The McConnell Family

Chandler Bear

2012-01-09T20:02:00.003-06:00

Chandler is her school's mascot and does an amazing job! She is so full of energy. Sydney was scared of her at first, but now she will not just call her Chandler - it's Chandler Bear!

Duck Pond at Cinco Ranch

2012-01-09T19:54:00.004-06:00

What child doesn't enjoy a good duck pond? This is the perfect little park to feed the ducks and play on the swings. It's even close enough to ride the scooter. We played a game of croquet while we were there. I didn't remember that my mom was so ruthless and cut-throat!!

Weekend in Houston March 2011

2012-01-09T19:46:00.004-06:00

We all went to Houston to spend some time with Keri, Jamie, Madison and Chandler. The girls had such a fun time, especially in the pool.

Spring Break at Great Wolf Lodge 2011

2012-01-09T19:32:00.005-06:00

We spent a few days/nights at GWL and had an absolute blast! Sydney wanted to stay in the kiddie area, but Evan finally wanted to go down all of the slides. We hung out with cousins, ate at the Rainforest Cafe, went to a cousin's birthday party and left Bear at the hotel! Luckily, the hotel found it and overnighted it. Sydney was soooo happy to have Bear back!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez 2011

2012-01-09T19:17:00.003-06:00

We always go to the Highland Children's parade because it isn't nearly as hard to move around. They throw Spam sandwiches, Moon Pies, hot dogs, and this year - chicken feet on the end of a peacock feather! Sydney stole the show and got the best beads because she was so darn cute!

Krewe of Barkus and Meoux 2011

2012-01-09T19:03:00.004-06:00

We shaved Chloe like a lion and took her to the Krewe of Barkus and Meoux. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon perfect for spending in the park! The girls had a blast!

Legacy Mardi Gras 2011

2012-01-09T16:25:00.003-06:00

Every year Evan's school has a Mardi Gras parade. Each class does something different. So far, she's always been a spectator. I bought these cool masks for the girls, but they would only wear them long enough to take a picture.

American Heritage Poetry Contest - February 2011

2012-01-09T16:13:00.004-06:00

Evan is quite outgoing, but she tends to shy away from doing things in front of people she doesn't know. She doesn't have a problem in gymnastics when all the parents are watching her, but put her on a stage in the spotlight and she's scared. She had an opportunity in Kindergarten to recite a poem for the American Heritage Poetry contest, but she got too nervous just thinking about it. Mrs. Reger bribed her in 1st grade. She told her she would get a 'Bear Buck' (she could spend it at school) if she competed. So, she had her poem memorized with just a few attempts about a month beforehand. She did a really great job, but there were so many competitors who recited the same poem. This year we are planning on writing an original poem.

A Real Louisiana Snow Day February 2011

2012-01-09T16:09:00.005-06:00

So I'm still playing catch up for most of 2011. After our snow day that really shouldn't have been, we had a real snow day. we got quite a bit of snow for Louisiana standards. The girls really enjoyed themselves, of course. It is so amazing how quiet the world seems when there is fresh snow on the ground.

Curious George

2012-01-03T19:14:00.002-06:00

Chandler gave Sydney a Curious George for Christmas. Sydney absolutely loves it! Usually Sydney carries her bear around EVERYWHERE! But now, she carries Bear AND George.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T18:47:00.005-06:00

We celebrated the New Year at home - just us. It was really nice. We continued our fondue tradition by having Parmesan Fondue with asparagus, french bread, toasted ravioli and tortellini dippers. We had Chocolate Fondue for dessert with apples, bananas and strawberries. YUM! We popped fireworks for what seemed like ALL night (I'm sure our neighbors thought it was). It was so funny to watch the girls. Sydney was pretty young last year and really didn't have much to do with them. This year she was fearless! She had no problem trying to light something all by herself. My careful Evan threw caution to the wind and actually held a Roman candle (along with Dad). She was busy lighting all night!

When we watched the Times Square ball drop in New York, we tried telling them it was midnight. We should've remembered that Evan can tell time because she called us on it. So, we had to stay up for another hour!! Here's to a great 2012!!

Monster Truck!

2012-01-03T18:42:00.003-06:00

Sydney got a Barbie 4 wheeler from Santa, but she insists that it's a monster truck. She rode it Christmas Day, but then she wouldn't have anything to do with it. When she told me she wanted to give it back to Santa, I told her that he would never bring her anything again. That scare her into trying it again, and she loves it! I love hearing her ask to ride her monster truck. She's such a petite little thing that it is so funny! She's a pro, though. We showed her how to make it go faster, and she rides it full throttle all the time!

Just a Few More!

2012-01-02T20:44:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I just have to pinch myself - I can't believe these two precious little ones are all ours. Sydney is talking SO much now. We can't always understand her, but it is always fun to listen to her. Her favorite word seems to be 'mommy'. That's kind of ironic since she hated me for the first week or so.

What a Year!

2012-01-02T20:24:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it has almost been a year since my last post! So much has happened that I get exhausted just thinking about trying to update. My goal is to get it updated over the next couple of months while not falling behind on current updates. I'll start with a halfway impromptu photo shoot the other day. We've found that we don't have nearly as many pictures of Sydney as we do of Evan, so I'm working on that. I took the girls to the Norton Art Gallery a few days ago to see what I could shoot. I'm redoing the pictures in our bedroom (they are all of Evan) and need some more up to date.

The 100th Day of School

2011-02-24T21:43:00.001-06:00

Evan and I made a shirt with 100 gems glued on INDIVIDUALLY for her 100th day of school. I thought we did a pretty good job and were creative. Can you imagine how shocked I was to find out that the class winner just cut 100 holes in his shirt. Seriously?

