Almost double digits - Brittney is 9!

Saturday was the big day for Brittney. The count down had been on for quite some time but when the day finally came she couldn't believe it. She kept telling me she didn't feel 9! So I felt of her ribs and then my expanded tummy & told her she was definitely 9. Her birthday party won't be until January; that is one of the joys of having a December birthday - no one is ready for an additional party in December but come January people are begging for a party. We have rented out Activity World as usual so she can bring all of her friends, the other ISE families, and some of Sophie's friends.
But back to THE day... It started with Brittney opening her gifts which included the Harry Potter game for the Wii (I'll blog about the Wii a little later) and a 2nd Harry Potter wand. Evidently if you have 2 H.P. wands you can play a duelling game & cast "spells" on each other. Brittney spent the first part of the morning playing on the Wii. Then Emily came down & Kevin took all the girls to see a movie & lunch at Frankie & Benny's. He had the restaurant do the traditional embarrassing song & dessert for Brittney, and of course she absolutely loved it.
Then the night included Kevin's work party so we were gone, but Brittney & Emily had a sleep over, stayed up until 2am, and ate lots of cake & ice cream. On Sunday Brittney gave me a thank you card saying it was the best birthday ever...who knew!
But for a trip down memory lane I have included a few pictures below...

2nd Birthday - Brittney & NeeNee

Brittney as a Wooden Puppet

Preschool Graduation

Sarah & Brittney Summer of 2007

Need I explain this one!!! summer 2007

Brittney, Sophie, and Emily

Ireland Nov 2008

As a thank you to Granny for taking care of the girls & Kevin while I was in China we had booked a family trip to Ireland. It was a jam packed weekend with freezing cold temperatures. I am not sure that we did Granny any favors by taking her to Ireland but we did have the best of intentions... First off, the weather was FREEZING. I was colder than when we go skiing. We were bundled up in our winter jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves but it was not enough to conquer the cold. So, if we Illinois transplants were cold just imagine how cold Floridian Granny was... It is interesting, as I have talked to other people, the consensus is that Ireland is cold pretty much every month except July/August. Wish I would have known that before Kevin went to all the work to book us a trip, because I would have suggested something like the Canary Islands instead :-) Oh well, lesson learned!

The first day we visited the Waterford Crystal Factory. We were able to learn a lot about the process, & I have to admit it was pretty interesting. Then we walked around the on-sight "gift" shop. Much to Kevin's delight, I am not that much of a crystal girl so I wasn't interested in any of the really expensive items. That is not to say they weren't nice, just not quite my style.

Ok, I'll take this for a Christmas/Birthday combined gift :-)

A tribute to the 911 Firefighters

A replica of the New Year's ball dropped in New York

We then drove to our next destination but it was too late to get into the castle so we went on to the B&B. It was a quaint village with a great Italian restaurant. However, the B&B we stayed in did not have central heat and by midnight the pipes had froze - did I mention earlier that it was COLD! So the next morning when we woke up, we couldn't go to the bathroom and couldn't take a shower. To be quite honest, I just wanted to stay under the covers where I was warm.

After breakfast we were off to see the Blarney Castle & kiss the famous Blarney stone. Boy was the Blarney stone a let down... we were all expecting this stone that you go up to and kiss. Nope, it is part of the castle. You have to lay down on your back, lean your head through an opening at the top of the castle, and then kiss the "stone" while some stranger is holding you secure. Yeah right - not this girl! But Kevin & Brittney kissed the stone & have a certificate to prove it (sorry no pictures aloud - I'm guessing it is in case they drop you, they don't want any evidence).



See, Granny really did come; she just doesn't like her picture taken so you have to sneak it in. Did I mention it was COLD!

One of my favorite memories was skating/skiing across the icy bridges with the girls. I would pull them while they held their legs stiff. They thoroughly loved it & I did too until my back started hurting. Man it is tough getting old :-)

Next we were off to have a medieval dinner at the Bunratty Castle. All of the servers are the entertainment as well. In between the meal courses they provided a little show, and Kevin was dragged into it. He was to be the outlaw that had snuck into the event & had to beg for mercy. He did a good job of getting everyone to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" as his punishment. I kept having to reassure Sophie that nothing bad was going to happen to daddy - she was quite worried & upset...

