The start to our weekend

It's all good - we are grateful.....

For my dog lover bloggers

"The average dog is nicer than the average person."
Andrew Rooney

That was the inside of a thank you card we received today - too funny and oh so true - especially today where even before 9:00 a.m. I had 4 "older" people yell at me for riding my bike over a bridge near our house today. Thought I would get my cardio in on the outside being the weather is just incredible but apparently I'm not welcome :( I had no idea that you couldn't ride bikes over this bridge - why the heck not is what I want to know. I've done it before and its' a great workout and even more so now that I can actually make it over with out walking it the last part - back to the gym I suppose. I couldn't believe how rude people were about it - the only nice person I met on my adventure was a sweet man with his very cute dog who was also going over the bridge. What next, no dogs on the bridge?

FIVE

Here we are five months in to our wait for our daughter. My feelings for this month are neutral - I know we are not close, but I don't want to get down this month about the wait - I want to stay optimistic and hopeful. I'm following so many wonderful families that are so close, that I will enjoy their happiness and know that our time is coming. I overheard Joe talking to a friend about the wait and he said "there is a plan, it's just not one that I wrote" and then he added "our daughter is out there, we just have to have patience". Well, he's got the patience, not me but I will try to remember these words. MRK - as I have said each month - we are one step closer..... Happy 5 month LIDaversary to us....

My Secret Pal is Theresa!

Our October Tea Monkeys group first round of Secret Pals has ended and my wonderful SP was Theresa! I had some very good clues and sort of figured it out but was very happily surprised when I came home to a big brown box on the front step. I must admit that I cried when I opened the box - even before getting to the gifts. Joe was with me and asked why I was crying - well it was hard to explain - it was just this overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Theresa and I "met" on the CCAI paperchase board way back in June of 06' - we shared many of our milestones together - fingerprints, bumps along the way, but eventually DTC and LID the same day. I even had the pleasure of meeting her and her wonderul husband at the CCAI Orlando reunion. Well having had Theresa as my SP was very special to me - I believe that we will travel together to meet our daughters. First thing I opened, per Theresa's instructions, was the beautiful book You're All My Favorites - inside was a touching note. Theresa, I too believe that we will be lifetime friends and forever connected. Next up, was the beautiful ladybug picture frame that we decided will be for Miranda's referral picture. We also received a Lifebook Writing Guide - this has been something I have been looking into so I can't wait to read this and begin her Lifebook. The ladybug pen was quickly taken by Joseph for his backpack to take to school tomorrow. The Treasured Traditions St. Patrick's Day photo album is great and I look forward to start some green outfit photos for this! Okay, the SHOES - They are too cute and we can't wait to see her little feet in them. The beautiful ladybug is proudly being displayed in our living room and I can't wait to try to the Gracie Spa Scrub - it smells fabulous! Last, but not least, MRK received a Ladybug discovery toy - it looks like so much fun and Joseph can't wait to play it with her ( and either can Joe & I) - Theresa, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful gifts for us and for Miranda Rae - but I am eternally grateful for the friend I have found on this journey to our daughter. ~~~Daniella

Weekend

I love the weekends - no strict bedtime, no homework, no place to be first thing in the morning - no school, no gym, just time together all day. We spent Friday night at our house with our good friends Alex, Monica and their kids Jose & Monica. Jose was the first friend Joseph made when he started school here in 2004 - we all ended up being friends through their meeting. We always have a good time with them and even though Alex was on-call, his patients all were okay while they were here :) Little Monica can't wait for Mimi to come home so she can have a girl to play with. The rest of our weekend wasn't so great - our beloved Leopard Gecko, Spot, died on Saturday - Not sure what happened. Our Bearded Dragon Picachoo is doing well but the empty cage was too much, so on Sunday we added another Gecko to our family - his name is Jango. All is well again in Joseph's bedroom. The best part of our weekend was watching a Manatee that has been living in our canal for the past few weeks. (pics below) I can watch them all day long. This poor guy has many, many scars. It always makes us sad to see how many scars some of them have from boaters. We are very cautious of these beautiful animals when we are boating. Joseph adopted 2 manatees last year from SAVE THE MANATEE. It is a great organization. We ended our weekend with our usual Chinese food dinner. This week Joe had the best fortune. It said: A beautiful, and loving person will be coming into your life. Hope everyone had a great weekend. This week we are coming up on our 5 month lidaversary, cut-off rumors should start happening and we are going to organize our garages ~ should be a fun week....

Joseph & Jose having fun in the pool

Joseph, Jose & Monica enjoying a Friday night movie
JANGO
OUR VISITING FRIEND

BEST FRIENDS

CAUGHT TRYING ALL OF JOE'S COLOGNES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Aunt Christina!!!! Wish we were with you to celebrate but we'll make up for it in the Bahamas. Hugs and kisses from us!

10 days goes so fast....

