Happy Halloween!!

I know I have said it before but I love this day! We had a lot of fun trick or treating . Jordyn went as Mulan and Zoe ( not by choice) was a penguin. I also am posting some pics of Zoe as a chef.

Some more photos of Zoe's first party!!

Our little birthday bash

Here are some photos from our little party for Zoe. The cake was awesome!!!( Thanks for the tip, Maura!!!) Zoe is getting bigger by the minute and constantly laughs. She finds Jordyn to be a constant source of amusement. I look at Jordyn and think she's 14 sometimes with the things that come out of her mouth. My first week back at work has been good. I 'm running a tight ship at home, everything is done the day before so our mornings are fun and smooth, I hate chaos in the morning and we all have to get out of here way to early. The best thing that happened this week is we did get Zoe's certificate of citizenship, that was a plus. You'll see in the photos how much Zoe loved the birthday hat. I also put a pic of my Dad, he loves being in pictures!!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Today is Zoe's birthday and we are so honored to be able celebrate it with her. It is amazing to me, to think that a few weekes ago we did not have this adorable, good-natured, sweet little baby. She is so full of personality and warmth. We all just simply adore being with her. We spent a very fun day making cupcakes ( I let Jordyn miss school - I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, it will not be a big deal) we also went to the mall to have the girls pictures taken. I wasn't really crazy about the photographer we were given, not very warm and fuzzy. It's not usually a big deal- but if you're working with children you may want to take a different approach. So, needless to say we didn't get that many great pics. The theme for the photo shoot could have been "It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to" My very sad news is that I lost Zoe's poncho today. I usually would not be so upset but for those of you who know- this was my first knitting project. I am so sad it is gone. I knit that all summer as I was dreaming about this baby. I hope who ever found it uses it to keep a child warm. It would break my heart to think someone threw it out. Meanwhile, I am almost done with Jordyn's and now I'll have to make a new one for Zoe. Her are some new pics!!

Zoe is almost starting to walk!!

Not that we aren't happy about that but it opens up a whole new world!! She isn't walking yet but I give it another month or so. She is starting to stand by herself and is becoming very comfortfortable with this new activity. Jordyn loves trying to walk her around.

I also want to give a "shout out". I have a great friend who does the most amazing art work. She has given both my girls the most awesome hand painted jeans. I have gotten numerous compliments on both pairs. She can paint anything ( characters,etc..) on jeans, sweatshirts, jean jackets and more. If anybody is interested I will put you in contact with her, I know I am going to be ordering a number of gifts this holiday season. You can email me at dlschw28@yahoo.com I have posted some samples of her work.

Pumpkin Picking!!!

Today was fun! We took the girls pumpkin picking with some very nice friends of ours. Although, for the most part, the pumpkins looked to be in pretty bad shape. Supposedly, it was not a good crop this year. We went to a place called Hicks in Long Island. There were cute Halloween activities, a petting zoo and a hay ride. Halloween might be my favorite celebration. You can dress up to be anything you want and there is always chocolate. Those of you who know me know I am a complete choco-holic. I could probably even eat any of the various foods we saw in China, like sandworms, beetles, snakes or toads if they were dipped in a rich dark chocolate.

Happy Birthday Raenen

Today, we celebrated Raenen's birthday! I am a big loser because I forgot my camera. So, I will not be able to post any pictures from today. It is so incredible to watch all of these children grow up and see all the amazing changes. Even in just a few weeks, it is so awesome how different they can become. Happy Birthday, Raenen - we love you!!

Having fun!

Well- we have been home now 2 full weeks and starting our third. It is hard to imagine that Zoe has not been with us for that long a time. She is so much fun and Jordyn just adores her. BTW Jordyn is starting to like her parents again,as well. I was told " I love you " twice today. That was huge!!! We are getting into our groove and soon I will be going back to work. ( I teach). That will be a whole other adjustment. Zoe will be going to her new daycare this week for an hour to check it out. It is an in home daycare and the staff is wonderful. Jordyn went there and loved it. Here are some pics I took over the weekend.

New pics of our girls!!

Here are some recent ones from the past few days!! Zoe wasn't so sure about the swing.

Being Home

Sorry I have not updated in the past week, we have been a little busy. Everyone is adjusting, Jordyn is doing better but still has many moments. We went apple picking up in Warwick on Saturday with an offset group from FCC and had a great time. We have also had many visitors.

On a side note my favorite thing about coming home is dealing with all the nice people at Social Security (it's the whole system- not the people) I go to one office in Long Island and then find out, if you live in Queens then that is where I must apply. Ok- I go to the office closest to me- walk in, big sign they've moved. Fine, I walk a few blocks wait on line- the nice man behind the window tells me they don't issue cards in this office I must go to a different one. I love this system! I also love that they won't issue a card as a citizen which our children are if they came in on a certain visa- so that means I have to go back to the office again at a later date.

I will post pictures later!!