Honors Assembly

2011-02-24T21:37:00.000-06:00

Evan is such a good student! For the past nine weeks, she got perfect attendance, A Honor roll, and she met her Advanced Reading goal. She is such a perfectionist, though, that she gets upset if she misses a problem or question on a test. She's only in the first grade - it might be a long 11 years until graduation!!

Sydney Lou Who

2011-02-24T21:27:00.001-06:00

We spend 1 1/2 hours at the girls' gym every Thursday night for gymnastics. There is a ball pit that Sydney plays in while we wait for her class to start. Mike put this ball in her hoodie one night, so Sydney now wants to walk around like this each week.

Frosty the Miniature Snowman

2011-02-24T21:22:00.001-06:00

If you look closely, you can see their snowman. Believe it or not, it stood for about 2 days!

Evan and Chloe

2011-02-24T21:13:00.001-06:00

You can barely see Chloe, but she so enjoyed the snow, too. Evan used Chloe for snowball target practice. They played so hard, Chloe crashed as soon as she came inside.

A Snow Day

2011-02-24T21:12:00.001-06:00

So we didn't get that much snow, but the Department of Homeland Security (no kidding) demanded that schools close for our little dusting of snow. The girls absolutely loved it, though! They played, made a snowman and ate chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven with a side of hot chocolate.

New Year's Eve

2011-02-24T21:03:00.001-06:00

SO, you probably can't tell what's going on in this picture. Just before midnight on New Year's we began lighting fireworks. One was a parachute that landed in the backyard. About 10 minutes later we noticed a perfect ring of fire. We now have a spot in the backyard that should be really green this summer!

Tree Climbers

2011-02-24T20:50:00.000-06:00

We are so proud of Evan because she plays so well with Sydney. They love to play outside. One day as I looked out the window, I realized how much we take for granted. Of course Sydney is still so young, but she had never climbed a tree. Evan loves to climb trees, Sydney loves to copy Evan, so Sydney loves to climb trees. Of course, she got scared when she tried to get down and got pretty stuck.

Sheriff McConnell

2011-02-24T20:40:00.001-06:00

On January 11th, Mike made his decision to run for Bossier Parish Sheriff official. He had quite a showing and made a great speech. He got so carried away that he almost forgot to introduce me and the girls. Sydney started getting restless, so I let her down, and she made her way up on stage with her arms outstretched. It was the perfect segue into the introduction.

We knew that the announcement would start the harrassment from the current Sheriff and his cronies. Like clockwork, a deputy came to our door the very next day. Apparently someone called in a complaint on us because we had Chloe staked out in the front yard. Unbelievable! Several administrators live in our subdivision and pass our house to get home. All we can assume is that one of them called just to be petty. Let the adventure begin!

Viral Pneumonia

2011-01-05T17:04:00.003-06:00

Sent from my iPhone
What a rough week Sydney has had. I took her to the doctor after a friend
of hers was diagnosed with Viral Pneumonia. She's had a mild cough and
runny nose off and on for weeks, now. She sucked down the steroid and loves
the breathing treatment. We had to go to the lab to have blood drawn, and she got so upset. We held her down for that. Then it was on to Xray. She tolerated that ok. She hated the swab in her
nose to test for RSV. Then we had to run across town to get her brand new
bear nebulizer! She loves breathing treatments with that thing! It is
pretty cute.
The next day she had to have a TB test and freaked out as soon as she saw
the needle.
She made it through that only to have a flu shot today. Poor thing!
We're off the steroids and breathing treatments as of today, so maybe her
little body can calm down and get some rest.

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-02T18:51:00.000-06:00

We had to wake Evan up to check out what Santa left her. Sydney woke up right on time. She was not sure what all the stuff in the living room was, but Evan was quick to show her - when we could pull her away from her new Wii. After we had a little time with their gifts, we headed to Longview for Christmas with the family. As busy as this season was, I can only imagine how much busier it will be next year when Sydney is older and understands more.

Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus

2011-01-02T18:39:00.000-06:00

We knew we were taking a chance taking Sydney with us to eat breakfast with Santa at Palmetto Country Club, but we also knew that Evan would enjoy it. We ate breakfast before Santa arrived, and it was very good. They had biscuits, gravy, sausage, pancakes, eggs, etc. As soon as Sydney saw Santa enter the room, she jumped into my lap. She squirmed a little but didn't cry. She played with the sleigh bells on his belt. She was okay sitting in Santa's lap as long as Evan was with her. All in all, I think we achieved success in just one Christmas!

Christmas Parties

2011-01-02T18:23:00.000-06:00

The Friday before Christmas both girls had their Christmas parties. Sydney's just consisted of eating snacks. However, they had a visit from Santa just before I got there. Apparently, Sydney completely 'freaked out'! Her nose was still a mess when I walked in. She quickly got over it and started playing with her friend Brody. We went to Evan's party where they received letters from Santa. Evan was so excited that Santa knew little things like her getting Littlest Pet Shop stuff last year and becoming a big sister this past year. She also thought it was cool that Santa entrusted her with the privileged information that he was bringing Sydney a scooter. He asked Evan to be a good sister and not only keep it a secret, but also help her learn to ride it.