Tomorrow my mom goes back home. I can't believe 10 days went by so quickly. We had an awesome visit as usual. We did lots and I mean lots of shopping -We discovered that Dillards has the best shoe department and may even be better than Nordstroms. Joseph is going to miss being able to say yo gramster and all the other inappropriate words that they were cracking up about. He can't wait to watch Are You as Smart as a Fifth Grader tomorrow on the phone with Gram - we'll have to bend his bedtime for this one. I will have to re-introduce myself to my kitchen since I haven't had to cook in it for ten days! Yes, you read correctly all meals were prepared by the gramster and not only prepared but made in double and triple portions so that we will be able to eat good for awhile. Joseph was very happy that his Grandma was here to see him perform in his play at school - he said it was way better having her here for that than for Grandparents day. We are all very grateful for the time we spend together with my mom - When we decided to leave NY to a place where we had no family or friends my biggest fear was that we wouldn't see my mother as much as we did living around the corner. Well, we don't see you everyday Mom, but your support of our move and these visits mean the world to the three of us and hopefully soon four of us - I can't wait for your visits when MRK is here - she'll be our new shopping partner and I am really hoping she does like dresses even though you say you were cursed with a girl who hated them (me) and I may have to accept that - I refuse to believe it - bring on the dresses! See you next month in the Bahamas!!!! Below are some pictures of our ten days... Love you and miss you Mom.... Oh and Boo sends you lots of toe kisses!

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What kind of dog is she?

I have received many emails asking what kind of dog BOO is - well she is NOT a Yorkie - she is a Norwich Terrier. CHLOE was a Norfolk Terrier - and both girls came from the same breeder in Michigan. When Chloe died so tragically last October we couldn't imagine loving another dog as much as we loved her, but Robin, our wonderful breeder, knew that we could. Well, Ms. Boo has been with us 4 months now and I can't imagine life without her. She will never replace our Chloe girl but she too now has our hearts.... A very nice family we met on our last boat trip fell in love with Boo and they are now in the process of adopting a little Norwich from our breeder - this pup is Boo's cousin. Tom & Rae, can't wait to see pictures of your new addition!

~~~The butterfly counts not months, but in moments and has time enough..... We miss you Chloe~~~

Recent Pics

Entering Charlotte's Harbor

The boat Joseph hopes to own one day....

View as we have our morning coffee

Fun in the pool - dad is a human submarine - check out J's hands :)

Helping out - everyone has a job once we dock ~

Ms. Boo looking for her neighbors Sadie & Radar - where are those dogs?

ISTABOA - Neighboring boat while at Burnt Store Marina - Bob and Mel traveling from Memphis with their beautiful dogs, Sadie & Radar - Hope to see you all again in our travels....

The Letter "L"

Tawnijo gave me the letter "L". I need to list 10 things I love/like that start with the letter L. I thought it would take me longer to do this but here it is.... Thanks Tawnijo this was fun :) Let me know if you want a letter and I'll give you one....

L.O.V.E. - Giving, getting, it's all good.... It's what makes the world go round :)

LADYBUG
I love ladybugs. I have a ladybug nightlight on in MRK's room and I will not turn it off until she is home. It also turns out that MRK's Grandma has loved ladybugs since she was 16!

LIGHTHOUSES - We have been climbing/collecting lighthouses for about 4 years - Our favorite is still Cape May (199 steps) but our recent favorite is Boca Grande - not so many steps but still a very beautiful lighthouse.

LIBRARY - I have loved the library since before I could even read - Growing up, my
Grandmother took me to our little library juat a few blocks away almost everyday. I still love going to the library.

LAUGHING -I love to laugh and listen to laughing. I especially love to hear Joseph's laugh which is infectious, especially when he hears a bad word.

LAUNDRY - Okay, love is a strong word but I am a little obsessed with it, therefore I guess I like it. I do it everyday - I hate when it piles up. I don't understand people who do it just once a week. I am over the moon in love with my flip & fold which makes t-shirts look like the piles in the stores. I love Wrinkle Releaser which has made doing laundry such a joy! The first thing I do when we get somewhere by boat is make sure there is a laundry room. Now we have a washer/dryer on board so I'm beyond thrilled! I know, strange obsession to share.

LUKE SKYWALKER - Okay this one Joseph picked, but I told him he could help me and if he loves it then so do I.

LIGHTNING - I love lightning storms especially the great summer storms we get in Cape May.

LAW - Having worked in the law field for 15 years I still love all things law related - books, tv shows, etc. If I ever return to the work force, it would have to be in that field again.

LEMONADE - Especially the kind we make with our own lemons.

How could you get mad at this face?

Poor Boo - or poor Joe, I should say. Boo got a hold of Joe's "favorite" glasses last night and needless to say - there was some damage done. Well, my first question was how did she get them - that was not a relavent question apparently. Now Ms. Boo has officially entered the Chloe damage club - Chloe actually ate 2 pairs of glasses and 2 memory sticks when she was a pup. Thank goodness for Amex - I'm going to find out if they need a new dog for their commercial.

Violin

Here is a video of Joseph playing Etude which is the last song in his first Suzuki book. He will be taking 3 tests over the next month wherein he must play every song in this book perfectly, accompanied by the piano. He will then move on to Minuet 1. He is doing awesome playing along while Joe plays the piano parts, which is a huge breakthrough - they were constantly arguing over who was playing too fast but they have now found "their happy place". His first test is this Wednesday and he will play the first 3 songs.

In Adoption world - the CCAA finished matching through October 24, 2005 - very disappointing. I don't know why I do this but each month I believe for some strange reason there will be a speedup. At this rate, I'm afraid to even guess when we will see our daughter's face. Congratulations to all the families who will get their call soon! For those who just missed the cutoff, it's safe to say your next!

Prayer Request

To all my friends out there in Blogger world - Joe's nephew Bobby is in the hospital (ICU Dept.) He has endocarditis which is a very serious heart problem. Bobby and his wife Sherry have a four year old son Maxwell. Please pray for Bobby and his family.

Thanks
Daniella