Keree's 7th Birthday Extravaganza

We surprised Keree this morning with breakfast in bed. We made Keree close her eyes as my Mom sat her plate down in front of her and then we told her to open her eyes. It was so cute when she raised her hand up to her chest and goes "this is for me".

 Banana slices, apple slices, carrot cake muffin and chocolate milk

 After alot of giggling, over getting to have such a special breakfast in bed, she finally blew out her candle.

 

After we got dressed, we decided to use all the freebie birthday coupons she got. First stop was Build-a-bear. She had gotten a $5 coupon from the company but we ended up spending a little more (it was only $3.34 more). She ended up with a Cardinals t-shirt, Cardinal button-down shirt and some girl scout underwear all for KittyKitty. Once the Store Girl heard it was Keree's birthday, she also threw in some hairbows and gave Keree a special sticker. Keree was beyond thrilled and couldn't wait to get home and dress KittyKitty.

 Our next stop was Toys R' Us, where she had a $3 gift card. Our first stop was by the front desk. Keree got to pick out which birthday crown she wanted, of course she choose the pink princess one. We were disappointed because usually they give them a birthday balloon but they were out of helium and balloons. Boo!! Then they made the announcement on the store intercom that a special birthday girl was there. She just giggled anytime someone wished her Happy Birthday.We walked and explored the store. This was the first time for Keree to see one of the dancing dolls, so she had to try it out. It was so funny watching her dance with the doll. She finally decided after alot of thinking to get Tiana's Royal Turtle ride, plus it was on clearance for $3.22. (So we only paid 52 cents with tax).

Our final stop before heading home was to Pizza Hut. Keree had her monthly Book-it certificate, so she got a free personal pan pizza. While Grandma and Mommy got chicken alfredo pasta since neither one of us are feeling that great.

After lunch, Grandma and Mommy took at nap, while Keree played with some of her birthday gifts. Once we got back up, it was time to open presents. From us, Keree got some new tennis shoes, a winter cat headband, some stickers, a Brave hair set and a Spiderman bath chemisty set. Plus she got this really cool Brave card with a poster inside.

 Keree's Godmother and family got her the Secret of the Wings, Silvermist. Can you not see the excitement! She went crazy over her new doll. 

 Her Uncle N's presents are being delayed by Amazon and will hopefully arrive soon. But he did call, sing Happy Birthday and talk to her. Then he arranged for a very special birthday call to come at 6pm. So we got ready and then we sat there and waited.......and waited......and waited for the phone to ring. Finally at 6:01pm, Keree got a very special call from Mickey Mouse. He wished her a Happy Birthday. I taped the call on video because she was amazed by the whole thing.

 Then finally it was time for cake or cookie. Keree picked out a gigantic chocolate chip cookie with lots of frosting and M&M's on top. Of course, with Keree's current Fairy obsession, Tinkerbell also graced the cookie. We ended up all being so tired and not feeling well that we ended our night without eating a single bite of cookie. But before she went to bed, she did tell me that she had a great birthday and was so happy I was home.

Happy 7th Birthday

7 years ago at 1:15am you were born into this world.

 As I have done every year since your very
1st Birthday, this picture was taken at 1:15am.

And I'm so thankful that I was able to get
away from work and be here to take the picture.

Happy Birthday to my very sweet, very grown-up,
changed my life forever, Baby Girl.

Robotic Bugs

    This morning, we had to run a few errands and of course we ended up in the clearance aisles. We found a few other presents for upcoming birthday's and next years Christmas. I am a firm believer in not playing full price. Thank goodness, I'm pretty sure we are finished with presents except for Keree.
     Now Keree was thrilled because on a back bottom shelf, she spotted a Christmas Hex-bug. Now, Santa brought Keree a hex-bug in her stocking. He wasn't sure if she would like it but thought it was cool since she's on a JRFFL league through Girl Scouts. She didn't open it till New Year's eve but we had so much fun playing with it, that she really wanted another one. What I liked the most was that it was on clearance and instead of paying $6.99 for it, we got it for a little over a $1. She spent the entire afternoon building mazes for them to race around and stuff for them to run into.

