Miaya....the Dancer?

We always wonder what our children will be when they grow up.. A doctor maybe...a teacher maybe (No way to that one!) Anyway Miaya stretched her wings today ....well actually her feet...and had her first Family Night Dance Recital. She's only had a month of dance classes , but we see a definite improvement...mostly in attitude! She loves her teacher Miss Adonica and will do anything for her. Hhhhmmmm maybe I can rent her out when I'm trying to get her to go to bed! Anyway here it is!

Just too cute

I love this picture....and the two who are in it! What a daddy's girl....just like her mama!

Grandparents Day

Miaya has been enrolled in the Preschool here at Prescott. They have wonderful activities including grandparents day. Dad was under the weather, so he wasn't able to attend, but grandma came! Miaya still talks about how she got to go home with grandma that day. She loves to recite their Grandparents poem to them all the time.                        

 Here are grandma's glasses

And here is Grandma's hat,
Here's the way she folds her hands
Just like that.

Here are Grandpa's glasses,
Here is Grandpa's hat,
Here's the way he folds his arms
Just like that.

Grandma's Birthday

Okay we have cake...check! We have candles....check! We have flames......check! Sing with all our hearts....check (good job Ciara and Miaya) 

 Happy Birthday Mom!

Landscaping with Miaya

We have been working on some landscaping projects, and Miaya has been pitching in and helping.

So many tools to choose from!

Miaya has her own "just almost my size" shovel!

We're moving a rock wall closer to the deck, and replacing bushes and adding new plants.

Driving Miss Daisy

Miaya waiting for her bottle calf

No we aren't in Alabama we are on a stretch of highway 34 driving our Miss Daisy to our house. No it's not Jessica Tandy. It's our little heifer that Miaya named Daisy.. Doesn't look like a daisy all white and yellow...she's as close to a chocolate mocha as you can get! Michael decided after attempting to get the calf to nurse that now indeed Miaya has a bottle calf.....let's change that a little bit....Kim has a bottle calf! We took our little Ford tractor (came with the place) down to the pasture to pick up Miss Daisy for her first outing. We used the crate that Dave Reisinger had made to carry the Christmas trees up to the garage when the customers picked them out. Yes we live on an old Christmas tree farm....thought we struck gold when we found this place...we just love it!  But one draw back.....no more Christmas trees...so we still buy our Christmas trees, but we do have some beautiful walnut trees that Dave actually planted and raised from seed...well really from walnut.

Miss Daisy being lead out

Your car is ready Miss Daisy...hop in....yeah right..

Rounding the corner off of Hwy 34 to our place

So anyway getting back to our Miss Daisy...she is having a gay old time in amongst the walnut trees...she has high standards and demands two bottles a day...no not of Dom Perignon but Red Star milk replacer. She insists on being pampered and has a valet of Petie the dog. He always follows us down to her exclusive jungle room and watches as she is hand fed the best that we can give her. Thank goodness she hasn't requested a food taster yet!

Heading up the hill to her new home

Beauty

It could easily be the curve of the nose, the silkiness of the long hair, the deep pool of color in their eyes, but to me beauty is described by what is inside...you can't get that in a bottle or doing 200 sit-ups. I have seen this beauty in many women as well as men.... Ciara this past week was given the honor of being Adams County Fair Queen 2011...it is so nice when other people see her all of her beauty. Miaya is so lucky to be able to look up to all of her girl cousins to really see what beauty is.

Karl (Dad) walking Ciara in

Julie (Mom) so proud!

Not bad sis! (Brother) Alex

Part of Miss Ciara's cheer squad (Aunt Katie)

Ciara being Ciara

Proud parents

I don't like to take photos of myself, but I forget it when I'm so very proud.

Being crowned 2011 Adams County Fair Queen

Swimming Fun...