Sci-Port Discovery Center

2010-12-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

The day before Thanksgiving we went to Sci-Port to play and catch an IMAX movie. Evan always enjoys going there, but Sydney absolutely loved it! She played in the water, made Gloop (like Silly Putty) and rode up in the 'Pump Yourself Up' chair. It was a good thing we bought a membership because Sydney is going to want to back again and again. They are supposed to have a cool program on New Year's Eve that we hope to go to.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2010-12-23T21:37:00.002-06:00

During some free time after dinner, we decided to hang out with the girls outside and look at the sun setting and the moon rising. It was so pretty. The girls started playing Simon Says, and before too long they were mimicking Michael Jackson. It was so very funny!

Good Morning!

2010-12-23T21:36:00.000-06:00

The girls all had breakfast in Evan's bed our last morning at camp. We packed up, cleaned up and then rounded everyone up for a group picture. These girls' ages range from 6 to 9, but they all get along quite well. Evan discovered Brain Quest cards and fell in love with them.

The Camporee Hike

2010-12-23T21:31:00.000-06:00

After lunch we went on a hike to a nature pavilion. The guide taught the girls how to make bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. Some of them then hung them on the trees. Evan had to bring hers home to hang in our trees. The campsite had four dorms with a common area and 10 bedrooms. We even had satellite TV!! There was a nice dining hall and an awesome playground! Besides the hike, I think the girls enjoyed the playground most of all. The camp was pretty poorly planned, so all the events were about 30 - 45 minutes behind. We were supposed to have a bonfire with Christmas stories and s'mores, but that didn't happen. We all had fun, though. It was nice spending the weekend alone with Evan.

Girl Scout Winter Camporee

2010-12-23T21:23:00.000-06:00

Evan and Jayda

Pretending to drink hot chocolate on the pier

The weekend before Thanksgiving Evan and I went to the Jimmie Davis State Park for a two night Girl Scout Camp. We met up with our troop about 45 minutes away, and then drove in together. I was following my GPS for directions, and we ended up at the end of a dirt road with dogs barking and running after us. Feeling like we were about to have a "Wrong Turn" experience, I turned around in the middle of a chicken farm. We got back on track a made it to the camp around 9pm.
The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast burrito. Funny how food always tastes much better when you are camping. Of course, it has been a long time since I've been camping. The first part of the day was filled with crafts. The girls got to make a cute apron, chocolate spoons, cool ornaments and reindeer food.

Making a Gingerbread House

2010-12-19T18:12:00.000-06:00

We skipped this tradition last year because we ran out of time, so
this year I was determined to fit this activity in. The girls enjoyed
it, and Sydney loved licking the candy. I'm sure the candy will
disappear if I don't put it out of her reach.

First Visit with Santa

2010-12-11T20:31:00.000-06:00

Sydney started pitching a fit as soon as she saw that strange man in
the red suit. I haven't heard that desperate a cry since she was
first handed to me a little over 5 months ago. I made her squat with
me beside Santa so we could record this moment for posterity. We have
Breakfast with Santa scheduled next week, so we'll see how quickly she
gets over this fear!

First Haircut in the US

2010-11-23T09:45:00.001-06:00

Sydney got her first real haircut yesterday and hated every minute of
it!! She cried eventhough she was sitting on my lap. Of course that
meant I got hair all over me! She finally stopped crying but then
ignored everyone because she was mad. A trip to Baskin Robbins next
door fixed everything, though.

1st Grade Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

The 1st graders had a Thanksgiving Feast complete with little turkeys. Don't these girls make cute little pilgrims?

Sweet Child

2010-11-23T08:12:00.000-06:00

Sydney has been such a blessing to our family. In nearly 5 months, we have moved from being strangers whom she would barely tolerate to being the family she loves to see. She can be quite an affectionate girl. She lights up and starts laughing when we pick her up from daycare, she runs to us when we return home, and she even runs across the yard when she sees Uncle Bob outside. She loves to raise up her arms so he'll pick her up and give him a big hug. She has a warm, loving personality and simply adores her big sister! We are so thankful for this special little girl who has been through more than we'll ever know.

Evan's Fake Birthday

2010-11-23T07:59:00.001-06:00

Evan's birthday is November 26th, so it sometimes falls on Thanskgiving - but it ALWAYS falls around Thanksgiving! Her friends are usually gone for her party. The last few years we have started throwing her friend party a few weeks before the actual day. This has turned out to work perfectly. She decided she wanted to have a sleepover with pizza, decorating cupcakes, dancing - and lots of it, playing Barbie's and watching movies. Evan had such a great time and loved being with her friends.

A Champion

2010-11-22T19:39:00.004-06:00

Evan has been taking gymnastics for several years now and loves it. She's really pretty good at it and always keeps her toes pointed. I used to dread the thought of her competing and traveling on the weekends. But now I think it would be a lot of fun. She might decide to compete as early as next year.

More Competition

2010-11-22T19:27:00.002-06:00

Evan's 1st Mock Competition

2010-11-22T19:24:00.000-06:00

The gymnastics competetive season is about to begin, so Evan's gym had a mock competition to help the team get ready. Evan's pre-team group was invited so the girls could see if this would be something they would like to do. Evan did a great job. I thought she would be shy and refuse to perform. Not so...she did a great job concentrating.

Mommy's Little Biker Babe

2010-11-19T14:41:00.000-06:00

Sydney's Thanksgiving Program

2010-11-18T20:33:00.002-06:00

"Who are all these people, Brody?"

Shake your tail feathers!

Sydney's debut as a turkey was awesome! I just knew she would shut down as soon as she saw the audience, but she was too busy taking it all in. I thought about hiding so she wouldn't see me and make a run for me. She stayed on stage, though, and smiled, jumped around and fell (I think. You'll see her disappear for a second in the video). Afterwards was a Sharing Feast, so we sat with Bruiser Brody and his parents. Sydney and Brody did NOT want to take off their feathers. They were so cute! They also didn't want to eat because of all of the excitement around them.

