Wow. It's the last day of December. The final day of another year.
December was full of holiday traditions: Afternoon Tea at the Chateau Laurier, The Nutcracker Ballet, a visit with Santa Claus, countdown to Christmas, the funny antics of Wally the Elf, Christmas baking, Senior Kindergarten Holiday Program, writing cards, decorating the house and wrapping presents. And not forgetting the anniversary of the day Lilah joined our family - December 12th 2008 - that is a day I will never forget.
We most certainly ended the year on a high note, with a beautiful Christmas as a family of four. So thankful.
November. I blinked and it was gone.
I would say it was a pretty boring month, but nothing is ever boring with kids!
We had our first snow this month and Lilah was so thrilled - she made her first snow angel - even though her sister thought she was crazy! She turned 5.5 this month and glowingly told me it was the age she always wanted to be - there were cupcakes, but no pictures, because yes, we were all sick this month! It wasn't pretty, we're just thankful it's over now. During one of her getting-better-after-being-sick days, I pulled the girls little tree out of the basement and Lilah hung all the decorations on it. She had plenty of fun at two different birthday parties this month and came home looking like a tiger from one of them! Her sister and her are really finding their groove and enjoy having fun together, sometimes loving each other and sometimes tormenting each other, in a nice way, of course! Chilly days means more time spent indoors and our little bookworm has been enjoying her books this month. And finally, one of Mama's favourite moments in life, watching her little girl sleep.
Can you even believe it - only one more month left of 2012?!
Oh Fall! How I love thee!
There is something splendid about Fall. I'd happily say it's the most wonderful time of the year - my favourite in fact. I love Fall clothes, layers of sweaters and jackets and boots and scarfs. I love hot drinks, tea, hot apple cider and my favourite, lattes! I'm not so fond of pumpkin spice lattes though... I know, I'm odd like that. But I do love the look of pumpkins and chrysanthemums and all the colours of Fall! I'd happily live somewhere where it is Fall all year round.
Have I mentioned I love Fall?!
It's been a brand new Fall around here. A Fall with two kiddies! And because of that, we've been doing some new things - like taking a weekly trip to the library. You know we never did that before. I know. Hangs head in shame. That's probably why we have sooo many (bought) books in our house! Lilah's school has a book catalogue that comes out monthly and we usually buy 2 or 3 books each month. So yes, it's getting a little cramped around here!
Lilah also started her second year of skating lessons and boy does she love skating. Oh yes she does. She is very proud of her accomplishments and was thrilled that Phebe got to come along and watch her on her first lesson of the season. She loves to show off her skills to her little sister Phebe.
And there was the usual running through leaves, throwing leaves, collecting (the biggest!) leaves, playing with sticks, a visit to the pumpkin patch and of course, drinking hot chocolate... listen to this, she's had hot chocolate in many little coffee shops along the way, BUT... she tells me that Mama makes the best hot chocolate in the whole wide world! Ohhh, that girl, she knows exactly what to say, to give me the warm and fuzzies! I haven't told her my secret recipe, how I make it purely with half and half cream! Oh yeah, any wonder it's delicious!
Fall. You're slipping away quickly this year. We're going to miss you. Seriously.
September. An incredible, life changing month, for our little family.
We spent the greater part of the month of September in the very beautiful, China. And Lilah Grace Xiao Tong, became an amazing, big sister. I could not have been more proud of our Lilah girl... than I was on this trip.
How she adjusted in travelling, sleeping, eating and taking on one of the biggest roles in her life so far, the role of 'big sister'. She was truly, incedible.
And we had the most amazing time, in everything, between Beijing and Changsha and back to Beijing... it will be a journey we never ever forget. And it was Lilah's first time back in her birth country, since she became part of our family, in December 2008. We were on the go non-stop and our Lilah girl barely stopped, she soaked in everything... the people, the food, the language, the sights, the culture, etc, etc. Wow. And she was a fantastic big sister to top it all off. She fed her sister, held hands with her sister, played with her sister, shared with her sister, loved her sister...
I barely have words adequate to describe how amazing our big 5 year old was, and still is.
We saw so many amazing sights while in China, the great wall, summer palace, beijing zoo, ming tombs, forbidden city, jade factory, tiananmen square, hutong, drum tower and bell tower, donghuamen night markets, martyr's park, hunan embroidery, changde swi, soooo many restaurants! ...we even got to a McDonalds!
I don't think any other month this year could top September.
Oh August, how much do we love thee!
Lilah certainly lived August to the fullest: swimming camps, splash pads, snorkelling. Our girly was all about the water and keeping cool this past month, and who can blame her after all that heat. Although we did get a little rain, which was nice, for a change. Between all that water play our little girly was either, waitressing, reading books or being her favourite thing to be, right now - a superhero! She is most definitely my supergirl!