Keree holding her Hex-bugs that she named Dasher and Dancer

Splash Pad, Summer Fun & Drive-in Movie

The new splash pad opened the day after school got out, but we haven't been since it's been way to crowded. So as a way for my Brother to spend sometime with Keree, we said "Let's go to the splash pad and play." He wasn't keen on the idea until we told him "The Girlfriend" could come along. I honestly didn't want to see her but decided if it was the only way for him to spend some quality time with Keree, I guess, I can put up with her. 

We thought that being a Sunday morning that the splash pad wouldn't be that crowded but I'm guessing because of the heat - it was 104 today with out the index, that more people came out early. I have to say that Keree's favorite part of the park was the giant mushroom. The water seemed a little warmer and it really felt like it was just a nice shower.

 I have to say that even with "The Girlfriend" there, we still  had fun. She was honestly trying to make an effort, which was more than she's done in the past five years. After about 1 1/2 hours, we took a short break and let Keree play in one of the tide pools they have on each side. I have to say, I'm not that thrilled with that option, lots of babies with no diapers, eeww. So, we didn't stay that long before returning to the splash park.

 We ended up being there for almost three hours. I have to say my favorite part was the buckets, it was great because you never knew how quickly they were going to fill up and pour down on you. I really wish someone would have gotten a picture of both Keree and I underneath one.

 Once we headed home, it was around 12:30p. So, I spent some time preparing lunch. I made slow-cooker Gyros and some Corn Salad. It took a little longer than expected, so we didn't eat until almost 3p. We called my Aunt P so she could come and visit my Brother for a short time. Of course, she didn't show up until right before 3p. While we waited for the food to cook, Keree, my Mom, my Brother and The Girlfriend spent time playing baseball and washers. The Girlfriend hated being out in the heat but the rest of us were use to it. We stayed hydrated and that's really the key to being out in the heat.

 After everyone ate lunch, The Girlfriend left to visit her family. Keree and my Mom went to lay down for a nap. My Bro, my Aunt P and I sat outside and talked about random stuff. I really thought after 5 hrs she would get the hint we had stuff to do and head out but that wasn't the case. Finally, my Mom had to be rude and told her to leave because we needed to leave. My Brother got my Mom a gift certificate for Mother's Day to go to the Drive-In movies. I hadn't been since I was little and this was Keree's first time. She had no idea what to expect but she was super excited to see Brave.

 We all piled into the back of my Brother's SUV, except for my Mom, who sat in a lawn chair. The minute the movie started, Keree was mesmerized. She said she had waited forever to see Merida and wanted to memorize the movie so she could play it out at home.

 I gotta say that I enjoyed Brave. I know, I've read lots of mixed reviews and the movie is a little on the darker side but that's how the true fairytale is told. It's not all bright, sunny and cute.

 My second favorite part was watching all the vintage ads for the refreshment center. Many of them I remembered when I was little.

 What is great about this Drive-In, is that for the price of admission, you get two movies. So we also got to stay and see Madagascar 3. We all kept thinking Keree would fall asleep during it but she stayed up until the end, which was after 12:30am. When the movie ended, she was lucky enough to be the first one to wish my Brother, Happy Birthday.

Summer Movie

 This morning, since Keree has been so good during all the chaos, we decided to take advantage of our local movie theatres free summer movies. They also have a special that if you sign up for their free movie rewards card, every Wednesday you get a free medium popcorn. I couldn't believe how much that bag of popcorn would have cost us ($7.00) and it was stuffed full. We came home with two bags that were both more than 1/2 full.  I was a little hesistant for Keree to see Kung Fu Panda 2 because I had heard many reviews from other Adoptive parents and so it made my extra cautious. But instead, I decided we would just go for it. I wasn't sure what to expect but other than a little intense section when Po finally remember how he ended up in the radish crate, it wasn't anything Keree couldn't handle. She was a little curious at the thought Po's birth father was still alive at the end. After the movie ended, we talked about  what she thought of the movie. She said her favorite part was after Po remember and he went back to fight with the Furious Five and he goes in slow motion "I love you guys."

After the movie, Keree got one more treat. We had a free $10 gift certificate to K0hls. My Mom was hoping she would pick out some clothes but instead, she saw this soccer ball with Rapunzel on it. The final total with tax was $10.49, so we paid a whooping 49 cents for Keree's new soccer ball. To top off our day before heading home to move and pack some more stuff. We had a coupon and got a free lunch from Wendy's. 

