Our Adoption Journey to Kazakhstan

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Be sure to pause the blog music before you hit play to view!

Pat created this Mother's Day card for Audrey to send to me! It made me cry!

This free digital greeting card created with Smilebox

I hope that all of you have a Happy Mother's Day as I will have!

Accotink Academy Preschool Spring Recital

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:14:00 +0000

What a beautiful day we had for Audrey’s preschool recital! She was so excited to sing and dance…..and to be with her friends!

We arrived early and met up with my friend Karla. Her daughter Isabelle is in Audrey’s class. The girls took photos together and had their photo taken professionally as well. I can’t wait to see that! Because Karla volunteered to set up the recital she was able to secure seating for a few of us. We had great seats close to the stage in the center. Thanks for saving me a seat Karla!!

Our friend Mary and her daughter arrived to see Audrey perform. Audrey was so happy knowing that they would be there. Thank you for coming and sharing in Audrey’s day!

There were different Accotink classes performing at the recital – 3 year olds, 4 year olds, Jr. Kindergarten and the Kindergarten classes.

18 Song & dance routines were performed. Audrey participated in singing:

Waving Time

There’s No Place Like America

You’re A Grand Old Flag (she was waving her little American flag)

Come on Everybody

Following the Leader (she danced to this song)

Sing

Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye

It was impressive to hear two songs sung in Spanish:

“Que llueva!” – It’s Raining

“Los Pollitos Dicen” – The Baby Chicks Sing

The Kindergarten class performed a song playing recorders too!

I’m disappointed that my camera didn’t take very good photos! It was difficult. My hope is that other parents will share photos with Audrey in them!

Here are the photos I do have from Mary and the best of what I took.

Mostly About Audrey!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:31:00 +0000

I hope that one day we can meet Ria, her husband Eric and little Lucy. Lucy was in the babyhouse with Audrey. They were good friends. I shared with Ria the one and only photo I had of Audrey (group photo below) before we met her. I took this picture of the photo that was on the babyhouse wall. Lucy, Audrey and their friend Gelman are all in there.

It was Ria who translated and discovered what the banner in the photo says. It says, “May There Always Be Sunshine.” It comes from a Soviet Russian song written for children.

The poetic English translation of the song goes like this:

The sky’s bright blue.

The sun is up high –

This is the little boy’s picture

He drew it for you

And then wrote there for you.

Just to make clear what he drew.

Chorus:

May there always be sunshine,

May there always be blue skies,

May there always be my mama,

May there always be me!

Apparently Ria said that she has a early video of Lucy trying to sing a song. She has discovered that “this” was the song!

Here is a YouTube version of the song –

*Pause the volume of the music on our blog first in order to hear this video.

While watching this video Audrey looked confused. She didn’t understand what they were saying. She seemed to like it and after awhile she began humming the tune. Apparently this was performed at the babyhouse by the older children.

Thanks for sharing all the info Ria!!

Forgotten Photos

These photos were taken of Audrey and other children before we met her. A translator, Makhabbat, working with a different adoption agency sent us these photos while we were still in Kaz. They’ve been in a separate folder and I found them today!

Sweet Audrey

The Little Things

Audrey remembered that green is my favorite color when she made me a picture with lots of green in it.

Dislikes: Chocolate Pudding

Likes: Yoplait® Whips® Chocolate Mousse Style yogurt.

Words by Audrey

“i is pronounced like a short i”

“i” bit– Little Bit “I don’t love you a “i bit” I love you a lot Mama!”

Driving on Hilly Roads

Audrey calls hills “slides.” She likes to go “Weeeee” when we go down and when we go up!

Waking Up

Audrey will yell at me from her room. “Mama, its wake up time. It’s light outside. Wake up Mama!”

Car Talk

Dudes (or People), Get peddle to metal! Go faster!

Saying Yes! Sometimes she says…..

Aye aye Captain Mama

Yes, your majesty (it’s been awhile but she’s saying it again)

No thanks to Wubbzy...Audrey sometimes sounds like him!

Okay sometimes I do too :)

Mama, I want to take off my shirty shirt shirt.

I'm going to wash my hanny hand hands.

Oh my goshy gosh.

Coolly cool.

Can I have a snacky snack?

Holly Hobbie Girl

Children’s Book

This book is geared for children in the 7 and older age range. We have it and plan to share it with Audrey when she’s a little older. It has beautiful illustrations and what they call 12 enchanting tales from across Central Asia. The stories tell myths and folklore from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.

TALES TOLD IN TENTS: STORIES FROM CENTRAL ASIA

By Sally Pomme Clayton

House Update

Pat recently had a look at the house to see what’s going on. These are just a few of the photos Pat took on April 10^th.

I’m excited about some of the choices that I made for the office/craft room! The furniture in the room is a mixture of pieces made by Pat and 1920’s vintage pieces refinished by him. I have a stamping desk with paper holder, bookshelf, cubby unit and two 1920’s Keystone kitchen cabinets! I love the calming blue that will be on the walls mixed with furniture that is black and cream!

Office/Craft Room

Room Color: Nordic Blue by Valspar

Curtains: Waverly Damask in Black & Cream

AUDREY’S Room

Accent Wall Color: Oh So Pink by Valspar

Room Color: Meadow Wind by Valspar

Curtains: Floral Damask in Green & White

All Over Interior Wall Color: Natural by Valspar

Accent Wall in Kitchen: Wicker by Eddie Bauer

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:18:00 +0000

This year Audrey was very shy and didn’t want to sit on the Easter Bunny’s lap. Mama had to be nearby. It took eight different takes just to get this photo! She kept getting distracted by children waiting in line. Finally when I said it was time to go....Audrey said she wanted to take one more picture. What you see is the result!! Whew!! After she received her lollipop she was quite happy. She told me that she wanted to go back to see the Easter Bunny to give him a hug. So…..we did. She immediately walked into the bunny’s arms for a hug. Her shyness was gone.

I think what I'll do next year is let her see the Easter Bunny one day and then come back the next day for a photo. That's what we did with Santa and it helped. Of course next year Audrey will be 5 and who knows what her reaction will be.

Easter 2010

I remember when I was a little girl on our trip to Disneyland. I was afraid to hug Mickey Mouse. I really wanted to. When I finally got enough nerve to do it, it was time to go home and I cried because I never got to go back and hug Mickey. I want Audrey to remember that she got her hug!!

Here is Audrey with the Easter Bunny 2009…..what a difference a year makes! Our little girl is growing.