Mike's 2nd Bagpipe Competition

2010-11-16T21:53:00.000-06:00

Mike placed second in his division in his second competition. Look at his sporran (the pouch that looks like a fanny pack)! I bought that for him for Christmas last year. I love it!

Julie & Melissa's 2nd Annual Witch Party

2010-11-16T21:47:00.000-06:00

Double Double toil and trouble! We witches flew in from all over and had a cackle or two! We had several kinds of soup, appetizers and sweets. We then had a Black Cat gift exchange that was so much fun! I got an awesome purple spider votive holder.

Dancin' the School Day Away

2010-11-16T21:32:00.001-06:00

They've got quite the moves!!

Let's Twist!

2010-11-16T21:26:00.000-06:00

Oh, Elvis! We love you!

Evan and her boyfriend(?) Cade

Some of the decorations included 33s. It was so funny to see that these children had idea what they were!

50s Day

2010-11-16T21:21:00.000-06:00

Evan with Mrs. Reger and Riley

For the 50th day of school, the first graders got to celebrate with a 50s sock hop and coke floats. I love watching Evan in social situations because she is so outgoing and confident. She absolutely loves to dance and likes to involve those who are not as sure of themselves.

The Gigantic Ball

2010-11-16T21:15:00.000-06:00

Sydney, Brody & Emma

Silly Girls!

Evan and BFF Kassidy

We were supposed to have cool, beautiful weather, but the unpredictable Louisiana weather worked against us. It was quite warm if you were running around having a blast. As long as we adults were in the shade, it wasn't too bad. Inside the ball proved to be quite steamy!

More Halloween Fun

2010-11-16T21:08:00.000-06:00

Everyone always loves the rollercoaster, and the new attraction is proving to be fun, too. Both are compliments of Uncle Keri and Aunt Jamie!

The Games People Play

2010-11-16T21:04:00.000-06:00

We played BINGO, wrapped mummies, decorated pumpkins, rolled around in the gigantic ball and busted a pinata.

Annual McConnell Halloween Party

2010-11-16T20:56:00.000-06:00

So, maybe we don't have it EVERY year, but we enjoy it the years we do have it. This year we had to have it in the afternoon since Mike was working nights. Evan was so excited to wear her costume. She decided just after Halloween last year what she wanted to be this year. Sydney's costume was a bit rough, so she didn't enjoy wearing hers. I think she was a little overwhelmed with all the guests and food, but she finally let loose by the end and entertained us. We had Mummy Dogs, Cheesenstein with crackers and veggies, Cake Balls and Jack-O-Lantern Pops.

Another Visit to the Corn Maze is Over

2010-11-15T21:25:00.000-06:00

Evan looks forward to our Corn Maze visit every year. Although we didn't actually go through the maze, we had a blast with everything else. I'm sure Sydney will really get into all the fun next year.

Hayride

2010-11-15T21:20:00.000-06:00

We went on the hayride to the pumpkin patch and picked our pumpkins. This is when Sydney finally started flashing some smiles and was so happy to wear her backpack. We went back to the zipline where Evan jumped off the platform like there was nothing to it. We harnessed Sydney and got her all the way to the top of the platform, but she tripped, fell, and got upset. After I carried her back down, I jumped. WOW! I have no idea how high up it was, but that was the hardest thing to do - step off of a perfectly good base into thin air. It was pretty fun, though!

Fun in the Corm

2010-11-15T21:15:00.000-06:00

The corn bin was enclosed this year making it ever so hot inside. Evan kept wanting to show Sydney how fun being buried in corn would be. Sydney was just not buying into it. In fact, she was cranky until the temps started dropping. She was like a completely different child when she wasn't so hot. Evan rode down the zipline and tried to talk us into it, but we were a little nervous.

Fun at the Corn Maze

2010-11-15T21:06:00.000-06:00

Both of the girls love animals of all kinds. We had to pull Sydney away from the rabbits and ducks. She also enjoyed chasing the ones on the ground. She wasn't too sure about the cow train, but she started smiling by the end of the ride.

The Corn Maze

2010-11-15T20:59:00.000-06:00

Evan and I were already sweaty and dirty from Papa Simpson's Farm, so we decided to pick up Sydney and head out to the Corn Maze. The first order of business was to jump on the huge trampoline. Although I could not catch one, Sydney was flashing all kinds of smiles. She loves to be outside playing with her big sister.

And More...

2010-11-15T20:50:00.000-06:00

Maddie and Evan

I just love this little girl, as I'm sure I've said before. She and I spent a great day together enjoying perfect weather (albeit a little warm), lots of dust (due to a lack of rain for weeks) and a fun picnic.

More from Papa Simpson's

2010-11-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

Planting corn

Evan and Rylie

The children were able to pick their own pumpkins, plant corn and throw feed to all kinds of animals. I was amazed at the sheep. They had corn rolls all over them. I never knew this was how their wool grew!

Papa Simpson's Farm

2010-11-15T20:29:00.000-06:00

All the 1st graders went to Papa Simpson's Farm for their Fall field trip. Julie and I drove out to meet our girls there. Papa Simpson's is a great learning experience. We took a hayride out to where they keep the animals. The children were able to hold baby chicks, goats and pigs. They also got to bottle feed baby cows. Evan chickened out on milking a cow. She thought that was too disgusting! There was a pretty cool maze, but we didn't have time to go through it.

