A year ago ...

A year ago we went on strike.  It was a weird, uncertain time.  We were told to vacate our offices and we didn't know when we'd be back.  It turned out to be about 3-4 months.  It was also a strange time for us because Tony had just had his heart surgery on October 8 and was still recuperating.  The strike actually helped him - we had to picket for 3 hours a day so Tony used his picketing as physical therapy, he'd walk in circles, holding his sign, making his heart stronger.  

Funny Faces

Funny faces are big with us.  About a year ago Maggie took a picture of herself making this funny face.  She sent it to a bunch of people, including my dad, who then sent back his own funny face. Sally is lately into making funny faces when she gets her picture taken.  Tony and I ... well are faces are always funny.

The first time I saw your face ...

Daddy and I got a call from US Asian Affairs that we had been matched with a baby - you!  They told me your name, Fu Xinpei and that you were from Chongching. The next day, Daddy and I drove to Monterey Park and picked up the manilla envelope that had 3 pictures of you inside.  We were so nervous and excited to open the envelope.  These were two of the pictures.  We were so happy and couldn't stop staring at you.  You looked so healthy and so, so beautiful.  I especially like the picture with the red background and your sweet little mouth.  We started to love you that day and haven't stopped.  AsI tell you all the time, the day we met you and the day we had Maggie were the two most amazing days of my life.  

Hawaii on my mind

It's getting cold here and that always makes me a little bit happy and a little bit sad.  I like that it reminds me of the midwest in the fall, but I miss my hot and sunny days.  So, I started thinking about Hawaii.  We're going back there for a vacation in May, to Maui.  We took a vacation there a year and a half ago and had the best time.  We stayed at the Kea Lani and the girls alternated between the pool and the beach.  Maggie went snorkeling with Tony and Madeline Falacci(who also happened to be there with her parents on vacation), Sally fed the Koi in the Koi pond every morning. 

The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we went to a pumpkin patch.  Besides buying pumpkins, we rode a train and Tony and Maggie went in the corn maze where they managed to get lost.  After about an hour they found a group who seemed to know where they were and made it out.  We had lemonade and roasted corn while they recovered from their adventure.  While they were busy getting lost, Sally and I did the kiddie maze, climbed the giant stack of hay bales and jumped in a huge pumpkin bouncer.  

The Singing Chicken

Today we celebrated Tony's birthday at work and I hired a singing chicken telegram.  Cluck cluck.  It was pretty funny in that humiliating "oh my God is that really a grown man wearing a chicken suit" kind of way.  Tony was a good sport and Mr. Chicken didn't overstay his welcome, he waddled out of there in about ten minutes.  

Glasses

Sally always steals my glasses.  Always.  She looks so cute, doesn't she?

The Office

So, it's official - I'm the best mom ever.  I arranged for Maggie to visit the set of her favorite show, The Office and meet most of her favorite characters, including Dwight.  Oh My God!!!!  We were like a couple of star struck geeks.  My friend Jenna set it up. She works with me on Grey's, and her husband Justin is a writer on the Office.  He was so sweet to Maggie, introducing her to everyone and showing her all of the sets.  Maggie even got to sit in Michael's chair.  Dwight was especially kind to Maggie and chatted with her.  When he met her he said, "What are, 12?  When I was 12 I had invented a talking robot, what have you done with your life?"  It was hilarious.  

meeting Chloe

After our China girl reunion this year, we hightailed it down the road about 5 minutes and had the pleasure of meeting our newest niece/cousin, Chloe. A real peanut, Chloe is gorgeous and sweet.  Maggie got to hold her and Sally regressed and fell asleep in my arms!  She was so tired from her weekend of fun, she just conked out.   

like my crib?

Just going through old photos, I found these and wanted to post the story behind them.  When we came back from China a few friends pitched in and got Sally this beautiful water table. It's a table with two big bowls in it and it was all hand made and designed and it was perfect for her to play with water and sand ... and it also looked to me like a huge chip and dip table.  Like that a giant would use.  So as a thank you note to our friends, I put chips in one of the bowls and juice in the other and I took a picture of Tony and I 'relaxing' with our great new table, while the girls were upstairs, and the joke of the picture was that we had trapped them in the crtib so we could use the table.  The card was a hit, but what was really a hit was what happened as a result of the photo session.  The girls were still in the process of 'getting to know' one another and really become sisters and Maggie getting into Sally's crib delighted Sally and made her feel so special, like her big sister and her were just hanging together.  It was a little breakthrough in a year of little breakthroughs, each one allowing for the next.  

style

This was last year, you had just turned 11 and I took you to get a hair cut.  They blew it out, you are soooo gorgeous I just had to take a picture before the hair got, well, messy again.  

catch a catch a by the toe

Sally- At 5 you are an amazingly verbal girl, always talking, using big words to express your big thoughts. There are some very cute mispronounciations that I wanted to write down before I forget them forever. In eeney meeny miney mo, instead of saying catch a tiger by the toe you say catch a catch a by the toe. You call the abominable snowman the bombaloo snowman. You loved the movie Kung Fu Panda but you call it Comfort Panda. You call vacation bucation. There are so many more and I'll add to this as I think of them. One other cute thing while it's on my mind - this week we went out to dinner in old town and there was an art exhibition by Yoko Ono of these Wish Trees where everyone writes a wish on these tags and then you tie your tag to the tree. It's quite beautiful. Well, I had to transcribe your wish which was - I wish for a stuffed animal which is a bear. And lots of candy. I hung it right next to the person who was wishing for world peace,it takes all kinds of wishes ... This morning you met your "Buddy class" at school, they a class that you are matched up with and you do special things with them and each person gets an actual"Buddy" from the class. Last year your buddy was this sweet boy named Anthony. You call him your guppy. Instead of buddy you say, "Mommy, there's Anthony. He's my guppy!"