Life with Paisley

Santa

2011-12-08T06:16:00.000-08:00

Paisley saw Santa last night. She told him that she wants a space station and more ballet outfits for her Barbie. When Dean asked her what kind of space station she wants, she said "When Santa brings it, you will see it and then you will know." I sure hope Santa brings the right one - LOL.

Paisley is Five!!

2011-10-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but Paisley celebrated her fifth birthday this past Friday - and she celebrated it all weekend long.

On Friday, Paisley had a "Celebration of Life" at school and Dean and I got to go - it was very cool. She got to light five candles - with each candle she got to make the Earth go around the Sun to show each year. Each time she did this, she got to walk around and show her friends a picture from that year. The whole thing wrapped up with blowing out the candles and having birthday snacks. She felt very special.

Paisley got to have a birthday lunch at American Girl with her cousin Addi on Saturday and dinner with family Saturday night.

We wrapped up birthday weekend with a gymnastices party at WOGA on Sunday - it was super crazy and she had a blast!

Paisley seems so much older this year. She is learning to read and she is so happy when she can get through a book by herself. She loves going to preshool. She also loves ballet, music, tae kwon do, and gymnastics. We are having so much fun with her!

Back to School

2011-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Still hot here - does not feel like it is time to go back to school. Paisley started preschool last week - she was so excited.

Paisley is at that age that there is very little down time to update the blog. Now that I am back to work full-time and Paisley is at a very social age, you probably won't be seeing a whole lot of new blog posts - just too busy living life and loving every minute of it. Thank goodness for the iPhone - it is the only way we take pictures these days - lol.

Are we still where we are?

2011-05-22T17:35:00.001-07:00

We took a quick trip to San Antonio this weekend and stayed at the Hill Country Hyatt. When we were a few minutes away from the resort, Paisley asked, "Are we still where we are? - Uh, yes.
This is the best hotel for kids - ever. Not only is there a great pool, but there is also a lazy river that flows through the resort, activities all day and movies, popcorn and smores at night.

We also went to Sea World - Paisley had lots of fun - she rode her first roller coaster. She really loved Shamu and wants to go back tomorrow - lol.

Sunny Weather

2011-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the super weather, we have been really busy around here.

We did our inaugural swim yesterday. We did not get Paisley out of the pool until 8:30 last night and she immediately wanted to take a bath - she was in the bath for 2 hours - LOL!

We did finally make it to a bluebonnet patch - they are all soooo beautiful right now.

Dean has been busy with work - he loves what he is doing. He has also been super busy getting the pool ready. We had to buy a new pool vac - Henry went into retirement yesterday, but his replacement, Zelda, is doing great. Paisley dropped a piece of her brownie in the pool and said, "That is for Zelda - it will give her energy to keep the pool clean." She is going to need it if Paisley keeps dropping food in the pool.

Me - I have been doing some contract work and that is keeping me as busy as I want to be right now. Keeps my brain working - and it needs to be working.

Dean and I have been doing the Jeff Galloway run/walk program (just completed week 23!) so that we can keep up with Paisley in our old age - LOL!! We have high hopes of completing a 5K together in the near future.

The new house is coming along. I am super anxious to gut the kitchen, but that will be a couple of years down the road. I am determined to bring gas into the island and that will require removing flooring - so.... a few more years of ugly kitchen won't kill me.

I will try to blog more throughout the next few months - really, I will.

Dragon Dance

2011-02-18T19:47:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at The Crow Museum Dragon Dance tonight - Paisley loved it! We are so thankful for the beautiful weather and are glad we moved back.

Snow!!!

2011-01-09T13:56:00.000-08:00

What a great snowy day we had today!! Texas snow is so great because it is rare and that makes it such a treat. We also love that it melts quickly and goes away - LOL!!

Crazy Dance

2010-12-29T08:38:00.001-08:00

If anyone ever wonders why Paisley eats so much and is still so thin, this should provide answers. She has danced around all day with her streamer. It never stops being funny to us - lol.

No More Anti-Santite!!

2010-12-09T20:05:00.001-08:00

The curse has been lifted. Paisley finally sat on Santa's lap. I am so excited to finally have happy Santa pictures.

We moved into our Plano home last Saturday. Paisley was super excited to see all of her toys that have been in storage since March. It has been a long time coming, but we are finally settled and could not be happier.

Picture Day

2010-10-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth Birthday!!

2010-10-28T13:49:00.001-07:00

Paisley is now four! We celebrated her birthday at the Great Wolf Lodge last Sunday. She had great fun at the waterpark. Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures - I guess we just got too busy!!

The Haircut

2010-10-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

Paisley gave herself a mullet bob this past weekend. She was fairly proud of her work. Luckily, we were able to have it shaped up in time for her four year pictures - LOL.I realize I have not blogged much lately. Paisley is still amuzing us with her childhood. I am on Facebook too - friend me (Becky Haynes Rotan) if you are out there so that we can stay in touch!

Back in Texas!

2010-09-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Paisley and I are officially back in Texas. Dean will join us next week. We have put a contract on a house in Plano and Dean starts back at Dr. Pepper when he returns - different job this time around.

Paisley and I had the opportunity to reconnect with one of the families that we traveled with in China - Paisley and Juliana had a blast together.