Kevin begging for mercy...

You eat the dinner with only a knife - this could have proved to be dangerous. The soup is drank/slurped from the bowl, the chicken is eaten with your hands, and the potatoes are stabbed with the knife. Each person is provided a little bowl with water & a lemon in it to wash your hands periodically during the dinner. It was quite the experience.

The next morning we came back to explore Bunratty Castle before returning to Dublin.

Don't you think Brittney might be asking for trouble looking into a canon with her sister next to the trigger :-)

We spent the last day in Dublin and the morning at the Guinness Factory. Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the tour is. The kids loved running around, Sophie took tons of pictures in the beginning, Brittney took video for awhile, and Dad got to drink a few "free" pints. What's not to love...


Sophie in front of one of the trains used in the earlier days...

Brittney & dad enjoying lunch at the factory

As I blog about the trip I realize just how much we were able to see, how much fun we did have (when we weren't freezing), and I remind myself of just how precious time is & valuable family is. I love you all! Thanks for putting up with my moods :-)

China (Day 10) ~ So Close, Yet So Far Away!

Gloria & I didn't sleep much tonight... we were too excited about going home. We were up, showered, and packed almost 2 hours before our driver was due to pick us up. We went downstairs for our last breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The breakfast bar is scattered with different kinds of bread, chinese breakfast items (don't ask me what they are...), cereal, some type of yogurt (again, don't ask), various types of juice, and the possibility of an omlete. I say possibility because in most instances the chef doesn't speak English so you are reduced to hand jestures that sometimes is cleary communicated. However, I must admit I never knew you could fry an egg and/or an omlete with chop sticks. We then took one last trip through the gift shop and were then reduced to "patiently" waiting.

Finally we were off to the airport. On our way we noticed an increase police activity on the motorway. Mr. Lee explained that in an hour or so the motorway would be closed due to a convoy of some important people - wow, just in time we were heading home.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch" is what my mom used to say when I was little. I guess I was getting way ahead of myself because we were in for a huge shock... when we arrived in Amsterdam we found out that KLM had cancelled all departing flights due to weather ~ other airlines were still flying but we had to get through the huge wait at the KLM Information line before we could find out our options. After more than 3 hours, I don't know how many different people, walking almost the entire airport, a complimentary water bottle, receiving our "care package" of personal items for our troubles, we were left to wait for 30 minutes outside in the snow for the shuttle to our hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel we find the lobby full of all the other KLM customers in the same position - now we have an additional hour wait just to get to our room.

No phone, expensive internet, and no one from home communicating, we were forced to wait & hope that back in the UK they knew more than we did. This morning (2:30) when I finally forced myself to get out of bed (I wasn't sleeping anyway) I see an email from Kevin stating he knew what was going on - glad someone did :-)

Well, we are off in an hour to start again. Here's hoping that we actually get home this time. We will be smelly, dirty, and wanting a shower but how good it will be to finally be home!

China (Day 9)

Today was our last day in China, and the plan was to visit a few historical sites, complete the last minute shopping (not that we have room for any shopping in our luggage), and back to our room for packing & a good night sleep. Our first visit was to Tian'anmen Square to fly a kite. I have always loved flying a kite so I jumped at this opportunity. Next to me was a guy flying a kite that looked like a hawk. Instead of the normal string & holder used to fly a kite, he had a wheel of some sort. He could make the hawk do all kinds of things; through his skill, it flew in a life-like manner (I wasn't able to capture his kite in flight - too fancy)

We then walked through the square to the Forbidden City. Gloria and I were jealous of the fact that the F.C. has 9,999 rooms (not that we would want to clean them or anything like that). The Chinese believe the number 9 is lucky and the numeral 9,999 sounds like everlasting in Chinese; it seems like there was another reason for 9,999 but I can't remember right now. At one time there were approximately 70,000 eunuchs; 100+ concubines; 9,000 female attendants; plus the emperor and his wife ~ that's a lot of people in one place...

