Happy 7th Birthday with Hello Kitty!!

Funny when I think back six years. Seems like yesterday. On February 17th, 2006, we boarded a plane home from China with our precious little Empress. It was a long trip! But, she was soooooo good. Maybe fussed 30 minutes total in about 30 hours of travel. We planned a long layover in San Francisco and checked into a hotel near the airport for a quick snooze before our final leg home. We arrived home on the midnight flight. There was tons of snow. Tons. It was cold!! We drove the thirty minutes home and were greeted at the door by my Mom and Dad. Two very excited new grandparents, soooooo happy to finally meet and hold their little grasshopper. The next morning, February 18, our Empress turned one! Todd and I were exhausted, way too tired to celebrate a one year olds birthday. Not Nana and Papa Skip. They quickly hurried down to the local grocery store and nabbed a tasty little 7-Up cake.

Yesterday was my Empress' 7th birthday! Daddy is working this weekend in Dallas, and he was sadly missed...though we managed to cram in enough Hello Kitty to make everyone feel a little better. The Empress invited 8 little friends, 5 of which came to the party. Emerson, her best girlfriend for the past 6 years came up from Missoula. We were soooo happy to see her. We had been planning the party since last summer and had some awesome little goodies for the girls. It was fun. The girls played games, ate yummy cake and loudly celebrated. We even served orange Fanta...a very rare treat. Auntie Sue-Sue and Sheri helped out and we managed to keep the girls under a semblance of control. Last evening Sue-Sue, Sheri, Brad, Greer, myself and the Empress dined at Spencers. It was so yummy and the company was great. Our favorite waitress, Lynn, brought the Empress a big piece of chocolate cake and we all sang Happy Birthday! Lovely day!

Thank you Dr. King

I have been mulling this post over in my head for several days now. Still not sure I can accurately portray my feelings on this subject, but let me try.

Dr. King. I call him this out of respect. Somehow calling him Martin Luther King, Jr. seems to portray him as a common man. He is not. In my opinion. A common man. He is a King among men. A man who stood up, when everyone around him was pushing him down. A man who spoke out when so many tried to silence him. Many were listening. He effected change in our world, in our way of thinking, in our way of doing. He was, in my opinion, God's messenger. I am today so very thankful to live in a world where you are not judged by the color of your skin, but by the strength of your heart. True, racism still exists. It will always exist. It is passed from father to son, like a disease. But, the good and faithful people of the world have erradicated it from our lives. Today when I look into the face of my beautiful son I am indebted to Dr. King. Thank you Dr. King that my son may have a life where racism doesn't effect him. Where I don't have to fear for his safety just because his skin is brown.

I too have a dream.

Happy New Year (a tad late)!!!

2011 was a fabulous year for my family. Not such a great year for blogging. Good intentions but lack of time, lack of focus, lack of interest really. I struggled with having two blogs. The Empress had hers, Little Dude his. I felt guilty posting to one and not the other. So....I ended up posting to neither...on a regular basis. But, with the new year comes a new blogging attitude, and a plan. You got it, a new blog. A blog combining the Empress and the Lil' Dude. No more guilt. No more excuses.

So, the kids. The Empress is a happy, sweet, painfully brilliant 6 year old. First grader extraordinaire. She excels in school. She recently won a dog bone....an award given to a student who is kind to others. She has been playing violin since September and has become really good. She hates practicing. One could say the Empress is lazy. Things come very easy to her and anything the requires a little extra effort quickly becomes something she wants nothing to do with. So, we push. Or, I guess I push. In September she decided that she would like to try gymnastics instead of dance, which she had taken for the past three years. But, after Christmas she chose to stop going. Normally quitting would not be an option, but she really seemed to dislike it and it was costing us over $100 per month. So, in an effort to continue having her in a physical activity, we decided to enroll her in swimming lessons. Will keep you posted on the outcome. In October, while T was in India on business, The Empress fulfilled a long time wish and got a cat...and a spare. Long story....but it was either the two, or neither, so we brought home two happy, lovey girls named Harriet the Spy, and Hennigan. The Empress is in charge of their care and they seem to really adore her. So, the balance tipped again and the girls in the family once again out number the guys.

Lil Dude. This boy is all...boy! He really gives us a run for the money. Always into things he shouldn't be in. Always in trouble. But, on the flip side, he is the most tender, sweet little guy. He loves hugs and kisses and in fact always offers them or asks for them. He is currently in a "I love" stage. Yesterday he told me he loved my muffin ears (ear muffs). He calls himself a handsome boy...and of course we agree. And, tonight he told me he wanted to bust a move (dance). In short, he cracks us up. He has a tendency to whine, which is supremely annoying, but we are working on it. He talks about going "in the potty" but is really more than content to go in his pants, so potty training appears to be a ways down the line. He talks incessantly. The Empress says he just likes to hear the sound of his voice. He is still in love with cars and books. He is a delight.

In closing.....my intention is to post regularly. My mom lives for the posts. Fingers crossed.