Wedding

We arrived in Stuart quite early and visited the dollar general. We found an Iowa State sweatsuit in Tara's size, she was excited. Tia found a shirt that says Princess, which she believes she is. Hey Jeff this one can be for you! Go Cyclones :)

Tara ask what we were doing Saturday. We are talking thru the translator. I told her we were going to a wedding. She told me she didn't know what that word was. I told her she would just have to wait. It was a Catholic wedding and I thought the priest did a very nice job. Enjoyed the part where he told the kids he prayed for them a large family of 12 children. LOL!

After the wedding be stopped in Dexter at Drew's Chocolates it was fun. We got ice cream tasted some chocolate and Tia and Tara got to dip some Brazil nuts in chocolate.

The reception was in Earlham where we got to visit with lots of Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Always fun! We got home around 7:30 along day, but not over.

We were out of potatoes for Sunday dinner so ran to Osceola and got a few groceries. Gene hadn't had supper so we stopped at the local Chinese restaraunt. They love visiting with the girls and gave Tara a few hand me downs that they had out grown. We use them to check with Tara to see if there is anything she needs us to know and vise versa.

We froze 12 pkgs applesauce Sunday. Tara picked me a ice cream bucket full, Gene had to pick her out of the tree, she was stuck. Then she helped me cut them up and seive them. I told her to take a brake when she got a little cut on her thumb and she told me no. I was kind of wanting a break myself. What a slave driver.

Not much time

It is our busy time at work, no time to be on the computer not work related. Trying to get the garden caught up at home and Tara hates me on the computer. I love to journal, because I know my memory is short. I don't want to forget these first few days with our new daughter.

Tara is feeling more comfortable writing on the translator. Her comments are usually short. I was boiling eggs tonight and she got all excited. Gene wanted meat salad. I mix bologna with eggs and mayo. She wouldn't have anything to do with eating it, but loved helping make it. She did eat one of the boiled eggs.

The garden. She loves helping, it is so much fun watching her. I had planted two rows of green beans before we left for China. A month later I am trying to find them in the weeds. OH MY! It has taken us a week of evenings but we have found most of what was planted that grew. We enjoyed eating some sauteed green beans. We have a zuchini almost ready, tomatoes are huge but still green. We may try to plant green beans for a late picking. Tara disappeared after supper, when I made it out to the garden she was out there hoeing away. Tia and I pulled and Tara hoed and cleaned up our weeds.

As for my cold and coughing. Uhg! I went to Walgreens for lunch today. I explained I had 10 days of bronchitis medicine and then a Cpak and still have mucus not stop. She gave me a 12 hour pill for mucus and cough. I think I have found my voice again. I have had such a squeak. I am saying my prayers they work. I am not really tired with the mucus, but the cough is annoying to me and everyone else. It sounds as though I am trying to cough up my lungs and feels it too. I read an email today that one of the families that came home from China after us as garadia. Gene joked maybe he had it, then admitted his was from the gazillion apples he eats from our tree in the yard. Tia gave me a bill today. She said she would help me collect Tara's poop. I still haven't done this or figured out how to. She eats as many apples as Gene does, so I will be surprised if she doesn't have loose stools. I got to tell you Tia is kind of expensive, but I may take her up on it if I can't get it done.

I am not interested in any of the evening tv that is on, so we pop in a movie. I think Tara watched RV with Robin Williams a week straight, she loves it. We went school shopping last weekend and as we passed a movie rack she pointed at Robin Williams on the cover for another movie. We have everything she needs to start school except her p.e. shoes. We will get them in a couple of weeks on vacation. I don't know Tara's history with Disney, but she likes Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Tia tells me she really likes the Little Mermaid as well as Mulan. I enjoyed 101 Dalmation with her (movie version) she was glued to the screen.

Jeff called tonight, he was grocery shopping. He tried to carry a conversation with Tara. She just wanted to mimic him. Wasn't much to listen too. We had rain today, so no garden work tonight. I am enjoying the break.

Tia read her first love story, a Danielle Steele. She is ready for more :) I hate to see that she is growing up. She acts way to old for her 11 years.