Easter 2009

Easter Photos

Cousin Nancy from Wisconsin sent Audrey adorable bunnies, chocolate eggs and a sweet Precious Moments magnet. I waited a little while after egg and basket hunting to draw out the enjoyment of the day. In one of the photos in the Slideshow above Audrey is sending you a big kiss Nancy!! She sends a big thank you too!!! You made her day even more special.

Chocolate
I have been giving Audrey “a little” chocolate here and there. I can’t give her too much though or she develops a pretty bad reaction. She is quite sensitive to many things.

Showing Off New Princess Hairclip

Grandpa Shirley, Aunt Kathy & Cousin Zach sent Audrey a fun package for her birthday. She received a few Princess hair accessories (like shown below), Princess brushes, giant puzzle and board Game (Goodnight Moon). She was in Heaven. Thank you!!!

Back From San Diego!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Wow……we did not want to come back to Virginia! We really had a great time and the weather was wonderful. It was great to see Pat too.

Pat took me to see the model homes and to meet the wonderful ladies in the office. Out of the three models I felt that he chose the best house to suit us. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief because I liked it. I didn’t have a doubt as I trust Pat completely. He felt good that I liked the house as well. All of the models were beautiful though.

Our home is really much more spacious than the photos can ever show. The ceilings are high as well. I can’t say enough about the light that comes through. Our home will not be dark by any means!! I can’t believe how much storage space we’ll have. Even the coat closet downstairs is like a mini room! In addition to all the cabinets in the kitchen we’ll have 17 drawers!!! We will put all our storage to good use there is no doubt.

We measured windows in our home. None of the windows are standard size so we ordered a few window treatments that we will need immediately through our Interior Specialist, Julie.

The exciting part about working with Julie was choosing what we’d like to do with our floors. Ultimately we decided to tile most of the first floor with 18” x 18” tiles in a nice warm and neutral shade. The living room and family room will have neutral colored carpet – not too light nor too dark. We thought it best to put vinyl flooring in the laundry room.

We also measured the space where the refrigerator will go. We plan on buying a Samsung French Door top with Freezer bottom. It was hard to find one without the ice dispenser on the door. We’ve read (and friends have told us) that they break easily so why spend the extra money on a fridge with that feature?

We chose our new LG washer and dryer too!

As far as paint colors go…..well we took a trip to Lowes and I fell in love with some of their color choices. We took all of our paint chips with us to our new home and had a blast deciding together what colors we would like. The laundry room and the office/craft room will still be blue. Audrey’s room will be pink and green. We found four different warm neutral shades for the rest of the house….now we have to choose which one! About Audrey’s bathroom and the powder room….still loving the Home Depot color.

MEXICAN FOOD
I did get my Mexican food one evening!! We had dinner with my Aunt Bernie at a favorite place she likes to go to. She took to Audrey and Audrey took to her. It wasn’t until later that I realized we didn’t have our camera to take photos of our time together. There will be plenty of that after our move.

The photos here are from my camera. Pat took many more and I haven’t seen them yet. So this is it for now.

NEW PRESCHOOL
Pat took me to a few preschools that he had already visited as well as a few others. We narrowed it down to two schools. Boy, it was tough. It really was. Both preschools would offer a great deal to Audrey. So by process of elimination…..we chose to go with one that cost less. We are happy with our decision. She will be attending El Camino Preschool. We will enroll her in their summer program. She’ll have fun, meet new friends AND get her foot in the door for fall enrollment!

WORDS BY AUDREY
U-loo-corn – Unicorn

Prize - Surprise

He looks like a puppy! – She loudly said about the man who had his airline ticket stub in his mouth while he put his luggage overhead.

Mama…look at that man with all the tattoos! – While she pointed to a guy on the airplane.

Do you love me Mama (as she says with a smile)? - I hear this all the time. She loves to hear how much we love her!

Look Mama there’s a bridge with a tunnel under it! Surprised me how much she knows!

Mama, I want to eat octopus legs. But I don’t want real ones just fake ones! She doesn't like seafood of any kind....she loves to be silly!

Mama, here is a picture of your Mama, Grandma Shirley. I made her with short hair because she has short hair. She went by the photo of my mom on our fridge. Blew me away!

Mama, I want more presents from Santa. I told her she has a long wait!

The last things we talk about before Audrey goes to bed are usually the first thing she wants to talk about in the morning.

AUDREY SINGS…..pretty darn cute!
Sing by The Carpenters

Country Roads by John Denver

Toot Toot Tootsie by Al Jolson

BIRCH AQUARIUM – San Diego, CA
We took one day to do something special with Audrey. We were going to go to SeaWorld but took my Aunt Bernie’s advice about going to the aquarium. It ended up being a perfect day!

We’ve never seen Audrey so excited. She would constantly run to a window ahead of us and tell us loudly to “Come over here!” She didn’t want us to go ahead of her because she wanted to show us the fish.

She enjoyed the tide pool and probably would have loved to stay there awhile longer. We will certainly have to go back.

One funny moment…..Audrey wasn’t paying attention to where we were because there was so much to look at. I was right behind her of course. At one point she was calling out to Papa to look at something. I knew she thought the man next to her was Papa (Pat was in a different location). I told her a few times, “Audrey that’s not Papa.” Finally she looked up and was surprised…..it really wasn’t Papa! The man took it all in stride and chuckled (as did we & the man’s wife).

BEACH BABE
Audrey will have summer fun with water at her preschool…..but also at the beach. We’re really not far (7 miles from the ocean). Here is Audrey’s upcoming beach wardrobe!!

OLD FRIEND……
On Audrey’s birthday I received a message from a woman (Ria) who found our blog almost by accident. She recognized the babyhouse and she recognized Audrey! It turns out that her daughter (Lucy) was one of Audrey’s best friends at the babyhouse!!! There was another friend. A boy named Gelman. Ria is in contact with Gelman’s family too. We had no idea that Audrey had special friends at the babyhouse until now. One evening Ria and I spoke for 4 ½ hours on the phone!! I felt a great connection with her. I could go on and on.

Here is a photo that Ria sent to me.

Lucy is wearing a blue kerchief, Audrey is wearing a pink hat and Gelman is wearing navy.

Sweet little Lucy sent Audrey a card and colored a picture for her!! Audrey loved it! Thanks again Lucy & Ria!!

ALEX’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Audrey’s little friend Alex turned 3. Alex had his party at a place called “Jump Works.” It is basically a very large room filled with those large inflatable bounce units to bounce in, bounce on and slide down. I looked at little Alex and Audrey making a run to the largest inflatable unit (Dragon’s Tower)…..a giant slide. They had no fear….I did though. Eventually my friend Mary Ann (Alex’s mom) and I decided that if the kids can do so could we. We did it together. My throat hurt from screaming the rest of the day! I went back for more. Audrey had a blast!!!