The Red River Revel

2010-10-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

Playing with Balloon Swords

We always enjoy going to the Revel every year. We eat trashy food, look at some interesting art, and have fun in the children's area. Sydney is a little too young to participate in some of the crafts, but she did get to take part in the bookwalk. She and Evan also made suncatchers (Evan's just fell apart after almost a year). Sydney kept piling on jewels and sequins. She must have used $5 worth of material! I apologize for the poor picture quality (I'll blame Mike since her took them). I don't know what happened. As we were leaving, Sydney decided she wanted to pose like Evan. We couldn't keep her still, but then again we were laughing so hard we couldn't get any good shots. Rest assured, Sydney has plenty of personality. We will definitely be in trouble when she finally breaks out of her shell!!

National Night Out

2010-10-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

Sydney adores her Uncle Patrick

The mock jail at Remington

Jailbirds

Mike and his brother Patrick have started teaching Criminal Justice part-time at Remington College. Mike really enjoys it and will probably choose this as his second career. Remington hosted a National Night Out for its instructors, students and the community. We had a great time talking with others on such an awesome night. We toured the inside of the building that has a mock courtroom, jail and crime scene lab.

Sisters

2010-10-10T19:11:00.001-05:00

Our girls adore each other. I am so glad that they get along so well. Evan takes such great care of Sydney, and Sydney lights up when Evan comes around - usually. Evan fell asleep on the way home, and Sydney pretended to fall asleep. She just couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Of course, part of the reason for the smile is because she had her bear in her arms. We hear what almost sounds like bow a million times a day.

A Day in the Park

2010-10-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

We had planned on going to Sci-Port last weekend, but the Red River Revel (an arts festival) prevented us from getting downtown. So, we went to the park. We were only able to stay about 30 minutes before Evan got sick, but I got quite a few pics. Evan wanted to match her sister, so she dressed them. Other than the fact that Evan wore very old clothes, she did a pretty good job. We've done a bad job of taking Sydney to the park, which is such a shame because she absolutely loves it!

Goodbye, Summer. We'll Miss You!

2010-09-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

What an awesome summer we've had! We went on an amazing, life-changing adventure to China, added a precious little angel to our family, watched in awe of Evan's acceptance and love for her new little sister, and spent quality time together as a family. As the weather begins to get cooler - well, in the mornings, at least - we look forward to a great Fall!

Poolside

2010-09-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

We spent most of the afternoon in the pool. Evan got Mike involved in a water gun fight with some 'older' boys. I was impressed with the way she aggressively fought them. In the end, I became Mike's navigator while trying to protect Sydney from the spray. (Mike and Sydney were on the float while I pushed him closer to where the boys were.)

Labor Day at the Club

2010-09-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

We spent the last day of summer as we know it at the club. They had a water slide this year that the girls enjoyed. Sydney went down twice, but we couldn't coax her to go down again. Evan just loved that she got to take Sydney down.

More Fun

2010-09-06T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sydney spent most of her time in the fountains. Evan found some friends from school and played tag, so she was pretty hard to catch for pictures.

Brownies Park

2010-09-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

Evan absolutely loves Brownlee Park (AKA Brownies Park). You can get everything there - sand, playground equipment, and water! I can't believe that this was the first time we'd taken Sydney to a park! So many people were there, so it took Sydney a while to get comfortable. She was not too sure about the sandbox or big rock. BUT, she loved the water and playground equipment. I took tons of shots of her in the water thinking I wasn't getting anything good, but now it turns out that I'm, having a hard time picking my favorite.

Watch your Mouth

2010-09-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

Before we had Evan, many of you may remember that Mike's language was definitely not child-friendly. He cleaned it up tremendously after at the age of 2 she repeated something she never should have heard. Well, the other night the girls were taking a bath when Sydney accidentally hit Evan with something. Evan looks at Sydney and says "What the hell was that for?" After laughing quite hard for a few minutes, I explained to her that she shouldn't ever repeat this. It was so very funny!

Making Progress

2010-08-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

Sydney has made HUGE strides in the short soon-to-be 2 months she's been with us. Take this picture, for instance. There was absolutely no coaxing to get a smile. She smiled voluntarily. She and Evan dressed up as butterflies. She even tried to say 'butterfly'. She is starting to repeat what we say more and more. She repeated the alphabet just today! She will say 'hey', 'mom', 'mama', 'bye bye' and 'night night' with no coaxing. She is working on 'eyes', 'nose' and 'mouth'. She know them but will not always say them. 'Mouth' is the funniest because she either has a lisp or is quite tongue-tied from the little bit of Cantonese she learned.
For several weeks we've had issues with daycare. She would cry and throw tantrums when we'd leave her. Little by little she's been getting more and more comfortable as she's learned to dance with the other children and play in the McDonald's-like play area. This past Thursday she gave me a kiss and practically pushed me out the door! I am so glad she's comfortable there now. The more we get to know her and bond, the more in love we are with this little angel.

Roller Derby Queen

2010-08-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

Evan has been wanting some inline skates since she saw then at the skating rink. I told her she could buy them with her own money. It was hard for her to give up most of her money, but she decided she REALLY wanted them. She has had them on almost all day saying it feels like her dream come true!

1st and 2nd Days of 1st Grade

2010-08-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

School started this last Wednesday. Evan was so excited to start 1 st grade, although her teacher is a little strict. We took her to school the first day because that just seemed the thing to do. She was going to ride the bus the second day, but we got so hot and sweaty waiting that I ended up taking her. Sydney cried when we dropped her off and she couldn't follow. She started crying harder when it was time for her to go to daycare. She cries when I leave her, but she ends up having a good time. We stayed with her for two weeks to try to get her used to her new surroundings and then started leaving her for a few hours. She just completed her 2nd week of staying by herself and has made huge strides. She now talks and interacts with the other children. She is doing so well.