We are so glad to be back!!

Three Years Ago Today...

2010-07-28T22:14:00.001-07:00

Three years ago today (it is 1:47 a.m. here, so this counts as the 29th - more on my insomnia in later posts), we were sweating in the unforgiving heat of a Changsha summer. It was truly the journey of a lifetime. I will never forget seeing Paisley for the first time.

When she was placed into my arms, she immediately became such a natural part of our family. I am not sure of the exact process for matching babies to families, but there is something to it. Someone in China knows which baby goes with which family - it is always a perfect match.

That being said, Paisley has proven that she has the spicy Hunan personality. She is still working on mastering the art of persuasion - lol. Her Grandma says she reminds her of someone else at that age. I think Grandma enjoys it all a little too much.

More from the fourth...

2010-07-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

We were able to hike to a couple of water falls today - breathtaking views. Paisley had a great time with her "sisters" - she kept saying "these are my sisters" - so sweet!

Happy July 4th!

2010-07-03T20:12:00.001-07:00

Happy July 4th to everyone. We are having a great weekend in West Virginia with three of the five families we traveled with in China. It has been close to three years since the girls have seen each other. They are having a blast and we are enjoying watching them.

"The City"

2010-06-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

One of Paisley's favorite Wonder Pets is Save the Baby Monster. The monster walks around stomping on large buildings. When she saw the Cincinnati skyline, she said "I want to see the city and touch the buildings like the baby monster did." LOL. I tried to tell her the buildings were actually quite large. We finally took her downtown yesterday so that she could see for herself. She had fun.

Soccer

2010-06-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Paisley started soccer today. The official Summer of Paisley has begun. We are finally getting into a routine - gymnastics on Saturday, swimming lessons on Tuesday, soccer on Thursday and parks/museums/pool in between. I don't know who is more tired at night, Paisley or me - lol.

Lake Erie

2010-05-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

We spent our Memorial Day weekend at Lake Erie again this year. Paisley loves going there and playing on the beach. She also thinks staying in the cottage is great fun.

Some memorable quotes from this year:

Paisley: "I love going on holiday" (too many British kids shows)

Paisley: "Let's go back to the cabbage (cottage)"

Daddy: "Do you make your Mommy nuts sometimes?"

Paisley: "Not too much"

Paisley: "Can I have mushrooms (marshmallows) with my sandwich?"

Paisley: (Upon finding Daddy hiding in the shower during a rowdy game of hide and seek) "Now it is my turn to hide in the shower"

Daddy: "OK, I'll see if I can find you"

Hope everyone else had a great holiday.

It has been a while...

2010-05-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Life has been a little busy and I realize I have not posted much lately. We sold our house in February, closed on it in March and moved into an apartment - that alone has made life incredibly busy.

Paisley has been having a great time in transitional preschool and also gymnastics. She has grown so much. She will start preschool in September (hopefully somewhere in Texas).

We are fortunate to have found an apartment across the lake from the old house, so we walk out our back door, walk down a hill and we are on the lake trails. Eddie is happy about that - he chases the geese and loves his long walks.

I quit my job - May 27th is my last day. Yes - I am aware the economy sucks and jobs are hard to come by. Paisley and I are taking the summer off. This will be the first time I have not worked since I was 14 - I am seriously overdue for some time off. I am thinking of starting my own company - we'll see about that after summer is over.

We go to Lake Erie in a couple of weeks and are looking forward to the break.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

Dallas

2010-03-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Paisley and I spent the last week in Dallas. Paisley had so much fun with Cousin Graham and "her" Holly and Chad.

More Snow

2010-02-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

Just so you know, the novelty of the snow is wearing off for me in the middle 0f year two - not for Paisley though. Paisley loves each and every snow and likes to spend as much time as possible outside. If it isn't snowing, it is raining - Paisley loves that too. She puts on her rain boots and jumps in puddles - oh to be three and find joy in it all.

Camera Day

2010-01-23T12:35:00.001-08:00

It was camera day at Paisley's gymnastics class today. We don't get many photo opportunites now that she goes to class without us. Paisley definitely likes the bars, rings, ropes and just general flipping more than working on the beam. She really looks forward to class each Saturday.

Christmas

2009-12-26T06:52:00.001-08:00

Paisley had an excellent Christmas this year. I think her favorite part was leaving cookies and milk for Santa. Eddie had a great Christmas too - Santa was good to him. Even with all of her new toys, Paisley has spent most of her time in her old tent with her Pa Pa - lol.

Three is Great

2009-12-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

No one ever told me that the age of three is so much fun. Three is such a transitional age. This was the first birthday that Paisley really got it. She is also (after many failed attempts) losing the diaper (thank goodness). She is really into Santa Claus, but she is still too afraid of him to actually sit on his lap. She has watched the old Rudolph movie way too many times. She believes in monsters. If we are outside and it gets really dark, she asks if we think there are any monsters 'out there'. She wants to know 'why' about everything. She has 'best friends' and tells you when someone is no longer her best friend - lol. I can hardly wait for Christmas morning!

First Good Snow of the Season

2009-12-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

We finally got our first decent snow today. The morning snow was way prettier than the mid-day snowman-building snow. Our snowman reminds us of the Texas variety - sticks and grass rolled with snow.

