Mammarazzi Madness

I'll have a Large please .....

2012-02-10T13:54:00.005-05:00

or is it an Extra Large ??

Hmmmm ......??

Recently cruised through the Tim Horton's Drive Thru and bought a LARGE coffee.

I immediately thought of this video when I looked at the lid of the coffee cup and saw this ......

This video sums up the Timmy's confusion ......( I think ...lol).

Chilly Winter Snaps .....

2012-02-02T20:30:00.006-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-31T17:00:00.007-05:00

Another Yummy Year !

Egg rolls, chinese fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, firecracker beef and noodles ......

Cool Along The Confederation ......

2012-01-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

Can't you just feel it ??

Brrrrrr .....

In The Palm Of Her Hand ......

2012-01-27T13:53:00.001-05:00

( he just won't admit it .....lol).

Better late than never ......

2012-01-19T16:57:00.005-05:00

A few snaps of Aly's princess party .......she enjoyed the first half and then spent the remainder under the table with a belly ache ......

Too much cake, candy and goodies .....( I guess ) ....

Next birthday up ......number 12 for our preteen ......:)

It's cake time again ......go on ....take a bite !

2012-01-13T14:59:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday Miss Aly.

It seems like only yesterday that we first met you in China & then to top things off we were blessed to spend your very first birthday with you a few days later ! Fast forward 5 years and we cannot believe how much you have grown.

You are a beautiful, sweet, loving & funny little girl ......perfect really ......

We love you all the way to the moon and back.

Happy number 6 sweet baby girl !!

Love, Mommy and Daddy & big brother Ben XOXO

2012-01-08T17:54:00.005-05:00

January 8th/2012 ( & it still fits)

What a little "Munchkin" !!

January 8th/2011

January 8th/2010

January 8th/2009

January 8th/2008

April 2007

5 years ago (tomorrow)

2012-01-07T16:03:00.002-05:00

we met this little girl for the very first time & the rest is history .......:)

Happy New Year Everyone !!

2012-01-07T15:42:00.002-05:00

May great things come your way in 2012.

Happy New Year Everyone !!

2012-01-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

Wanted to share a little video that Ben, Aly and I made for JP.

Hope your Christmas was Merry.

Happy 2012.

Not A Creature Was Stirring .....

2011-12-25T07:35:00.005-05:00

( not even a kitty ) .....

Miss Rosie Waiting For the Kids

It's 6 am and the kids are still snuggled in their beds. Just having a cuppa java with my sweetie and enjoying this peaceful moment before the excitement of Christmas takes ahold of our home.

Merry Christmas & Peace To All Of You !

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-24T11:31:00.005-05:00

I have no excuses for neglecting this blog. So I won't even try to apologize.

Just wanted to add a few new pics that were taken over the last few weeks.

The kids and I cooked up a storm a couple of weeks ago ( even Gram joined us on skype) & we are still munchin' on shortbreads, squares and frosted treats.

It's a YUMMY time of year !

Tonight the big man in the red suit comes to visit ......

Can't wait ......

Merry Christmas Everyone :)

The Holiday 2011 Are Here !

2011-12-08T16:44:00.004-05:00

Hooray !!!
It's our most favorite time of the year & the cherry on top is that this Mamma is almost done her shopping and EVEN her wrapping !
Almost time to sit back, relax and drink in the festivities.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
We hope it is filled with family, friends and so much fun !
Love,
Our Family XOXO

Apple Pickin' in PEI :)

2011-10-13T17:27:00.003-04:00

Looking Awful Pretty Out There :)

2011-10-05T14:27:00.002-04:00

Two Tickets & A Yellow Brick Road

2011-09-17T07:54:00.008-04:00

Had a date with Sir Elton a few nights ago.

Wow .....all I can say is that HE sure has the pipes.

AMAZING !!

He played for close to three hours.

It was just Elton, his ivories & a few thousand people.

