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