There is Love

For 12 amazing years Mark and I have been together. The proposal, on Mt. Sugarloaf, 10 years ago. 10, as in a decade. Oh my how time flies!

Nine years ago today I said "I do" and married the man of my dreams.

We have survived six moves with homes in 4 states and Washington D.C. We've loved 3 cats and are blessed with 3 beautiful children. Can you believe it?

Life has thrown us some unexpected curve balls. With each challenge, you have revealed the strength of your character, the depth of your spirit, and enough courage for the both of us.

You are my rock, my best friend who keeps me young through your silly ways and laughter. You have taught me what unconditional love means and through you we have created the kind of family I have always wanted.

I love our adventures and I can't wait to see what's next. Happy Anniversary moy muzh. Я буду всегда любить тебя.

Ni Hao, Kai Lan Birthday Party

We had just one chance to make the trip back to Iowa before our move. Since the girls' birthdays are just 6 weeks apart (Helena turned 1 and Sophie was turning 3) we decided to have a combo birthday party at my baby sister's new house. The theme had to be the girls' favorite cartoon Ni Hao, Kai Lan. (ni hao means "hello" in Mandarin Chinese). Party prep started a couple of months ahead of time and as usual I went all-out and had the most fun in planning every detail.

Once the theme had been chosen the next thing to do was make the invitations, the first taste our guests would have of the atmosphere I hoped to create. I found a program that makes photos look like cartoons. Then I played around a bit more and came up with this:

Kai Lan is known for wearing red flowers in her hair. I didn't think they could be too difficult to make and they would make great favors for our guests. At the craft store I picked up a sprig of the right flowers and a low temp hot glue gun. The barrettes were from the drug store. I set to work pulling the flowers apart and in one afternoons while the girls napped, I had made more than a dozen pairs. I felt like Martha Stewart! Unfortunately low temp hot glue does not work on metal barrettes and silk flowers and those little buggers popped off if you looked at them wrong. So, I headed back to the craft store. This time I bought jewelry and metal glue. With my first barrette, I glued my fingers onto the metal and nearly had a panic attack until I got myself unstuck 20 minutes later. Yet, the end result was worth it.

The party colors were bold; red, black, yellow, blue, and gold and the Chinese theme made decorating so much fun. This is the Year of the Dragon and the party stores still had plenty of Chinese New Year decorations on hand, and often for sale. The dollar store had brightly colored paper lanterns, which would later be hung in the kids' bedrooms. For the party favors, I chose quart sized red Chinese food take out boxes. Inside were (inexpensive, but fun) goodies like Chinese paper folding fans, Chinese paper yo-yos, Chinese finger traps, firecrackers, Chinese gum, chop sticks, and chocolate fortune cookies. The boxes served as weights for the balloons, which doubled as decorations until it was time to send them home with our friends.

The party supply stores don't keep Ni Hao, Kai Lan plates and napkins in stock, but I found them on sale here. The trick to keeping the cost down, yet stay with the theme is to pad with plates, napkins, table cloths, etc. in the color theme. I stacked the dinner plates with a Kai Lan plate, then a red plate, then a yellow plate. I only bought one Kai Lan table cloth and the rest were solid black, red, and yellow. You get the idea.

We were having the party a la Midwestern style, as in outside in the garage and back yard. In the corner was a tv and Wii console because we had a Ni Hao, Kai Lan game complete with dragon boat races. We set up an activity table with coloring pages printed from here. Another table had supplies to make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. We used wooden Chinese Lucky beads and we even had Chinese coins mixed in. My Aunt Sandy did a great job helping the kids make their jewelry. The littlest kids who could not manage this project had large play beads so that they would not be left out.

We had red velvet cupcakes with yellow frosting and chocolate cupcakes with red frosting. Each were topped with chocolate sprinkles, a Kai Lan flag (which I made by printing out an image, reversing that image and wrapping around a craft wooden stick) and a Chinese flag toothpick. The cupcake wrappers were gold foil, of course.

What party is complete without a pinata? As lady bugs feature prominently in the Kai Lan cartoons, we chose a lady bug (which didn't get completely destroyed and now hangs in the girl's bedroom). This pinata has ribbons hanging from the bottom. Only one is attached to a trap door. This way, the littlest guests could participate even if they were not ready to swing a bat by pulling a ribbon one at a time.

continued HERE...

Beach Baby

On Sophie's 3rd birthday I fulfilled a childhood dream. My family spent the day at the beach, body surfing, building sand castles, and soaking up the rays. Growing up in Iowa meant that the closest thing we had to the ocean was a man-made lake and it wasn't until I left home that I saw an ocean for the first time. As a young girl I devoured the Sweet Valley High books that were set in Malibu, which may be where my desire to be a beach babe began. I lived in a bikini as a teen in my pre-baby body and rocked a serious tan during those Iowa summers. Nowadays my skin is fair enough to glow in the dark. Seriously.

