It's Been a While

I have been trying to post for over a week. The problem is that every time I have the opportunity to sit and blog, I fall asleep. Last weekend was fantastic. My friend Susan, Petunia and Lela came to visit. Aren't they adorable playing?


We missed Lucy and her parents so much! Here is our attempt to get all three Que Son girls together for a picture.


Here's Grace all decked out in her cowprint.





As you know I have been dying to get pics of Grace smiling. I have to tell you...she's tough to get. She will be laughing and smiling but when she hears the click of the camera being turned on and there are no smiles. After working very, very hard I captured the smile I love. Now you all can see the sweet smile that makes my heart full.

I've been tagged.

I've been tagged by my friend Melissa who is mother to the stunning Mia. I cannot wait until I meet them. We live in the same state and I think it is a terrible injustice that we have never met. And Melissa's answers were just too good. I can tell we'd get along. I am tagging Beverly, Chandra and Kristin

1. What is your occupation? I work for a non-profit agency as Director of Development
2. What color are your socks right now? I don't have any on
3. What are you listening to right now? the dishwasher
4. What was the last thing you ate? peanut butter and jelly sandwich
5. Can you drive a stick shift? no
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Terri, my sister
8. How old are you today? 39
9. Favorite drink? coffee
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? football
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes
12. Favorite reality TV show? I already have too much reality, I prefer fantasy
13. What was the last movie you watched? Sweeney Todd. Yes that's what I said Sweeney Todd. It started slow, but it really picked up when they started killing people.
14. Favorite day of the year? The day of the fall time change - one extra hour in bed.
15. What do you do to vent anger? Oh I HAVE to tell somebody, if not I am quite sure that my head would blow up.
16. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie. I also loved my mom's shoes.
17. What is your favorite, fall or spring? I love them both but I must say fall. Winter is very mild here and summer is unbeleivably humid. It is so nice when the weather starts to get cooler.
18. Hugs or kisses? I am a hugger, but I absolutely agree with Melissa about the boobs
19. Cherries or blueberries? blueberries
20. Do you want your friends to email you back? Unless I am asking a question or need a response, I don't need emails or phone calls for that matter.
21. Favorite dessert? is there a bad one?
22. Who is least likely to respond? who knows. I was probably the least likely, but look at me
23. Living arrangement? Grace and I live in a house in the country with our dog Ellie. I live beside my parents and across the road from my sister. My brother is 2 miles away. With all these babysitters I never have to take Grace grocery shopping!
24. When was the last time you cried? I can't recall. Is that good or bad?
25. What is on the floor of your closet? I actually have a path down the center. Luggage, shoes, and (shamefully) clothes along the sides
26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? ??
27. What did you do last night? cleaned my house and did laundry. big Saturday night28. Favorite smells? coffee, bread baking, Grace after a bath
29. What inspires you? people who are always kind and thinking of others
30. What are you afraid of? It all revolves around Grace. Will she be bullied in school, will she be the bully, what if something happens to me, will I be able to meet her needs, etc
31. Plain, cheese, or spicy burgers? cheese
32. Favorite breed of dog? Yorkies. I love my Ellie
33. How many years at your current job? one
34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
35. How many states have you lived in? one - Tennessee
36. Celebrity crush? Justin Timberlake, that boy sure can move
37. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? no
38. Who is your favorite NFL team? Tennessee Titans
39. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? yes
40. 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? It depends-can I hang out at the pool?

Company's Coming!!!

I am so excited. My friend Susan and her adoable Petunia are coming to visit one week from today! Susan helped me keep my sanity (and my friends) during Grace's adoption.

Susan and I talked on the phone almost every day. We talked about what our daughters would be like, if they were born yet, how big they would be (shopping purposes), etc. We talked about our girls incessantly. Without her as my sounding board I probably wouldn't have any friends left. Now that we are both busy, single moms we rarely get to talk. It will be so great to have the day to catch up and watch our girls play together. The only thing that would be better is if Lucy could come. Hopefully we will all get together soon.

You will never believe what Grace's new "thing" is. If she is down on the floor and needs some attention, she will touch her forehead to the floor (just a light tap). She will then put her hand on her forehead like she is injured. Then she starts the fake cry and walks up with arms outstretched. All that just to get picked up - and it works on everyone except for her cousin/babysitter Kristan and me. Here are a few pictures of my drama queen.

Christmas Pictures

I am a little late, but here are some pictures from Grace's first Christmas in America. Here she is at Nanny & Pappy's on Christmas Eve.

With lots of family and lots of presents soon Grace was getting tired. Here she is after changing into her adorable new pajamas.

And before we knew it, she was out like a light.

CHRISTMAS MORNING! Checking out her new horse from Santa.

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She got this great doll with it's own bottle.

This is what she did with the bottle.


I spent too much money and Grace's room is overflowing with toys. But we had a fantastic Christmas together.

More Nostalgia

On our first Family Day (well actually the day after) Grace and I began a tradition. When I was in Vietnam, I got her tons of gifts. Things in various sizes and suitable for various ages. My plan was to celebrate our Family Day by giving her a gift from Vietnam each year. Looking through the trunk of treasures I decided that this pink ao dai might be too short for her next year. So I dressed her up for a photo and the ao dai went back into the trunk. I want these to be treasures she will have when she is old enough to appreciate them.


When I was in the trunk, I took out the bag containing the clothes she had on when they brought her to the G&R. I took them downstairs so my mother and I could look at them and be all sentimental. Since we were changing her clothes anyway, I decided to dress her up in her "orphanagewear." Check her out - then and now.