Zoo Lights

2009-11-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

We took Paisley to the zoo tonight so that she could see the lights. It was so busy since this will probably be the best weather we get through the holidays. She had fun - she especially liked the gingerbread cookies.

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Paisley was so happy to know it was Turkey Day and she could make lots of hand turkeys. She was even more excited to see the real bird go in the oven. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Three Year Pics

2009-11-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

We took Paisley to have her pictures made yesterday. She looks so much older compared to last year's pictures. Time seems to go by so quickly since we brought her home.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Paisley was a dragon for Halloween. She had so much fun and wanted to keep her dragon pants on until bedtime. Eddie also had fun being a bee - well - we had fun with Eddie being a bee.

Paisley is three!

2009-10-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Paisley celebrated her third birthday yesterday - she had so much fun. She finally understands it - and loves presents, cake and party hats - LOL!

Tent Season

2009-10-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

It is officially basement tent season at our house. When it gets cold out, Paisley likes to put her tent up in the basement and she pretends she is camping out. She has saved places in her tent for Pa Pa and Grandma. Too funny.

Muck & Pumpkins

2009-10-11T11:25:00.001-07:00

We trecked through all the muck today and picked up some apples and a pumpkin. At one point, Paisley told us that she did not like playing in the mud - me either - Mommy's girl.

The Donut

2009-10-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

Paisley was so excited when I picked her up from school today. She had a little brown bag with one donut in it. It was a very special donut because she made it in class today. How cute is that?

Yard Work

2009-09-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

We have had beautiful weather lately. Paisley and her Daddy spent some time working in the yard this weekend. We had two huge trees removed, so there was lots to do. Eddie helped too. Paisley was so cute in her little gardening gloves!

Back Home

2009-09-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

Dean and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Ireland. We had lots of fun. We saw abbeys, churches, mountains, lakes, castles, Trinity College and the Book of Kells and of course we went to Guinness.

Paisley stayed home and learned lots of new tricks from her grandparents - like wrapping a towel around her head after she washes her hair - lol.

Paisley also learned to crawl out of her crib when we got home - she now sleeps in a toddler bed and loves it. I seriously cannot believe she actually stays in it and sleeps, but she does.

Recently, when Paisley was putting on her shoes, she said, "this one is the left foot and this one is the right foot." How does she know that? She is growing up quickly and will be three at the end of October.

The Big Catch

2009-08-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

In all of Paisley's favorite TV shows (Caillou, Kipper and Pingu), there is at least one episode in which the main character goes fishing. You can only imagine Paisley's excitement when we were in Target and she saw some fishing rods. Paisley has decided her little pool is good for something other than a watering dish for Eddie and a catcher for all things that fall out of the trees. As Paisley was fishing last night, she proudly exclaimed "just like Pingu!" Too funny - and maybe it is time to step away from the television.

16 Month Mark

2009-08-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

We have now been living in Cincinnati for 16 months. It has been a fairly big adjustment. The Midwest and Texas are definitely different places.

I finally feel like we are more settled here, but it has taken the full 16 months. I have quit calling Texas home and Cincinnati is now feeling more like home. One thing we really like here is the climate. The cooler weather is so nice. I think Dean does not much like driving through ice and snow from his job in Kentucky though. At least we do not get much of that type of weather.

The homesick feeling has finally left me and we are becoming okay with not seeing family as often. I seriously cannot believe Texas relatives have not visited since April. They obviously do not realize how mild our weather has been - lol. We sit on the screen porch most every evening and enjoy the coolness.

Paisley is really enjoying living here. The school she goes to each day has taught her so much. She seems so advanced (we are biased, we know - lol). She loves all of her friends and looks forward to going to gymnastics on the weekends. We are really lucky to have Paisley in our lives. She is so funny. She is also very strong willed (not sure where she gets that from). Not a day goes by that she does not do or say something that makes us laugh.

This is a picture of Paisley with her new dog, Bella. She loves dragging Bella around on rollerskates and also pushing her in her stroller. Sometimes we load Bella's stroller into the car and take her grocery shopping. I love the varied expressions on the faces of the people we pass. Some are annoyed and some think it is funny. The annoyed people make me want to take Bella out even more frequently - sort of my warped form of entertainment - lol.

Happy Gotcha Day!

2009-07-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Gotcha Day to Paisley!! This has been an amazing two years. Paisley has brought so much joy into our lives. Enjoy the video - the Changsha baby handoff is an amazing (and noisy) experience. Somehow all the babies end up with the correct families! Don't worry -we spared you six additional segments and 20 + minutes of Paisley playing with her stacking cups - lol.

National Ice Cream Month

2009-07-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

In honor of National Ice Cream Month (like we need an excuse to eat ice cream - lol), we took Paisley to Graeter's (amazingly good ice cream that made locally). I think she enjoyed it.

A Different Planet

2009-07-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Okay - we ARE on another planet. Dean and I saw this sign today for 'walking tacos' and it made us laugh. Apparently, the 'walking taco' is the midwest version of the Texas 'frito pie' - seriously - see: We haven't blogged much lately, it has rained on the weekends and we have been busy working on updating the inside of the house - taking it from the 1980s and bringing it current - lol. The basement will have to wait until next year - we should rent it out for 80s theme parties - it does have a complete professional bar in it - no kidding.

