Boys weekend.......

The boys weekend included, snowmobiling, ice fishing, grilling meat on an open flame on the ice, video games, and much, much more. As you can see, everyone had a great time! And yes the boys brought me back a gift....laundry!

Trying to get the picture.....

As I said in the post below, I spent a lot of time trying to get June to perform for the camera, however, she did not get the memo. These are some of the highlights...

eating lint.....yes, I know, mother of the year...

playing with small plastic bags filled with small barrettes, again, mother of the year....

finally, Mom will you leave me alone......

None of the distractions relieved the performance anxiety....Ha! However, she is darn cute if I do say so myself!

Walking around.....

I tried all day to get June to perform....finally Max helped!

Memories of China.....

For those of you who have been with us since the begining of this blog I am sure you remember the heartbreak we endured in China.....While working on our scrapbook of China this weekend I came across this picture of June. This is the second night we had her. She is so peaceful and beautiful. I know she was meant to be with our family and I am so truly grateful she is.

In Remembrance.......

Our family suffered a huge loss this past week...My grandmother "Gummy" passed away at almost 87 years of age. She had seen many things in her long lifetime, World Wars, The Depression, and modernization beyond compare. She was an excellent mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She raised two amazing daughters(my aunt and my mother), had two grandchildren, as well as 5 great-grandchildren. I have many childhood memories of her and they will be cherished, I know my boys will also cherish the memories of their great-grandmother.......she will be missed.

Junie news......

Sorry to say I have not taken many photos this week, however, Junie has been very busy....She now takes about 6-8 steps in a row(then drops to the floor for the crazy crawl), she says "SHHHH!" with her finger in front of her lips, she says Mama(melt my heart), she meows like our cat Callie, and tries to mimic every thing we do. She has been a blast this last week. We have been home almost six months and the time is flying.......

Traffic in China....

The traffic in China was as amazing as The Great Wall(well almost). The rules of the road were as follows....bigger and faster rule the road. While in Nanchang we were told not to cross the street. Well, today, on the Nightly News there was a story on traffic in China. Click here to experience a little of China.

June working the camera.....

June was working the camera this morning. She was so sweet and sassy this morning I couldn't help but take pictures. She is such a joy! We are having a girls weekend this weekend, shopping, naps and digital scrapbooking(did I say naps?).

Happy Valentine's Day....

June wishes everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Basketball......

It is basketball season once again. Two of the boys are playing rec league basketball and one is playing indoor soccer. This is one of the games we attended this weekend!

June's Baptism.....

Good bye year of the pig....

If you are a pig you.....
....are usually hardworking, caring, trustworthy, kind, and affectionate, despite your name.
...are most suited to other pigs or sheep.
....would be a wonderful comedian, artist, or lawyer.

June Shao is a pig......


If you are a rat you.....
....are creative, ambitious, and hardworking.
....are most compatible with a dragon, a monkey, or an ox.
....might make an excellent critic, publicist, or sales person.

Welcome year of the rat!

June's first steps.....

June took her first steps....I guess I should begin with the spot on June's forehead. Since the kids did not have school today, I decided to go to mass this morning instead of tonight. I was trying to get pictures of June with her first ashes. As I tried to take her picture she started to take steps toward me. I was so excited, not only did she take her first steps I had the camera in my hand, how lucky am I. As you can see above Max watched it all happen. Yeah Junie!

Let it snow....

This is the view from our house today. I have not seen snow like this since I was a kid. We are expecting almost 18 inches of snow today.

TV...................

We have a very busy household, as a result, Russ and I do not watch much TV. However, one show we both enjoy viewing is No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. He is funny, sarcastic, and enjoyable to watch. He travels, eats, and lets you know how he feels no matter what. He is not for everyone but he does make us laugh.

Stomach bug....

Sweet June has a stomach bug. It is the first time she has been sick since she joined our family and it is breaking my heart. She is getting a lot of TLC! I hope she is feeling better soon.

Update: June has been able to keep down her bottles and is hopefully on the mend!

Look at June go.....

June has a new hobby....she pushes her walker around the first floor over and over again. She put Scruffy the dog in walker yesterday and took him for a ride. Each day she gets a little more brave. She stands by herself and is close to taking her first real step alone.