Miaya was trying her best to gain back a loss of not having swimming lessons last year..(mama had classes during that time, so there wasn't anyone to take her) Any hoos we decided to put her in private classes. We are so glad we did! Miss Bonnie her instructor (Aunt Katie's friend) had the patience of Jobe. She talked to her so sweetly about how she needed to be safe and get that sweet face in the water. Katie, held my hand during the lesson's as I am very very scared of the water. She really worked hard on Miss Bobbie to get her to play instead....which she thought she had done, but Miss Bonnie could take what she thought was play and changed it into lessons. She was so sweet with her, it really helped me to let go alittle. She kept telling me to work with Miaya and let her know it's okay to go into the water....I've got to work on that! Anyway here's a few pics for your amusement.

3 Years...it seems like yesterday

Miaya's tribute to Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair"

Yes, it does seem like yesterday...we actually had weather today in southwest Iowa that was very reminiscent of our day in Nanning, China. Our annual photo shoot took place just a few minutes ago...she has grown so much, but still fits in her outfit that she came from the orphanage in. We then looked at "her" video as she calls it. It was the video we played before she was dedicated at our church...the music is rather haunting to me. Miaya loves the song and can tell it in about two notes..she knows it's her song. Strange how she is moved by it so much...hopefully someday the words will be able to help her to understand, but for now we just in awe of the moment and hopefully in the future we still be in awe of what we did 3 years ago today.  Love you Miaya....always.

PS We haven't cut her hair since she became our daughter. About 2 more inches and we will cut her hair and donate it to "Locks of Love"  BTW if you want to see her video, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAIZ_vzESq0

50!

Yes my sweet brother Karl is over the hill! Having 3 sisters I know Karl has put up with alot...he was graciously inducted into the Half Century Club by his sister (NOT ME..It's Katie) and 2 brother in laws. We decided to give him a half father's day half birthday party at my parents in between him putting hay up. We are so proud of what Karl has accomplished in his 50 years! Way to go Karl!

We had to make sure everyone wished him Happy Birthday and put the this in the local paper. Good thing I had all of these already scanned from my parents 50th Anniversary video....and thank goodness no one has access to my pictures...since my 50th is next year!

How Do You Spell...

Miaya is wanting so much to be a big girl. She loves to spell words. Recently, I had her sign her name to her Daddy's Father's Day card. She informed me that she needed to write Daddy's name on the front and she didn't need my help...Sure enough out comes D-A-D-D-Y.

We've also found that she can find most everyone's house....Aunt Katie's, Grandma's, her daycare, and then yesterday we were headed back into Corning and she spotted the top of the "Blue Grass Industrial Park" water tower and said that's where Daddy works! (He Does!) I think we might of been there 2 times in her entire life and that girl knew exactly where Daddy works! Granted we think this is all in good, except when we try to surprise her with a special trip somewhere....because she already knows which way we are going and starts to ask questions...she's our own little GPS!

It's Official We Have 4

4 Years Old that is! Yes she finally had her birthday celebration this past Sunday. Surrounded by the ones who love her is always very very precious to me. She was sporting her new birthday dress that Aunt Katie helped pick out ...she helped me to get out of the pink and apple green rut with a beautiful halter dress with orange peonies scatter amongst the big skirt that she loved to twirl in. Never had her in orange before..should of sooner, looked great with her already tan. I swear this girl can tan under 20 blankets...lucky girl. She had a great time opening gifts and having daisy cupcakes and strawberries. After the last guest had left we saw her "eyeing" another cupcake and informed her that 2 was enough for the day. Turning around she had a bit of a sad face which we thought was because of our rationing of the sugar for the day....but alas our sweety said, "But grandpa didn't get his cupcake"....My dad who has been recuperating in the hospital after a valve replacement was still in Omaha. We knew that dad would be back to the hospital near us to finish his recuperation, so we told her that she could bring him one tomorrow. I love that my daughter knows what makes her family complete. She did take the cupcake to grandpa the next day which in her amazement grandpa downed it in two bites.....she just said WOW...grandpa needs another cupcake!