Happy Birthday Mom

Today was my Mom's birthday. Keree woke her up by singing Happy Birthday. It was so sweet. Because we'll be heading out in a few days to my Bro's for Easter, our plan is to celebrate out there with him. After school, Keree had her second Irish step dancing lesson. She honestly loves it and it's such good controlled physical therapy for her.

Happy 6th Birthday!

6 years ago at 1:15am you were born into this world.

As I have done every year since your 1st Birthday, this picture was taken at 1:15am.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl.

Are you a Chinese girl?

Keree is still in her wheelchair for the majority of her school day. She has transitioned to being able to sit at her own table during class but any other time, she's in the wheelchair. So, while Keree was at recess today, a little boy came over to her. He was kinda hiding his face and being the caring person she is, she asked him what was the matter. He said nothing, he was just cold (it was 22 out there today). She said suddenly he asked her "Are you some kind of Chinese girl?" Keere said she didn't know how to answer and suddenly he goes "Well those Chinese girls have eyes like yours." Keere said she rolled her eyes around, pretending to be looking around at her face. The Little Boy goes, "You don't even know what you look like." He got mad because she didn't respond to his question and then stormed off.

While Keree was telling me this, when she got finished I go, that was really silly for him to say because your not Chinese are you. She knew what he said wasn't right but didn't know what her response was suppose to be. She goes, so next time I can go, "nope I'm Vietnamese and have my own eyes."

Otherwise this weekend is one of her Birthday parties. Yep, she's one lucky kid and is getting two parties this year. The party tomorrow is for her classmates and a few kiddos from our adoption group. The other party she is having is for family and super close friends. I went all out for her Family & Super Close Friends party, personalized bubbles, candy wrappers, etc. The party tomorrow will have a few special touches but far from what I would usually do. Honestly, I've been so frustrated with Keree's school and also with our adoption group, that I didn't want to do those special things for them. I mean there are a few good kids (thank goodness) but alot of them are just mean to her because of her wheelchair. Just hoping that tomorrow goes off as planned and that she has a wonderful time.

Snowy Monday

We all had a rough night, so when I startled myself out of a dead sleep at 730a. I laid there and debated if I was going to get Keree up and take her to school. When my eyes finally focused, I noticed that the ground outside was white. I had to do a double take since they weren't predicting snow, we were suppose to get a little bit of rain and thats it. I sat up and pulled back the curtain and it was coming down so heavy that I couldn't see the tree line. I flipped on the news and they were advising people not to drive unless they had to, so that meant a self-appointed snow day for Keree. Keree actually ended up sleeping in till almost 8a, so it was nice to have a little quiet time just watching the snow fall. So after some breakfast and getting dressed, the snowflakes that were falling were huge and some puffy looking. So we decided to put on our winter coats and head outside. It was such a slushy mess that we didn't move off of the sidewalk but it was so pretty. Keree spent part of her time trying to catch the huge snowflakes on her tongue. It was pretty funny watching her, with her eyes closed and her tongue out. Once we headed inside, I checked my email before heading upstairs. I was excited to open an email entitled "singles allowed to adopt from Chin@." How exciting that the country is open again to Singles who choose to adopt from the special focus program. I have to admit that I did take a peek at a few of the kiddos on the list and some totally melted my heart. I'm just so happy that it's an option again for so many singles out there. After the mail was checked, we headed upstairs to work. Well in Keree's case play, she spent her morning playing in her play kitchen. I don't know how many times she served me poison soup, sandwich or drink. We headed downstairs for lunch and since it's Monday that meant Muffin Tin. I decided that since this week is St. Patrick's day that would be a perfect theme. So in my first cup is half of an whole wheat english muffin, I used edible markers to draw a rainbow on it. Our next cup is Key Lime flavored fluffy yogurt, I then used some green apple licorice to make a clover on top. Then I added a raspberry milano cookie and again used the edible markers to write Happy St. Pat's day on it. The last cup of the top row has two marshmallows, again I used edible markers and drew clovers on them. The next row, the first cup has some cucumbers coins, I really wanted to make them gold for the money at the end of the rainbow but couldn't come up with a way. Next is some cornbeef hash, I used canned because I haven't had time to make homemade. Finally, the last cup is some green olives which Keree loves any type of olives. As for the rest of our day, I did get Keree to lay down for a short nap. It was less than an hour, so I'm hoping that she's exhausted tonight and will go to sleep early. Otherwise, we checked on my Grandparents because my Grandpa had doc appts today. Luckily, they made it safely to and from even in the snow. My Aunt V sent us a package, inside was both Keree and I's birthday presents. I got a gorgeous 2.75 ct garnet ring (which is my birthstone) and Keree got a Rapunzel pillowcase and some Rapunzel hair ties. So we called my Aunt and thanked her for our gifts. We also got to talk to my Brother for a short time while he was driving home from Pennsylvania. He had been there for a wedding and then took a few more days off to see a few sites with his girlfriend. Keree was suppose to have our final cheer practice this evening but when she woke up from her nap, she had a low grade fever again. Since there has been all kinds of stuff going around, I choose to keep her home and not chance anything. Keree spent the rest of the evening working in some workbooks and drawing.