In just five short days we'll be heading to China and Lilah's life, as she knows it, is about to change in a big way. She has a new challenge ahead of her, a baby sister, who is about to turn 2 years old. I am praying hard for Lilah, I know there will be bumps in the road, nobody ever said life would be perfect, however, I do believe that situations like this help us grow and shape us into better people. And I believe that Lilah is going to appreciate this sister of hers so much. It's such an exciting chapter of our lives and we are more than ready to embrace it.
And so, I leave you with our August memories. And look forward to making new memories, as a family of four!
A couple of weeks ago I had a photography assignment regarding taking pictures with low light. It was the end of the week and I still hadn't really found anything that caught my eye to capture... until I walked past Lilah's bedroom early one morning.
My funny monkey was sitting in her bed reading books. It was obvious she wasn't long up, she still had those tired eyes and her favourite-blanket-in-the-whole-wide-world was wrapped around her legs, her blinds were still drawn and she was wearing her camping headband flashlight thingy. You know the ones that have an elastic strap so you can put it on your head? Yep, she was sitting in bed, reading books, with her flashlight strapped onto her head.
So cute.
She inspires me!
Is it August already?! I'm quite thrilled that July is behind us. I don't normally wish the summer away... but this year I have good reason to!
On the other hand, it's been a wonderful (hotter than hot) summer, so far! We started the month on vacation in our favourite little spot, Picton. A hot summer day on a beach with our friends, horseback riding, sea-dooing and swimming in the hotel pool every evening - I don't think July could have gotten off to a better start for us all!
This past month was jam packed with: old and new friends, camps, swimming, bike rides, birthday parties, picnics, fireworks, new glasses, face painting, london olympics, answered prayers (our letter to bring Phebe home)... and the list goes on!
I couldn't be more thankful - our family has been so blessed, in so many ways.
I totally missed posting my June pictures on the last day of the month! Well, I remembered about it a few times, but life kinda got in the way.
June was a calmer month, it was Lilah's last month of school, bye-bye Junior Kindergarten. Maybe that's the reason she took to jumping on the bed and twirling on the sidewalk! Of course, I'm joking! Lilah LOVES school and was straight up honest in telling me that she was very sad it was over... she even had a tear in her eye over it one morning, it was about a week before her last day. Long may her love for school continue!
Lilah also had her splatter paint party in June... my oh my, it was fun! And we spent an afternoon at the Ornamental Gardens, where Lilah swung on the trees, compared the colour of her outfit to the flowers and enjoyed skipping around and smelling the peony roses. I adore her joy and zest for life. She also enjoyed running races at our annual Sunday School Picnic, especially the sack race! And finally, we went and picked strawberries the day after school finished - I should say, what was left of the strawberries, since we've had an early hot dry summer...well, we must have gotten some rain in June, because Lilah's very cute ladybug umbrella made it's debut at one stage during the month!
I love June, we are thoroughly enjoying our summer and every month is a month closer to my Phebe girl... I simply can't wait!
I've started an online photography class with Lisa @ The Long Road to China, I just love her photography and felt I need a little push in the right direction. Especially since it's been 4 years since I bought my first dslr and my self-teaching (or maybe I should say, trial through error!) has basically come to a stand still - ahem, a long time ago!
The class is called 'Push Past Your Comfort Zone' and we've been learning about depth of field, framing, pattern, perspective, leading lines, rule of thirds, etc... and it's only week two! ...6 more weeks to go!
The weather has been incredibly hot here lately and with our Letter Seeking Confirmation arriving last week... (Squeal!! ...I still can't stop squealing every time I say that!) ...I haven't had a second to spare to get out and capture images that incorporate all this material. But today, I finally made an effort to blow the dust from my camera and take a walk down by the river. Lilah's hair has been up all week as she is at a swimming camp (and LOVES it!), so disregard the upstyle... I was too lazy to take it down. And being the biased mother that I am, I think she's pretty cute no matter how crazy her hair looks!
May sure was a whirlwind month. The old saying stands so true, time flies when you're having fun!
I need to resign myself to the fact that May is always going to be a crazy month, because I imagine it's going to stay this way for a while! Every May, we three May babies all get to celebrate our birthdays! Yes, our current entire household's birthday is in May! Phebe will be thrilled when she realizes she doesn't have to share her birth month with all the rest of us! Along with three birthdays, the beautiful Ottawa Tulip Festival is also in May. Oh, and lest we forget Mother's Day - definitely a special day for me! And last, but not least, our Church Conference is in May - there's always plenty of cooking and baking to prepare for it, but we always get the holiday Monday to recover and to be honest, spending time with friends and listening to God's Word is a wonderful way to spend a weekend in May.