No one was as giddy as I was when our family of five parked our van a few hundred feet from the boardwalk. Camera ever in hand, I captured my son's first glimpse of the sea. I studied the girls over the next few hours as they gained more confidence in this strange new place. At first they were unsure of leaving the blanket for the dry sand. Then, the wet sand was a whole new ball game. Venturing into the water was both exciting and scary. Sophie grabbed hold of me so tight the first time I took her into the water. When the wave washed over her feet, she lifted her lower body as high as she could and I couldn't stop roaring. She impressed me with how quickly she adapted and spent a great deal of time walking out into the waves which occasionally knocked her off balance. "Whoa!" she said all day long as each wave came in.

One of my favorite shots is Helena's first dip in the water. Scared but trusting, she clung to me for reassurance. "Wee!" she would yell with each wave. She also quickly adapted and was soon scurrying across the sand like a hermit crab. Alexander jumped in right away but never ventured too far without us. He was intent on exploring and building sand castles with his dad. My children have no idea just how lucky they are.

As the day came to a close, we strolled the boardwalk, sharing fish and chips, ice cream, and checking out the cute shops busting at the seams with tchotchkes.

I dreamed of spending the day at the beach with my family. Though this dream had to wait for me to grow up and create a family of my own, it finally happened and it was better than anything I have ever imagined.

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Hurricane Game

If you are a Phillies fan, you may have heard about this game last week. They are calling it the hurricane game. As midwesterners, we are used to big thunderstorms. This storm was technically a thunderstorm but it was definitely not like what we are used to.

The guys went to the Phillies vs. Indians game and from their seats on the 4th deck, they watched the storm move in. We were in constant contact via texting as the girls and I watched the storm from the safety of the house. Sirens went off three times and the power was flickering constantly.

We are used to powerful wind gusts, but this was different. This wasn't a gust but more like a sustained hurricane wind. From their seats at the game they kept an eye on the buildings in the distance. Slowly those buildings began to disappear as the storm marched closer.

They left their seats and took cover in a merchandise store. Dale reports that they were some of the last people that the store let in. This monster gave the stadium a whopping, breaking off parts of the building, shattering glass, tossing hot dog stands and merchandise like it was nothing. The super heavy tarp that they put down to cover the infield was whipped in the air like a flag on a pole. It even drug a small truck that was parked on it to hold it down. Garbage was flying through the air and the tv monitors were destroyed. Trees were blown over and people got hurt at the ball park. After a long rain delay, the game resumed, but they guys had come home.

That evening I picked up pizza at a neighborhood family owned place and chatted with the owners. A grocery store nearby had a collapsed roof. Neighborhoods were littered with downed trees and power was out in many places. I had been under the impression that this part of the country didn't have storms like this. Guess we brought them with us.
our footage

other videos of the hurricane game found on youtube

Sundaes in the Park

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening for our goodbye party. The gorgeous sky was cloudless and the temperature was perfect. It was warm enough for splashing around in the water, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.

Gathered at our neighborhood park, a large number of our friends came together to build their own sundaes and say goodbye to our little family. I was touched by how many came to wish us well. Yesterday was a day filled with tears. Happy tears for the new adventure that we are set to embark upon and sadness for leaving behind a community that we have grown to love. A community that embraced us from the moment we set foot in this corn field.

Thanks C-U. You will all forever be in our hearts!
(slideshow below)

Spontaneity

We were exhausted from cleaning and packing all day, not to mention dirty. The girls had bed head from their naps. Despite our appearances we got out the double stroller - M.C.U. (mobile command unit) and headed out into the neighborhood.

Some how, without prior planning, we made it all the way to our favorite restaurant where the guacamole makes me happy, the chips are addicting, and the beer comes in a giant mug.

We sat outside under a giant umbrella and learned that Helena, (who takes after me), can put down a serious amount of chips and guac. I loved sitting at that round metal table. Every once in a while when I look at my children I am overcome with how amazing our little family is. In that moment the festive Mexican music set the mood as we all relaxed. Sweat dripped off our mugs as I drank in my beautiful family and rested my weary bones. Heaven.

I can't help it. I love this shot (above), but it needs a caption. Anyone?

Afterwards we made a detour to the custard shop and then headed to our park. The kids have always thought of it as our park because it is so close to our house. We're going to really miss it.

We headed home and ended the night with bubble baths. Sometimes the best family trips are 100% unplanned.

Memorial Day

We have a new header photo!

click the collage to enlarge