~ FALL IS FUN ~

The air is crisp
Sweaters are on

The season has changed

Welcome Fall!

Good-bye summer

Hello,

Fall memories . . .

~ MORE DANCIN' AND MORE BOWS ~

I am having so much fun dressing Mia for her dance class, watching her dance and making bows for her to wear! It is so much fun having a girl ~ I love girly stuff! Mia did amazing again in her dance class ~ this time she ran in as soon as the door opened and I just stood by the window watching, admiring and oogling over my girl! She was doing wonderfully and just seemed to have "had it" the last 15 minutes; which isn't bad considering it's a 45 minute class. She has come such a long way and I am so excited to watch her go the rest :)

How darling is this?

Taylor, Meaghan and Mia

watching the prior dance class,

and waiting for their turn . . .

Before leaving for dance class I had an idea for a new bow ~ a "Charm Bow" ~ I had bought a small package of charms and tiny rings which I attached onto the bow with thread. I chose a charm that said HOPE (Mia's middle name) ~ it looked so adorable; but trying to get a picture of it with my active girl was near impossible!! She was in such a dance-able mood I video taped her:

~ MID-AUTUMN MOON FESTIVAL ~

We enjoyed celebrating the Autumn Moon Festival with our China Princess. I read the boys the story of this holiday from our "Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon boats" book. Anthony had to take out his telescope to see if he could see the Jade Rabbit on the moon; and lo and behold, he did see "something"!

Mia by the light of the moon!

I tried so hard to get a good photo,

but my girl would NOT stand still!

Honestly, as we were outside viewing this very bright moon, all the kids wanted to do was go inside and eat the mooncakes! I warned them that the "cakes" do not really taste like our American version of a cake!

Can you see the anticipation?!

Mia really enjoyed them!

We bought black bean and lotus seed filled mooncakes. They are very heavy (to hold and once in your stomach!) and the boys were not too impressed. The black bean mooncakes had a more "familiar" taste to them than the lotus seed. We each had a few bites and then I shared mine with a "hungry" golden retriever:

Yes, she gobbled it up!

"I'll have the rest!"

This is our first year celebrating under the moon ~ even though we were home from China with Mia last year. You see, we were still adjusting as a family and then my big boy fell and broke his arm! It was a crazy time and the last thing I thought to do was order some mooncakes. I'm glad we could gather as a family under this cloudy, yet bright moon. We are all together :)

HAPPY AUTUMN MOON!

"Autumn Moon Festival, literally ‘Mid-Autumn Festival’, or the Birthday of the Moon is a time to have the family together, eat a festive meal including moon cakes, and enjoy the moonlight. Children & adults carry paper lanterns and climb hills to get a good view of the full moon. They give thanks to the bright, silvery moon of the eighth lunar month. Some call it a “Chinese Thanksgiving”.

Mooncakes are round like the moon. The round shape is a symbol for togetherness and harmony. Made of flaked pastry, they often have egg yolks in the center, to represent the moon, and sweet fillings of red bean paste, lotus seed paste, coconut or nuts. The sweetness of them represents good fortune or good harvest.

On the evening of the Autumn Moon Festival, people carrying paper lanterns climb hills and mountains to get a good view of the full moon. They give thanks to the bright, silvery moon of the eighth lunar month."

~ "I'M WEARING RED, WHITE & BLUE" ~

Mia has her patriotic colors on because she became an American citizen on Sept 13, 2007! This is the day we arrived home from China the year before, her sweet little feet touched American soil and "ta, da!" ~ she's a citizen!

We took the kids out to celebrate!

"I love this country!"

On another note: Anthony received his little league trophies today (even though the season was over in June. . . ) and his team was awared 3rd place in their division and another one for "playoff runner ups" ~ way to go honey!

HAPPY AUTUMN MOON EVERYONE! We are (sort of ) excited to try out our moon cakes tonight ~ I say sort of because I hear they are . . . interesting! Wish us luck!