I almost forgot a funny. Although I am sure the cats aren't laughing :( Tara has trimmed all the cats whiskers. Oh My! Not sure why?? We have told her not to do it, so we will see if they grow out or continue to be short. We haven't caught her in the act, but know it was her.

I had a couple of books for Tara, we pulled them out Sunday and started them. I thought Tara was going to finish both right then. One was connect the numbers or alpha, the other was tracing and learning to write the alpha. She seemed to enjoy them. Then we moved on to an Ice Age puzzle. We did it together and it was fun.

Record Day

I was a little confused on this one. We were playing with the translator again. And Tara ask me "what record day?" I asked her to tell me more about record. I seems she wanted to know what day it was. She thought it was Friday and it was only Thursday. She also proceeded to tell me I had worked enough this week and needed a day off. LOL! I loved this one. I don't think work would go for it.

We did have a problem today. Tara got grounded from riding her bike on the road. We live on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere. She laid her bike down and left it laying in the middle of the road. A neighbor went by and seen it laying there, thought the worst. But it was just an abandoned bike.

Tara got to see our tumble gym today. We were able to get a new used trampoline and it was time to set it up. Tara enjoyed jumping on the tumble tramp that we added to our gym a year ago. It is St Charles reunion days this weekend and the kids will do a short performance on Sat afternoon.

The Interstate 35 baseball team is doing awesome. I usually get to a game, not this year. Yet anyway. The boys play at state Friday at 1 weather permitting, if they win Gene wants to watch them play on Saturday.

The Dentist

Without an interpreter I gave it a shot. And not a very good one at that! I had an appointment to get Tara's teeth cleaned and an xray. I had explained to her that she had an appointment and what he would do. She wanted nothing to do with it. First thing Monday morning, to start she wouldn't get out of bed, wasn't going to get dressed. I should have taken that as a sign and cancelled. I dressed her, tried to brush her teeth and carried her to the car. I'm not sure what she was thinking, but it must have not been good. I then proceeded to carry her into the Dentist office against her will. Naturally the dentist wanted nothing to do with her. He talked to her as she looked the other direction. We agreed we would try it again another time. I have the paperwork all done so now she is his patient. She has another new tooth brush and a tube of tooth paste. The day really started like crap. Tara had wrecked her bike Sunday evening and has a pretty good ouy. I was trying to help her clean it and put new bandaids back on it. She wanted nothing to do with me. So it was time to head to work. I was two hours late and by 10 am we had set a record for business in that amount of time. The whole day was a zoo. I was late coming home after stopping for gas, which has went up again. Also picked up cat food and made a hair appointment. Amazingly Tara is in a good mood and I think the girls ended up having a good day.

It's Been One Month

Wow has time flown! It has been a very busy month. Gene and I were talking this morning. He ask me if I loved Tara when we first met. I said no, I don't believe you can love someone you do not know. But we both agreed we do love Tara now. It really did not take long, but for me it was after we returned home.

Not fair! Gene announced he was leaving for work last night. I yelled by, since I have a cold there haven't been many kisses. Tia yelled wait and took off for hers. Tara just kind of looked at me. I said come on and followed Tia, Tara watched as Tia got a big hug from Dad. I asked if she wanted one and she got a huge grin. I opened the door and yelled at Gene he came back to the door and he got a real hug! I'm still waiting. I chase her and tease her with the word hug, so it has become a game.

We used the translator for the first time last night. She ask if we could meet with auntie again. I ask if that was the translator at the airport and she said yes. Tara gets frustrated with the handheld translator. I think I washed the phone number, but Grandma also has it, so we will ask her.

She grabbed me and said come. She stopped me at the steps to the front door. She hopped on her bike and took off, she is a little shakey. But she has been up and down our road a zillion times now. It was funny when she tried to do it with the umberella, cause she wasn't stoppin just because it was raining. She ate a bite of lunch and hopped back on the bike. The jacket has been off and on, off and on. It is unusually cool today.

My Little Snuggle Bug

I went back to the doc and gave blood and a chest xray. I still feel like crap. The doc says I am fighting whatever it is I have, but he gave me meds for another 10 days. I hope Tara doesn't think this is how her new mom acts all the time.

