Still in love :)

First Haircuts and a Pony Ride: WE LOVE GRANDPARENTS!

What does a first haircut have in common with a pony ride? Overcoming fears! When we were at Memaw and Papa's last week, Archie only stayed on this horsie one lap around the barn. Grace was too scared to get on but enjoyed patting him. Archie loved his first pony ride last fall, but I think this horse was just too big. Despite the horse failure, they do love their time at Memaw and Papa's. Grace, for easier pronunciation, has changed the name Memaw to Ma-moo. It seems to have stuck as her name for Grandma DeJ, too! My favorite quote of Archie's while we were there (falling on bed in sheer delight) "I LOVE THIS HOUSE!"

In DeJ land where we arrived yesterday, Grandma took us out for haircuts this morning. Grace, although not sure about it at first, did well with her first studio haircut. Archie refused (as usual) until sheer jealousy conquered him. When the realization hit that Grace was actually going to get a sucker and he wasn't, it was too much for him and he hopped up into Grandma's lap for a trim.

They presented Grace with this fun first haircut certificate (complete with a lock of hair).

There was even time for a quick trip to the park before lunch!

If you say that, I won't be your mommy anymore!!!

Don't worry. These aren't words that I say to my kids. I teach my kids I love them unconditionally. Who says these words, then? Archie, actually, and it's pretty hard to keep from laughing when he says them. A typical conversation when he's mad goes something like this...

Archie: Can I have candy, not take a nap, (or do anything else I won't let him do at the moment)?

Me: Not now.

Archie: Those aren't very nice words.

Me: Really?

Archie: If you say that, I won't be your mommy anymore.

Me: (Trying not to bust out laughing after his comment about "not nice words" and "I'm not your mommy) - You're not my mommy now. I'm your mommy.

Archie also has this thing for stripes (see above pic). He wants to wear a striped shirt everyday. Thankfully, he has a lot of them. Striped (plaid) shorts with a t-shirt are also an acceptable alternative. I'm not sure what they're doing in this pic below. I had the camera out and Archie wanted me to take a picture so I did. Cute smile!

Feeling Confident: All About Grace!

I/Grace have now completed the three days of my Potty-Training-in-3-Days method. Today is the first day I haven't set the timer to run and take her potty every very short interval of time. I'm just asking her throughout the day and taking her when she tells me. (She's been doing a good job of initiating this.) We've also had our first two outings without a diaper. Yesterday, we went to house group for church - don't think I quite relaxed the whole time but it was accident free. Today, we went to T.J. Maxx to buy her Minnie Mouse and other girly big girl underwear and Walmart for a much needed shopping trip. She managed to stay dry the whole time and went on her potty as soon as we walked in the door. Way to go, Grace!

Grace is almost 21 months old. She loves to talk and sometimes makes whole sentences. Whenever we get in the car now, she says "I do, I do" which means "Leave me alone and let me climb into my car seat by myself." She has the habit of replacing the first syllable of long words or compound words with the sound "ah" so peanut butter is "ah butter" etc. Very cute! She's becoming less picky about eating, but pizza is certainly a favorite.

During the potty training process, we had lots of time to sit and work on colors. She recognizes and can say blue, green, and orange. She's got on ok handle on yellow and red but can't quite say the words. Don't worry! The color scholar is still pretty goofy sometimes!

She also LOVES Papa!

Productive Sick Day

I'm ready for everybody to be healthy! Week before last we were sick. (Grace gave it to Archie and he gave it to me.) We enjoyed a few healthy days. Then, Friday they got sick again. On the bright side, I haven't gotten sick again yet. They were goupy eyed messes when I took them into the doctor Friday. Grace got better in 24 hours. Archie's still kind of miserable.

I figured since I had to be cooped up with sick kids, I might as well seize the opportunity to potty train Grace. We're 36 hours into the 3-day-potty training plan. It lived up to its name with Archie (other than poop which I had issues with for awhile) and I'm thinking it's going to work with Grace, too. It's really intense since you have to take them potty every 8-10 minutes until they know the feeling, but it's worth it to get it over with so quickly. I'm looking forward to a brighter tomorrow with less time spent in the bathroom. Grace only had two accidents today, and they both came when she was playing outside and didn't want to go in. She crept behind some bushes like a little doggy and did her business because I guess she was embarrassed. Best thing - this is a diaper free plan (except for sleeping) from the beginning!!! Bye-bye diapers!

More Dou Dou Long fun!

Archie had his second stage performance last week with the Blacksburg Chinese School. They once again sang "Dou Dou Long," which is the theme song from a Japanese cartoon that has been translated into Chinese. Archie's the shortest one in the red shirt.

This move with a partner was really tricky for a three-year-old, but he did a good job. His partner is almost five!!!

They had lots of fun hanging out backstage with the other performers. The Chinese American society put on the performance at the Graduate Center of Virginia Tech. They did a Kung Fu Panda theme and did an excellent job staying with the movie.

Here's one of Archie's teachers. The other is the president of the Chinese American Association so she was kind of hard to catch backstage.

One of the best things about being backstage was that Memaw and Papa came to see them.

Archie also got to pose with this cool lion head.

The older girls from the Chinese school did a fan dance. It was really tricky, but they did a good job.
A shot from Kung Fu Panda:

There was also a cool lantern dance performed by college students:

And this cool dance...Aren't the costumes pretty? Chinese are really into elaborate costumes for shows.

This was one of my favorite parts. It's a traditional lion dance. Two people are in each costume. I was glad they let the kids sit in the front row during the performance so they could see the other acts.

There was also a really cool Chinese yo-yo performance, but I didn't get any pics of it. I can't wait for next year!

Archie's First Performance: WAY TO GO!!!

Archie made his performance debut with the Blacksburg Chinese School at the International Street Fair today. (Due to weather the fair was moved indoors.) They sang the theme song from a Japanese cartoon (translated into Mandarin). He is the youngest by a year-and-a-half. Isn't he cute? They started practicing last November. He'll perform again at the Chinabration festival next week!