~ "SHE HAS TALENT!" ~

Princess Mia started her dance class today! However, before I get to that (it was w/out mommy too! sort of...) and pictures; I have a funny story:

We were at our local wholesale food "club" and while the husband checked out I brought the kids over to get a drink. While waiting on a line, a woman standing across from us (selling roofing) walked over while Mia was "dancing" and spinning and jumping around. She said she just had to come over and say how lovely Mia is and how she really seems to have talent. Awww, I was beaming and soooo proud. Then, she said she had been a dancer and a performer and traveled all over for shows ~ she knew talent when she saw it. I told her how Mia would be starting dance class in a few days and she was thrilled. She said so many parents didn't recognize talent in their children and it was wonderful that I did!

So, after getting drinks and meeting up with the husband and packing everything into the car, we drove off. As we were driving I told Ed about our encounter with this woman and all the encouraging comments she made ~ what does he say? "And this is what she's doing now?!!" Well, he did have a point, totally busted my bubble and brought me out of my "fantasyland". Thanks honey!

I do think she has talent though - like any good mommy would :)

On to our first dance class - not a mommy and me dance class - I was skeptical; however she did really well....

Baby ballerina!

This was her expression for

the entire class :)

Poor quality photo,

but perfect subject!

Bean bag dance

JUMP!

I did stay in the corner for most of the class,

slowly moving closer to the door...

I was watching from behind the window -

She participated and had fun!

Poor quality photo (again)

But, how could I not post this!!

What a wonderful first dance class! At first Mia seemed a little thrown off, but she quickly warmed up and had a ball! She gave it her all ~ as she often does and was beaming. I was so happy and proud of my girl. I spent a 1/2 hour huddled on the floor in the corner; and then for the last 15 minutes I watched from behind the glass. She did come over and try to get out the door, but the teachers quickly distracted her and brought her back to the "action". When the class was done and she received her lollipop and sticker - well, she ran over to me with a beautiful smile :)

Now on to my exciting venture... bow making! And is it fun! I love being creative and this has been giving me such a thrill lately (sad, I know). It was very frustrating at first, trying to follow directions (there are sooooooo many sites online) and figure out which way to loop the ribbon - after my buddy (Jenn) gave me a quick tutorial, I was on my way!

My very first bow

Isn't she beautiful :)

Mia's head is beautiful without the bow,

but now it's awesome (he, he)

Korker, tulle and ballet shoes

CUTE!

This is what Mia wore for her class today!

I just made a Halloween korker and a Fall korker ~ it's so funny, because you have to bake them in the oven (twirl the ribbon around a wood dowel first) and bake it for 25 minutes :) Who knew?

Anyhow, I'm having fun and satifying my creativity - and I have a gorgeous subject adorning my creations ~ ok, I' getting carried away now ~

~ A PICKING WE WILL GO ~

Peaches, nectarines, apples ~ Oh My!

We decided to go peach picking today, and then the boys wanted nectarines, and then they all wanted apples! Needless to say, we have a bushel full of fruit for the next few weeks. It was a nice warm, sunny day and there was a slight breeze in the air which was perfect:

"Where do I start?" Alittle help from daddy.
Anthony climbs for the high ones!Mia fits right in with our "monkeys",

which has always been our nickname for the boys:)


The Great Peach Debate!

After dinner I made a warm, crunchy apple crisp ~ Fall is just about here!

~ FAMILY DAY 2008 ~

I have been looking forward to putting this outfit (and pocketbook) on Mia since we bought it while in Guangzhou, at "A Gift From China". I had it ironed days before and when Mia first saw it she said "brella", since the girls in the pattern are holding umbrella's ~ Mia also has a "thing" for umbrellas! I thought she looked just precious and I tried my hardest to get that perfect photo, or what I think is the perfect photo. I think they captured the day, this special day just right :)

My favorite. . . has to be the last one - my girl loves her noodles and she's not ashamed of it :)

Seriously, we had a busy day, with school starting; but it was a wonderful day spent with family ~ HAPPY 1ST FAMILY DAY MIA HOPE YUDAN!