I ask for a hug each nite when I get home from work. So far no luck. We have started to fall into routine with supper and swimming, shower and tv time. When I start supper Tara digs right in and wants to help. We had fried cabbage. I tried to show her the way I do it and she decided she already knew and did it her way. No biggy. She stayed with it and stirred it until we were ready to eat. We also had mac & cheese, she took a no thankyou bite and said no thank you. We also try to work in time for a bike ride. Tara so bad wants to learn to ride. She has me run along beside her and hold her up. I let her go and she was doing fine. Well we had our first wreck, it was pretty tramatic. I'll be curious to see if she hops back on. We did a couple of bandaids and put the bike away. I caught Tara petting the cat, so now things are pretty cool with the animals. We played a quick couple games of dominos, she finally won the last game. Tia was having a tuff day. Mom was spending too much time with little sis. If she only understood how much she truly means and how much mom cares. She will have to learn to share mom's time.

When getting ready for bed, someone crawled into my bed. Hmmm...it wasn't Tia either. Tara must have expected her dad early, cause she took dead center. She is a good little sleeper and stayed with me all night. I invited Tia to join us and she said we cough too much. Right now that is very true.

4th of July and Camping

I had to work Thursday. I tried to have everything ready to go. Gene pulled the camper to the lake in the afternoon and took Tia and her friend Cheyanne. Jeff followed in the Escape with the jet ski and Tara. When I got there Tara was in her swimsuit with her life jacket on just finishing her first boat ride with our best friends Mike and Murt. She acts like she has done it before. We had a quick supper of hotdogs around the fire. I thought this might be one of Tara's favorite and I was right. She had several over the weekend, even for breakfast. We found some different foods that she does and does not like. For instance she had taco meat with saurkraut and tomatoes....ooohh!
She drank lots of water, juice boxes and pop. Glad to know this. She went tubing, rode Bailey's scooter, watched fireworks, took lots of naps. We had a meltdown when she wanted to play with a toddlers ride toy and we took it away from her.

A few firsts

Tara petted Otis our oldest rat terrior.
Tara rode the tractor with dad when picking up hay bales.
Tara helped dad cut wood to go camping.(she threw pieces into truck)
Tara saw a cyote chasing the family dogs.
Tara lost her first toothe as a Snyder.(not sure what she did with the toothe)
Tara threwup. (you know they are yours, when you want to clean them up and cuddle them)
Tara helped clean and pack the camper. (what a trooper)

Tia lasted a whole week in her own bed...but she's backkkk.

Life is never dull at our house

I went to work Monday for the first time in 3 wks. I felt like crap, but was glad to be back in routine. Although I kept wondering how my new little one was getting along. Gene said she woke him up at 9 and ask where's mama. Tia then came in and got her and fried her an egg for breakfast(she really can be a dear child when she wants to) I made an appt for the dr for myself and then for Tara. I got in for lunch Monday and Tara for after lunch Tuesday. I have bronchitis, since Tara and I have shared drinks I (hate this word) assumed she did too. Original plan was Gene was taking her. Original was scrapped. Gene's dad had some tests at the dr and may need a stint. Gene thought they would do it right away and wanted me to take the girls Tuesday to be with his dad. I felt so lousy staying home was fine with me. I did work on laundry and took Tara to the dr. She will have titers done to check for antibodies for mumps, measels and ruebella. We ran to the grocery store, recycled cans and headed to the hospital to give blood--OMG--you would have thought she was dieing! She squirmed so much the needle came out before they were done....so yes another poke. They took her into another room, had two male EMT's on her legs, Two female on arms, nurse on head, nurse poking needle. Poor baby got just as still as could be and was done in moments. But boy did she hate me. I tried to buy her ice cream, she ignored the try and shortly fell asleep. She is a sweet one, by the time she woke up she had forgiven me.LOL!! I can guarantee her poor arm will be sore for awhile. Now to capture two poops and a pee, Yep got to do it. Wish me luck! I told the doc it may be a few days, not in any hurry on this one.

Tia had her end of season pizza party for softball. John said it was easier than getting his head shaved. The girls had a water balloon fight. A good time was had by all. Thanks John and Melissa!