Fun at the Pool

2010-08-15T18:17:00.000-05:00

We really have not done very well at getting to the pool this summer. Evan is a great swimmer, and it looks like Sydney enjoys swimming, too. She tans nicely, so I guess I will always be the fairest in the family (and maybe even the world!).

Visit to the Cardiologist

2010-08-15T18:12:00.000-05:00

Sydney was born with two holes in her heart (a VSD and an ASD). This is more than likely the reason she was left at the front door of a local doctor's house at 8 months old. She had open heart surgery and was on a heart/lung machine at 8 months. She was a serious scar but is in great shape! A few weeks ago we took her to a pediatric cardiologist to make sure her body has healed properly - and it has. She fought the EKG and the taking of her vital signs but didn't seem to mind the echocardiogram too much. Dr. Jackson said she looked great and shouldn't have any problmes down the road. She will probably NEVER be an olympic swimmer, but I don't imagine we have to worry about that. We will continue to see him once a year until she's 18 just to make sure all is well. Dr. Jackson is at LSU Health Sciences Center which is our local charity hospital. There are some hoops to jump through, but we were very pleased with the experience. Both girls even got a very cute and NEW stuffed animal.
We took her to JulieAnne's Bakery afterwards for lunch and a cookie for being such a trooper.

Smooth Rider

2010-08-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

Mike bought Sydney her first tricycle, and she abolutely loves it! I think Evan enjoys it just as much as she does because she loves to push her sister. Evan has waited such a long time for a sister to 'baby', and she definitely jumped right in. She loves to bathe Sydney, wash her hair, put her diaper on and get her dressed. She's an awesome helper!

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

2010-08-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

Since we missed Sydney's first 2 birthdays, we decided to have a party for her to make up for it. I ordered a small cake just for her so we could get those pictures. It turns out that a 2 1/2 year old isn't nearly as messy as a 1 year old. She received lots of great gifts, but I think she is still a little overwhelmed with all the toys that are already in the house.

A Little Bit of Heaven

2010-08-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

Just a few more pictures of our girls.

Family: That's What it's All About

2010-08-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

Stealing a moment with PaPa

Our Little Angels

2010-08-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

Look how sweet they are: and we have these little ones FOREVER!

My Girls

2010-08-15T09:53:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has almost been a month since my last post. Here are a few miscellaneous pics that I love. Evan and Sydney have bonded so well. They are true siblings - sometimes they adore each other, sometimes they can't stand one another, and sometimes one likes to aggravate the other. Isn't it amazing how the art of aggravating another is pure instinct?

Sisters

2010-07-19T19:38:00.000-05:00

I have always said I would not dress my girls in matching clothes, rather I would dress them in complimentary patterns and colors. Well, sometimes I just see such cute things I think they both need the outfit. I love her pixie haircut with the headband (which did not stay on very long).

Bowling

2010-07-19T16:50:00.002-05:00

Evan wanted to go bowling today, so a bowling we went! How is it that the 2 year old even beat me? Sydney loved it! Check out the dress we bought in China for Evan for about $1.50!! Too cute! It was until she got her ravioli all over it.

Catching Up

2010-07-17T08:44:00.002-05:00

Tonight we will have been home a week. It has taken me a while to post because Sydney loves the computer, jetlag has been brutal, and I've been trying to get over feeling nasty. Sydney has gained 2 pounds since she was weighed in Guangzhou. She is adjusting well and has a love-hate relationship with Chloe. It is so great to see her opening up. Chandler, my niece, spent some time with us and went skating with Evan and me. We had a great time!

First Morning in the US

2010-07-17T08:34:00.000-05:00

Evan and I slept about 5 hours, but we had to eventually wake Sydney up. Evan couldn't stand just watching her any longer. She wanted to get her sister up and go get Chloe. She missed Chloe so much! Welcome Home!

Let's Go Home

2010-07-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

We got to our house, opened gifts that had been thoughtfully left for the girls, checked out the food friends had prepared for us, and put the girls in bed. How wrong we were to think they would go to sleep now. Sydney slept quite a bit along the way, but Evan had only slept about 6 hours the whole time. We'd all gotten our second wind, though. We finally put the girls in bed in front of a movie and popcorn where they eventually fell asleep around 2 am - right about the time we did.

This is The Moment I've Been Waiting For

2010-07-17T08:22:00.000-05:00

My Family Dressing up for the Occasion

Thanks for Your Support!

I love going to the airport to welcome families home from China. These are the sights that always choke me up! As exhausted as I was, I knew I had to hold back the tears because if they once started, I would be crying for hours! Evan was so excited to introduce her little sister to her family and friends. Sydney did pretty well as far as not shutting down around all of these new people.