We have some sad news - we had to say goodbye to Sydney last weekend. Her hips and knees had gotten so bad that it was really difficult for her to get around. We miss her. It has been really hard trying to explain things to Paisley.

Texas

2009-06-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

We took Paisley back to Texas this week. We went to see Paisley's new cousin, Graham. Paisley had to revert back to her baby days once she saw Graham being given a bottle - it was hilarious.We also spent a few days in Galveston and Paisley got to see her cousin Addi. Paisley had so much fun playing on the beach with her grandparents. The island is in remarkable shape given that Ike wiped out so much of it.

Beachcomber

2009-05-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Paisley spent her Memorial Day weekend on Lake Erie. This is the first time she has been on any kind of beach and all she wanted to do was "go to the lake and play in the sand." Luckily for us, the weather was great while we were there, so Paisley got lots of sand time.

Still Flipping

2009-05-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Paisley still loves going to gymnastics. She always knows when Saturday is here and the first thing she says when she wakes up is "gymnastics?" We are glad she likes it so much since it gets some of that crazy energy out of her.

Welcome Graham!!

2009-05-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Paisley has a new cousin - Graham entered the world today at 6lbs 11 oz and 17 inches. Chad and Holly are so happy - I will spare them by only posting Graham's picture!! Paisley is so excited to be older than someone. I am sure we can expect a blog post from them in the near future. Sorry the picture is so tiny - it came to me via a phone camera!!

In all the excitement, I almost forgot - Paisley got her end of year school pictures. I think she had fun!

Where are all the people??

2009-05-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

So - we took Paisley to the park after the rain today and she could not figure out where all of the people had gone. This park is usually packed. Well Paisley, your parents must be the only non-church going idiots that go to the park shortly after it rains on a Sunday morning - lol.

Cake Brain

2009-04-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Paisley has had cake brain for the last couple of days. It is all she has talked about - "eat cake." We decided to finally make her a cake for Easter and she was so excited. She said "Paisley eats cake" the entire time she ate it - lol. She is finally to the age that she really enjoys the holidays. She had lots of fun dyeing eggs and hunting for the eggs her Daddy hid for her.

Gymnastics

2009-04-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Paisley started gymnastics today. She was so excited to watch the other kids while we waited for her class to start. Then her class started. She became so shy. She did finally warm up about half way through. She said she had fun and wants to go back. Good thing since it was only the first day of class and we have many more Saturdays to go.

Still Here

2009-03-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Wow - it has been a while since I last posted. We have been really busy. Paisley had a myringotomy (fluid drained & tubes placed) in both ears this past Friday. Friday sucked. It is funny how when someone tells you their kid is getting tubes and you assure them of how common it is and everything will be all right and all that - and then it is your turn - lol. You start worrying about sedation and all that good stuff and the simple, ten minute procedure seems worse - how funny is that? Seriously. Yep - Friday sucked - we were at the hospital for about twenty minutes and then Paisley was sick all day. Luckily, Paisley was back to her normal self by Saturday. I feel sort of bad that we did not realize how much she could not hear. She keeps telling us she hears airplanes, motorcycles and birds - how sad is that?

Paisley had a good weekend once Friday passed. She played in the sand, blew bubbles and went to the zoo. We also made a trip to IKEA. Now, the Frisco IKEA was quite crowded and somewhat frightening. However, the West Chester IKEA is much more sane and less crowded. Paisley played with (and brought home - lol) lots of toys. She had the requisite Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. I hated IKEA when we lived in Texas, but somehow Paisley has reached the age that makes IKEA fun - cheap toys, cheap food and free entertainment - how can you beat that? The best part was when we were looking at beds for Paisley (Paisley was of course rolling around in the covers of the display bed) and some 100+ year old lady walked by, took one look at Paisley and said "that is ridiculous". It was hilarious. She had fun - who cares - lol. Can't a kid have some fun? He he.

The Train

2009-02-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Paisley convinced us that she needed a train. I laughed as I watched Paisley and her Daddy put the train together - it was hilarious. It did finally happen though. Dean had to take out a lot of the riser pieces because they could not survive Paisley's enthusiasm as she pushed the trains along the track.

"Deep in the middle of the dark, dark wood..."

2009-02-08T13:53:00.001-08:00

Paisley is totally in love with Kipper. In one of the episodes, Kipper and Tiger go camping and tell a scary story inside of their tent. Paisley loves this one. It starts with "Deep in the middle of the dark, dark wood..." She sits with her blanket covering her head. We decided it would be fun to put the tent up in the basement. She loves sitting in the tent on a sleeping bag, watching Kipper. It is like a vaction for us. We sit in the other part of the basement and do our own stuff. We should have put the tent up long ago - lol.

We finally got good snow!!!!

2009-01-28T09:56:00.001-08:00

No snow day for us - we still have to work, but at least it is from home - LOL! This is what we did during lunch today. One of the neighbors is showing Dean how to use the snow blower - we are total novices.

Catching Snowflakes

2009-01-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

Paisley is really enjoying all the snow we have been getting here. Today she tried to catch a few snowflakes on her tongue. We are supposed to get some good snow over the next couple of days. News of heavy snow does crazy things to the crowd at the grocery store - I could barely push my cart down the aisle today due to the rush on food - it is sort of funny.