AUDREY’S OFFICIAL 4TH BIRTHDAY PHOTO FUN

Pat's Award - March 30, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer awarded the Bronze Star

SAN DIEGO – Cmdr. Pat Hochstein a Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer is awarded the Bronze Star on March 30th, 2010, for meritorious service as Director of Operations, Iraq Transition Assistance Office (ITAO), Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNFI), Baghdad. Cmdr. Hochstein’s exceptional leadership brought about more than one billion dollars of reconstruction projects and programs to Iraq. Capt. Keith Hamilton of Commander Naval Facilities Command (NAVFAC) Southwest presented the award during a small informal ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Bill Gowdy.

Whew.....Finally a New Update!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:54:00 +0000

FRUIT/VEGGIE JUICE
Have you heard of VRUIT? This just is awesome stuff! I bought a 32 oz container of it at Whole Foods ($2.99). I have to say that Audrey cannot get enough of this juice! The first time she tried it she squealed, “I just love this stuff. Can I have more please?” It has 100% fruit & vegetable juices, 100% vitamins A & C, no added sugar, preservatives or colors….and she loves it. I tried it too and found it pretty tasty! It comes in 4 flavor blends – we had Berry Veggie Blend. Yum-oh!

CARTOON CHARACTERS
Audrey is all into Scooby Doo! Dora who??? She is Scooby Doo’s biggest fan! She LOVES this show. I have to tape it for her. I find this so funny because it was a show I enjoyed when I was a kid. Here is Audrey in her a Scooby Doo pillowcase dress.

Her other favorite character is fairly new to her. Krypto The Superdog.

SWEET MOMENT
I kissed Audrey and she kissed me at the same time. She looked up at me and had a surprised look on her face. She said, “Mama you kissed me and I kissed you…..that is so cute!”

WORDS BY AUDREY
Comtee – Comfy

Mac-mo-nee- Macaroni

Guana – Iguana

Kangaloo – Kangaroo

Uhbella – Umbrella

AUDREY SAID…..
After pretending to talk to Papa on the phone she said, "Papa said he found a house for us with a big kitchen, a room for me with new toys and a puppy....a fake puppy & a backyard to play in!"

"Howdy Pardner! That’s what cowboys say Mama!”

After opening a gift (Strawberry Shortcake) from her friend Alex Audrey said, “Oh my goshy gosh…..it’s Strawberry Cupcake!”

While sitting at a red light, the light turned green a little voice popped up from the backseat, “Dude it’s a green light go. “Go dude go!”

While we were at Target Audrey turned to me and said, "¿Cómo estás Mama?

STARFALL WEBSITES
Long ago I mentioned the website www.starfall.com It’s a great website to learn letters, how to pronounce them, what words begin with the letters and some interaction. It’s a free website. Audrey has pretty much mastered her letters and is working on pronouncing words!

Today when she came to the letter R she said, "I know that one. It's in my name. A - U - D - R.....it's the letter R."

Cute huh?

Audrey can count but visually she’s having difficulty knowing what some of the numbers are. I found out that Starfall also created a website to teach numbers www.more.starfall.com This site however has a fee - One year for $35. Audrey loves the original website. I’m sure between preschool and these two sites it’ll be a great benefit for her.

NEW FRIEND
He was on our front porch one night. This is an American Toad.

AUDREY’S BIRTHDAY
It’s hard to believe that our little girl is 4 years old. Her birthday was mid-week (March 17th). I volunteered to work in her class that day. I made cupcakes from a recipe I found in Family Fun magazine…..Rainbow Cupcakes. I divided out the batter in 6 bowls and dyed them purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. They were frosted with white frosting as the “cloud topping.” The cloud was topped with a little 3-leaf clover made out of sugar. How “St. Paddy’s Day” can you get!!

Gifts from Family & Friends (many thanks!)

New Computer
From Uncle Mark, Aunt Alex, Dom, Melissa & Nick

Doll Bedding
From Grandpa & Grandma

Sparkly Stickers & Notepad Necklace
From Aunt Ardella & Uncle Jamie

Zootles Subscription
From Aunt Kim & Uncle Bobby

Homemade Hair Clip
From schoolmate Isabella

Strawberry Shortcake Princess DVD
From Mama & Papa (more to come at her party)

Audrey’s actual party will be delayed so that Pat can attend. The weather will be better in April too. The party will take place at Reston Zoo!!

CHUCK E. CHEESE
Audrey’s friend Alex & his mom spent the day with us at Chuck E. Cheese. The time flew by as the friends had fun. Alex gave his friend a “berry sweet” birthday gift!

HOMEOWNERS
Wow, it’s exciting that we’ll be finally homeowners! Being military and moving around every 1, 2 or 3 years we’ve always rented. Our biggest problem was trying to find a house large enough for all our stuff and a landlord who would accept indoor cats! The upside of moving around so much we find out what we dislike or like about each home. We’ve thought about our future home for a long time now and what would suit us.

Recently we’ve looked at homes differently. A place that is ours that we plan to enjoy for years to come. This time we have a little one to consider. You look at things differently when a child is involved.

We want to put down roots. To create family traditions and memories in our own space. We look forward to entertaining and can’t wait to spend time with you in our new little corner of the world!

SPRING BREAK IN CALIFORNIA
Audrey and I will be flying out to San Diego during Spring Break. We’ve made an appointment to choose flooring and window treatments. The house comes with standard flooring but we’ll be looking at the options. I know it’s going to be difficult. We know that the stairway, upstairs and the family room will have carpeting. We’d like to go with something nice and stain resistant….neutral. However the kitchen, bathrooms, living room and dining room will likely be tiled. We love wood flooring too. So, we’ll see what our options are, how much they cost, etc.

As far as window treatments go…..we like something with texture for some of the rooms. Like bamboo shades. They come in so many colors! We’ve ordered samples and will see if we go with the design center in San Diego or on our own. Some of the rooms will have curtains and some will likely have fabric Roman shades.

Wall Color……
We are excited to have the chance to be creative with color choices. As renters for many years we’ve been living in “white walls.” Well…..with the exception of our current landlord. He was kind enough to let us change the 1980’s dining room wallpaper and add paint with color! He let us paint the laundry room and Audrey’s room in a neutral shade too. It was great to experiment and made us feel more at home.

It’s been fun to watch HGTV shows. People like us….renters turned homeowners who go CRAZY with color. Trust me we’re not going to go nuts. I will not paint walls red!

