My Chinese Dumplings

Our little Romy

2009-06-10T08:48:00.002-04:00

is one of the precious little faces on the website "No Hands But Ours". This is a site all about special needs adoptions: agencies, family stories, medical conditions, etc. Please take a moment and pop over there to check out the little ones brought home!

This website is a great resource for anyone interested in adoption.....especially special needs! Go, read, and enjoy!!! (see if you spot Romy!)

Now, go..............

get your verse on.......

2009-05-28T21:13:00.003-04:00

Along the journey of adoption we had the priviledge of meeting and getting to know an amazing family. The mommy of that family is my friend Stefanie. Stefanie and her hubby Chris have adopted 4 precious little ones from China......and waiting to travel to bring home their 5th!!!

Stefanie and a friend have started a business to generate funds to help the babies in China....Wild Olive Tees! Please jump over to their site and check it out!!! They have tee's that speak of God's grace and goodness and the profits from the sales go to those babies still waiting in China for their forever families!!!

(obviously near and dear to my heart!!!) Now GO SHOP!!!

Priceless

2009-05-25T17:40:00.003-04:00

I just had to share a recent "Keegan" moment. Adam, myself and the girls had went out to eat. At the end of the meal, Keegan decides she needs to go "potty". So while in the restroom....waiting for completion.....I notice that Keegan is continually scanning the room. She kept looking side to side.........side to side. Finally she looks at me and says, "I have a weird question...". I laughed and said, "Ok, what's your weird question"........she says "after God got done making everything, do you think he was sweaty?.........cause there's alot of STUFF". I smiled and said, "well, I don't think so, but I just don't know.........one day you can ask him".

What a precious little person she is! She is such a thoughtful soul! I just love that youngin!!!

You seriously have to wonder about yourself.....

2009-04-25T15:33:00.002-04:00

Along this wonderful journey called "motherhood" there are times that I truly have to stop and ponder. Did I ever imagine myself doing certain things.......saying certain things......

Here is the conversation that took place a couple of days ago........

Keegan enters the room.........."mom, I want to tell you something that Romy did...."
Mom responds "Keegan, you do not need to tell on Romy all the time....go play"
Keegan still standing there....."but it's bad"
Mom knows that it probably is really bad....."what did she do"
Keegan continues......."Romy had a booger in her nose....then it came out onto her face and she wouldn't get a tissue and she put it on me"............(are you kidding me??????)
I didn't know whether to laugh or vomit..........those of you who know me, know I don't do mucus!
Mom tries to not flip out and says....."what did you do with the booger?"
Keegan says....."I put it back on Romy".............
Mom replies.........."go wash your hands with soap since you handled the booger"
Then I proceed to yell at Romy from the next room...."get a tissue and get the booger off your face...........and the next time you have a booger - get a tissue......DON'T PUT YOUR BOOGERS ON OTHER PEOPLE".......................

I will have to say, I never saw it coming. I never thought about the "putting the booger" on someone else situation. I have to admit.........I was caught off guard.

A vacation day with daddy

2009-04-25T08:31:00.021-04:00

Adam took a vacation day to spend with us girls! We started the day by heading to Frankfort, (state capital just up the road) to visit the Salato Wildlife Center. We took our own wildlife with us. As you can see, Keegan was zoning out just as we arrived!

We had never been to Salato before, it was really kind of neat. Inside the main building there are several types of fish, snakes, turtles, frogs - all things found in our lovely state of Kentucky! They also have your various and sundry "dead" animals all stuffed for your viewing!

Love her...........just a great big ole' girl turtle!

Outside there are several more exhibits. This little fella seemed quite content. He had food items scattered throughout his "home".......apples, parts of apples, entire bunches of celery....I suppose that way he could have a snack no matter where he was. He was beautiful.

The "streams of Kentucky".

The 3 elk were frolicking in the water! They would hop and splash around....they seem to enjoy cooling themselves off!

The buffalo! The big boys! or girls?

We loved the wildcat exhibit! Of course, they were napping. But it was really cute to see the cat toys they had! I suppose big kitties like to play too!!!

The graceful deer. There were 3 or 4 that we could see......there were several school groups visiting Salato yesterday as well..............some of them brought their own "wildlife" with them as well...........and they managed to be so loud and annoying....(did I say that out loud?) that they managed to scare off just about all the deer.............and any other humans within a 3 mile radius.

After Salato, we headed to the local Subway for some lip-smacking subs and then on to the Vietnam Memorial in Frankfort. Oh my. Quite amazing. You just feel a sense of honor being there.

All the way around the sundial there are the words from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3.

The young'uns and their momma!

And to complete the day.........a game or two of Twister! Daddy played with the girls first. Until he got a cramp in his hip and fell to the floor in pain! Yes, I laughed! See next picture.

Told ya, hip cramp! Again, I laughed! I know, horrible.

