It's crazy 'round here. With all the excitement of our upcoming trip to China, I pulled out all my suitcases yesterday and started refining my packing list. I can't wait to start throwing all the clothes and goodies in.
I have a feeling fed-ex "black-listed" my address after I chased this poor unsuspecting guy into the street to get his photo when he delivered our
LOA. He made no attempt to look at me with a straight-face when I gave the envelope back to him and started snapping his photo. He surely thought I was nuts when I began telling him that his photo would forever be in my daughter's baby book. He was a man of few words, and he made me feel like a complete and utter lunatic.He did manage to cop a smile while I clicked his photo. I guess I should have told him I would be posting his photo on the
Internet for the 10 people who read my blog??? Oh, well, sorry.
Mina and her buddy Mia making cupcakes for "Mina day", she got to do all her favorite things, Hang with her best bud, make cupcakes, and eat noodles until she nearly popped. It was fun and simple. She has asked me every day since if today is her special day, I think she is in it for the cupcakes.
(why does my head look outrageously large in this photo?) Oh, the joy of parenting teenagers. One second you love them to pieces & your beaming with pride and the next, well.... I came to the grueling realization that in about 10 years we will have 4 teenagers at the very same time living under our roofs. I hope I can get though it without therapy, or better yet, I hope THEY can get through it without therapy. This poor kid thinks his Mama is the ONLY Mom who is so tough. Like the time I packed up his ENTIRE room, clothes, tv, video games, cell phone, I-pod, posters, papers EVERYTHING other than 4 days worth of clothes. I kept all his belonging for 3 months, because he threw a salami sandwich on my front lawn. (oh and he ate the sandwich for dinner too) Yeah, but that was a year ago and I have never had to get all crazy since, well not until this week. So I would feel bad about posting this, that is if I knew he would see it, but since he won't be privy to any electronic device for sometime, I'm not skeered. If anyone needs their car washed or house painted for free, let me know, he is in need of keeping busy. He knows I love him though, He always tells me that he is my favorite.
I love this little character. She has let go of her puppy hat the last few days, only wearing it here and there. Now she says "rina-rina" because she wants to dress like a ballerina. So floppin' cute!
I don't know why I love to take photos of Mina's serious side. Maybe it's because we don't see much of it. She is usually always happy, bouncy or fiesty, but rarely serious. 
She didn't get the nickname Mama-two for nothing.. She loves being a big sister and loves doing anything Mommy does. Mina has no problem with my 2nd string Mommy. I don't know what I would do without her.
or so I think... Day 1 of this project I realized that I made a big mistake. 
The kids and I LOVE a good project. So during the snowy wet week last week, I came up with this one. 
I had this grandios idea of making the perfect paper mache' globe and teaching the kids about the different continents and cutting out different animals and landmarks for each different one. You know, like panda bears in Asia, zebras and tigers in Africa, US flag on North America.. All that great stuff. 
You can see what we ended up with.. It wasn't even round... 
What a HUGE mess, what a huge pain. If I didn't like y'all I would tell you to go here and follow these instructions 
and a week later, after layer upon layer of sticky messy nasty pasty newspaper shreds all over your house, you too could have a lumpy bumpy misshapen easter egg pinata. 
I know you want one. But what ever you do don't go here. You will regret it, I promise. Even my kids say they NEVER want to make a pinata again...
So Collin, our teenage son, submitted a scholarship application for an exchange student program to live in China for 6 months next year. I figured the scholarship was a long-shot, so he submitted it without much thought. On Saturday he had an interview to be chosen for one of the spots. We will know next month if he will be going or not, but now my Mommy panic is starting to set in. Holy Cow, could my baby actually be living in China next year for 6 months?? I was thinking about how great it will be having Finn home and not to have to be waiting and worrying about one of my babies in China, how ironic that I may be in the same boat, next year... for the third straight year, but instead of waiting for my new baby I would be waiting for my oldest "baby" to come home!!! 
Our snow day. Fun day but now we are over it, thank you very much. We are ready for some major sunshine please.. Kobi has been sick the past couple days, poor thing. Hopefully she didn't share 
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