So far I’ve envisioned calming colors for the powder room, laundry room and Audrey’s bathroom. I thought of a taupe type color for Audrey’s bathroom and blue-gray for the powder room and laundry room. By the way, we decided to add beadboard to the powder room and Audrey’s bathroom. We got this idea after viewing our friend Ardella’s home at Christmas. What a great look! Thanks Ardella and Jamie!

A couple of days ago, I took Audrey to Home Depot and saw a sea of colors in the paint section. I picked up a massive amount of color swatches. Colors that pleased my eye. I can’t wait to share my color choices with Pat (I mailed them off to him). However the colors I choose for the powder room…..when I place the paint swatches next to existing framed prints (vintage ads with beautiful graphics) this trimmed down my choices considerably. I ended up liking a blue that had more green in it. I was originally thinking of a light aqua-gray shade.

For Audrey’s Bathroom –
First Choice – The Freshaire Choice in color Shaded Path (FA051)
Second Choice – Behr in color Castle Path (730C-3)

Audrey’s Bedroom –
Since Audrey loves pink we have decided to paint one wall pink and the other three walls green. We do not want a “bubblegum” pink or something too bright. Once we find the right pink….choosing the green color will follow.

For Powder Room –
First Choice – Behr Premium Plus Ultra in color Zen (UL220-14)
Second Choice – Behr Premium Plus Ultra in color Opal Silk (UL 220-5)
Third Choice – The Freshaire Choice in color Shaded Path (FA051)

Laundry Room –
The Freshaire Choice in color Midwest Spring (FA48)

Office/Craft Room –
First Choice – The Freshaire Choice in color Summer Dragonfly (FA49)
Second Choice – Martha Stewart Living in color River Mist (MSL 119)

None of these colors are set in stone. I have yet to look at Benjamin Moore paints.

Remaining Rooms –
This will wait. I think once we move in and see how the light comes in and how we decide to decorate we’ll choose colors then. For now it’s all a blank slate!

LANDSCAPE
It’s a new house, our house, our first one….let us have fun!! We’re gung-ho and excited but we aren’t extremely impulsive. Anyone who knows us knows this. We’re Mr. & Mrs. Planners who will remain flexible!

Many of you don’t know that the front yard will be landscaped by the time we move in. This leaves us to figure out what to do with the backyard. On one hand it’s wonderful to be able to create a new outdoor space but then again it’s an overwhelming thought. Which means we know it “takes time.”

It’s not like buying a home where you already have landscaping to deal with. We’re going to have dirt….that’s it! No patio and not a single plant. We don’t have an old house to remodel. So our focus will be on creating an outside living space.

Currently we’re in limbo as the house is being built. We’re wisely making the best use of our time…..planning! We’re doing the responsible thing…..which also happens to be fun….we’re figuring out how we want to use our backyard space, what needs to be done sooner rather than later, how to protect the stucco siding and what plants will suit our needs. One thing we do know is that we are researching native California plants that are low water tolerant.

We are taking this on like we do everything else…..we plan, prepare, budget and educate ourselves. Nothing wrong with that! We don’t want to move in and then at some point go, “Hmmm….Oh yeah, I guess we need to think about the yard now.” That’s not us! It’s almost like preparing to go to Kaz. We think ahead about what we need to do, what we want to do…..etc. We’re excited and don’t want our mood dampened! Comprende? We look forward to preparing a family space for the three of us that we can enjoy and one where Audrey can share with her friends.

Of course it’s not going to happen all at once. But there are certainly some aspects that have to be done first.

HOA
All that being said, according to our contract, we do have a time limit (as per the HOA) as to when the landscaping needs to be done. We knew this going in and don’t have a problem with it. First thing we have to do is to submit landscaping plans to the HOA for approval. At $175 a pop to submit those plans we are going to ensure that we do this one time! Another factor is to decide what we’d like near the house itself….to protect the stucco. In addition to that it also means finding plants that thrive on living near a hot stucco wall and/or having a decorative rock boarder!

SWEAT EQUITY
Oh….I didn’t mention that we’re doing this all DIY!! So planning in advance is a must in our eyes. If we don’t have the budget for something well then we need to figure out an alternative.

Our Landscape Must Haves (in addition to plants):

Patio – possibly using Vast Pavers! Great product that is made using 95% recycled materials! http://vastpavers.com/ But we may use something else if the cost is too high.

Pergola – I told Pat that this is something that I would love. Yep, it’s a DIY project! Of course I’d like to have one with a canopy system. This would be for our outdoor dining area with a BBQ nearby. Pat said that this appeals to him too. He’s thinking we’ll go with a free-standing pergola near the house.

Play Area – A flat grassy area. One thing we noticed is that there are many people in the San Diego area that use artificial grass for their lawn. Apparently that it the trend we weren’t aware of. Thankfully we’ll be in Vista (7 miles from the beach) and it wouldn’t get as hot as Escondido or Poway. We’re not artificial turf type people. But we will have water restrictions and Pat is looking at drought resistant grass.

NEXT POST

My next post will include:

Alex’s birthday party at Jump Works

San Diego Trip – Including House Update Photos

Writing about an “old friend” of Audrey’s & new friends for us!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Barbara Jean Shirley

1941-2006

Mom,
Four years ago today we lost you. Sometimes I see you in my dreams. They are so vivid and real...we talk and laugh. How I wish you were here again when I awaken. It's still difficult to think that we can not have that again. I wish you could know that you are remembered and thought of quite often. Even now I tend to reach for the phone to call you. So much has taken place that I wish to share with you. We have a daughter who I know you would love with all your heart. She is so precious. Before your passing, we often talked about how I so much wanted a daughter. I shared the name we had chosen for our future child. I will tell Audrey that Grandma Shirley thought it a beautiful name. Right now we will be buying our first home. You would have so loved that we are going to live and retire in California.....closer to you.

I love you mom!

XOXO

We Found A House!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:44:00 +0000

SNOWSTORM
Audrey and I weathered the snowstorms and came through okay! We did not lose power. I was prepared and bought logs for the fireplace and candles too just in case. Actually I was very prepared to hunker down and stay in for as long as possible without having to leave the house.

The snow was quite deep and impressive. There is still quite a lot of it all over the place. Even the grocery store parking lot currently has huge mounds of snow. I feel like I’m in a computer game where I have to dodge crazy drivers and pedestrians while there are many blind spots due to the large mounds of snow.

Early Snow

Later – Couldn’t Open Door

As it turns out Audrey isn’t a snow fan. It’s cold and she doesn’t like cold. In addition to that it was so deep that she would get stuck and or she would fall over. Even I couldn’t walk around in the yard!