Romy won first game.........so there had to be a second. Mommy participated in game two.

I am thankful to say Keegan won game two............whew! No more Twister today! We had a great day Daddy!

It was a gorgeous day, the girls were in pretty good moods and I got to be with my good looking husband! It doesn't get much better than that!!!

I know, I know

2009-04-19T13:27:00.011-04:00

It's been forever since I have posted. No excuses, I have just let the blog slide to the back burner. I apologize. So, without further ado.................

We took the girls to see a play yesterday called "Jack and the Wonder Beans". It was put on by the Lexington Children's Theater at Cardome, in Georgetown. Amazing. I truly think I enjoyed it more than the girls.

The pictures were taken at Cardome. It's a beautiful historic building that used to be a nunnery, school for girls, housing for retired nuns, etc. It's now open to the public for special events, tours, and such. And yesterday was the annual Kite Festival, so there were beautiful kites flying, families picnicing, kids running..........aaahhh, spring! What a priceless day!

Love was in the air!!!

a birthday in the house...........

2009-02-10T14:08:00.014-05:00

Little miss Romy turned 4 years old! Wow! When did this happen?

Romy asked for a ladybug cake - so mommy tried to provide.

Smile pretty girl! Happy Birthday Little One!

One happy little girl! She was so excited about being FOUR YEARS OLD!! And you'll never guess why? Because she now can eat a WHOLE vitamin instead of mommy having to break it in half! She woke up on Monday (her actually birthday) and said....."I get a whole vitamin today"!!

Check out those black icing lips!

Keegan very surprised by one of Romy's gifts! Whatever it was sure must have been good!

Keegan and daddy..........the on-lookers!

Speaking of "on-lookers"......

Please notice I am hiding behind "Pinkie". One of Romy's gifts was a new outfit for Pinkie! Pinkie appears to be more pleased than Romy...

Of course, the hit of the party was the teeter-totter from ReRe and Rick!

We took the girls ice skating as part of the birthday extravaganza. I anticipated on taking more photos while actually at the skating rink. Well, suffice it to say, that I needed both hands! One to hold up a child and the other one to either hang on the wall or balance myself!!! Sorry folks.

We had a really good time and plan on going skating again! So I am happy to report - NO BROKEN BONES!

Happy Birthday baby girl! Mommy and Daddy love you very much! My life would be down right dull without you in it!!!

a little birthday fun

2009-02-10T13:21:00.011-05:00

My mom, aka Nannie, wanted to take Romy to Build-a-bear for her birthday present. Needless to say, it was a major hit. I let Keegan pick out a baby to make as well. It took Romy less than two seconds to pick out her monkey. However, it took Keegan forever to select just the right new baby. She settled on a kitty.

The new monkey all stuffed full of love!

The girls were to select a heart to put inside the new critters. They held the hearts in their hands. They shook them to wake them up. They rubbed the hearts on their heads so that their babies would be smart. They rubbed the hearts on their legs so their babies would be able to run fast. They were to hold the hearts in their hands, make a wish for their babies and then kiss the hearts!

Here is Keegan making her wish for her new baby. How precious.

The sweet Build-a-bear girl, Tianna, placing the blessed hearts inside the already much loved monkey and cat.

Giving the critters a good scrubbing!

Now in the "dressing area" for the new outfits!

The new babies ready to head home! My girls were so excited! They had a blast! Thank you Nannie for a cool birthday present!

a new family member........

2009-02-03T12:58:00.005-05:00

I would like to introduce the newest member of the Farley family..........Stevie Farley!! Isn't she a pretty girl??

Happy Chinese New Year!!

2009-01-25T20:05:00.012-05:00

We celebrated Chinese New Year with a trip to a local favorite: Asian Wind. Oh my Lord, it's fabulous. We weren't sure if we were going until last minute, Romy has a yucky cold/cough, but she was very insistent that she was well enough to go out to eat! Keegan went into her closet and pointed at her Chinese clothes and said, "well, since it's a Chinese day, I think we should wear Chinese clothes". So the girls adorned their Chinese silks and away we went! We twisted my mom's and my sister's arms to join us. We had a great time. I hope that as the years pass I can do some sort of justice to the girls by teaching them about their Chinese heritage.

I personally could not be more proud of my precious Chinese daughters! I am truly blessed!

Spaghetti and meatballs......and a sick Romy

2009-01-25T19:43:00.009-05:00

Yea, we go all out here. Meatballs right out of the freezer! They are yummy! Keegan was helping me get dinner ready while Romy was napping.......picture to follow!

Look at that face. The girls are getting so grown up. They make me very proud to be their momma.

Meatballs for eyes. She is so silly. She makes her momma laugh a lot!

