Let it Snow!

Our first big snow! Eliza has been very excited and anxious to get outside. She begged to shovel snow and Kyle obliged. They attempted a snow man, but the snow is too powdery. Maybe next time? For now...we'll stay inside and enjoy hot chocolate and Halloween cookies.

Fall Fun!

Thanks to all of you have waited so patiently for our return to blogging. It has been a completely unintentional hiatus.

Eliza is doing well. We have fun, fun, fun! She is turning out to be quite a good hiker...hiking a little over a mile before requesting a break. She talks like crazy and has an impressive vocabulary. She is beginning to tell stories that start with "once upon a time", and thoroughly enjoys hearing stories of her adoption in China. She is quick to announce that she is "Fee years old" and was born in "Yunyang" but met mama and daddy in "Chongqing". She has started a second year of Mandarin Chinese language classes and is excelling. She (like most children under five) seems to have a real affinity for language.



This summer and into the fall she spent a lot of time helping out in the garden and yard. Who knew pulling weeds was so much fun. She helped plant, and water cucumbers, green beans, cabbage, tomatoes, and peppers. Harvesting proved to be a favorite activity! Next year we are planning a bigger garden. Maybe we'll plant corn and snap peas.



She relates deeply to Dora the Explorer and has given each of us a character name. She is Dora, Fairytale Princess. Mom is Snow Princess and daddy is King Bobo. I adore it when she actually introduces herself to people "My name is Fairytale Princess...this is Snow Princess and King Bobo is at work."


Life is good. We are amazed every day at what a great kiddo we have. She's fun, sensitive, sweet, smart, the list goes on. I will try to be better at updating the blog...but I make no promises...I have a lot of playing to do. Snow Princess has a busy schedule.

Just for fun...this is one of my favorite videos...Eliza is discovering her musical self.

Holiday Update

Christmas was wonderful and full of cheer. Eliza caught on quickly to important concepts like presents and Santa. She adored looking at outdoor lights, and punctuated each sighting with phrases like "oh! Bunch a yights" or "Yook, Mama...Daddy...and baby Jesus".

Eliza has started to recognize letters. She confidently points out the letters A, B, C, and O. She has started counting in English and Mandarin and occasionally makes it to the number 5 without prompting. She's constantly talking and is impressively expressive. Her favorite color is green. She still equates candy with Halloween and frequently asks for a "trick or treat". A week before Christmas she asked for a trick-or-treat...I told her they were all gone. She quietly walked away and returned with her Halloween costume and said "more". When we have an exceedingly yummy meal she states "Santa Claus Lunch"...maybe because we ate so well on Christmas day.

We are finding that Eliza's memory is shockingly acute. Recently, she enjoys "reading" her books to us. She doesn't miss a line. We went to a party in Golden last week. As soon as we turned onto the main street, she recalled to us her experience at the Buffalo Bill Days parade in July. We've hardly been to Golden since July. She's even hinting at memories from when she was in China. Remarkable. In the photo above, you see her reciting "The Night Before Christmas".