Awesome concert spent with my gal pal Maggie :)

Pig Roast 2011

2011-09-09T07:12:00.008-04:00

I guess if you cook it ....they really WILL come.

We spent Labor Day with some of our most favorite people !

Yep, it was a collision of Maritime folk ......

Great time -----but sad to see them go .....

Come back soon .......

Turkey roastin' season is almost here ....;)

2011-09-07T18:52:00.006-04:00

I have one question .....

Where the H#%% did summer go ??

It seemed like we were waiting for the sun to shine and then all of a sudden it was September and school was back .....

Yesterday was a BIG day in our home. Yuppers, Miss Alycat started school.

Mommy had a little tear in her eye as she watched her little girl board the bus, take her seat, peek out the window and wave as the bus chugged off to school.

All of a sudden, no more baby .....

Never mind about summer ?

Where has the time gone since these two were toddling around the house.

Hope the the first day of school was a great one for everyone .....

Happy Fall !!!

More Of Summah ......

2011-08-21T12:03:00.004-04:00

Have just spent the last few weeks drinking in the last of the summer rays. It has come and almost vanished too quickly. In the past two weeks we have shared some great laughs with our good pals from NB. First at Fundy National Park and then back home here in PEI.
I forgot how beautiful Fundy is ...and of course, I don't have to convince anyone about the beauty of PEI .....

You'll notice that Ben isn't in very many pics, no, he's not camera shy ( heaven forbid). It is because he was away enjoying 10 days of summer camp and had a BLAST !

Bugsy's Turn ....

2011-08-18T18:36:00.003-04:00

....now he didn't think he's get off scot free even though he was away at camp, did he ??

This boy sure has grown over the summer and is turning into quite handsome young man if i do day so myself .....

Love you Ben ......XOXO

2011-08-10T16:55:00.006-04:00

Lovely Little Aly ....

2011-08-07T22:08:00.001-04:00

you hold my heart in the palm of your hand .....:)

Photoshop Fun ....

2011-08-05T20:35:00.004-04:00

I just purchased a photoshop program and have been playing around with layers.

It's a great program with a steep learning curve.

I will prevail though ....

My great pal Heather gave me some lovely flowers while she was here visiting a few days ago.

I photoshopped the heck outta them .....

Here is my before and after of these little pretties .....:)

BEFORE

AFTER

Deep Blue Sea Adventures

2011-07-30T20:46:00.004-04:00

We tried our luck at deep sea fishing this week and triumphed .....well, correction, the kids and JP did. This Mommy didn't quite have her sea legs under her and spent most of the trip wishing that dry land was nearby .....

The kids LOVED it & and that was worth the pain of agony.

I got some great shots between waves of nausea though ...

Yup, call me dedicated ....as in dedicated "mammarazzi" .....

Phase Two Of Operation Red Jam

2011-07-24T17:06:00.002-04:00

Strawberry Pickin'

2011-07-24T09:40:00.007-04:00

Phase One of "Operation Red Jam" took place under sunny skies yesterday afternoon.

Aly and Ben sampled the giant red berries as they picked.

You know, just to make sure they were of the finest quality.

We pulled out of the strawberry field with a trunk load of yummy smelling berries and will move into Phase 2 today .

Stay tuned !

Boston Tour

2011-07-22T17:10:00.015-04:00

Just back from a terrific trip to Boston, Mass.

We finally got to experience that hot weather we have been waiting patiently for.

Holy smokes it was hot. WOW!

All I can say ......

Humid, sticky and did I mention HOT ??

We spent our time between the New England Aquarium , the Musuem of Science & and the Quincy Market , took a quick spin to see if we could find the witches of Salem ( Aly was very relieved when we came up empty handed), visited Portmouth, and then made our way to Augusta to visit Uncle Kenny and Aunt Ambika.

Really nice.

But equally nice to be back home in PEI ....

The best part though is that our VACATION 2011' is still going strong .....