Daddy's Helper

2009-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

It is finally getting cold here and with that has come some snow. Paisley freaked out when she looked out the window and saw her Daddy shoveling snow without her. She ran for her boots and then went for her shovel. She had so much fun and actually scooped some snow off of the driveway.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone. Chinese legend says that how you start your year sets the stage for what type of year it will be. Well - this is good - our first three days of the new year have been excellent.

We have finally found a good dim sum place here in Cincinnati - Uncle Yips. They do cart service on the weekends, so we took Paisley today and she had a blast. We also stopped at her favorite summertime hang out - Sharon Woods. She had lots of fun on the slides and swings.

2008

2008-12-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well - this is it - I barely made it - my final post for 2008. This has been a great year. We had no idea at the beginning of 2008 that we would be living in Cincinnati and both working new jobs - makes me wonder what 2009 will bring.

Paisley had a great Christmas. We went to Dallas and Waco to visit both sets of grandparents - it was a little rushed, but at least we saw everyone. Paisley had so much fun with her cousins. The dogs survived daycamp and boarding - I was a little worried about leaving them. I have to admit that we were all glad to be home again. We really missed the cooler climate.

Oh - and in case you think I skipped you on Christmas cards, I didn't - we just did not get them out this year - lol.

Hot Wheels

2008-12-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Paisley has a new obsession - Hot Wheels. She loves them. We bought her a couple of cars and then Dean saw this track - okay the track is super crappy and constantly falls apart, but Paisley thinks it is great - lol.

More Snow

2008-12-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

So - this is the beginning of the snow storm. Not too impressive (I will most likely pay dearly for this comment tomorrow morning - lol). Paisley had to crunch around in the snow as soon as she got home today - she loves it.

Snow

2008-12-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

We finally got a snow that actually did not melt when it hit the ground. Paisley thought this was super cool. It took us forever to get her dressed - seriously - she was taking things off as fast as we were putting them on - lol!

Ready for Turkey Day

2008-11-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

We are officially ready for Turkey Day at our house. Paisley has created the requisite hand turkey and she has the turkey outfit on (compliments of her Mi Mi). Now I need to go to Whole Foods and pick up the bird for tomorrow. Yes - she has decided she looks good - the pants really finish the outfit - she loves the polka dots - lol.

The Ugly Coat

2008-11-22T10:22:00.000-08:00

Paisley has a coat that she thinks is so ugly, it makes her cry - seriously.

Once it started getting colder here, we had to put away her lightweight coat with the polka dot liner.

She loves this coat. She kept asking where it was. We found a really warm coat - the pink and brown one - from her Daddy's company (no names - we don't want stock prices dropping based on the opinions of one toddler).

Now - I will be the first to admit there is really nothing pretty about this coat, but it is super warm and we got an employee discount- lol. I had no idea Paisley would think anything about it - it does have really cute pink and brown mittens and a matching hat - she actually likes these. Each morning we put this coat on her, she would actually cry from the ugliness and she begged for the polka dot coat - okay - we did laugh and we thought it was pretty funny. That being said, we are not cruel, so we did look for a flashier coat - flashy and sparkly are good in the eyes of a toddler. We did manage to find something that I think is even flashier than the polka dot coat - it even has rhinestones for snaps. I hope this makes Paisley smile and reduces toddler stress - not that she is spoiled or anything. The new coat arrived while she was napping, so I will have to post pictures once we know if it will be acceptable.

Update: The new coat is a success - thank goodness - no more morning coat drama - lol.

Monkey Girl

2008-11-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Paisley got all dressed up as a monkey for Halloween. She thought it was pretty funny. She never got the whole "trick or treat" thing down, but as people gave her candy, she said "bye-bye" - close enough - lol.

Happy Birthday!!

2008-10-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Paisley had a great birthday today - she was a little shy about being two - lol. We started the day by going to breakfast with her grandparents and then we all went to the Children's Museum.

Paisley came home to cupcakes and presents. She ate her cupcake this year - I was shocked. She did have an artistic moment before actually eating the cupcake.

The second she saw the outifts her Mi Mi and Pa Pa had sent, she ripped off her pants and tried them on. She is so funny about clothes - she loves them.Paisley also got a tiger from her Mi Mi and Pa Pa - she really likes tigers - thanks Mi Mi and Pa Pa.

Aunt Holly and Uncle Chad sent lots of good art stuff for the easel that her Grandad and Grandma got for her. She opened the stickers first and then played with the magnets and chalk. Thanks Aunt Holly and Uncle Chad - she really loves everything.

Oh - and Grandma and Grandad got Paisley some rainboots and a raincoat - she did not want to take the boots off. It rains more here than it does in Seattle, so she will definitely use them. I really wish she had put her pants back on for these pictures, but she would not - oh well.

We got Paisley a motorcycle with a sidecar - for Hippo. She is afraid of it - lol, but she is warming up to it.

Thanks to Aunt Renee and Uncle Bob for the book - Paisley had fun reading it!

This one is from yesterday. We took Paisley back to the pumpkin patch for more pictures. She had so much fun.

Thanks to everyone who sent cards to Paisley - she loves cards - she takes them to bed with her. We had a fun day with Paisley and I seriously cannot believe she is two!!