The Long Journey Home

2010-07-17T08:01:00.003-05:00

We arrived at the Hong Kong airport early on the 10th for fear of other problems, but everything went smoothly ... until we discovered that Mike only packed 2 diapers in the backpack. Unfortunately, this was only 30 minutes before boarding, so he was on a mission to find diapers. He found the last 10 hidden at the back of a bottom shelf in one of the stores!! I'd been feeling a little off all morning but just chalked it up to nerves. About an hour into our 12 hour flight to San Fran, Montezuma's Revenge kicked in. Since we were split up and our seats were in the middle of a 4 seat row, I would end up disturbing the very nice man next to me at least twice an hour the rest of the flight. I can tell you that prayer really works because by the time we landed, I was feeling so much better and able to face the next stressful leg of our trip.
We were delayed leaving Hong Kong which meant the stars would have to align in our favor in order for us catch our flight to Dallas. I guess this was an important connection for me because it meant we could make it home within just a few hours regardless of cancelled flight or no rental cars. Family could always come pick us up. We approached both the Delta and Immigration staff for help on catching this flight, but no one seemed concerned. Hence, I was one very frustrated mother as we finally made it to the immigration officer who needed to review Sydney's paperwork for citizenship. AAGGHH!! She didn'[t know what to do! Once she found out, she felt the need to train her co-worker BEFORE processing us! We grabbed our luggage and ran to the ticket desk to rebook - we had missed our flight.
We were rebooked through Denver and made our way to that gate - which of course had been changed by the time we made it there. As we were boarding, I stopped a gate agent for a question and found we were actually NOT on this flight. They had redirected us since there was no way to make our connection in Denver. So, we were being sent to Continental where we would fly to Shreveport via Houston. The irony is that Keri (who lives in Houston) was in Shreveport waiting for us, and I was sure we would miss our flight and need to spend the night at his house. As we finally boarded our flight to Shreveport, we were told we couldn't get on the plane because our boarding passes weren't registering. How could we have boarding passes and not be able to board?? After waiting for what seemed an eternity, the problem was fixed and we were on our way home...

We Made It to Hong Kong

2010-07-17T07:59:00.000-05:00

What Sydney will look like with hair. YIKES!

The view from our hotel room in Hong Kong. It's a beautiful place!

Room Service

(I wrote this post in the Hong Kong airport, but it disappeared.) We finally made our way to the Guangzhou airport with our guide Susan. We had a 10:30 pm flight, and she had an 8 pm flight back to Beijing. We could not check in until 3 hours before our flight, so we waited for her to check in. After Susan checking in, she just happened to ask if Lawrence - the agency travel agent - booked our tickets for this flight. WHAT?? We soon discovered that we had NO SEATS on this flight or any other to Hong Kong! I've been stressing so much over catching our connecting flight to Dallas out of San Francisco that I never dreamed we'd have another glitch. I started trying to figure out our options if there were no more seats available for this flight. After about 45 very tense minutes and about 50 new gray hairs, we had tickets in our hands! Unlike the US where it would have cost us a mint to buy tickets just a few hours ahead of time, China is highly regulated. It only cost about $630! I sure am glad we took extra cash!!
Well, it came time to check in, and we were all in 4 different lines. All of a sudden they decide to create 1 NEW line. It was so hot, SYdney was crying because she was miserable and exhausted, and Evan was crying because her stomach was hurting so badly. Sydney finally fell asleep in the stroller and didn't wake up until we boarded at 10:30 pm. Evan took a Pepto and eventually felt much better. Our next stops were very hot and humid security and then immigration checkpoints. An hour and a half later, we made it to our gate with 2 Yuan short to buy anything to drink (that would be about 30 cents). We were NOT exchanging anymore money, though.
We landed in Hong Kong around midnight, and by 2 AM we were eating club sandwiches from room service. A 6:30 AM wake-up call, omelets from room service, and a very full hotel shuttle later, we were ready for our 12 1/2 flight back to the US!!

The Beginning of a Long Journey Home

2010-07-09T03:16:00.000-05:00

We are about to leave the hotel in Guangzhou for the airport. We should land in Hong Kong around 11:30pm. We should land in San Francisco around 9 am Saturday. We only have 1 1/2 hours to make it through immigration and customs and board our flight to D/FW. I'm obviously stressed about this. Stay tuned to our blog if you are planning on coming to the airport in Shreveport. I will try my best to post if we are NOT able to make it to Shreveport by 10:15 pm Saturday (on American, BTW). We'll see you on the flip-side!

Consulate Appointment

2010-07-08T06:31:00.001-05:00

We just hung out in the room and with our friends the Padgett's for most of the morning. We went to the US consulate in the afternoon to complete Sydney's visa paperwork and take an oath that all the info we completed was true. Afterwards we headed back to Danny's Place for another wonderful Italian dinner. It took us forever to catch a taxi back to the hotel, but Mike finally came through for us. Three adults and four children in one taxi ended up with one of the children (not ours) throwing up. Always an adventure! I guess tomorrow will be spent packing and then heading out to the airport for a late flight to Hong Kong. We are almost home!

Shopping Trip to the Pearl Market

2010-07-07T19:18:00.001-05:00

The Pearl Market in Guangzhou is a huge 6 or 7 floor mall with nothing but shops on the outside and kiosks in the middle of pearls, turqouise, and many other types of beads. This was Girl's Night Out where I only spent $20. It was fun to see all the pretty jewelry. Big Girl would love this place!

A Few More Safari Pics

2010-07-07T08:27:00.001-05:00

Another family took these pics from Safari World yesterday and turned out good. I love Sydney's face in the one with the tiger.

Museum of the Nanyue King

2010-07-07T08:15:00.001-05:00

We didn't take many pics today. Sorry! We went to the tomb of the Nanyue king this morning. It is right around the corner from the hotel and was actually found as a result of building the Marriott way back in the 80's (as Evan would say like it was 1780). Look at the explanation of one of the artifacts. What is an uncle?
Mike and I did a little shopping for a carry on and then met the group for dinner. We are hoping this is our last Chinese dinner here. Afterwards, some of us girls went back to the pearl market for a little more shopping. Since I'd already bought enough pearls for one trip, I bought 2 small pairs of pearl earrings for the girls. They were only $10 each, so I will not have to get mad when Evan loses hers.

I forgot...