Now THAT makes ME smile ( almost as much as this cold beer did on our very hottest day in the heart of Boston :)

2011-07-14T18:28:00.014-04:00

I've been trying to capture a bit of the beauty of the island with my "never too far from my grasp & doesn't owe me a dime" Nikon.

PEI is such a beautiful place.

It's our first summer here and I'm amazed of the lovelines of this island. From red sand beaches to rolling fields of potatoes, it really is breathtaking ......

Here are a few shots from my faithful ole' camera ....

Most of these pictures were taken in the central PEI along the Northumberland Strait. Home of some of the warmest waters north of the Carolina's ( or so they say- whoever they are).

Regardless, it always feels good to dip your tootsies in the ocean on hot days.

Besides, isn't THAT what summer is all about ???

Hot sticky weather, an ocean breeze and sandy beaches ....

Oh yeah, and icecream ....lots and lots of icecream .....

The store in the village next to us claims to sell " The World's BEST IceCream " !

I guess you will all have to visit us to find out ....

Just sayin ......

Summer Snap Shots

2011-07-14T16:18:00.010-04:00

Summer Sandals

We are now smack dab in the middle of summer and it feels great. The kids have spent oodles of time swimming in the pool and we have managed between raindrops to take in a few of the sights and sounds of good ole' PEI in it's "summer mode". There are literally tons of things to see and do on this little island !!

Tomorrow we hit the road to Boston, Mass. Looking forward to exploring that city with all it's rich history and then to top it off we'll skip up to Maine to see my favorite little brother ( haha .....my only brother).

We'll be sure to post pics when we return.

For now, here are a few snaps of our family's summer of 2011. We sure are enjoying it

We hope you are enjoying your summer too :)

Lovely Little Alycat

Secrets

Jump !!

Thrills

Beach Buddies

Handsome Bugsy !

Sweet Smiles

Bumper Boat Blast !

and even more thrills .....

PEI excursions with Grammy :)

2011-07-06T18:33:00.002-04:00

WILLIAM AND KATE

2011-07-05T16:45:00.007-04:00

Prince William and Kate visited PEI yesterday and JP's Mom and I were on hand to greet them, ......well, sorta ......we kinda admired them from afar .....

Pretty cool to see them though :)

JP's Momma waiting for the royals ......

Notice the rain on the window pane ??

It cleared up before their helicopter landed ...

Prince William

& his lovely bride

and then they were gone !

Happy Canada Day, eh .....

2011-07-03T12:38:00.004-04:00

We stayed close to home for Canada Day. It was our first on the island so we hopped in the car and headed out to explore.
It was a beautifully warm day and we topped it off with the most awesome display of fireworks with our island pals.

I have recently finished work ( my contract ended) -----just in time to explore more of this lovely island.
I'll be sure to post pics of our excellent adventures on "PPI" for summer 2011 !

We hope you all enjoyed a great Canada Day :)

2011-06-30T18:42:00.001-04:00

No, our little Rosie is not having a seizure .....she sleeps like this ......

Ever been this relaxed ??

8 months of growing up and out ......

2011-06-29T18:23:00.004-04:00

A couple pics of Ben ( one taken in September 2010 and one in June 2011 ).

He's stretching up and growing into ....dare a say it ?? A Pre TEEN .......god bless us all .....hahaha

So proud of you Bugsy, heading into another year of school......

Love you loads !

Let's have fun this summer !

2011-06-28T07:34:00.006-04:00

Awhhh ....summer we have missed you. We hope you are here to stay.

Bring on the sunshine, popsicles, the smell of fresh cut grass & water fights.

Bring on fireworks, sparklers, watermelon and don't forget the campfires and the yummy smores.

We have waited patiently for you Summer and yes, .....yes ....there were times when we thought we wouldn't see you.

So glad you found your way here. Now pull up a lawn chair, put your tootsies up & stay awhile! Yes Summer, you sit right there and we'll fix you a cool drink and you can watch the kids play in the pool.

Happy Father's DAy ....

2011-06-19T11:01:00.002-04:00

to the best Dad we know !

We love you bunches ......

