Yuletide Ride

What an incredibly FUN and BUSY Saturday! Today our local commuter train held their annual "Yuletide Ride". It's a free event for kids and there was all sorts of holiday fun. Lots of balloons, clowns, bands and entertainment. They had balloon animals, stickers, hats and holiday tattoos for the kids... and of course the jolly old elf himself!

In the afternoon we met my friend Laura, her brother Dave and his wife Danell at the Adventure Aquarium. It was quite a treat and a good time was had by all! Button and Genny, the aquarium's hippos, were especially playful and gave us quite a show today! What a terrific day!

Good Values

One thing Mike and I try to help Camille learn is good values. One value that we try to teach is charity. This is the perfect time of year and we, as a family, take on lots of projects. Our first project this year was to stuff a stocking for the Salvation Army. I brought home an empty stocking from work and Camille and I stuffed it for a young boy. (I thought a young boy would be a good choice so Camille was not tempted to pine for the contents). She chose lots of Spider Man items, some cars and other little trinkets. We also got a nice knit hat and some warm gloves. It was a fun project and a good way to get Camille into the spirit of giving.

Friday Foto Fun Challenge

It's back! This week's theme is Thanksgiving! Click here to play: Diana's Ramblings.
Check out our Thanksgiving photo in th post below. Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A new outfit from Mimi!

The talented Mimi made this outfit for Camille (she actually made TWO, wait until you see the Christmas one!) Luckily, Camille has some growing room, so we'll get a lot of milage out of this! Thank you, Mimi! We love it!

Dancing Queen

We've moved up in world of electronics. We now have a scanner. (I know, I can't believe it either!) We saw and ad for a HP 4in1 printer, copier, scanner on sale at Wally World for $40, so we went and picked it up. (Not a bad deal except after reading the 'fine print' I learned that we would also need to purchase a USB cable separately for and additional $25... oh, well, what can you do?)

So, I've scanned some photos I've always wanted to post on the blog. I'll add them in periodically so as not to bombard you all at once. The first entry are dance recital photos from Camille's first recital in May of this year.

Ya Gotta Have Friends...

Meet Rachel and Lauren. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that these totally terrific girls would be friends for Camille. Rachel (left) is 9 and Lauren is 6 and these this dynamic duo live right across the street. Since Mike and I have lived here for 7 years, I can remember a tiny Rachel toddling in the front yard of her home... I can remember watching Lauren's proud parents bring her home from the hospital. I can remember 2 tiny girls playing simple games together in their yard as I pined to bring my own little girl home from China.

These kids are great and they bring their energy and lust for life into this house almost every night. And Camille adores them, almost as much as Mike and I do! Rachel is extremely bright, astute and musically talented. She is kind and laid back. Lauren is a wild-child with high energy and heart as big as her bright blue eyes. She adores her sister and love to "boss" Camille. When the girls are here our house is different. So full of activity and LIFE. We do love these girls!

The Results Are In!

The results from Camille's blood and urine tests are in:
As I suspected all test results were "normal". Hooray! Another bump-in-the-road is behind us. Here's to a happy and healthy future!

What warrants more drama?

What warrants more crying? Getting a needle stuck into your arm to draw blood or peeing in a cup? If you picked the cup, you are right!
Today was the day Camille and I went to the lab for the urine and blood test so her kidneys could be checked for proper function. It all goes back to the Melamine post a couple of weeks ago. After an awful lot of crying and carrying on over the urine sample, Camille strolled into the lab and gave the blood sample like a pro. Not a tear or a peep or a simple "ouch". Nothing. She sat stoically and actually watched. That's my girl! Afterwards, the phlebotomist taped the gauze and then put a self-stick pressure bandage over it. (I don't know what they call it now... in my days at the animal hospital it was called "Vet Wrap") Here is Camille with her bandage, looking sad (yah, right!)

Late Trick or Treat

I know these are a bit late. I didn't bring my camera to trick-or-treat on Halloween night (the battery was dead from the Phillies Parade) but, fortunately, Audrey's mom and dad took lots of pictures. Here are just a few of the girls enjoying some Halloween fun...

Audrey as Cinderella, Camille as Princess Jasmine

On to the next house! Hurry!

Audrey's sweet face.

Update

I like to try to keep things updated, but for the last week we've been in a lull. Nothing has happened that has been "note-worthy". It's both good and bad. I don't find our day-to-day terribly interesting, so I just figure my readers don't either.

This week was the same-old routine. Camille did get her first "report card" (if you can call it that) mostly it was a progress report. Camille has met all of the requirements for the first marking period and her teacher has recommended she stays in the enrichment program. All of the grades in Camille's school are taught on 3 levels, including pre-k. They are "on-grade" for kids that are doing fine with the requirements, "support" for kids who need a little extra help, and "enrichment" for kids who can handle and need a little more than the requirements. We are proud that Camille is doing so well. More importantly, she really seems to enjoy school.

Mike and I are attending the annual fall fundraiser for the Little Rock Foundation tomorrow. I am looking forward to it and this is our 10th year attending. My how time flies.

I am really looking forward to the holidays. I have already done some planning and shopping. I think this year is really going to be something special.

A blog worth a second look

Please click the link: Signs of Hope

Remarkable people doing extraordinary things for the most helpless humans on the planet.

"Bunnies are for babies...

...Ballerinas are for big girls." This was the statement Camille made last night while we were putting away her clean clothes and straightening up her room.

I LOVED doing Camille's nursery. I decided on "Guess How Much I Love You" as a theme because, not only do I love the story, I fell in love with crib bedding I found. A little more internet searching and I had wallpaper, border and accessories to do the entire room... here are some photos...

My friend Deb cross-stitched a beautiful wall hanging and my friend Maureen hand-painted a table and chairs. Both of these items were shower gifts. My very talented mother made this quilt, by hand. It is now the covering on the "big-girl" bed.

Apart from the addition of the big-girl bed and and a few more wall hangings including a poster of the Disney Princesses and cross-stitch of a ballet class that my mother actually did for my room 26 years ago, the room hasn't really changed. I don't know why I thought Camille might like bunnies until she went off to college... I guess that was asking a little too much!

So, plans are underway for a "Ballerina big-girl room". I suspect it's going to take some time to 'transition'. My father hung the GHMILY wallpaper and border, so I think if it comes down (someday) I'm probably on my own. It was a labor of love. In the mean time, Camille asked Mimi (my mother) for a ballerina quilt. I'm glad that Camille is becoming a strong individual with her own tastes and opinions, but it does make me sad sometimes, that my "Little Nut Brown Hare" is growning up. I will always "Love you to the moon... and back".

For Bop

Those of you who know my dad know he is both an alumni and a big fan of the University of Wisconsin. Go Badgers!

Those of you who know Camille know that she is a total "girlie-girl" so these photos cost me big bucks!

HAPPY 40th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, MOM & DAD

To my parents,
On your 40th wedding anniversary,
Congratulations! We love you!

Mike, Faye, Camille, Riley the dog and Carmine the hermit crab!