Baby robins, deck day 7, & one ravenous child

We've been watching a Mommy robin sitting in her nest in one of our shrubs for several weeks now. We can see the nest perfectly by standing on our front porch and moving a few of the branches. Yesterday there were 3 pretty blue eggs in the nest and by this evening 2 of them had hatched. Ugly as they are, they are also so adorable!!! Helaina is thrilled, called Jim at work and screamed through the phone "a baby bird hatched!" Helaina also comforts the Mommy robin (who skwaks at us quite loudly) by telling her "Don't worry Mommy robin, we just looking. We not going to hurt your babies."

Deck dudes day 7: We have deck boards! It's a long-awaited miracle. After all the measuring, leveling, cementing posts, framing, and so on and so on we've actually got a surface to walk on. I went out back this afternoon and told our "deck dudes" that I was so excited to see boards in place. Their response was that they were probably more excited than me! What's remaining? A lot: finish the flooring, build the handrails, build the steps down to the lower level, then last but not least - construct the custom-made 48" high self-closing, self-latching gate so that it's up to code for pool barrier safety. We're getting there.

One ravenous child: Helaina has always had a good appetite, right from the first day we met our little bundle of fun in China and she weighed in at a healthy 27 pounds. Over the last week or so her appetite has seemed to pick up - tremendously. Swimming making her extra hungry? Growth spurt? Time to weigh and measure her height to see what's up. No sooner will she finish breakfast when she will ask "what for lunch" or "what for dinner", sometimes asking while she's still eating her breakfast! She's never been one to miss a meal or a snack (like father, like daughter). We had an apple juice spill all over the kitchen table and floor this morning at breakfast, then we had a milk spill at dinner tonight. Why? I think it's because she's been diving into her food so vigorously that she's knocking things over that are in her way of the plate! Jim had a retirement party to attend tonight (too bad it wasn't his own) and I've got a cough, sore throat and chest thing going on so Helaina and I ordered wonton soup (like Chinese chicken noodle, right?) and rice for dinner. When I set Helaina's bowl of soup down in front of her I thought I was going to lose an arm - she had the spoon in her hand ready and was eating before the bowl hit the table. "More soup, more rice please." Okey dokey, my little eating machine. Should have snapped an adorable picture of her slurping the wonton soup but I was enjoying watching her eating so much that I didn't want to leave the table!

Everybody quiet ... Surprise!

We celebrated Aunt Cathy's birthday today with a surprise party thrown by my brother. She suspected something was up by my brother's anxious behavior this morning but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Helaina couldn't wait to scream "Surprise!" and she had been practicing for the last few days.

Anna enjoyed the cheese & crackers and we got to meet Nic's 3-week old baby brother. Helaina thought he was adorable and wanted to hold him - maybe next time. I told her that he was very tiny and very fragile and she couldn't squeeze him like one of her baby dolls!

Helaina loves it when she can skip her nap (which isn't very often) and she had a busy day today. This morning she went swimming with Daddy, then there was the party with all the excitement and running around with Nic and Anna. She was out cold in her carseat on the way home, clutching the balloons she nabbed from the party.

I asked Helaina last night how she wanted her hair done for the party and she requested a french braid (I absolutely love playing with her hair now that it's getting longer). I then asked her if I should do Daddy's hair in a french braid too. Not even missing a beat, she said "He don't have enough hair. He not a girl." We couldn't stop laughing.

Helaina floating around on Jim's Father's Day present. Funny how everything always ends up in her hands. One of her favorite things to say is "It mine now?" Uh, no sweetie, but we're happy to share with you.

Helaina was in the pool twice today - in the morning with Daddy and after the party with me. Needless to say she went to bed a little early tonight and mucho tuckered out.

Deck Dudes

"The deck dudes are here, Mommy." This is what I heard yesterday morning when Helaina saw the 2 guys who are building our deck head into the backyard to start working - deck dudes, that's what she calls them, ha ha. This is what it looked like last night at the end of day 2 of construction - and deconstruction. We decided to have them chop off part of our existing deck and build steps to get down to the new lower deck level that will go right up to the pool. We're still trying to clean up mountains of clay & backfill around the pool, level the trench that was dug from the filter to the house for electrical, and now we've got a deck mess going on. Through it all we've been in the pool daily. Helaina's gained confidence wearing her life jacket in the pool and doggie-paddles around CONSTANTLY. I'll say one thing, she's been sleeping a lot later in the morning since she's started swimming!

We bought Helaina 2 new pairs of earrings as a pre-school "graduation" gift. We gave them to her last night and she said "I love them. I so happy." She's so easy to please. I picked out Disney princess crowns with a pink stone in them ...

... and of course, Dora. In true princess fashion, Helaina selected the crowns to wear this morning.

Funny Helaina:

We were all in the pool last night after dinner and Helaina was non-stop swimming around the pool in her life jacket. I told her that the type of swimming she was doing was called the doggie paddle. Her response: "But we don't have a doggie, Mommy." She cracks me up.