( even if you gloat when you win at cards !! )

XOXO

Fields of Red ......

2011-06-16T19:28:00.001-04:00

Summer Florals .....

2011-06-12T18:53:00.003-04:00

Discovered this pretty little flower along a red clay country road the other day & felt compelled to hop out and snap a pic .....

Lovin' Summer Flowers .....

It's about time, isn't it ??

Happy Grad Alycat !

2011-06-10T15:50:00.004-04:00

Congrats sweet girl.

We love you loads !

2011-06-04T14:20:00.002-04:00

BBBBBubbles & Kids Just Kinda Go Together Don't They ??

2011-06-04T14:13:00.003-04:00

Miss Aly went for dental surgery last week.

Lots of it ....

6 crowns, 4 fillings and a lot bigger space between her teeth , she's a new gal !

This Mommy is glad it is over- hated seeing her put under ......kinda had a weepy episode in the surgery room.

Dog Gone Funny ....

2011-05-18T20:30:00.007-04:00

The kids and I got a charge outta this video that is circulating on You Tube.

Cracks us up every time ....

Up, Up and Away ....

2011-05-05T16:43:00.004-04:00

The kids got some great kites from the Easter Bunny so we hit the beach and tried them out last night.

Awesome !!

Some of my favorite people .....

2011-04-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

Just going through some old pics and found some shots of my most favorite people.

I'm a lucky gal to have such great people in my life ..... :)

2011-04-27T19:07:00.002-04:00

HOPPY EASTER :)

2011-04-25T19:03:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter All.

We hope the long earred fella found you and showered you with great gobs of chocolate.

We spent a terrific weekend with family and friends and EASTER FEAST !

Spring is on it's way ..that is for sure !

Wishing you all tulips and sunshine in the upcoming weeks :)

Happy Birthday Ben !!

2011-04-06T13:38:00.004-04:00

Happy birthday Ben.

We cannot believe that you are turning 11 years old today.

It seems that only yesterday that we first held you in our arms. Those early days with you are some of the best memories of our lives.

You are a amazing young man - smart, funny, sensitive, honest, and sometimes, yes sometimes, even gross ....lol

We love everything about you and we are so proud to be your Mom and Dad.

We hope your day was special.

Afterall, what can be bad when you have cake for breakie at 6 am ??

LOVE Mom & Dad
XOXO

6 am birthday cake .....yummy !

Getting the AM birthday call from Gram !

Weekend Getaway .....

2011-03-28T18:49:00.004-04:00

JP had some work to do in our old stomping grounds in N.B so we packed the kids up and made a weekend of it at a local hotel. The best part was that Ben even got a chance to hang with his best bud, Jarod! He has missed that little guy!

Miss Alycat was well entertained as well......by none other than Sponge Bob, the hot tub and room service !

Nice to see some family and friends too !

We miss them all loads !

Beachcombing .....

2011-03-23T20:13:00.002-04:00

for icebergs !

Hard to believe that soon we'll be dipping out tootsies in this water !

Bathroom Do- Over

2011-03-20T13:18:00.009-04:00

A little dab here, a little dab there and here you go ... a room with a refreshed look !

I found this product while searching online for creative ways to "spruce up" our laminate countertops. It's called Giani paints & it gives your countertop the look of granite.

I'm not sure if mine look like granite but I am really pleased with the results.

I mean ,after all, for 89 bucks, I'm not going to complain ??

If you are interested check out the link here GIANI GRANITE.

Buy it and work your magic .....

BEFORE

AFTER

Date Night with my sweetie !

2011-03-13T16:53:00.005-04:00

Last night we left the kiddies with the grandparents and headed away for a night of fun. We booked this little spot in the heart of downtown Charlottetown.

Just beautiful .....

Ole' Man Winter .....

2011-02-17T16:05:00.004-05:00

it's time to hit the road.

and bring on days like this ..... !

Happy Valentines Day .....

2011-02-15T14:34:00.002-05:00

We hope it was filled with lots of love and chocolate.