There she is.......napping. She was just starting to come down with a "cough" so I was glad she actually napped a little bit before dinner. Once dinner was ready Romy decided she didn't feel like eating. So, Keegan set Romy up in style. (even if it was in the doorway of the kitchen)

Keegan got Romy a pillow, blanket, stuffed animal comfort items and then Donovan and Sam decided that Romy needed them as well. Poor Ro. She is really feeling crappy now. This photo was taken at the on-set of the cold!

Momma's boy!

2009-01-03T09:20:00.001-05:00

I just couldn't love that little fella any more than I do! Donovan is the best one. He is very much a "momma's boy". I hope he doesn't get beat up at school for that!

Thank you Baby Donovan for always making momma smile!

The BIG family Christmas

2008-12-28T10:15:00.011-05:00

Last Saturday, all my brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews, kids, cats........you get the picture, came to our house for the "big family Christmas". We had a blast! (I hope everyone else did, too!)

This is Zoe and Emma. Immediate closeness. Cousins. Connected at the heart. It was a joy to watch these two. I could hear them off giggling and laughing. They have only been together a couple of times........but it didn't seem to matter to them. We have all vowed to get these two together over the summer months!

A few of the clan off in the dinning room........trying to have an adult conversation I am sure!

Keegan trying to give Britney a new hairdo! Britney is beautiful all by herself! We love you BB!!

Sweet face girl! Allison just waiting for the gifts to be passed out......come on people, eat faster!

Sister sharing the love with Sam. I couldn't believe Sam was out among general population while all 32 people were here! He was quite happy to be loved on!

This photo is just a small section of the Christmas festivities. The kids did great.....even the big ones!

Vanessa excited about the $20.00 gift she selected! Now let's just see if she keeps it!!! (we play a $20.00 dollar gift exchange - you may or may not get to keep the gift you picked!)

Heika and Joe. SO HAPPY THEY MADE IT THIS YEAR!!!!!! We love you guys!!

All in all, it was a very successful and fun family Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! As Keegan would say, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Updated!

2008-12-23T18:24:00.002-05:00

We have put a couple more items on the selling blog. Feel free to pop over and see if there is anything you need! By the way we have one toddler bed left.

Another birthday in the house.

2008-12-16T21:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Zac! He turned a big 17. (I think it's killin' Adam) We are proud of you and love you very much!! Just one more year.......and then 18..........oh my!

Building a house

2008-12-16T20:55:00.010-05:00

Let the assembling begin!

Look at the girl's faces. This is what boredom looks like.

Earlier in the day all the girls got a new "do". I hope you can see the curls in their hair.
They are so adorable!

Be still my heart!

Yeah! Another successful gingerbread house!

Dear Santa,

2008-12-16T20:39:00.005-05:00

It's that time again. Time to write a letter to Santa Claus and place a request for those coveted presents.
I helped Romy with her letter. I asked her what she wanted to say and I put the words on paper. She did very well, asking for only three things. Good girl!

Keegan wrote her own letter. She told me what she wanted to say and I told her how to spell the words. She did the rest! However, I did have to stop her at three things.........she was ready to make a LIST!

Look at that precious little letter. She makes mommy very proud!

Selling stuff

2008-11-29T16:15:00.003-05:00

My fabulous husband (whose birthday is today) created a blog to showcase a couple of items we are selling. Please go visit and let us know if you know anyone interested in a couple of good buys! http://adam-sellingstuff.blogspot.com

Thanks! I really want these items to go to a good home! Isn't funny what emotional attachment you put to "things"? Enjoy!

A new Thanksgiving Day tradition

2008-11-27T16:06:00.006-05:00

This morning Adam, myself, the girls, Zac, Cherri and Rick ran in a 5K. It was held at Keeneland (a horse track - which is beautiful). We had a blast! Cherri and I beat our previous 5K times, so we were happy girls! This was the first one for everyone else. Adam pushed the girls in the "tent car" - thank you baby! The girls waved at everyone running.....they are such good entertainers. And then afterwards...........well, we thought that Krispy Kreme sounded like a good idea! You certainly don't want to be TOO thin.

So, we decided that every year on Thanksgiving Day we will all run in the "Thoroughbred Classic"...........and then on to Krispy Kreme!!!!! Woo-who!!

Big Girl Beds

2008-11-27T15:50:00.008-05:00

Donovan wanted to make sure it was safe before the girls crawled in for the first time! What a good boy!

My babies are growing up. This week we transitioned them from their toddler beds (which were adorable) to the twin beds.....aka "big girl beds". The girls were beside themselves! Oh my, Keegan ASKS to go to bed now! Man, why didn't I think of this earlier!!!

We all felt that Romy would definitely fall out.......it was just a matter of how many times! But I am happy to report there were no thumps during the night! The girls did great. They slept through the night, which I wasn't sure would happen the first night! Mommy was up every hour. I wanted to make sure they were all snuggly and still IN the bed!