Photo Shoot

2008-10-26T07:17:00.001-07:00

Paisley went for her pictures for her second birthday. These are a few of the pictures - please excuse the Zazzle watermarks - lol. Paisley turns two this Tuesday!

In Search of the Great Pumpkin

2008-10-12T13:38:00.001-07:00

We have spent our weekend in search of the Great Pumpkin. The good news is that we found him at Shaw Farms - about 20 miles from our house. How lucky is that?

It was not an easy search though. We began our search on Saturday when we visited Hidden Valley Fruit Farm in Lebanon, Ohio. There were lots of nice apples and produce, but the pumpkins were almost sitting on the highway, so not a safe place for toddlers. Paisley did eat her first apple on the core - she was pretty excited by that. The country store there was really nice and there was a huge variety of apples. Paisley played on the playground - Hippo was with us as well.

On Sunday, we went to Rouster's Apple House in Milford, Ohio. They also have lots of great apples with a nice gift shop and excellent apple cider. I liked it there because the pumpkins were clean - lol. It did not take Paisley long to locate a pumpkin.

As we were leaving, we decided to take the highway back home - I am glad we did. Less than a mile down the road, we stumbled upon Shaw Farms. Now this is a serious pumpkin patch - I am pretty sure there were over 1,000 pumpkins here. Not only that, there were hay and pony rides, animals to see and pet and picnic tables for lunch. Paisley spent several hours running around this place and cried when we had to leave - lol. We ended up with pumpkins for everyone - including Eddie, Sydney and Sampson.

Children's Museum

2008-09-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the Cincinnati Children's Museum today. It was seriously like a vacation for parents - Paisley could run all over the place and we could just watch her have fun. Her favorite area was the ball area. You could do all sorts of things there. We left with an annual membership. This place will be great when the weather is bad.

Fun

2008-09-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Paisley had lots of fun today. She took her box of chalk to her nap and this is the result. I think she really enjoyed her nap.

Later in the day, we took Paisley to the local FCC (Families with Children from China) event and she got to feed goats - she had a blast and fed goats until we ran out of quarters.

The Slide

2008-09-07T17:05:00.001-07:00

We finally got Paisley a slide of her own. When it is not outside, we plan to keep it in the basement - should be great Winter-time fun. We think she likes it.

Aquarium Visit

2008-08-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

Paisley finally visited the Newport Aquarium today. I about died from claustrophobia, but she had a great time.

Gator Love

2008-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

We took Paisley to IKEA today. We were on a mission to find a body double for her favorite Ihppa (hippo). We were told he was born at IKEA and that he had many brothers and sisters. We found Ihppa #2 and placed him in our cart. That is when Paisley saw Gator. Paisley loves Gator - maybe more than Ihppa.

Remember the Quilt?

2008-08-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

Remember the 100 Good Wishes Quilt? The one where you sent me fabric squares and wishes? Well, it is done. My friend Lynn designed and constructed it - isn't it cool? The front is all Chinese lanterns and the back is a Paisley pattern.

And the wishes - remember all those wishes you sent? They are all in a book now, so that Paisley can look at them.See - I actually did something with all that stuff. Now to work on Paisley's Life Book!

Time Flies

2008-07-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Really - it does - time flies.

One year ago today:

Anxious, nervous, pretty much freaked out. Packing the backpack, getting on the bus, silence, then nervous chatter, sweating in the heat of Changsha. Getting off the bus, everything a blur, taking turns using the elevator to get to where we knew we would meet our babies. Afraid - would she bond with us? Would they really hand her to us? Could the last two years of waiting really lead up to this point? Walking in and seeing her...
Unbelievable - totally surreal. Because of someone's pain and loss, we have such joy. A moment we will never forget. Happiness, sadness, joy, love all at once.One year later:
Happy baby, happy family. We love her so much and feel blessed that she is ours and we are hers.

Happy Gotcha Day to Paisley and all of the families from our travel group!

What's Cookin'?

2008-07-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Paisley got a new kitchen last week and today, dishes arrived from her Grandparents. She was so excited. I am not sure what she is making, but she keeps offering tastes from her little wooden spoon.

Life after July 4th

2008-07-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well - things have definitely quieted down since Paisley's grandparents left. She was a little sad when she realized they had gone back to Dallas.

She had lots of fun with a full audience - she was quite animated. She wrapped up the grandparent visit with a trip to The Olive Garden - her favorite place. Paisley also had to take her grandparents to her favorite stream at Sharon Woods - I think they had as much fun as she did.

Aah-haa

2008-07-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

We took Paisley to the Cincinnati zoo today. She had a great time. Each time she saw something from one of her books, she would say "Aah-haa." It was as if she finally was making the connection from the live animals to the pictures of animals in her books. Her favorite was the polar bear - we were able to watch him swim and she thought that was pretty cool. We had to read her polar bear book several times when we got home today. She even took a nap with her polar bear book.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Father's Day started with a walk around the lake and then Paisley colored a picture with her Da Da. Next up is lunch and then I am off to the airport to go to Seattle - I am sure that was not what Dean had planned for his first Father's Day - he he. I guess I will owe him a day of golf.