Happy New Year Everyone !!

2011-02-03T19:34:00.004-05:00

Another year spent with some of our favorite people ......

Great spread again this year.

Singapore noodles, sweet and sour pork, sticky rice, beef and broccoli, spring rolls and of course, peking duck !

All from scratch .....

Superb !

Can't wait til' next year to see what we'll create :)

Snowfall Fun ...

2011-01-14T16:06:00.003-05:00

Aren't we creative ??

Funny what a little carrot,

some kids toys,

a Mommy's scarf & hat and

and some of Grammy's beat juice will do ....

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl !

2011-01-14T15:53:00.004-05:00

It's that time again .....and in our house it means cake for breakie!

Who could ask for anything more ?

Happy Number 5 sweet Alycat.

We love you !!

6:30 am and cake .......:)

Getting the birthday call from Grammy and Papa !

2011-01-11T05:42:00.002-05:00

Then .....

and now , four years later ......

Four Years ago this was our post of the day & the rest was history !

January 8th/2007

Hello Everyone from Changsha !

Ok ....scroll down to the bottom of the page and then come back up here to see what we have to say.

After 17 months of waiting ....

Alyana is here with us. We are doing wonderfully. The last few days have been a blur.

Yesterday, Jp and I boarded a bus that took us to the Adoption Affairs building where and we along with 11 other couples met our forever babies.

I cannot explain the emotion that filled the room. It was unbelievable.

The Youxian babies were last to come and of course, we received Aly last.

You cannot prepare for this moment , I swear!

Aly was dressed in several layers of clothing, hot , flushed and very frightened. She couldn't grasp what these funny looking adults with huge grins were doing looking at her and of course, she began to cry.

She settled down quite quickly and was gigling away in her crib in about an hour. Despite teething and a rash to go along with that wonderful process she is doing very well and appears healthy.

She is a bit small for her age however, after she gets home to some good home cooking she'll fatten up and begin running after her big brother in no time flat.

This crib waits for a little girl (Only minutes away from getting Miss Aly).

On our way to the Hotel to start our lives together.

First sleep with her new mom and dad looking over her.

This ferris wheel is right outside the hotel. We're on the 26th floor and we look up to see the top of the beast! It looks pretty cool in the daylight but at night it is fixed with tons of flashing neon lights (great for sleeping...).

2011-01-07T14:36:00.003-05:00

We are heading into the eve of the 4th year anniversary of when we first met this little pumpkin. Tomorrow I'll dress her up in her Gotcha day clothes and see once again, how much she has grown over the year.
Where has the time gone ??
Happy anniversary sweet girl !

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-12-27T09:11:00.003-05:00

I guess it's better late than never ....

Time to kick back, put a big pot of sketti on the stove and perhaps kick my hubby's butt in a game of crib ....lol

A view from our front door

But first a little look back over our year :)

The Best One Yet .....

2010-12-26T10:00:00.004-05:00

Of course ,,,,,,we say that every year, don't we ??

Our first Christmas in PEI and we loved it.

We spent all day lounging, playing with our new toys & feasting.

Quiet and relaxing .....and the best of all, we spent it together!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas .....and like us, spent it with all your most favorite people :)

2010-12-26T09:53:00.001-05:00

Christmas dinner ( just the 4 of us :)

2010-12-26T09:48:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T12:19:00.002-05:00

Almost time to sit back and relax .....

2010-12-21T17:24:00.005-05:00

sip some eggnog and wait for the big fella in the red suit :)

Christmas Concert Time .....

2010-12-20T17:33:00.003-05:00

Really great job kiddies !!

Mommy and Daddy are proud of you :)

Ben is the last one on the right in the white shirt

Alyana is holding the Y

Getting ready to perform ----no stage fright at all !

Shake it .....shake it ....:)

Our little angel :)

Wow, in 4 sleeps Santa comes ......the kids can hardly stand it ....( a little secret, neither can their Mama :)

Time To Build An Arc .....

