Busy Little Bee

Hi Everyone!

Thought I would give a quick update before I get lost in the holiday madness. We have had a lot of fun these past few weeks. We visited the pumpkin patch, picked apples, met up with some California faves, crashed a few Halloween parties and went trick or treating. Whew!!

Buzzzzzz

Chilly Chilly Chilly
Sofia really enjoyed trick-or-treating this year. We taught her to say trick-or-treat and then to say thank you. It went perfectly at first. However, many of our wonderful neighbors wanted to chat with Sofia. She got confused when they didn't immediately give her a treat. She looked at me and said, "Mommy I say twick or tweat and no gum." She calls all candy gum. Once she knew a treat was in her immediate future she was ready to chat away. Sofe loved seeing the dogs in costumes. She asked everyone without a dog why they don't have one. We made it to about 40 houses before calling it quits. It was very cold and she was looking tired.

Over the years, I have learned how to beat the crowds at the pumpkin patch. You MUST arrive at about 2:00 PM on a weekday. The buses are leaving with the school children and parents are still at work. I picked a beautiful 65 degree fall afternoon to spend with Miss Sofia. We had a great day and literally had the place to ourselves.

Me and mommy
Ready to watch the pigleys race!

Hey, shut the door!Giddyup Charlie

Sofe was telling us that she wanted to go apple picking like Calliou. Naturally, I used that as my excuse to play hookey again the following week. The boys (including Ed) had too much going on to join us. We went on a hayride, picked some tasty apples, jumped in the leaves, rode the train, went to the petting zoo, and ate some fresh pumpkin donuts. They were still warm and so yummy!



Sofe is exactly 36" tall and weighs about 33 pounds. She tells us she is just right.
Bumpy Ride
Three Cheers for Sofia!!!

Sofia has been named an honorary member of prima Lauren's book club. They meet monthly and adore Sofe. She had so much fun decorating pumpkins and sugar cookies with them. Before Sofia, I never tried a cookie with sprinkles that were 1/2" thick. Delicious!!

The girls played a game to see which team could wrap themselves up like a mummy the fastest. Another game right up Sofe's alley. They also had themselves a little dance party, ate tacos, and roasted marshmellows outside. What fun.

We also had the opportunity to join Tia's first grade classroom party. Sofia is very close with my sister, Patti. Sofia loves to go to school to see her favorite teacher. Sofia wore her costume and walked in a parade with all the other children. She made a cute Halloween picture frame and a scarey spider. The spider was made from a chocolate donut and had legs made from pretzel sticks. Boy, these room mothers today have the cutest ideas. Sofe was super excited to see one room mother in particular, our dear friend Lisa. Lisa has been our original adoption coordinator since 2004. We are so grateful for the support she has offered us over the years. We LOVE her!

My Tia Loves Me!Mommy, it's Miss Lisa!!

And Alejan-dra-dra too!!


We had a great day at the Chicago Children's Musuem with one of our favorite California families, the Adelman's. We also got to meet Alejandra's very devoted grandparents. Mark and Debi were in Colombia adopting at the same time we were. They were lifesavers. They translated for me and helped care for Sofia while I completed some last minute paperwork. In addition to the girls physical similarities, Little Miss A has many of Sofe's mannerisms and interests. I remember how the girls held hands during a cab ride in Colombia. In my heart I believe they are soul sisters. I was so anxious to see how they would get along. It appeared to be an immediate connection. They ran off together and hid inside the coat lockers. Almost every picture I snapped of the girls together is the back of their heads. They are double trouble. I was able to capture one decent picture before I lost my camera that day. Sadly, with no working backup camera we were unable to get a family picture together. Guess that is an incentive to get together again. On a brighter note security found my camera a week later. As hard as she tries, Sofia can not say Alejandra. She refers to her as Alejan-dra-dra. I think it is cute. Now, whenever she sees a new picture of her BFF, she says, "Oh my Alejan-dra-dra."

Sofe may be the only handy one in our house.