Picture of the Harmony Garden deep inside the F.C. walls.

This is where Gloria & I are going to need to spend more time :-)

We took a Petty Cab ride to the Bell Tower, but made a "pit-stop" on Beer Alley.

notice the Budweiser sign - I thought that was so weird to see in China...

not that I thought a "Coors Light" sign was any less weird...

While David & I climbed to the top of the Bell Tower, Gloria did some shopping in the gift shop. The tower has 75 very, very steep steps (not the standard size step we have in the US). I practically ran up them because I knew if I stopped I would never finish it. When I got to the top David said that was the fastest he had ever made it to the top of the tower. He asked me if I were an athlete - I just laughed & thought to myself, did you not notice the fat jiggling while we were going up the stairs :-)

After enjoying a tea ceremony at the Bell Tower, Gloria & I were back to the Pearl Market for that last minute shopping and then Pizza Hut for dinner (I know, it is our last night in China but we have had Chinese food almost every day - plus we did have it for lunch), and then back to the hotel to pack. We have packed everything & as long as no one opens our suitcases, we have it all in :-)

Now, we are off to bed for a good nights sleep before our 20 hour journey to get home. I cannot wait to get home & see my family!!!!!!!!

In Case You'e Curious...

Just in case you are curious - it is 11:38 here in China, I should be asleep but I am wide awake (which seems to be the norm this trip). I am sooooo home sick & ready to give Brittney & Sophie the biggest hugs, kisses, cuddles, and play time. I started my "China" blogs with the question why... I thought the reason for being here was to bring the orphans of China closer to my heart; I do believe that is/was one of the reasons for this trip... but for me, the biggest lesson has been just how much I take my family for granted. So here goes...

Kevin ~ thank you for supporting me even when I am bad tempered, foul mooded, and tired of being home all day. Thank you for working hard to make these fabulous opportunities for your family. You are an awesome daddy and a great hubby. I know I don't tell you that enough, but I mean it and I love you!

Brittney ~ you are my big girl, growing up way too fast. You are an awesome big sister and a tremendous help to me when I am home. You are becoming independent and smart beyond words. I am so proud of the beautiful girl you are both on the inside and the outside. I love you!

Sophie ~ you are my bundle of energy that is constantly bringing a smile to my face. I love your smile, your constant singing, and your giggles. You are a ray of sunshine in our family. I love you!

Granny ~ I could not have gone on this trip without your support & help. Thank you! Thank you for everything... I promise, Duke & Daisy really are good dogs :-) and the stomach bug will go away eventually. I love you!

Friends in the UK & US ~ thank you for your emails and comments to the blogs. Your support before we ever touched down helped to make a difference in so many children's lives, but your support while we have been here has been extremely needed. We rush back to the hotel each night to see what you are saying... Thank you!

I need to quit now because the tears have started & I don't want to wake up Gloria. I love you all

Pictures by Sophie

While uploading my photos from the trip I noticed that Sophie had gotten a hold of my camera. The pictures were actually too cute not to post...


Notice dad is in the room while this is happening but is totally oblivious... why is he oblivious

because he is on the computer ~ notice his hand...

Photo of the picture on the wall in the study where dad is on the computer completely oblivious to Sophie having control of my "non-expensive" camera I am about to take on my trip to China

Oh, there is the culprit - she hasn't learned about hiding the evidence yet

Close up of that beautiful face...

... of that beautiful smile (notice the missing tooth)


Here she is taking a picture of herself with one hand and holding pink baby with the other hand ~ that is determination & talent I must admit :-)

Brittney's Class Assembly

Friday the 7th Brittney had her class assembly on the Celts. I kept meaning to blog about it but was actually waiting for a video clip she & her dad are putting together. I finally decided I will make the post without the video & can always add the video later...

Brittney & her class did an EXCELLENT job. The assembly covered what they have been studying in class as well as highlighting a recent trip to Flag Fen. I must admit I sat there with tears in my eyes watching as my "little" girl made me so proud!

Brittney a Celt from 2000 years ago

The Celt warriors

The Celt woman with 2 chorus girls :-)