2010-12-14T20:14:00.002-05:00

This picture is of our camp in New Brunswick. The flood waters came within inches of our floor boards and luckily we did not have any damage. Sad to report that others were not so lucky!
Incredible .....!!

Christmas Past ....

2010-12-06T15:30:00.003-05:00

Someone sent this terrific photo to me today.

It's taken outside of the ole' railway station in the village where JP and I grew up.
I love it because it reminds me of Christmas memories from home. As children we used to go and see Santa at this railway station on Christmas Eve. One of my most favorite memories was sitting on my grandfather's shoulders and waiting patiently for Santa to show up and pass out treats.

I think Ben and Aly would love a tour through this old building one of these days ( not to mention a treat from Santa).

I guess I'll to add it to the list of things that we need do.

2010-12-05T17:39:00.003-05:00

A very productive weekend, if I do say so myself.

We spent it purging, hanging the outside decorations and wrapping presents.

This year, this Mommy is well ahead of the pack .....

Gosh, even Santa's cookies are all made !

( Thanks to a little help from my favorite Mom in Law ).

Happy Holidays Everyone :)

Merry Christmas From Our Home To Yours !

2010-12-03T12:34:00.001-05:00

It's time .....

2010-11-28T18:53:00.005-05:00

time to slip on the Santa caps,

head out into the woods,

and pick our special tree for 2010.

Thanks for letting us loose today in your tree lot Uncle George and Aunt Judy!

We love our tree again this year and can't wait to get it up and decorated!

First Snowfall .......

2010-11-27T06:13:00.004-05:00

First snowfall of the winter 2011 season & the kiddies couldn't wait to get out and play.

Two of Alycat's favorite people .....

2010-11-26T18:40:00.002-05:00

at the same place, at the same time ......

She was tickled pink ...:)

Cookin' UP A STORM .....

2010-11-25T18:32:00.003-05:00

( Grammy style) ......

It's going to be a sweet, sweet Christmas !

Kindergarten Bound .....

2010-11-24T18:49:00.003-05:00

and she has the papers to prove it !

Decking the Halls .....( in PEI)

2010-11-19T17:18:00.002-05:00

At least, we started anyway ......

I know it's a tad early but it's our favorite time of the year around here :)

Next week Grammy and Papa come and we'll start some good ole' Christmas baking .....

Can't wait :)

Homemade Pasta Night.....

2010-11-07T17:14:00.002-05:00

No need for a big long description with this post.

Just one word ....YUMMY !!!!

Our China Christmas Tree Project

2010-11-07T16:44:00.013-05:00

For the last few years, I've wanted to decorate a little China themed Christmas tree for Alyana.

Today we started that project.

After a search through THIS GREAT SPOT
, we were delighted to find a few panda stickers, some glass paint , a few stickers of some lovely China girls & some pretty ribbon.

These are still a work in progress but I think with a little more "fancy smancy" work they'll look great on her tree.

I found the idea on this webpage HERE and really liked the little China girl christmas bulb.

Great idea. So glad to have stumbled on her page.

Can't wait to post the final completed project.

BOO !

2010-11-02T12:31:00.005-04:00

Hope your Halloween was "spooktacular" ....

As I type this, it is hailing from the skies, the wind is blowing and there is a distinct chill in the air.
Santa comes in less than 2 months .....
Yes, soon JP, and the kids and I will be dragging our giant Christmas tree across the Confederation Bridge towards our new home.
Just makes me smile thinking about it ....

52 sleeps and counting .....

First though, I'll share with you some of our tricker treat pics ....

2010-10-26T14:28:00.005-04:00

Sweet Treats !

2010-10-22T16:30:00.004-04:00

Happy ( almost) Halloween everyone.

Today, Aly and I dug out the candy that we have been squirreling away from the boys ( ssshhhhh) to make up a a few treat bags.

Aly will meet her China sisters from PEI for the first time!

