fold her arms and bow her head for prayer at dinner time


• Her priceless giggle


• How anytime Daddy picks her up after dinner time, she assumes it is time for her 'Bap' (bath)


• How after she is dressed and her hair is done in the morning, she looks in the mirror and is so proud of herself


• How she will smile at me and wave bye bye any time she leaves the room I am in


• How she thinks that now that she can say and sign 'please', she should get anything she wants when she uses them. :)


• How she loves to point out babies. This includes the doll variety and any child under the age of 5 when we are out in public.


• How she tries to lead the music at church.


• How she has learned to nod her head yes to any question because doing so usually results in her getting something or going somewhere.


• How she claps her hands twice before reaching out to be held.


• How her ponytails curl into little 'fireworks.'


• How when she is being dressed, she waves and says 'hi' as each hand comes out of the sleeve.

When we were waiting, a month seemed soooo long. Now the months seem to fly by now that we have her home. I don't want to forget all of the little things that make Meili the amazing little girl that she is. We love you Meili Grace!

Xander Goes the Extra Mile

Xander does everything with gusto and at several decibels louder than the average child. He is the kid that keeps us on our toes but he's also the kid that keeps us laughing. Tonight he was really enthusiastic about helping to peel carrots. After a few pointers and safety instruction, you can see that he really went to town on that carrot!

Meili's New 'Do'

Matt was off of work from Christmas through New Years (hence his shaving hiatus) and it was nice to have him home to help entertain and take care of the kids while they were out of school. Here's the result of his first attempt to do Meili's hair. He was so sweet to try and I appreciated the good laugh!

Christmas Photo Shoot, Take Two