A few more vacation pictures

I think this was called Graveyard Falls, didn't look so scary to us!!!






















This is Looking Glass Falls and yes I really did take this picture myself! And it was raining but you can't tell that in the picture























This is our niece, Katherine, and she attends Western Carolina Univeristy and was able to spend some time with us. Pay attention to the shadow of the "bear" behind her. This was a VERY popular spot and you are right on the edge of a VERY busy road. Between 5:30 and 6:00 pm the sun cast a shadow on the mountain that gradually takes on the appearance of a bear. It was freezing too!!!







Reference my previous point about freezing!! Yep that is right this thermometer reads 32 degrees!












Look Mom no hands!
















Just one of the many beautiful sites we enjoyed last week












Elizabeth spent many hours just climbing up and down these stairs. She doesn't get to see these things in Florida apparently!

No we didn't get lost!

Well Hello to everyone! We have not fallen off the face of the earth, just been busy, you know the story! Elizabeth is continuing to grow and become quite the little lady. Our "baby" is quickly going away and a new little girl is emerging. She is chatting constantly and more and more words are becoming easier to understand. She is eating better, and starting to try some new foods and textures (thank you speech therapy!!!). Her hair is growing like a weed and we just love her to death!

We just returned from our first "family" vacation. We have been on some short trips, reunions, etc but this was the first time that just the 3 of us piled in the car and headed out with no real purpose other than spending a week together. We left on Friday afternoon and headed out to Sylva, North Carolina where we enjoyed 8 days of beautiful weather, magnificant scenary and good times as a family of 3. The leaves were just really starting to pop and show a distinct array of colors, and it was so pretty. For those of you that don't know Jennifer grew up in South Carolina and seeing this type of scenary makes me miss it alot! Elizabeth is a great traveler, and we really mean that. She just sits in her car seat, watching the world go by and will occasionally chat out to us or start to sing a song. Other than that she just sits back and enjoys the ride. She went with the flow and even though she had no real schedule for the week, she just adapted.

Here are a few pics below of the last month or so, and I will post some more vacation pics in the next post.

Until next time..............................

Our cute little cabin in North Carolina

Elizabeth gives Stone Mountain, Georgia 2 thumbs up!

Feeding her Pablo a chicken nugget

-she LOVES Pablo

Just being goofy

Swimming with her American brother-Joe or as Elizabeth says, Joe-Joe

A weekend at Grams & Grandaddy's

I LOVE my Aunt Janet!!!

Rubbing Grandaddy's head for good luck

Playing Legos with Uncle Randy

just chillin' with my Grandaddy

Giving Grams a hug

Elizabeth and I got to spend the weekend at my parents house and Elizabeth got to celebrate her birthday with Aunt Janet. Aunt Janet was in the hospital for the "real" birthday party and was not able to make it and had been very disappointed. So last weekend during our visit Elizabeth had plenty of time with Aunt Janet and opened her presents from Uncle Randy and Aunt Janet and also had a small birthday cake too. And the answer to your question is "no, she did not eat this brithday cake either."

If you read my previous post on her birthday party in July you will see that I said Elizabeth was only interested in cutting up the cake with her spoon and did not want to take even one bite. That was again true last weekend when we tried to give her birthday cake again! What is the matter with this child???? A kid that doesn't eat birthday cake???? Anyway, she had a great time and I did too and here are some pictures to enjoy.........................

School Days!

Hi out there to everyone! Hope your summer is going well and you have not sweated to death like we have here in Florida.

Elizabeth has now started pre-school and here are a couple pics of the first day. She is really enjoying it. She goes 2 days per week for 3 hours and is pretty tuckered out once she gets home. Somedays she has to take a nap right away, even before eating lunch, because she is so pooped out. And today we have a slight runny nose, welcome to the world of school children, I guess!

We also had a 2 year old check up and our girl is 19.1 lbs in weight, and 30 inches tall. So that is almost 6 lb weight gain in the last year, and about 2.5 to 3 inches in height. Not too bad. As you can tell by the pictures her hair is growing like a weed too!!

Ready to go to school with my new book bag that is as big as me!

Waiting outside the classroom door to go into school. I wouldn't look at my mom because there was just too much other stuff going on!

A day in the life

Doing one of my favorite jobs-using the Swiffer on the bathroom floor. I also love to feed the dog and clean the bathtub every nite after my bath!!!!

Still playing with my Pablo ballon from my birthday-notice he is being dragged around by his head

Like father-like daughter

Feeding my doll a play doh sandwich-yum yum

Just a girl who loves her high heel shoes!!!! And a shopping bag too!!!!

2 year old photos

Here are a couple of shots of our girl documenting the fact she is now 2 years old!!! These pictures turned out adorable, but I will let you all in on a little secret. This was the 2nd time we went since the first time we got about 3 shots in and then a total, major meltdown started and we had to leave!!! Welcome to the world of a 2 year old! It is just amazing to look at the pictures taken almost exactly one year ago and to see how Elizabeth has changed. We just love her to death-temper tantrums and all!

Until next time................................

Happy Birthday Ladybug!

Elizabeth & Grandpa

Elizabeth and Grandaddy having birthday cake

She was only interested in cutting her cake with the spoon and never ate a bit! What is the matter with her???

Her "boyfriend" Pablo-Pablo got alot of kisses that day!! If you notice, Pablo is bigger than she is-Ha!

Helping Daddy carry one of my presents!