I am just FURIOUS ... with myself (sigh)

I have my camera with me at all times, wherever I go - even to the grocery store. My motto is always be ready with the camera because you never know when the opportunity will arise for that perfect, adorable, unique or hilarious photo. Today was the moving up party and celebration at Helaina's pre-k and Jim and I were there on time. Jim was ready to videotape the ceremony (I made sure he had the recorder before we left the house) and I was ready to snap hundreds of photos - uh, not. As soon we parked the car and started walking toward the school I gasped when I realized that I left my camera on the dining room table at home. I could not believe it. Helaina's first pre-k graduation with songs, diplomas and partying and I would have no pictures. Did I start to cry? What do you think! Jim recorded the entire morning and he said that he can take the tape and make photos out of it with a program on our computer, but that didn't make me any happier at that moment. It's 4 hours later and I'm still fuming about it. So here's our little graduated gal at home with her diploma and "super kid award" necklace, definately tired, worn out and not in the mood to be photographed.

Here's one of the pictures Helaina's teacher gave us.

These are a few pics from the class DVD that we bought. I snapped them with my camera(!) when we were home watching the adorable DVD that is set to music.

A Cinderella princess dress that was one of Helaina's favorites.

Playing with sand.

Helaina's "favorite" booklet she made.

The program was adorable. Helaina and her classmates paraded into the cafeteria and took their spots on the floor while we all watched a slideshow with pictures of the kids. Next they all sung 2 songs with their teacher, so precious. Then they each had their name called up to a podium where Miss Melinda put the award necklace on them and handed them their diploma. Then there was cookies, drinks and mayhem the rest of the time. I was able to snap a few pictures with my cellphone but they aren't that great. My new camera motto? I'll be keeping a disposable camera in my car AT ALL TIMES for my next senior moment. Grrrrrrr.

These are the paper towel butterflies Helaina made at school for Jim for Father's Day. The blue handprint is a card that opens up and has a poem in it that says "My hands were once so tiny, I needed so much care. Thank you so much Daddy, for always being there." And she signed it with a huge "H E" because that's how far she's gotten in learning how to write her name!

Wow, one year of pre-k under her belt. Time is just flying by and our Asian angel is growing up. She's been with us now for more than 2 life-changing years. I can hardly believe it. "I a big girl now Mommy." You certainly are, sweetie.

Happy Father's Day

"Happy Day Happy Father's Day!!!" was how Jim started his morning off. Helaina was excited right out of the gate this morning, anxious to give Jim his gifts. As she hid behind her back the blue paint hand-print and butterfly paper towel creations (both made at school), she had Jim cover his eyes, then she screamed "surprise!"

Too funny.

A Nemo card, so appropriate because Helaina's favorite movie this week has been Finding Nemo (over and over again).

Blurry picture but funny. We got Jim a float for him to drift around the pool in and Helaina wanted it for herself. "Mine!" "No, mine!" "Mine!" "No, mine!" "We share?" as she tried to pry it out of Jim's hands!

I gave Jim his choice of brunch or dinner at a restaurant and he chose brunch. We headed over to the Ramada for a yummy feast. Helaina's favorites this morning were scrambled eggs and turkey sausages. "More eggs, more shawsages please."

I tried to get a picture of Daddy and daughter but after about 10 shots I gave up and went back to eating my breakfast. These were the best ones, believe it or not - the 2 of them staring at who knows what and one with a goofy look on Helaina's face while Jim drinks coffee.

When our server brought us the bill she said she didn't charge us for Helaina because she didn't eat that much. Must be she wasn't paying too close attention because Helaina had 2 plates of eggs & sausages, a donut (that we had to take off the breakfast buffet because Helaina stuck her finger right in the middle of the jelly as we were walking by!), and her "breakfast dessert" was a waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

THE MINUTE we got home from brunch, you know what the child wanted. "We go in the big pool right now? It hot out." She'd spend all day splashing if we left her. She was swimming this morning and then again after her nap this afternoon. Time to buy waterproof sunblock by the gallon.

When it got close to dinner time I told Helaina that she had 5 more minutes then she had to get out of the pool. Her response: "How about a thousand more minutes?" Even Joshua was ready to get out.

What better way to end the day with a Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake from Carvel.

Mmmmm, Fudgie.

Splashdown Saturday ... finally.

We finally made it into the pool today for the first time. Helaina was very impatient this morning while Jim was making final adjustments to the entry ladder and steps. "Can we pleeeeeze go in the big pool now? How much longer?" [groan by Helaina] "What TAKING so long? What we waiting for?" [whine by Helaina]. It was a torture for all of us but the moment she finally got in the water was all worth it. Squeals of delight hardly begin to explain her excitement. I didn't take too many pictures (hard to believe) because we wanted to enjoy watching Helaina enjoy!

We ended our Splashdown Saturday with a private party at the zoo this evening. There was a barbeque, lots of cotton candy, cookies and ice cream (Helaina's dentist would be thrilled) and fun with the animals.

This lion looks like she's passed out on the rock after a drinking binge, and the monkey is posed as if he's doing "see no evil".

Getting heart-shaped balloons painted on her arm and the final product. Check out the look on Helaina's face. She definately wasn't in the mood for picture taking at this moment.

Picture taking at this moment was fine, though. Helaina's first encounter this year with beloved Siri, the gentle giant. Siri is absolutely magnificant & beautiful and seeing her up-close makes me realize why the elephant is Helaina's favorite animal. Helaina could hardly contain herself while waiting for Siri to make her way down to us so she could touch her. She kept saying "I so excited!", all the time jumping up and down. It seems as if Siri is looking right into Helaina's eyes.

Patting Siri on the side as she makes her way down the line of excited children.

Making the rounds and doing some tricks. Almost seems as if she's smiling, doesn't it?

Siri demonstrating her amazing strength then getting a carrot as a reward.

Swimming in the "big pool" and a trip to the zoo - life is good when you're 4 years old.