Belated Birthday Fun

Keree really wanted to go to Chuckee's for her birthday. She really wanted to have her birthday party there and everything. My Mom and I...well we didn't think that was a good idea at all. But after doing some errands, we decided to reward Keree with some time at the pizza place for a sort of belated birthday fun. After ordering our pizza, we played Deal or No deal. Then Keree and I split our time between, whack-a-alien, riding the horse and skee-ball. After eating some pretty greasy pizza, we rode the electronic roller coaster. Keree has never been into riding rides, so this was a first for her. She was going to be brave and sit next to me but after the first jerk. She begged to lay on top of me, while we were tossed this way and that. Honestly, by the time it stopped, I was ready to puke. I couldn't believe how motion sick I got. Since my Mom wasn't feeling well, we decided to leave before spending all our coins. We cashed in our tickets and let Keree pick out a prize. Of course, in true Keree fashion, she picked the baseball bat and ball. After we got home, she talked non-stop about all the fun things we did. She asked if we could go more often. My standard response was it costs lots of money but honestly, I would rather kept the place as a once/twice a year place to visit because all the electronic lights & sounds can be annoying, even though my daughter does so enjoy it.

5th Birthday Day

Our morning started off pretty eventful, actually it was just a little after 12am when the sirens started going off. I had actually been watching the storms move across the two states and listening to all the warnings the Weather people kept giving us as Keree slept next to me. I decided since it was so dark outside to watch the storm through the bedroom window. Right as the storm was moving in, I saw the sky turn colors I had never seen before. First the sky turned a bright aqua-marine, then a bright red, that is when I scooped up my daughter and went to wake up my Mom. At first my Mom thought I was nuts but I pulled back the curtain and the sky was flashing bright red and it sounded like there was rocks being thrown at the windows. As we were running to the bathroom we heard the freight train sound. As we huddled in the bathroom, the house started to breathe, literally the ceiling tiles and walls lifted up, it did it several times. This honestly is the first storm that has ever scared me. I'm the type who usually loves to be in the thick of the storm, but this time I was just fine huddling in the bathroom. When the storm finally passed and we emerged, I honestly expected to see massive damage, trees down, damage to the roof, etc. There was nothing, no tree limbs down, no damage to the house, it was a miracle because all around us was damage of various degrees. Needless to say, Keree was restless the rest of the night. When we woke her up this morning with a wonderful rendition of Happy Birthday, she pulled the cover back over her head and begged for more sleep. Keree enjoyed some Crunch Berry cereal for breakfast. Then Keree put on her Birthday Girl shirt, which she has worn on her Birthday for her last 4 birthdays. The shirt started out being down past her knees and then this year it fits her perfectly. I'm a little sad that this is the last year she will be wearing this shirt but I guess I should be happy since it's a size 18mos. Before we left for school, I decided to take a few pictures. I also wanted to document the treats she brought to school, Blue and Yellow mini cupcakes, which Keree was so excited about because they are her favorite colors. Needless to say, there are more than 12 kids in Keree's class but she couldn't hold all of the containers. When we arrived at school, I was surprised when the Main Teacher actually wished Keree a Happy Birthday. I had taken the camera in because I wanted to take a picture of Keree making her Birthday crown but they were dragging their feet in getting it ready, so I ended up leaving without a picture. When I came to pick Keree up, she was so excited because they had lantern stickers and she put them on her crown. We headed home and while I worked on lunch, Keree got to open up her Birthday presents that she got in the mail and the few my Mom and I had tucked away. Keree's Great Grandma and YeYe sent her a new outfit, a lollipop shirt, some flowered tights and a white shrug. Next she opened up a card from her Great-Great Aunt F, inside was $10 and a bag of candy. Her next present was from her Godmother, I