Parks

2008-06-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Cincinnati has a great park system - Sharon Woods is one of the parks that is close to us. Paisley has finally recovered from her high fever, so we decided to get her out of the house and take her to one of the water play areas in Sharon Woods. She was a little afraid of the dancing water, but she really enjoyed the stream.

Butterflies

2008-05-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

We took Paisley to the Krohn Conservatory to see a butterfly exhibit. She thought it was pretty cool since she has a book that has lots of butterflies in it. I think she was a little surprised when one landed on her Da Da's hand.

Next to the conservatory is a really nice spot to look at the Ohio river - that is the Kentucky side across the river. We have not had a lot of time to explore that area, but we plan to do so soon.

Moved

2008-05-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

It happened - we moved. I have been too busy to update everyone. Dean started his new job last week. Paisley started daycare last week. She cried the first couple of days, but is having fun now.

Paisley loves the new neighborhood - it sits on a lake and has lots of walking/biking trails. The weather is so mild here this time of year - I know - we will pay for it this winter.

Paisley likes walking around the lake and looking at all of the ducklings. We have to be careful though - they hiss at us when we walk by - lol.

Finally... everyone is moving

2008-04-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has taken two months, but we are finally moving this week. Paisley and I will be flying and Dean and the zoo will be driving the 15-hour drive.

Paisley had her 18 month doctor visit yesterday. She is 70th percentile in height and 30th percentile in weight. It seems like she eats all the time, so the weight part is surprising - lol.

I am ready for everyone to be here. We close on our house in Cincinnati this Friday and the moving van arrives Monday. This should be a crazy week.

Cousin Addi

2008-04-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Paisley had a visit from her cousin today. She and Addi had lots of fun playing together with their Mimi and Papa.

On the house front, we now have a contract on our house in Frisco and a contract on a house in Cincinnati. Now we just sit back and hope everything clears inpections and appraisals.

Da Da's Girl

2008-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Paisley and her Da Da have developed quite the strong bond since I abandoned them for my new job 3 1/2 weeks ago. I have been living and working in Cincinnati and they have been staying in Frisco with the house.

The good news is that our Realtor called and told us we have two offers coming our way - we should get them today or tomorrow.

I have found three houses that I like in the Cincinnati area and I am so ready for us to all be together again. I am sure Dean is ready too - lol.

Easter

2008-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Paisley had a great Easter. The Easter Bunny brought her four Easter baskets - she thought that was pretty cool.

Paisley had lots of fun dyeing eggs with her Grandad. I think she was a little freaked out when her hand turned blue. She might have a blue hand for a while. Grandma - Paisley is sorry about the blue chair cushion - he he.

March?

2008-03-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

Is it already March? It does not seem possible. We have been busy around here. Paisley has been going to the mall with her grandparents since the weather has not been so great. She and Grandad had their picture taken with the Easter Bunny today. This is a great improvement from the Santa picture, but she was not doing it alone!

Chinese New Year

2008-02-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

We decided to celebrate Chinese New Year a few days late this year. We spent the day with some of our friends who also adopted from China. The weather could not have been more perfect. We went to the Crow Museum of Asian Art and watched a dragon dance and then we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. It was a great day and Paisley had lots of fun.

More teeth

2008-02-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Poor Paisley - she has been getting her molars and she has not been having much fun with that. She carries her blankie with her and is constantly chewing on it. No one is really sleeping much because of the crazy teeth.Paisley has developed this cute habit of crossing her feet when she is sitting - her Grandma really loves this. Paisley also really likes putting stuff over her head - she tries this with lots of different things. She really likes her plastic beads - the sparklier, the better.Now - you know I would not leave you with the sad blankie picture. Even with the teeth and all, Paisley laughs a lot.

Walking, Talking, Crazy Baby

2008-01-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Paisley always has so much fun. Lately, she has decided it is fun to push things. She is pushing her popper and anything with wheels on it.

Paisley is a ball of energy. She is walking all over the place. This is good. It makes bedtime so easy. She falls asleep the second she is placed in her crib.

Paisley is 14 months old and she has many words now:

Mama
Dada
MamaMa (my Mom)
Ganda (my Dad)
Bow Wow
Doggie
Mow (meow)
Da (yes)
Buh (blanket)
Nana (banana)
Baaaa (sheep)
Up
Down
Again

I cannot believe how much she has done in the past couple of weeks. She can communicate fairly well.

Paisley has also developed an imagination and she pretends to cook stuff and then hands us imaginary food and expects us to eat it.

Paisley is one crazy baby and we are having so much fun with her.

Expert Opener

2007-12-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Paisley is now an expert at opening gifts. She has seen more gifts in the last two days than ever before. We went to Waco Sunday to see Dean's family and Paisley got to spend time with her cousins. She and her cousin Addi wrapped up the day by playing with beads.

Christmas day was spent at home and my parents spent the day with us. Paisley started the day by opening her gifts from Santa.Paisley and Eddie took her new car for a spin to the playground and then she played on the swing and slide. I think she had a good day. We do Christmas with my family next weekend, but apparently, Santa left a gift for Paisley to open early - a new tricycle. I think she will love it - she could not keep her hands off of Addi's tricycle when we were in Waco.

