Play Ball!

It's that time of year again! Yipppeeee! Opening Day for baseball. Which means warmer weather is right around the corner. Not soon enough for us. Not too much to say this morning. Let's Go Phils!

A Busy Weekend

It was a very busy weekend for the Links. On Saturday we had our second egg hunt of the season. Daniel still hadn't a clue. Thankfully he was in the group with the one and two year olds. None of them had a clue. Daniel stood there watching all the other kids. When we finally convinced him to pick up an egg, he missed his basket when he dropped it in. The next egg he picked up was examined and put back down on the ground. Guess it didn't meet his expectations. He made it out with about 6 eggs. Most were placed in by Mommy and Daddy. We'll work on the egg collection skills before he gets thrown to the wolves...er...the 3 and 4 year olds next year.

Speaking on the 4 year olds (we snuck Leah into the 4 year old group...shhhh...), they are now pros at this egg hunt thing. Leah and Ryan both emerged with overflowing baskets. They then met the Easter Bunny's wife. This bunny was not so convincing to a 5 year old as Leah later asked if the Easter bunny is real or just a person in a costume. Great.

On Saturday night we dyed eggs. I bought the kind where you place the egg in a bag then add the dye and roll the egg around in the bag. This was much neater with messy Marvin, aka Daniel. He only crushed two eggs. Not bad. He ate those two for breakfast this morning. Notice he's shirtless just in case.

Sunday Morning, Happy Easter! The Easter Bunny led the kids on a hunt around the house. Some eggs contained clues on where to find the egg with the next clue. The final clue led them to their Easter baskets. Leah was very happy when she located money in one of the eggs. the bunny must have had a good year......which kind of perplexes me.......

All dressed up and ready for church. I think Daniel can wear this tie for about 3 more years.

Later in the day Daniel went on a walk with Daddy and picked some beautiful flowers.

That's our weekend in a nutshell. Happy Easter!

Ballet and Bunnies

Monday, Leah had her first little ballet class. It's a class at our local community center. It's only 6 weeks and they will just teach her the basics. It's enough to test the waters. If she really likes it we will sign her up for dance school in September. She had a fun time. Most of the little girls in the class are younger. It's a riot to watch as they spin around the room in their little tutus. One of the Mom's I was talking to was watching Leah and said "She's really good". Imagine her surprise when I told her she learned from her Daddy................

Tuesday we went to the mall to look for Easter shoes and a tie for Daniel. Since we were going we figured we would see if the big furry guy with floppy ears was there. He was. Daniel was not thrilled. He wasn't crying, he wasn't smiling, he just wasn't sure. Once Leah climbed onto the bunny's lap he went too.....reluctantly. He may have bought the Santa thing, however, I don't think the bunny is going to get the same respect.

Happy 4 month Anniversay!

Today marks 4 months since Daniel came into our lives. Seems like yesterday and yet it seems like he's been here forever. When I look back at photos of that day, it makes me kind of sad. He has a look of fear on his face that I haven't seen since that day. I can't even imagine what was going through his mind. He must have been so scared/confused, yet, he handled himself so well. Once his caregivers left him with us in the hotel room he never looked backed. He smiled, he laughed, he played. Once he realized we had a never ending supply of attention and food he was convinced he was where he needed to be :) The following day when we saw his caregivers at the provincial offices for the official paperwork he was stuck to our side. It was amazing how quickly he became attached. He's come so far in 4 months. He's mastered the stairs like a pro. He's doing great sleeping. We put him in his crib at night, say goodnight and close the door. He falls asleep within 5 minutes. When we were first home we needed to stay with him until he fell asleep. It amazes me how well he has transitioned. We are able to leave him without him crying. He knows now Mommy and Daddy will be back for him. I think it helps that Leah is with him.

He understands almost everything we say to him. He is also doing very well trying to speak.

He is doing great with his potty training.

It's crazy to think that just 4 short months ago he was living in Xinyang, China.

Easter photo with Leah and their cousin Ryan

Dancing to Hannah Montana

Some nights (when Dave and I have enough energy and sanity left), the kids dance to Hannah Montana before bed. If you watch long enough, you'll see Leah doing some "ballet" moves that her father taught her. Yes, you read correctly. Her FATHER. Dave has been "teaching" Leah how to do ballet. And the poor child believes that her daddy knows what he is doing. She starts real dance classes next week and I have been trying to convince her that her daddy does not have a clue when it comes to ballet. I told her not to do these "moves" in her class. I may have to drop her off at class and run so no one knows she is my child :) I'd never do that!

Anyway, you'll also see Daniel has some moves of his own. Dave has been trying to mold him as well and I've been pleading to allow the nature take over the nurture in this department as I have no rhythm whatsoever. And Dave......well, he's a little better than me.......let's just say Leah is in trouble! Well I see Daniel may have learned some of Daddy's dance moves already. He's learned to "raise the roof" and "doin the butt". Help us all!

Where does the time go?

I realized that I haven't posted in awhile. We've been so busy I haven't had a chance. Funny thing is I can't recall what we've been doing. Life is just crazy in general. Between school, library class, weekly playgroup, doctor's appts (us and kids) and Daniel's speech, the week flies by!
I'll try and post some pictures later.
On a side note, we realize every day how Daniel has become a true Amecican boy:

1)When he goes to the mailbox he says (clear as day) - "Money". Could this be that he's collected more funds from that big red box than I make working on a daily basis??
It's going to take awhile to explain to him that it's called MAIL. We won't burst his bubble by telling him the money flow doesn't last. When you get old like Mommy and Daddy the mail is all bills asking for money.

2)He dances and jams each night before bed to Hannah Montana. It's a sight. I'll have to get some video.

3)He's proficient in Webkinz lingo (thanks to his sister). He can be found rrunning into the computer room yelling "Wheel of Wow!". Only those with Webkinz obsessed children will understand this.

4)He's mastered the request for snacks. Again, thanks to Leah.

That's about all for now. Will post pictures soon!