Hello to everyone! Today is a momentous occassion around the MacDonald household!!! Elizabeth is 2 years old today!!! I can not believe our little girl has been in our lives for a whole year and is now celebrating her 2nd birthday with us. We were fortunate enough to have had her 1 week last year when her birthday rolled around. She didn't really get into her birthday last year, but is fully enjoying all of her new toys, new table and chairs, new Kitty cat stool, Play-doh, new Crayola Wonder Fingerpaints, Fisher Price cash register, Disney Princess phone, new Mickey Mouse DVD's, Bat n Ball Penguin, Backyardigans lunch box and many, many, more things and last but not least, a huge ballon of Pablo from the Backyardigans!!!

As you can tell, she got alot of gifts, LOVES, everything, and rotates toys frequently throughout the day. She also loves all the cards that came with each gift and carries them around in the Backyardigans lunch box and takes them out several times a day and "reads" them. It is too cute!

Happy Birthday baby girl, we love you very much!

Another memory from one year ago

I have to admit I have been very emotional today thinking back to one year ago that we became a forever family. I have had tears in my eyes off and on throughout the day as I think back to that momentous occassion! I look back on the videos and photos and realize what a tiny little peanut we actually received! Patrick said to me today "do you know where her outfit is that she was wearing when we got her?" Of course, I know where this outfit is!!!!

Here is a photo exactly one year later of our precious angel! It fits her now, and she is 3-4 inches taller than she was then and weighs about 5 to 5.5 lbs more than she did back then.

Pay attention to the diaper hanging out in the center of the pants. These are called split pants and this is what kids in China wear instead of diapers! They start potty training at a very young age?!?!

Life has never been so good!!! We love our little girl to pieces!

Until next time..............................................

One year ago today-we became a forever family

The first picture we ever saw of her!

One year later!-Can you believe it????

One year ago today we became a forever family! Can you believe it has been one year already since our precious baby girl was placed in our arms?!?!?! Here is a photo montage of how our baby girl has evolved into a toddler.

Dear Elizabeth,

One year ago today, in a very hot room, in Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China, you were placed in our arms and became our daughter. Daddy and I love you so very much and just can not imagine our lives without you. You have blessed us in ways that only a parent can know.

You have evolved into a funny, spicy, imaginative little girl, and now looking back on the pictures and videos from one year ago, I think you had all those qualities then, but Daddy and I just didn't understand it or recognize it! We are first time parents you know!!!

We promised then to feed you, cloth you, provide you with the best education and most of all, love you forever and ever. We pledged that then, and we continue to pledge that now. You are the greatest gift ever and God picked just the right little girl to complete our family.

We love you so much, Ladybug!

Mama and Daddy

China sister reunion!!

Hello all! We have just returned from a fantastic trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee where we had a reunion with 4 other families that traveled with us to China. If you can believe it, we are approaching the one year anniversary of when we received our babies?!?!?! We have been talking back and forth for awhile about getting together for a reunion, and finally, were able to work out the details.

We all arrived on either Wednesday or Thursday and stayed until Sunday. We were fortunate enough to find a nice condo complex (thanks Tonya!) that had enough rooms for all of us. The condos all had 1 or 2 bedrooms and the same number of baths as the bedrooms, small kitchens and family rooms and best of all-views of the Smokey Mountains that were probably some of the best I have ever seen, seriously!!! Our particular condo looked out right over the valley into Gatlinburg and the tram that takes you up the mountain floated by many times a day right outside our patio. We saw 2 weddings while we were there right on the lawn outside our condo. And we heard both ministers say to the couples-this is the view everyone wants!

Each nite we had a potluck dinner in a meeting room on the property and each family brought a dish for the nite. The kids got to run around and play, the grownups finally got a chance to really talk. We didn't get to do too much of that in China because we were all overwhelmed with new babies at that time!!! Then each day we wandered into Gatlinburg, drove around the area, and then as a big group we all went to the aquarium on Saturday. We really had a great time and feel like we packed alot into 4 days. We are ready to do it again, and seriously hope we can make this an annual event. We missed the 2 families that were not able to be with us this year, but I sure hope they know they were spoken of fondly, and they were really, really missed.

Here are the pics, which I know is the only thing anyone really cares about! Ha! Stay tuned for the next post here on the blog as it will be about our 1 year anniversary for Gotcha Day!!! Can you believe it, one whole year with our beautiful baby girl, where does the time go?!?!

Until next time..................

Can you see the view of the mountains behind us?? Gorgeous!!!!

Lia and Elizabeth-does anyone else think these 2 girls look alike???

Kelly enjoying some time outside on the lawn

Beautiful Bella-looking like she is getting a little tired of all the picture taking!!!!

Amanda and her mom, Jamie-do you think these 2 look a little happy????

Molly, the greatest big sister ever!!!! She is really Kelly's big sister, but let me tell you-she can be Elizabeth's big sister-ANYTIME!!! This kid rocks!

Ok, so don't tell Elizabeth's daddy, but Elizabeth has a SERIOUS crush on Lia's little brother-Jackson!!

A re-creation of the famous red couch photo taken in China almost one year ago!!! We think we even have them lined up in the order they were on the original photo. Please reference the post on this blog dated around July 29th or 30th for the original pic and see how much these girls have changed!!! Here is their names in the order they are seated from left to right: Kelly, Elizabeth, Bella, Amanda, Lia