Did I happen to miss anything? Why yes! We also made it to the National Gallery this month, because for sure, we must not have been busy enough! We also got some gardening, park, paddle pool and bubble blowing time fitted in there!
I love May, but man I'm exhausted and ready for a little downtime! Is it any wonder I caught a sweet sleepy moment of Lilah Grace this month! It was probably just a little wishful thinking on my part!
Ahh April! You truly brightened our day with your beautiful spring flowers. One of the things that made me grin this month is when Lilah asked me: "When will our flowers be born?" The wording she used was so appropriate for this time of the year - watching our (Fall planted) bulbs grow daily and finally burst into life.
April brings those lovely warm showers, that turns everything into life. Although, if I'm perfectly honest, there were plenty of cool days in April, I think we were spoiled with the extra heat and sunshine that we had in March!
Not only did April bring beautiful flowers, it also brought rabbit ears and chocolate eggs and a trip to Starbucks for our first Strawberry & Cream Frappuccino of the season - it was indeed a delicious month too! The month of April was also brightened in an unforgettable way four years ago, with the referral of our precious Lilah girl. She is a ray of sunshine in our lives and brightens our days in every single way.
March. It includes the first day of Spring and in many ways it's a picture of new birth. Indeed, we've enjoyed a very happy joyous month - we welcomed with excitement and open arms a new 'birth' into our family. It's a month that we'll look back on over the years and remember the wonderful news we received of a new daughter and sister, Phebe Jayne Yang Qi.
We have so much to be thankful for. Thank you Lord.
It was hard to focus this month, but we certainly took time to enjoy the everyday blessings that we have. First and foremost, Lilah became a big sister - a proud one too, skipping into school with a photo of her sister to tell them her special news! Then we enjoyed a long week of incredible weather, that included running around barefoot in the park, with her friend, who's little sister is also called Phebe!) Oh, those delicious cupcakes and that messy face, how I love it! Balancing on one foot seemed to take preeminence this month, just about every set of photos I have, has at least a couple of photos of her balancing herself on one foot - too cute! Oh, and let's not forget about St. Patrick's Day, even though she sighs and gives Baba an exasperated look when he asks her if she's a wee Irish girl! And last but not least, dying Easter eggs. My girly sure enjoys herself, whatever the weather!
What can I say? February disappeared before my very eyes!
We celebrated Valentine's Day in a big way this month. We made treats for Lilah's class friends and kept a few for ourselves, of course! It was fun to see all the cards she brought home from her little friends in school. I simply adored all the little 'love' crafts she made in school too! We enjoyed books and built puzzles, galore! And we spent a whole lot of time (evidentally from these pictures!) gearing up for and enjoying our holiday in Cuba.
I really miss Project 365 (taking a picture every single day for one year!). What I miss most is glancing at the mosiacs (I used to make) of each month's pictures and being able to see and remember everything we did that particular month.
Project 365 was fun, very fun, but I don't want to force myself into taking pictures every single day. Recently I saw a month-in-photos on Rebecca's 'simple as that' blog and decided to do something quite similiar. I love Rebecca's blog, she is so creative and artsy and she makes things looks easy enough that I think to myself, "I could do that!". Generally I 'think' more than I actually 'do', but it's the thought that counts, right?!
So basically I took my favourite pictures from January and put them into a mosiac that looks like this...
Yep, it really is as simple as that!
A big thank you to the commenter - 'Grammy Carol' - for encouraging me to go ahead and enter my photo of Lilah's sassy face at 'i heart faces' this week - see post below. Out of 742 entries it placed in the top ten - #6 to be exact!
I'm feeling a tad exhilarated!
I entered it through my flickr photo stream - you can see it here.
Also, be sure to check out i heart faces to see all the winners.
I was about to join in the competition at 'i heart faces' this week. It called for 'the best face photo of 2011'. So I found one that I liked, but then I found another photo and another photo and another photo, and soon I was knee deep in pictures of Lilah's sweet little face. I so couldn't make up my mind!
So I changed my mind on the competition! I just decided to post a collage of my 'favouite face pictures' from the past year!
I absolutely adore your precious face, Lilah Grace.
One of my favourite pictures of my girl from this past Fall.
[ check out more 'autumn splendor' photographs over at i heart faces this week ]
One of my favourite things is to watch Lilah jump on the bed, with complete abandon... hair flying and her beautiful giggle.
Childhood is so precious. Let them be little!
So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little ~lonestar
[ check out more 'let them be little' photographs over at i heart faces this week ]
For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.
For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.
~Edwin Way Teale
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{ see more 'Favourite Photo Friday' entries at 'The Long Road to China {and back}' }
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[ the flickr set is here ]