Didn’t Get Far – Stuck

Lost Her Boot

The snow was so high that people in our neighborhood haven’t shoveled the sidewalks. Our street became “one lane” because of the amount of snow. Eventually 3 small plows came through and shoved all the extra snow from the street onto the sidewalk. Needless to say no one walked anywhere anyway. When school finally started kids were driven to school.

Poor Audrey missed her friends and teachers after missing out of 2 weeks of school! She will make up classes and her Spanish class too.

Anyway…….Pat was truly missed during this time especially.

I was brought to tears because of our thoughtful neighbors. They know that I’m alone and that I would need help digging my way out. I shoveled the walkway from the front door to the driveway. Joe, our neighbor, came over and used his snow plow on our driveway. He had to do that 3 times by the way! Monty, another neighbor worked with Joe by shoveling the snow over here as well. These guys have hearts of gold.

First of Three Snow Plows

Monty – Our Driveway

Early On – Neighbors Across the Way

Neighbors Cat

I ended up injuring my right hand with all the shoveling! This was not light powder folks….heavy and wet! My hand became swollen and my ring finger started to “catch,” - Trigger Finger. I knew I needed to rest my hand. Thankfully before dealing with the snow I took pain reliever because I knew I was in for a heck of a lot of shoveling! I think that helped. Months ago I had to go to Walter Reed to have a cortisone shot in my hand due to Trigger Finger. I didn’t want to go through that again.

BACK TO SCHOOL
Audrey was thrilled to get back to school! It was funny to see the reaction of the parents as well. You could see the “relief” on their faces after being snowed in with little ones. I’m thankful I only had one little one who was dynamite enough for me!! She tuckered me out!

Since the children missed their Valentine party they had their party on Feb 19th. It was so cute to see them out of uniform wearing either pink, red or both! When I picked Audrey up from school she rushed out of class to show me the Valentine bag she made that was filled with traded Valentine cards. The kids also had a treat of homemade frosted heart shaped cookies too! Clearly a fun day!

HOUSE
Well…..we have a house! Actually it’s new construction in the process of being built! It is estimated to be finished sometime in June. Pat signed the contract yesterday (Feb 20). It’s being sent to me awaiting my signature and that of the developer. How exciting is that!!

Features:
Living Room
Dining Room
Family Room
Eating Nook
Kitchen (with Island)
Laundry Room
2 Car Garage
2 ½ Baths
4 Bedrooms
Loft (or 5th bedroom)
2 Large Linen Closets
3116 sq.ft.

The master bedroom is spacious but so is that wonderful bathroom! I love that the two closets (“his and her” walk-in”) for the master bedroom are located in the bathroom! Then we have 4 walls in our bedroom that are useable space. Audrey’s room will also have a walk-in closet! One of the bedrooms will be a craft/office room. Pat has asked that they do not put doors on the closet in that room. It’ll be finished off as a nook for a cubby/cabinet unit.

I told Pat that I would like the Loft to remain just that and not be closed in to make a 5th bedroom. This will be Audrey’s play area which is next to her room! It’ll be nice to have one area designed for her and her friends to play in.

By the way, the bathroom that Audrey will use has dual sinks. This will be great when we have guests. Even the Powder Room downstairs is spacious!

We have requested that nothing be added in the closets. We would like to personalize and create our own closet designs.

It looks like I will be flying to California to help choose carpet, etc. Since the house was in the building process its unfortunate that some things were already ordered and we cannot get certain options. But we are willing to do some DIY down the line to have the house suit us 100%….which we think is fun! One thing we’re doing is keeping our fingers crossed that the developer OK’s us getting the optional Butler’s Pantry instead of the Walk-In Pantry!! Wish us luck!

A FEW HOUSE PHOTOS
The photos in the kitchen show white appliances however we are getting brushed stainless appliances (including a gas stove). We need to purchase a refrigerator however. We plan on buying one with a bottom freezer and French doors on top.

Mirror Image of Our Home – Model

Kitchen

Master Bath 1

Master Bath 2

Loft

One Side of Family Room

Our House

First Floor

Second Floor

Our Lot #38

The home is situated in Vista. It’s a drive to Pat’s work. However he can take a train, the Coaster, to San Diego Old Town if he wishes. It’s similar to our Metro here in VA/DC/MD.

NEW PRESCHOOL
Now that we have a house it’s time to search for a new preschool. There are quite a few possibilities. This has been a worry as we know that spaces fill up in preschools. We’ve had to wait on our preschool search as we were looking at homes in several different areas we had no idea where to search for a preschool until now.

Yeah....A New Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Hi Everyone.

Boy it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. We’ve been working hard on getting ready for a move.

I wanted to say that if you post a comment and sign in under “Anonymous” could you write your first name within your comment please. Thanks!!

*You can click onto the photos to enlarge.

CHRISTMAS
When we arrived home from our holidays in Northern California….we spent a few leisurely days together. After that we got down to business. It’s too bad that the weather is so cold that we couldn’t have a garage sale. That will come in time. So far we’ve donated many books and magazines to our local library and we donated clothing too. We put items for sale on Craigslist and E-Bay. We only had a little success. It’s so difficult nowadays. We still really need to downsize before we move!!

For the holidays we stayed in a fun 1940’s motel in Nevada City called “The Outside Inn” http://www.outsideinn.com/ Each room has a theme. We were in the “Historical Room.” We chose that room because it had a twin bed in an alcove that made it into a separate little room for Audrey. We brought her nightlight too. Due to our winter storm delay we missed out on Victorian Christmas. But the town was decked out. As was the neighboring city of Grass Valley (I lived there for a year while Pat was deployed on Diego Garcia). Nevada City is an historic gold-mining town. My family left Huntington Beach many years ago after my father retired to settle in Nevada City. Not only is it beautiful (Sierra Nevada Mountains)….but dad became a gold miner and panned for gold which was his dream. It’s a lot of hard work and he did find gold but never that huge nugget he’d always prayed for.

We managed to spend time walking around Nevada City and Grass Valley. Venturing into the little shops, restaurants and even got a little wine tasting in! One of the little antique stores had 3 boxes filled with vintage Viewmaster Reels. We found a few animal, Disney and other cartoon reels to go with her new Viewmaster. I had fun with this toy as a child. I love that it doesn’t require batteries too. It sure came in handy on the drive from Nevada City to San Francisco. We also took Audrey to our church that we were married in and to the Bed & Breakfast we stayed in on our wedding night.