The Adelman's gave Sofia a beautiful crocheted hat with interchangable ribbons. Sofia loves it and always wants to see herself wearing it in the mirror. She has temper tantrums when I tell her she can not wear it to bed. Thank you again Alejandra, we have received soooo many compliments on it!

Drama Queen (notice, no tears)

The boys are very busy in school. Joe is taking five AP and two honor classes this semester. He has very little free time. All the college applications are in and he should be hearing something in December.

Hello Mr. Bones

We have some busy weeks approaching beginning with Sofia's third birthday. Then there is

Thanksgiving, shopping, visits with Santa, Christmas and New Years. I am always a last minute shopper but this year I'm making a vow to start early. Hopefully, no one will be under quarantine this season.

Enjoy the holidays XXOO

Look Out Shakira

Summer Days

Hi everybody!Let's do that againYummyMy personal bodyguardBean bags anyone?

My buddy BrettPaigey likes to hug

Me and Bitty at the mallJumping with Niki and Lauren

Off to the pool with Tia

Get out of my way

Hola to our friends and family!

Long time, no blog. What a GREAT summer we shared together. I can hardly believe it is over. We had so much fun visiting the animals at the zoo, eating lots and lots of ice cream cones, jumping in the waves at the beach, and hanging out at the community pool with prima Lauren. We visited Kiddieland, a legendary amusement park that sadly, has now closed after 80 years. We rode on the vintage rides with cousin Maria and mingled with some true "A List" celebrities like Dora and Boots. We attended town festivals, picnics and parades. Thanks to her little buddies Brett and Paige, Sofia perfected her baseball and soccer skills, caught frogs, and learned to ride her tricycle unassisted. Just leave it to a preschooler to teach another preschooler how to steer. We permanently said goodbye to all diapers and pull-ups. CHAAA-CHING $$$. Sofia is very proud of herself and tells everyone she meets that she is a big girl now.

Bye Bye KiddielandPuddle JumpingCousin Maria & Sofia

Hanging out with celebs now

We had a blast on our playdate with little Maya & Sofia, Sofe's Colombian amigas. Their family lives just minutes from us. Coincidentally, their family traveled to Colombia and adopted their adorable identical twin girls just a couple of weeks after us. We even used the same adoption agency. What are the chances of that? Our families have made a promise that we will encourage this friendship. It looks to me like this little Colombian trio will be a triple threat. Julia, please be patient as we learn to tell your darling girls apart.

The Triple Threat

The boys vacationed in sunny California for ten days. Every year they hit the road to visit another major league baseball stadium. They tell me their favorite thing was not having an agenda. They did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Vacationing without me is another experience for them. I must have an agenda that includes maps and reservations. I like to play tourist and see the sights. They like to eat and watch them play ball. They went to five games visiting Oakland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaheim and San Diego. They also visited Magic Mountain and Universal Studios. I told them they could NOT visit Disneyland without us. Ed had the ingenious idea to drive the scenic route, the Pacific Coast Highway. The boys made me cringe as they detailed how they drove about 75 miles at a snails pace, around the steep mountains, in the fog, with no guardrails. They told me they were too nervous to notice the scenery and they forgot to bring a camera. UGGHHH! I am grateful to God that they arrived home safe and sound!! They have already begun to plan their next road trip southwest to Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. Sofia and I will be stow aways on that trip so we can visit with my dear friend Nell.

The boys started their school year. Joe is a senior and Mike is a freshman. Mike had a growth spurt this summer and has become taller than Joe. I laughed when I heard some of the other students have confused them or think they are twins. Luckily, Joe doesn't get easily offended. Our dear girl Lexie is holding her own. Some days she sleeps all day, other days she is very playful. Her appetite remains good in spite of a substantial weight loss. She is a faithful friend and insists on following me from room to room regardless of her difficulties with the stairs. I told the doctor we are remaining hopeful because she has far exceeded the life expectancy of a dog with lymphoma. The doctor just encouraged me to enjoy our summer together. We took a family photograph with her just in case she isn't with us for Christmas.

We look forward to visiting the pumpkin patch, hayrides, Halloween parties and Trick-or Treating. Happy fall to everyone!!