Growth Spurt

2007-12-17T07:16:00.000-08:00

Wow - Paisley has really been growing the last couple of weeks. She actually outgrew her coat - so now she has a new one. I actually like the new coat better - it has a zip out lining and should get her through this winter (I hope - lol).

In order to maintain this rapid growth, Paisley has been eating tons of food - lol. Her favorites are carrots, bananas, peas, green beans, cheese and eggs. Luckily, Sydney and Eddie stay close by to clean up anything that gets dropped on the floor.

Holiday Card Picture

2007-12-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

So - it took me a while to decide on the picure for our cards this year - of course it would be a Paisley picture. I ordered 60 cards and soon realized I needed more like 100 - OMG - when did I get so many addresses in my book? I have ordered the additional cards, so some people will be getting them early (the front half of the book - lol) and some people will get them late - oh well - happy holidays! I think I got cards out to most of my Hannukah people - at least I hope I did!

Shoes (how could I forget shoes??)

2007-11-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

Oh - I amost forgot a very important topic - shoes. Paisley came home last week with some new shoes from her grandparents.

All of the above are 12-18 months, so you know I had to go ahead and buy a few pair in 18-24 months. Note to self - must buy stock in Robeez...

Agency Visit

2007-11-29T06:55:00.000-08:00

We had our first post-adoption agency visit this week and it seemed to go okay - lol - not tons of writing or anything. Our agency is required by China to have two post-adoption visits - six months and then one year after referral. We basically sat around and watched Paisley.

Our SW asked if we would be going back for a second child - uh - no - we are old and the wait is four years now. Plus, we only ever wanted one child, so there ya go - we have her and one is enough for us - we are happy with the three of us (and Eddie and Sydney and Sampson - he he). When we were in line for Santa, the lady getting things organized and taking orders said "Just one???" She was amazed. Is one not enough or something? People are so funny.

Anti Santite

2007-11-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

Paisley is an anti Santite (you know the Seinfeld episode - he he). We took her to see Santa tonight and when we got to the front of the line Santa said "this baby is going to cry - I know the look." OK - so Santa is a baby expert - she definitely cried.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

This year, I have so much to be thankful for. I feel lucky to have family that actually wants to be together. Paisley is such a joy to all of us and this Thanksgiving was lots of fun. Paisley was very busy with both sets of grandparents and her Aunt Holly and Uncle Chad. There was lots of walking Paisley through the house - even a wagon ride through the downstairs. Uncle Chad took time to play puppet with Paisley - she loves puppets.

Houston Trip

2007-11-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

Paisley headed down to Houston this past weekend to visit Uncle Chad and Aunt Holly. Did I take pictures? No. I have no idea why - I guess I was just living in the moment - lol. I will get pictures of Paisley with Uncle Chad and Aunt Holly next week when they are here for Thanksgiving. Paisley was not so sure about Uncle Chad at first - but she immediately took up with Aunt Holly.

The car trip was great - Paisley is such an awesome baby. Everything is an adventure and she seems to just enjoy going places.

We were able to visit my best college buddy, Cindy, on our way back home. It was so nice for Paisley to meet Cindy, Chris, Drew and Sarah. Sarah and Paisley are both Hunan girls - Sarah is now four and Paisley was really impressed with everything Sarah did - it was so cute.

We were also able to stop over in East Texas so that Paisley could meet Dean's Aunts and Grandmother. I think she really enjoyed all of the attention.

We finally managed to have Paisley's one year pictures taken last week. I have included a couple of them in this post.

One Year Check-up

2007-11-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

Paisley had her one year check-up this past Thursday. She got sick from the vaccinations, but was better by Saturday. She is in the 75th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight.She has figured out that she can get anywhere by holding on to walls and furniture. She has recently discovered that her corn popper gets her places even more quickly - she is so proud of herself - the look on her face is priceless.

Pink Leopard

2007-10-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

Paisley was a pink leopard for Halloween. I think it was a little warm until the sun went down (see pic of hot baby trying to pull off leopard head - he he). Dean took her to a couple of houses and then we drove her to her grandparents for a surprise visit. When people would ask what kind of candy she liked, Dean would say "Snickers" - OMG - how funny - people would look a little surprised. The truth is that Paisley hates sweets and wouldn't touch them even if she had the teeth to eat them - lol.

A Very Happy Birthday

2007-10-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Paisley is one. I really can't believe it. We have had her home for three months now. We woke her up this morning and took her picture - she always looks like this in the morning - such a happy baby. We both go into her room together each morning - neither of us can stand to miss her early morning happiness. As soon as we lift her from her crib, she kicks her little legs and melts our hearts.

Paisley spent her birthday with both sets of grandparents. She got a red wagon from each - one for home and one to keep at my parent's for weekday cruising. Poor Grandad - he will get quite a workout.Uncle Chad and Aunt Holly sent the cutest Mother Goose. The goose has small books along the feathers and characters for the books zip inside the goose. Paisley has decided she likes Little Miss Muffet the best - she is constantly chewing on her head. She gets a little mad when we try to put the books back in the feathers, so we will be leaving them out - he he.

Little Eskimo

2007-10-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

OMG - isn't Paisley so cute in her new coat? It was actually cold and rainy when Dean left with her this morning. Grandma took her picture as soon as they arrived this morning - thank goodness, since I did not manage to take one before she left.