Audrey enjoyed meeting her extended family (Grandpa Shirley, Aunt Kathy and Cousin Zach). She loved their 2 huge dogs (Hawkeye and Molly), their 4 birds and their kitty (Shadow). The lovefest didn’t stop there. Audrey loved meeting our friends Steve & Anita and our friend Ardella. We enjoyed our short time with them and hope that one day we’ll have longer visits….and they’re always welcome in San Diego after we move.

First Meeting with Grandpa Shirley

Christmas Morning

Cousin Zach

Aunt Kathy

Audrey & Mama

Audrey & Papa

With Molly

Aunt Ardella

Playing With Nesting Dolls

More Nesting Doll Fun

At Ardella’s

New Dress

Church We Were Married In

At Our Wedding Night Bed & Breakfast

Uncle Steve & Aunt Anita

With Papa

Christmas Morning

By the way we shipped “all” of the Christmas gifts received in California home to Virginia. Audrey had no idea and we had enough goodies to keep her occupied for our flights home. Speaking of flights…..Audrey was a wonder compared to flying home from Kaz! She was extremely talkative but overall a good little girl. On our last leg of the journey home Pat found two different people on our flight that he knew in Iraq. What a small world!

The morning after our return from California….Audrey discovered that Santa made a stop at our house on Christmas Eve too! Santa, Mama and Papa admit to going a little overboard but it was our first Christmas together.

Peek-a-Boo

What Did We Do…Yikes!

Pelican from Cousin Nancy

Epiphany – January 6
Pat and Audrey made a “3 Kings Cake.” Our cake was “New Orleans style” without a doubt. We used colorful sugars in Mardi Gras colors. A small angel was hidden in the cake. Audrey “just happened” to find the angel in her slice and became “Queen for the day.” She was given a crown (we made it out of stars) as is the custom. She wanted to dig into the cake to see if she could find more. We assured her that there was only one little angel in the cake.

Making 3 Kings Cake

Ta-Da!

Queen for the Day

King Cakes in France aren’t as colorful as our version but they’re yummy too (with an almond cream filling). They call King Cake - galette/gâteau des Rois (depending upon the region)

Galette des Rois

A friend from Mexico gave us a Mexican version of a King Cake too - Rosca de Reyes. So we certainly had our fill of King Cake!!

SPANISH CLASS
Audrey just started her enrichment class at school….Spanish class. Three of her classmates are taking it with her. This is something that we’d like to continue. Especially since she’ll be a California girl! This is something we'd like have her continue in San Diego.

WORDS BY AUDREY
Lick-spit – lipstick

Strawberry Cupcake – meaning Strawberry Shortcake

Look at the op-po-pus in the sky!
(She said this after viewing this cloud on the way to school)

Audrey announced at breakfast one morning, “I have a fox friend.”
(Audrey is obsessed with foxes ever since we heard their territorial cries behind our home long ago.)

The fox isn’t her only imaginary friend….she has what she calls “ghostie” friends too. One day she said that she had a ghost friend named Vana a 4 year old boy and Christine a 10 year old girl. She draws many pictures of ghosties too. She’s been all about ghosties early on in 2009 (February or March).

AUDREY’S HEIGHT & WEIGHT
She will soon be 4 years old.

She is 41 inches tall (104 cm) and 40 lbs (18.9 kgs).

BIRTHDAY PARTY
Audrey attended a Princess birthday party recently at the home of one of her classmates. Two of her classmates had their party grouped together. The kids had a lot of fun!

Princess Audrey as Sleeping Beauty

Check Out Those Princess Shoes!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

PAT IN SAN DIEGO
Pat drove out to San Diego without a problem. When he arrived in New Mexico that is when he hit snow. He arrived in San Diego when the huge rainstorms hit.

Initially he was going to be in a temporary position until his real position opened up this summer. However the earthquake in Haiti changed all that. People had to go to Haiti for 6 months. So…..he is now the Public Works Officer of Point Loma.

– Starting Soon
Pat has finally settled in (hotel and BOQ living) and started work. So the next logical thing was to find a realtor. Together we found a realtor online. Someone who is familiar with the areas we are interested in. It’s going to be a little difficult because we have to factor in many different things (location, schools, HOA & Mello Roos, price and size of house, etc).

Our plan to have Pat in San Diego to search for a house while Eileen and Audrey remain in Virginia is a good one. This works for us. We’ve moved around quite a bit to know what we like and don’t like in a house. Pat isn’t stressed that I won’t like his choice as we are in it together – even though we’re a great deal of distance apart. We know what will fit our family. While Pat was on his own (before realtor) he had taken videos and photos to share with me (houses & neighborhoods). Isn’t technology great! This week Pat will be signing with our realtor. There are homes we wish to view that Pat and the realtor will be checking out this week!

As it stands I may or may not go to San Diego in this search. Pat has a great head on his shoulders and I fully trust him. Plus, as I said, technology is great and I can be a part of the search as well!

Audrey right now is in a stable home. She is used to it being the two of us. Of course she misses Papa but she’s doing fantastic! Audrey also continues to thrive in school and is a happy little girl. That is what is important to us. She doesn’t quite understand the idea of getting a new house. But once she sees her bed in her new home….that will be helpful and make her happy.

Our Blizzard Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:20:00 +0000

A Message from Santa to Audrey!

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/8bc5ff8c4564813814e3e7d198fd55a8

Friday – Dec 18

We had a great day. It was to be a leisurely day. A little lunch and last minute buys before heading to Audrey’s school in the afternoon. We helped Audrey build a Gingerbread House! She enjoyed eating the different candies more than anything.

When we returned home Pat thought to check our flight that was scheduled to depart the next evening. We were supposed to depart out of Dulles International Airport (right here in Virginia). Pat called our airline and waited for a live person to help him.

He made contact! They said that they had a flight that was scheduled to depart just after midnight. We decided to go for it! This would get us a day early to California!

It had just started to snow not long before our taxi arrived. He was a little late and then he told us he needed to stop for gas. By then the snow was really coming down.

We were doing fine until we hit the Wilson Bridge (drawbridge that spans the Potomac River). We couldn’t believe that at the hour we were driving that the Wilson Bridge was open stopping all lanes of traffic. Our driver got out of the car to scrape ice off his wipers. It was amazing how it would accumulate and make the wipers not useable.

It wasn’t long after we left the drawbridge that what should have been lanes of traffic we saw as a free for all! Tires couldn’t find traction and people were getting stuck. Our driver was seasoned and often would drive us on the shoulder of the road…..where there was snow and traction.