After that all was good and she went to jam with her new Dora guitar. BTW McCarty Family (Karl's) THANKS SO MUCH  FOR THE GUITAR.....WITH NO VOLUME CONTROL.....AAAA.RRRR.GGGG..HHHH

NEW PICTURES!

Check out the new pics in the slideshow!

A Spot of Tea?

Well it was actually strawberry breeze juice, but we did have some beautiful sun on Miaya's birthday to have our annual birthday tea party. We cleaned up the Cinderella plastic tea set and set out to find a dry spot to lay our blanket out. No dry spot to be found, so we roughed it.
We were so tickled that Miaya remembered it from last year...you know you always hope that your children will remember what you consider special. So I suppose we will whip out those fairy wings every year and enjoy a spot of tea on her birthday. Hopefully we will have a lot of years with those wings....because they do carry us to a simple time when you can enjoy watching your daddy with his little pinky sticking out just to hear his daughter giggle. Fairy wings and tea parties...it's a good thing!

Sprinkles in Life

Everyone knows that cupcakes are always better with sprinkles. In our life we are also lucky to get those "sprinkles" in our life, too. My sprinkles are my family. This Saturday Katie (my sister) helped out one frantic mom by helping take care of Miaya while my husband were hustling to scan pictures and put them together for Ciara's graduation videos. Mia adores her aunts so much...they are those special "sprinkles" in my daughter's life.  Thanks Katie!

Rocket Scientist?

Rusty, Katie (Mom) and Grandma

Rusty and Grandma 

I have a nephew who is a rocket scientist. Hhhmmm never thought I would say that! Rusty just graduated from Iowa State (Go Cyclones!) as a Aerospace Engineer with a minor in math and astronomy. I guess my sister never thought this would be what would come from all those late nights helping Rusty with his various projects in elementary school. I guess a little glue and duct tape makes anyones dream come true if they have the parents behind them to reach the stars...literally!  Great job Rusty!!

BIG DAY

Big Day today....let me see, we have a new 4 year old in our house! She has grown 6 inches from last year! We try to measurer her every year.
We're right now making her favorite meal....pancakes!!! Wish my dad could be here to enjoy them with her...they are pancake buddies. Dad is hopefully going to be able to come home this week from his lengthy and horribly boring stay in the hospital (heart surgery)

Besides our little ones birthday my nieces graduation is today also. Miss Ciara has been mentioned many times in this blog along with my other nieces and nephews. But little Miss C has been the smile I've seen most in my life, as I was her second grade teacher and her daycare for a few summers.... So she helped me out a lot of times when I was missing something in my life.  Miaya thanks you Ciara for helping her mommy to wait for her, the daughter that made her complete.

Chinese New Year

Thanks Mr. Peabody for the use of the Wayback Machine, today we're traveling back to late January 2011 for some of the pictures of our adventures in Kansas when we visited the Hisles for Chinese New Year.

We had a great visit, got a chance to catch up on happenings, and have some fun. Plus, the weather was a lot milder than we had been having in Iowa.

We went to a very nice celebration at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, which included a shadow puppet performance.  A really neat traditional way of telling a story.

Arts and crafts for the kids.

Miaya playing with a Chinese yo-yo, the performers were truly amazing in the tricks they performed.

Super neat!

The next night, we had a truly great meal at a local Chinese restaurant in Topeka.

The "less mess" method of eating egg drop soup!  The straw is good for more than just beverages, what a concept.

Zia Joy putting the cheater chopsticks to good use.

Both girls did really well with the cheaters.  It was Miaya's first real time eating with chopsticks.

"My Best Friend Buddy"  as Miaya describes Zia Joy.

The yummy kind of arts and crafts -- icing sugar cookies at the Hisles.

Look at that concentration!

Time to add the sprinkles! Now, we EAT!