2010-07-07T02:43:00.001-05:00

...to explain one of the pictures in the previous post. Two nights ago we ordered pizza and decided to try to eat together, so we spread out in the hallway. We were there about 10 minutes before security came up and said we'd had a few complaints. So we had to end our party early. The pizzas were delivered with a few unusual items. There were a ton of ketchup packets along with the plastic gloves that the cafeteria ladies wear. I guess that's so your hands don't get greasy?

Safari World

2010-07-06T07:27:00.002-05:00

In the middle of a heat wave across China, we decided to go to Safari World today. What a cool place, but it was so hot and humid!! After a while our clothes were so drenched with sweat that it just didn't matter anymore. On the way in, Mike found a huge grasshopper that all the children wanted to hold. Safari World is better than Disney's Animal Kingdom. One section is a zoo, but another section is the Safari Ride. The animals were right there beside you. We saw wildebeasts, camels, tigers, lions, many kinds of deer, rhinos, zebras, and many more animals. During our ride, Mike would tap Sydney and tell her to look at whatever animal he saw. Before too long, Sydney was tapping his arm and saying something that sounded like 'look'. She continued to do that the rest of the day. We got to hold a baby white tiger and pose for a picture. (When you look at that one, remember how hot and humid I said it was!) The girls got to feed the black swans, but Sydney kept eating her bread she was supposed to feed to them. We've had such a fun, full day, but I am so ready for a free day tomorrow. Until then!

Top 10 Observations about our time in China

2010-07-05T03:53:00.000-05:00

1. There are no lines in China. Everyone just pushes their way to the front until someone wins.
2. The Marriott breakfast buffet is awesome! Where else can you get dragonfruit, pineapple, french toast, bacon, pan fried mackerel, preserved egg, fried rice, rice noodles, BBQ pork buns, congee with century old egg and swiss cheese?
3. Do not take your hotel room key out of the electricity socket when you leave or will not have a very cool room when you return. (In order to have electricity, you have to insert your room key into a socket on the wall.)
4. If you go to a Chinese restaurant without your guide, you are taking your life into your own hands! You may or may not get what you think you are ordering. Even if you do, you might be too exhausted to eat after trying to communicate. Do not assume a nod of the head means 'yes, I understand what you are saying.'
5. McDonald's serves chicken wings and taro fried pies (not apple).
6. A taxi driver will lead you to assume he knows exactly where you want to go. Then he will try to drop you off in an area you do not recognize.
7. A restaurant owned and operated by a fellow American is an absolute oasis!
8. Pizza Hut also serves Chinese dishes and many different kinds of tea.
9. The pastries in the Marriott bakery DO taste as scrumptious as they look!
10. China's most precious export is our most prized possesion - our children!

Guangzhou Zoo

2010-07-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

This morning we went to the zoo, and my goodness was it ever hot and humid!! Evan and Sydney had a great time running around the lobby before we left. Ordinarily I would NEVER let them act that way, but given the fact that Sydney is coming out of her shell - I didn't mind. I figure a happy baby is much easier to handle than a crying baby! Evan had a great time at the zoo playing with some of the other children - Nathan and Luke. We saw a panda bear that was awesome, and the girls got to feed the giraffes. Evan enjoyed it, but Sydney wasn't sure. She kept going back over to them, but she got upset when they snatched her leaf.
When we came back to the room to rest and cool off, Sydney started snacking on Pringles. She dropped one, so Evan picked it up and threw it away. Sydney was watching closely, and decided to go dumpster diving to get it. I think we might have to hide our trash when we get home!!
Bonding Update: Sydney gave me a spontaneous smile!

4th of July Celebration

2010-07-04T07:47:00.001-05:00

We came back to the room after shopping and put Sydney down for a nap. She started babbling a little to her bear and playing - something she never does. So we decided to scratch the nap and have playtime instead. We had a fun afternoon. We headed out to Danny's Place with several other families to celebrate the 4th. The taxi ride was an adventure - kind of a rollercoaster. We had chicken parmigiana, garlic bread, pizza, and pasta (again, for the girls). Evan and Sydney shared a strawberry shake, but I'm not sure how much Evan actually got. When Sydney starts on a shake, you'd better hurry to get yours! She is getting to be so much fun! I'm sure one day soon when she is wild I will need to remind myself how grateful I am that she is actually interacting and not so sad. We still see glimpses of sadness, but they are fewer every day.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to bring this little joy into our family!

Happy 4th of July! - By Mike

2010-07-04T02:34:00.002-05:00

We got to sleep in this morning because we didn't have to leave for Chinese church until 10:30 am. Sydney regressed a little bit this morning, but, nowhere near what she has. Breakfast was awesome again this morning. It is by far the best meal of the day except when we are able to get Western food like last night. A group of us went to Lucy's and pigged out! Melissa had cheese quesadillas with onion rings, I had enchiladas that were more like burritos, and Evan and Sydney shared broccoli and chicken fettucine with cream sauce and a baked potato. Melissa and Sydney shared a chocolate shake that was so good!
We went to Shamian Christian Church and heard a sermon that quite didn't translate into english very well. Some of it, along with the sing-a-long, was funny at times.
Afterwards, we took in another x-c-lent Chinese meal (gak) which consisted of pork, beef and veggies, and then off for more shopping. Sydney has been having such a good day. In fact, a few of the store owners commented on what a happy baby she is. That was one of the best sentences we've heard in a long time!
Sydney took a short nap on the bus back to the hotel and now is wide awake. She is laying in her crib babbling a little. This is a first.
Later this eveing, all of our group will be taking taxis to a Western resturant named "Danny's Place" and celebrate the "4th" eventhough it is only the 3rd back home.