I'm all better

King Me Mommy

I'm Ready For Church Yook I'm a budderfly

Hi Everyone!

I am happy to report that Miss Sofia has received an excellent report from her orthopedist. Sofia had a screaming fit when they cut her cast off and it took two of us to hold her still. She is super strong! Who can blame her though? That cast cutter was loud and looked quite scary. Also, she really didn't know what to make of the young man who was the doctor's assistant. All she kept saying was, "No No Sharp." We tried to reassure her that it would not cut skin but she wouldn't have any part of it. For a couple of weeks following the removal of the cast, Sofe walked with a very noticeable limp. For better balance, she angled her foot outwards like a tripod. Today, just two months after the whole accident, her leg has healed completely and she is back to her carefree and somewhat reckless ways. Yikes!

Get the doctor in here right now!


I'm just exhausted from all of this
Looks pretty good to me

In early June I took some vacation time and we shared some fun mommy/daughter moments. Sofia loved her first visit to the nail salon where she got her finger and toenails painted. She also got her first haircut. As usual, I didn't have my camera with me. I had been meaning to get her hair cut because when it was wet, it came down to the middle of her back. I spotted this cute little salon while driving home from the orthopedist and stopped in on a whim. She got to sit in a police car and got her first haircut while watching Caillou. The hairdresser was sweet, she saved me a lock of her curls and let Sofe pick out a prize from their treasure chest. I really could kick myself because I had this same business idea over twenty years ago. Oh well. Sofia enjoyed being pampered and showed me she can be a girly girl at times.

Don't I look pretty?

We also had many fun days at the park and went shopping at the mall. I taught her my favorite phrase, "let's buy it!" Unlike my boys, Sofia likes to join me on my shopping expeditions. The boys just imitate Ed and park themselves on the nearest bench impatiently waiting for me to finish up. If it wasn't for the food court, I could never get them inside a mall. Lastly, we visited the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo and rode their train and carousel. We even let daddy tag along. It was a great week. I really could get used to being a stay at home mom.

Here I come Mr. Elephant

I think he likes meThey have sharp teeth

Push me mommy

Sadly, during a routine checkup for our beloved Golden Retriever Lexie, we were devastated to learn the vet suspects cancer. Prior to the visit I noticed she was breathing heavily. I just associated that with old age. Our dear old girl is now ten. I know in my own case, I huff and puff more going up and down the stairs. Several of her lymph nodes were swollen for no apparent reason. That is not a good sign so, we had to discuss possible courses of treatment. If we do nothing, they estimated a life expectancy of 4-6 weeks and with aggressive intervention, 3-4 months. Needless to say, we are heartbroken. In the end, we chose not to run any additional tests to confirm the hunch. It wouldn't change anything. And a confirmation would remove our high hopes that the doctor could be wrong. For now, she is the queen of the house and is being spoiled silly. We do all her favorite things; walks to the park, car rides, and daily games of tug-of-war. Lexie is also enjoying all her favorite foods; turkey, steak, chicken, peanut butter, and ice cream. She is very happy to be eating more than her dry, bland, allergy controlled dog food. If she isn't sick, we will have created a lil' old beggar that is now 10 pounds overweight. :)

The boys are thrilled to be out of school for the summer. Joe is working with Ed again this year and Michael is enjoying being a couch potato. Mike is a typical teenager. He stays up way too late, sleeps until noon, and gripes about his chore list.

Now that the weather has warmed up (we went from the 60's to the 90's in a week) Sofia is enjoying playing outside and running through the sprinkler. Last year she was so afraid of the sprinkler. This year she has a new fear, she HATES fireworks. She trembles and screams whenever she hears a loud BOOM and becomes inconsolable. It doesn't help to show her the beautiful colors in the sky. We have fans in her room to drown out the noise and we just keep our fingers crossed every night. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It is going to be a long two weeks. I guess she is not the completely fearless child we initially pegged her for. On the flip side, she loved the community festival with all the children's rides, corn on the cob, elephant ears, and the big parade. We are enjoying introducing Sofia to many new traditions and experiences. We look forward to many more fun filled summer events.

Happy Happy Summer!!

Peggi