We figured what better way to make a first impression but to deliver goodies ! ( haha)

We are really looking forward to this.

We are sure missing our NB play dates with all of the girls and boys!

We hope they are doing well back home :)

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-10-10T23:51:00.005-04:00

Great day with the kids today. One of the best !

We started out apple picking at a local orchard , spent the afternoon carving juicy orange pumpkins and ended our day with a fantastic Thanksgiving feast, featuring hubby's sweet pear and marmalade glazed turkey ( with all the trimmings of course).

I'm so thankful for my family .....they have my heart in the palm of their hands :)

Hidden Fall Finds .....

2010-10-10T11:48:00.004-04:00

We found a great little walking trail along a brook yesterday ( thanks to some great friends) & ventured off to see what we could find.

A great path for exploring and skipping stones across the water.

Quiet and peaceful and sooooo beautiful !

Happy Thanksgiving everyone , from our home to yours :)

This is on my coffee table .....

2010-10-05T09:53:00.003-04:00

Secret Daughter
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Goodreads Author)

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that indelibly connects them.

To see some book reviews of this novel .....CLICK HERE

What's on your coffee table ??

Sunsets walks with my babe !

2010-10-04T18:56:00.005-04:00

2010-10-01T20:54:00.005-04:00

It was a whopping 22 degrees today and the kids were off school so we hit the beach.

Just the three of us.

All of the tourists have left and we quickly discovered the beach is ours .....all ours ....well, at least until next year.

Lovely day ......the kids had a great time, frolicking on the beach, digging for treasures and drinking in the last of the sunshine and warmth.

Good thing ......

We all know what'll be here soon don't we ??

Until then .....

We'll take every warm sun-shiny day that mother nature will throw our way :)

2010-09-30T13:19:00.005-04:00

Lovin' Fall.

We're planning to hit the apple orchards this weekend and take a bite outta a big juicy PEI apple.

Can't wait to see the snapshots that I get.

Beautiful days ahead & seeing the leaves turn always makes me smile.

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely time of the year :)

2010-09-29T16:23:00.002-04:00

Don't you wish you were going with them ??

2010-09-27T12:28:00.007-04:00

If it's not big enough .....dig out the saw and make it bigger, MUCH bigger !!

That's our motto anyway ....

We are finally seeing some progress as we settle in.

Each week we get closer to it feeling like home.

Two weeks ago we spent a great deal of blood sweat and tears ( literally) trying to get our new sectional up the stairs.

We both agreed that the couch didn't look "THAT" big in the store.

So, after jamming, ramming and etc. JP said " to heck with it and sliced a giant hole in the wall".

Hey, it's worked !

We figure when we sell this home in the future- we 're going to be sure that it says couch included .....cause that monster is never coming out of the room again ....

On a different note, I thought I'd post some pics of Little Miss Aly who, is not looking too little anymore. Here are some pics I took a few weeks ago of her. She is now in junior kindergarten and is really loving the time spent there.

Where does the time go ??

It seems like yesterday that she was first placed in our arms!

2010-09-23T14:25:00.006-04:00

My camera is on the fritz right now so we'll just have to settle for a few snapshots from our compact camera.

I like these pics a lot .....

Time moves so quickly that it'll be a blink of an eye and we'll be back to sunsets, beach walks and pool time again.

But first we wait for Santa ......

2010-09-23T13:52:00.003-04:00

Fine fall so far .....

I dug out the chopping block and made a few batches of salsa , red pepper jelly and cranberry relish this week.

The cool crisp air is settling in and the fall leaves are about to burst ....

My favorite time of the year.

I posted a few pics our visit with Grammy and Papa last week.

It was awesome spending with them. We sure hope they come back soon :)

First Day of School- Grade 5 & Someone gets a haircut !

2010-09-07T15:14:00.010-04:00

Well, I was a bit worried about Ben starting his first day in his new school but he just got home as I was posting on the blog and told me that he had a great day, that met a few friends and likes his teacher very much.

