A LITTLE BOUNCE IN THE MUSIC

We decided to let DD begin taking violin lessons a couple of weeks ago. After her first lesson I began to question this decision greatly. The best way to describe the scene is to picture a small rubber ball being thrown into a completely empty room with great force. She was absolutely “bouncing off of the walls.” If you know DD, you know that she’s quite “active,” but this was BEYOND active!!! She couldn’t stay seated. She was constantly touching the other violins, violas and the cello. She seemed to be intrigued by everything in the room. Fortunately, her teacher has been working with children for many, many years and has several children of her own. She didn’t seem to be as concerned with DD’s behavior as I was, but I’m sure she must have been secretly thinking about buying Velcro for DD’s seat before her next lesson.

(Where are her shoes??? I know she had them on when we arrived. Oh my.)

Lesson 2 was MUCH BETTER even without the Velcro. Her teacher was very impressed with DD’s ability to recall and play everything she was taught during the first lesson. She told us that DD was already playing a song that normally takes her students approximately 2 months to learn. She also commented that it usually takes about 6 months for a lefty to master the correct hand position on the bow with her non-dominant hand, but that DD seemed to already have it. I honestly think that she was amazed that DD heard ANYTHING she said the first week. lol Maybe it just goes to show that adding a little BOUNCE to your MUSIC never hurts. Lol  

The Big One!

Last week I celebrated a REALLY BIG birthday…SO big that I don’t think the numbers are even on this keyboard. Lol Even if they were, I don’t think I could bring myself to actually type them. It’s taken me almost a week to actually post it. Lol So I’ll just say that it was great fun having all of the kids together to celebrate. I love to watch them interact. The older ones are like heroes to the little ones. Their b-day present to me was a new camera. YEA!!!! My old one has been dropped more times than I can count. The door that secures the batteries in the camera will not stay closed and there is no longer a ZOOM button, plus the image screen is much too small for my aging eyes.

  

I guess it was just falling apart…just a little too symbolic don’t you think?

Say Cheese!

Just thought I'd share some recent pictures we had made of the girls. Enjoy.

Heck No-Gecko!

We have been overrun with geckos this summer. They are SO creepy! They scare me to death. We’ve even found them INSIDE the house on a number of occasions. They just run in when we open the door. Yuk! Last week we even found a small snake beside Doodlebug’s bed! Oh my! Desperate for some help---we got a cat. Meet our great GECKO GETTER!

She still needs a name...

Why is it that I’m not feeling really good about this yet? Hmmmm.

Exercise?

Even home school students need recess but I'm not sure this counts as exercise.

This was more of what I had in mind...lol

Favorite Photo Friday

Do you think the story still ends the same when read upside down?lol

First Day-First Grade-Follies

Today was DD's first day in 1st Grade. How can that possibly be?  It just doesn't seem real.   Oh how I'd love to keep them small for just a few more years....Oh well...enough of that.  I've already been there and done that twice and I know how fast time flies so I'll just have to enjoy each day as it comes.  However....If these pictures are any indication of how our year is going to go...We may be in BIG trouble! LOL  They were SOOOOO silly!  (Just like little girls are supposed to be.)

Actually, Desheng Darling worked very hard today. She's so eager to learn.  It was Mama Darling who was ready for RECESS! lol

Celebrating Gotcha Day-2 Years!

August 20, 2007

August 20, 2009

So much has changed! The fear that once filled those little eyes is gone, replaced by a sparkle of confidence and happiness. Those quiet, sad, pouty little lips, once a prominent part of DB’s appearance are seldom ever seen. Instead we see a beautiful smile, followed by a precious giggle and questions…more questions…and more questions (although most of them are “Why?”) We’re no longer strangers like we were 2 years ago on that hot day in China, but now we’re a family connected by an indescribable love. Doodlebug has been such a blessing.... especially to DD. They are constant companions and best friends. DB seems to provide DD with the tremendous amount of attention she craves and is happy to do it. What a blessing!!!

Doodlebug is our “Girly-Girl”. She loves jewelry, make-up, frilly dresses, high-heel shoes, pony tails and kittens. We bought her this 

 “gotcha-day” kitten charm in a store filled with girly stuff.

I think she could have stayed in there all day!

Next, it was off to the mall to buy something from the Disney store.

Doodlebug decided on a cat….just like the one she bought last year! As a matter  of fact, she chose a “kitten charm” last year too. This girl loves cats!   

As you can tell, DD is more into the "fairy stage" right now.
Sister Darling was able to leave her job and join us for lunch. The girls were thrilled that she came to help us celebrate. Lastly....THE CAROUSEL! 

Notice Doodlebug's ride...A CAT! 

DD and DB have been the best mid-life crisis decisions we’ve made thus far….

Happy Gotcha Day, Doodlebug! We love you.

Summer Reading Program Success

(The last picture taken of Desheng Darling with all of her front teeth.)

After all of the tooth excitement, DD and DB went to a special carnival at the library to celebrate the end of the Summer Reading Program. The children participating in the program earned tickets based on the number of books they read during the months of June and July. DD read approximately 220 books and received 195 tickets! There were lots of games and activities at the carnival. Each one REQUIRED ONLY 1 TICKET!!! Needless to say, we ran out of energy LONG before we ran out of tickets!

Doodlebug loved the limbo!They both enjoyed "dunking" the volunteer!Time for a little lolli-pop picking!And "ringing" the octopus.And before leaving...they both had to have their fingernails painted! The good times continued when the girls got home with a visit from Sister Darling and a little fun in the sun. (We can always count on Doodlebug for the latest in swimsuit fashions!) lol

What's Missing?

Notice anything different about DD? Yep, there's a tooth missing. After days of wiggling it back and forth and refusing assistance from Mama D and Daddy D, Desheng Darling's tooth finally came out while she was eating breakfast. She just looked at us and calmly asked, "Is this what a tooth looks like?" She was holding a little tooth and smiling from ear to ear as if she had accomplished something amazing! It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up.

HAPPY HULA BIRTHDAY!

Doodlebug had a GREAT birthday party today! After changing her mind a hundred times, she finally decided that she wanted a HULA party for her 4th birthday. What fun!

All of the guests had little grass hula skirts and leis. They were SO cute! We are truly blessed to have such sweet friends. It was especially good to see Panda Mom and Panda Girl again. They had to travel quite a distance to get to our house.

After time in the play room...

A quick lunch...

And a little Fun in the Sun,

Doodlebug blew out her candles and

opened her gifts!

She was SO excited!
Doodlebug really had a FANTASTIC 4TH! Thanks to everyone who helped to make it so special. (We really missed you Spicy Girl and 'Lil Ms. Firecracker. We hope to see you soon.)