We made it to the airport as the flight would have taken off. The airport was fairly empty and no agents were seen at any of the counters. After a time Pat found an agent and they said that all flights were cancelled the next day. They told him to come back the following day.

We called a hotel to come pick us up. By the time we were in our room it was 2:00AM.

Saturday – Dec 19

Our hotel had a breakfast bar so we lucked out with food in the morning. However they did not have a restaurant. So we had to check on that later. The snow was blowing to a white out. It was amazing to see from our window. We kept Audrey occupied as much as possible. Pat really wanted to go home instead of staying at the hotel. I wanted to as well but knew that it was too dangerous outside.

Pat took the hotel shuttle to the airport to see what our chances were for flying out on Sunday. He was told that everything was booked but someone may cancel so check back. To be safe he was able to secure seats for a flight Monday night.

When he returned we took the hotel shuttle to a restaurant. We almost didn’t get to go. The conditions were poor and there was talk about snow plows getting stuck. We filled the shuttle and off we went. There were many cars stuck in the middle of the road. You could see their emergency lights flashing. We ended up stopping at the first place available and ordered extra food to take back to the hotel for dinner.

Sunday – Dec 20
We had our morning breakfast in our room. Pat went to the airport to see if we could get a flight out that day. He was told that all flights were cancelled until 6:00PM and after that they were booked. He tried!!

Before leaving the airport he rented a car so that we could drive home. The sky was clear and sunny. By the time we left most of the main roads were drivable. There were questionable areas. We kept wondering what our neighborhood would be like! There were still a few cars and a couple of snow plows stuck in the road along the way.

Leaving our Hotel

We grabbed McDonald’s and near our home and started to venture in our neighborhood. The main road near our home was awful. In our track the plows managed to clear it a little bit but there was no place for us to park once we got home. We had to park in a neighbors driveway before Pat could clear ours to park in. Our neighbor Monty was kind enough to help Pat shovel snow.

Entering our Neighborhood

When Audrey saw the snow she said, “The snow is sparkling.” It was too. It looked so pretty and untouched…..like fondant icing.

First Look

Deck Door Won’t Open

Monday – Dec 21
I noticed that some creature walked around our backyard….even leaving some “yellow snow” behind. No clue what it was but they made tracks all over the place.

We hope to go out today.

We have to drive back up to Baltimore Airport. Wish us luck.

Papa's Home and A Visit with Santa

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:20:00 +0000

(click on photos to enlarge)
(cliquez sure les photos pour les elargir)

PAPA’S HOME
Pat was going to surprise me by arriving two days early. But he had to spill the beans when I told him that my friend Mary Ann invited Audrey and I over for Thanksgiving dinner so we wouldn’t be alone. Upon hearing that Pat was going to be home Mary Ann said that we were all invited over. We all had a great time. The food was super and it was the first time we all had a brined turkey.

Before Pat arrived I rushed and bought balloons to display inside and out to help welcome Pat home and a few groceries as well.

His flight was delayed just making the anticipation of his arrival all the more exciting. When we finally saw him it was a wonderful moment! Audrey wasn’t shy either. It was as if Pat hadn’t been gone. We were together as a family.

Picking up Papa at the Metro Station

Audrey just saw Papa

Papa & Audrey

Some of Papa’s Balloons

I Want That

Wearing Papas Hat

In Papas Boots & Hat

Thanksgiving at Our Friends Home

(The Ko Family)
Pat & Eileen

Papa & Audrey

Mama & Audrey

Cheiho, Alex, Mary Ann & Audrey….& little Jackie

Hugging Papa

(There’s no doubt Audrey loves Papa)

IRAQ – Al Faw Palace
Pat Sitting in the Chair given to Saddam Hussein by Yasser Arafat

SANTA CLAUS
The day we chose to go see Santa it snowed! What a perfect way to celebrate the coming season.

We are lucky enough to live in an area where we have choices of places to meet Santa. We ultimately chose to see the Santa Audrey met days after arriving here in the U.S. last year. He really was a good Santa and understood at the time that it was her first time seeing a Santa. He was quite gentle and sweet. Audrey did not cry but was a little serious. Fast forward to 2009!

Yesterday she was just so excited about going to see Santa. On the drive all the way to the mall she kept saying, “I want to see Santa.” Inside the mall she couldn’t get there quick enough. Our Santa actually remembered Audrey and remarked about how much she had grown.

Mama was close by as Santa spoke with Audrey and then she said she was ready to sit on his lap. He spoke with her quite a bit and then asked the important question, “What would you like for Christmas?” The first thing she said was Ponies! Of course!! She also asked for Barbie, puppies, princess, Dora, Monkey Boots and frogs. She said, “I want all of those.” She was a happy little girl with Santa. It was so cute. When their time was done he told us to have a Very Merry Christmas and handed Audrey a lollipop and she had a choice of a little stuffed animal (a sparkly blue & purple dragon).

After her photo session and a little lunch Audrey wanted to go back and see Santa again. She wanted to hug him. By that time the line was too long. We told her that we would go back on another day so she could get her hug.

What a difference a year makes!!

Audrey and Santa 2008

Audrey and Santa 2009

Santa’s Village

Hochstein Family

Audrey & Papa

Dancing Girl

Santa’s Village Girl

My Little Pony – Ponyville Advent Calendar

About to get a present

Here it is

Day 1

Opening Day 1

I have a Baby Pony

Shopping with Mama

About to go shopping

On her way

Little shopper

Do you want coffee Mama?

Being silly

Christmas Together

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0000

UPDATE: Pat is heading home alright! The little stinker was going to surprise me. We were chatting via e-mail when I told him that our friend Mary Ann invited Audrey and I over for Thanksgiving so we wouldn't be alone (she's so thoughtful). So he felt he should spill the beans and tell me that he's coming home "tomorrow" (Wed) instead of Friday! Yikes...I'm not prepared but who cares....he's going to be HOME! We are so excited and thrilled! I can hardly believe it. We are all invited over to Mary Ann's and we'll still have our own Thanksgiving on Saturday as planned. I had to shop at the grocery store last night, ordered balloons for pick-up while I was there and have everything I need for Pat's early arrival. I'm tired but now I have to get crackin' and clean while Audrey is sleeping (so much easier that way). YEAH!!!!!

PAT IS ON HIS WAY HOME
Pat is heading home!! He’ll be here on Friday, November 27th. Which is our 16th wedding anniversary!! We’ll celebrate our Thanksgiving on Saturday and group in Pat’s homecoming, our anniversary, my birthday and Audrey’s Gotcha Day all at once then too. He will leave us for a very short time (a couple of days) to go to Norfolk, VA. There are a few things that he needs to take care of (medical & paperwork) upon returning back to the U.S.