They are so happy and proud of their beds. Anyone they come in contact with gets to hear all about their new digs!

Two Princesses

2008-11-22T09:48:00.012-05:00

We had two princesses here on Halloween. Just like everyday. The girls were so excited. Bless their hearts, they really don't know. I only take them to my sister's house and my mom's house. I am not a big fan of the whole 'trick or treat' affair. So between Nannie and ReRe and Rick, the girls had their pumpkin buckets full and an additional tote bag full of toys, candy, fruit, money, etc. I wondered where my bag was..............still haven't seen it. I'll keep looking.

We let the girls help us give out candy. I truly believe they had more fun giving out candy than receiving it. They would get so excited when kids would come up to the door....they would 'ooh and aah' over the little ones! So cute, they don't realize they are one of the little ones!!!

She's a big 4 years old!

2008-11-04T09:13:00.026-05:00

My baby girl has turned 4 years old. I'm not sure where I've been over the past 3 years since Keegan has come home. When did this child grow up?? She is simply amazing. There are no words to describe this child of mine.
We started the day with baking her butterfly cake. She loves to help out as much as humanly possible. She does really well! Of course, mommy doesn't let her do anything that could bring her bodily harm!

Carefully adding the water.........

And ta-da, a butterfly cake! Now we just need icing!

Dang it! They are just cute!

Keegan practicing her Bengal yell! Maybe she'll be a cheerleader when she gets older!

Keegan is definitely an entertainer!

And here's how we clog! (she wants to clog like her mommy!)

Cherri and I took the girls to Chick-fil-A for lunch and after the food was consumed, it was on to the play area! They had a blast! What fun to climb up a tiny maze and then come flying down a giant plastic tube!!! Oh, to be young again...........no thanks!

The happy birthday girl!

Once we arrived back home, Aunt ReRe and the girls made crowns for the boys to wear at the birthday party! The girls all wore tiaras!

Keegan asked for a blue, pink and purple butterfly cake. Mommy tried to deliver.

Romy feeling a little festive.

Can you see every tooth in her head? My baby is a happy girl!

Oh yes, presents!

Mommy assisting with the cards. I think Keegan believes that the "card" tradition with special occasions is overrated.

Daddy explaining to the birthday child about birthday spankings!

Keegan willing accepting her 4 booty swats! (trust me - these were no true "spankings")

Uncle Rick, the official "toy put-er together".....thank God for him!

I believe Keegan had a fantastic day. We tried to celebrate every moment. We crammed as much as we could into those hours!

I just hope she knows how much mommy and daddy love her. She is my heart and soul.

I love you, Keegan Shea! Happy Birthday! (October 30th was the big day)

The Louisville Zoo

2008-10-31T20:21:00.019-04:00

Adam took a vacation day and we decided to head for the Louisville Zoo! We were afraid that it might be too cold....it was just perfect! Brisk but nice. There were maybe three other families there. Very nice! We were able to enjoy all the animals and let the girls roam free! It was fabulous! The last time we visited a zoo, the temperature was 97 degrees and the place was running over with visitors...we were all miserable. But not today!!!

My personal favorite. If I could have gotten these little meerkats to my car - I WOULD HAVE!

"you are here"

Bundled up and ready for fun!

I love that my husband is just as retarded as I am!

Just beautiful.

I think Keegan has put on a few pounds.....does it show?

Me and Cherri enjoying some down time.

Daddy in front of his castle......it was Lord Farquad's castle. (Shrek)

Gingerbread man from Shrek........notice the missing limb?

Keegan, mommy and Donkey. You just never know what kind of wildlife you might find at the zoo!

There was a new baby elephant! OOOOhhhhh, just precious!

Baby got curious and came over to see us! I hope you can see his little hairy head!

This big kitty was playing and gnawing on his pumpkin. Just a great big baby!

We really had a great time and got to take our time and see all the exhibits. There was only one animal that was not out due to the cold. So, I highly recommend visiting your local zoo in the cool days of fall!! Awesome idea!!

I hope everyone gets outside and breathes in the crisp air of fall!!! My personal favorite time of year!!!

Vera Bradley, anyone?

2008-10-23T21:20:00.005-04:00

Want to help a family bring home their little one AND enter for a chance to win a complete Vera Bradley collection? I DO!! Jump over to Jason and Kam's blog for more information!

Jason and Kam have two adorable little girls and have a little boy awaiting their arrival in Bangkok, Thailand. What a precious family!

Now, hop on over and donate.......enter to win!!! We could all use some amazing Vera Bradley for ourselves or as gifts.........you know it's just over two months til Christmas.........and may I add that if I had my way, my Christmas tree would be up today!?!

The Mummy Returns (aka fun with wieners)

2008-10-20T11:58:00.011-04:00

Play with your food today!!! Happy Halloweenie!