I couldn't take any pics of him ( like in other years of him in his classroom on day one). He informs me that he is too old for that stuff now. I did manage to grab my camera as he was getting off the bus. Sssshhhh ...I don't think he noticed !

Here's the pics of the day-

So happy he enjoyed it!!!

As for Miss Aly, she enjoyed her day too and decided to grab the scissors when Mom wasn't looking and lop off a giant chunk of her hair ......

She said that she could just grow more hair.....

Well, she "got" me there ....

Guess I need to stash the scissors up higher .....

Silly girl ......

2010-09-07T14:33:00.010-04:00

Yesterday we decided to do a bit of sightseeing and drove as far as we could on the northwest tip of PEI. We then ventured all the way to the southwest tip of the island and it is here that we found this lighthouse tucked away off the beaten track.

Lovely ......

A great finish to summer 2010.

A nice walk along a quiet beach .....

Hurricane Earl , hit the island on Saturday.

Here are a few pics ! Yes, I was one of those crazy storm chasers !!

Despite it all, the kids hit the pool and had some fun ......( honest, there was no thunder and lightening- just a cool brisk wind).

A lovely spot to relax ....

2010-08-29T10:41:00.002-04:00

This is our new view.

So peaceful and relaxing .....

We can even see the bridge to home ......

A good reminder .....

2010-08-27T14:01:00.003-04:00

I'm grateful for:

my health,

my hubby,

my children,

our families

and all of our friends.

Our life together .....

This is my part of my gratitude list .....

I'm certainly blessed indeed ....

I hope you are too !

COWS ...Need I say more ??

2010-08-26T20:57:00.004-04:00

We ventured out on a little yesterday and found the famous COWS ice cream shop.
It was mmmmmmmmmm gooooooood !!!
They make it here on the island.
I'm thinking it's going to one of our favorite spots to treat ourselves.

2010-08-24T13:12:00.009-04:00

It's been a whirl wind of a summer but it seems like things are slowing down a bit for us. Here are a few pics of our vacation in Maine. We spent a week there with some great friends. The kids had a terrific time - swimming, chasing frogs, kayaking and fishing.

A beautiful place to relax.

Did I mention that the outlets were a short distance away ?? ;)

We came home to mayhem as the moving company descended on us 2 days after we returned and swiftly packed all of our belongings for our move into our new home on Prince Edward Island. While it was sad leaving our home that we built together 4 years ago ( and had no intention of ever leaving). We are in love with our new spot.

We live in a lovely part of PEI overlooking the Confederation bridge and are minutes away from a leisurely walk along the red beaches of this beautiful island. We can also see the bridge leave PEI and land on NB shores. Kinda comforting when we begin to miss all the people that we said goodbye to back home.

So lucky .....

My goal is to take pictures of the island from a new comers eyes. I'll get to that soon and as well,I'll post more pics of the new digs !

For now here are few pics of the work we have completed so far ....notice my helper on the top of the cabinets ....I swear he is part monkey !! lol

Almost all packed up !!

18 years and counting .....

2010-08-01T09:00:00.008-04:00

Happy Anniversary JP.

You are still the one ....after all this time ....

Love you !

2010-07-17T17:09:00.007-04:00

Summer shots .......
It's hot, humid and half way over .....
Time sure flies .....
Hope you are enjoying yours :)

Happy Canada Day .......

2010-07-02T12:08:00.010-04:00

Happy celebrations to each and everyone of you .....

We spent our Canada day at a carnival near our home ....

It took about 30 minutes to spend $ 60.00 dollars ....

The kids left, having feasted on junk and donned in tattoos ...

Classy ....lol

It was fun none the less .....

Miss Aly has been a bit under the weather for 5 days or so......

I took her to the hospital this AM and she has a bad case of strep throat ....

Amoxil it is .....

Poor girly !

I'm not too sure about this ride Mommy ....

The boys .....

Shaggy haired princess ....

A spider tattoo ...( of course :)

Alyana's favorite ride ....

Strep Throat Babe !