really wish I would have video taped her opening the present because she shrilled with excitement when she discovered that she got a "real camera" with Kai Lan on it. The last gift she got to open was from my Mom (aka Grandma) it was a clock of her very own. But the neatest thing we found was a Birthday card and what happens to be on front? Not only Rapunzel but also the number 5. How awesome is that. But what was even better, when you opened up the card it played a song. The lyrics are this "suddenly I see, standing here, it's all so clear, where I'm meant to be." Finally I had lunch finished, since it's Monday, I did a Birthday Muffin Tin. So I turned some cupcake liners inside out, I thought I had birthday themed ones but I couldn't find them, so I settled on the stripes. In the first cup, was a slice of cheese folded in half, I then cut out a salami cupcake and for the candle, I used a piece of licorice tie. The next cup is some cherry yogurt with small candy princess crowns. Keree was so excited about those princess crowns. The next cup is another piece of folded cheese and I cut out a 5 also out of salami. In the next row, the first cup is some pasta salad leftover from the weekend. The middle cup was two stonewheat crackers and then the final cup was the rest of the kiwi that didn't fit on the kabob. In the middle of the tin was a kiwi and marshmallow kabob. Keree didn't have a lot of time to eat but she did finish all of her kiwi, the kabob, and salami. She ate a good majority of the rest but honestly we ran out of time. We then headed out to my Mom's doctor's appointment. Luckily Keree fell asleep on the way there and took about a 1 1/2 hr nap plus the upside also was my Mom was only in the doctor's office for about 2 1/2 hrs. While my Mom was in the doctor's office and after Keree woke up, she was excited to play her new vtech game she got for her Birthday. It's rated for a 4yr-6yr old so I thought she would be challenged on the easy level but it was way to simple, so once I flipped it over to the difficult level it was a little better but honestly, she was breezing through it also. I'm thinking for next Christmas we are going to be looking for a more challenging learning game system. After my Mom was finished, I had to stop at HL for some supplies and then we had to head to Wallymart to get my Mom's prescription filled. Since my Mom wasn't feeling too hot, I told her and Keree to wait in the car and I would take care of it. While I waited the 15 minutes (ha, it turned out to be almost an hour) for the prescriptions, Keree and my Mom witnessed a lady hit the concrete pole the stop sign was on. When I finally got back to the car, that was the first thing Keree told me, she said it was scary and the lady kept going back and forth, back and forth and there was yellow paint up and down her car. Because Keree had cheerleading picture tonight, we had about 40 minutes before we had to be there. Since we didn't have enough time to really do anything, I let Keree pick a fast food restaurant for her birthday dinner. Not exactly what I had planned but it was that or nothing. So Keree picked McD's and got chicken nuggets and fries. Once we were at cheerleading, we changed Keree into her uniform. Tonight they were having team pics taken. It was a little disappointing that 2 girls didn't show up but for some reason that always seems to happen. Now my plan was to quickly have pictures taken and then leave, instead the Coach decided we should wait for the 2 girls who didn't show up, so we were there waiting for our entire practice. I was not happy but there was nothing we could do. When we were finally done and headed home, my Brother called to wish Keree a Happy Birthday and talk to her. They talked the entire way home (20 min) plus a good 10 minutes after we got home. This evening, we surprised Keree with a carrot cupcake, we sang Happy Birthday to her and then she got to blow out her candles. I asked her later if she remembered to make a wish, she said she did but couldn't tell me her wish. We also surprised her with some knock off dippin dots. She had seen them several times and wanted to try them, so what better time then a special occasion. Keree almost finished off the entire cup of cotton candy flavored dots. She ended her 5th Birthday by calling her Birthday Twin and wishing her a Happy Birthday and then talking with her Great-Grandma and YeYe. Right before bed, I asked Keree if she had a good Birthday, she just smiled. Happy 5th Birthday Baby Girl!