NEXT DUTY STATION
We are going to San Diego! Pat “finally” received orders to go to Point Loma. He will be the Public Works Officer. He will detach here in December and must report to San Diego in January. He’ll go out ahead of time so that he will go house hunting! We will buy our first home. All these years we’ve rented and it’ll be nice to settle. This will be Pat’s final tour in the Navy. He’ll have had 24 years and plans on going into the civil service after that. There should be more job opportunities in San Diego. He will be stationed at Point Loma but we have a choice of many surrounding communities that we can live in.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Naval Base Point Loma

As far as hunting for a house if I need to fly out there for a look I will go. This is our first home and will be for a long time. It’s something that we’d really like to do together. We have armed ourselves with info but will need the assistance of a realtor who has experience with foreclosed homes. Anyone know one in the San Diego area? Let us know!

We’re excited about all there is to do there for Audrey and as a family! I also have an aunt and two cousins in the area that we can visit. I grew up in San Pedro (LA Harbor) and Huntington Beach. Being near the ocean is what I miss! I can’t wait for Audrey to see the ocean, tidepools, play and explore. Sand, surf and sun….Audrey will be a beach babe!

Wait until she sees Sea World, Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo, Lego Land, Balboa Park (museums), beaches, Old Town, Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, etc. Also not too far up north we could take Audrey to Disneyland, Disney California, Aquarium of the Pacific, Pirates Dinner Adventure, Knott’s Berry Farm, Medieval Times….taking a boat to Catalina Island or a Baja Cruise. We also have friends in LA and Orange Counties. Yeah!! Oh….San Diego also has wineries for Pat and I to enjoy! There are so many other things to enjoy too.

CHRISTMAS IS AROUND THE CORNER
I’ve been done with buying Christmas gifts and have been for awhile. I just wanted to be prepared for Pat’s homecoming. I didn’t want to rush out and shop when he came back. It’ll be great to spend family time together instead.

We will be going to my family’s home in Nevada City, CA the day after Audrey’s Christmas party at school.

Things seem to be all the more exciting because Pat will be here AND we’ll get to see my family during the holidays. It’ll be the first time they meet Audrey!

Even though Pat has been far away that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been able to help choose Christmas presents for Audrey (or for me too). It’s not conventional the way we “shopped together” but we made a great team. It’s quite clear that Audrey will have a “My Little Pony” Christmas (from toys, advent calendar, pony musical toothbrush, handmade pony soaps, pony panties, etc). Both of us put effort into what to get Audrey. In addition to My Little Pony she’ll have Dora the Explorer, Strawberry Shortcake, puppies and Disney Princess things. Having a little girl is wonderful but highly dangerous as there are so many adorable things out there. Right now for her she is mainly about the "Five P's" - pink, purple, puppies, princesses, and ponies!

So Soft Sleep & Twinkle StarSong

Dora the Explorer Prance & Fly Pegasus

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café

There is so much excitement that this will be the first holiday as a family of three. Audrey is old enough and confident to understand what’s going on now too. Since we’re flying to California we will just bring smaller items and stocking stuffer stuff there. Bigger items will remain here in Virginia and she’ll open things when we get back home. I had fun shopping Toys “R” Us, Etsy.com, Amazon.com, and E-Bay!

Barbie Hug n’ Heal Pet Doctor

OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS

I’m giving you a heads up on something I’ve been going back and forth on. People who really know me know that I handstamp/watercolor and create our Christmas cards. This year it feels odd that I’m not doing that. I decided that we’ll have a photo card this year. It really was tough for me to give that up this year because I love to be creative and share that with everyone.

HOLIDAY MUSIC
Audrey loves her Christmas DVD’s….classics from when I was a child. She likes it when I sing the songs from the movies. I got to thinking that we have a few Christmas CD’s…..Classic, Celtic, Jazz, etc. But we have nothing for a child. Audrey really responds to songs with children singing in them.

A Sesame Street Christmas

Dora’s Christmas

Well now Audrey has her own Christmas music! There are so many children’s Christmas CD’s out there its mind-boggling! In the end I chose, “A Sesame Street Christmas” and “Dora’s Christmas.” You can go online (I went to Amazon) to hear what you’re getting before you buy. I had to hold back and just get two CD’s! I ended up getting Dora’s Christmas DVD as well….to play on our flight to California.

PERSONALIZED FUN GIFTS
I know that Audrey loves music and to sing. I’m always making up Audrey songs and she tells me to “Sing it again Mama!” So I discovered a Disney Princess CD (Amazon.com) that will say a child’s name 60 times in various songs! She’ll love it. I was able to hear a sample online and thought it sounded pretty good.

Princess Audrey Music

Another fun thing…personalized books. I bought a Christmas book (which will not only have Audrey’s photo and name but have the name of her friends too). I also bought a Dora book. They will be fun to read with her over and over again!

CHRISTMAS PLANS
We have our tickets, hotel stays and car rental already for this trip! We’re going to see my father, sister and her son Zach in Nevada City, CA (an old gold mining town in the Sierra Nevadas)! We’ll be there just in time to see Victorian Christmas! This will be the first time my family has seen Audrey (other than photos). I have been afraid to fly with her. The horrible flights from Kazakhstan, Copenhagen to D.C. have stuck in my head. I’ve never seen a child like that on a flight in my life…..10 years as a flight attendant or traveling with Pat the last 17 years.

Church We Were Married In – Nevada City, CA

Victorian Christmas

Rainy Night, Broad Street, Nevada City

I know that things will be different now. Audrey knows and loves me and she loves Papa too. We’ll be traveling with Papa who will be wonderful to travel with…..all this will make a huge difference. We love to travel and hope that this will be the beginning of good times.

To get a little help with Audrey I bought a DVD called Shae by Air. It’s done by a child’s perspective. It’s a great way to show Audrey about the steps of air travel (what we will do in the airport) and social etiquette on the airplane (i.e. do not kick the seatback in front of you). I hope that as she continues to see this that she’ll proudly say she’s a good little traveler too!

Travel DVD

I know Audrey pretty well now. I also know that she has a short attention span. So we will be armed with things to help occupy her for this cross-country travel and keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well. I thought of things that are fun but do not make noise (or very little noise) to bother other passengers.

My travel kit includes: Pipe cleaners, thin small soft-bound books, sticker/activity books, small etch-a-sketch, Princess View Master & extra reels with reel case, jumbo crayons, coloring book, Colorforms, preschool activity books, Color Wonder, I Spy book, toddler age Wonder Pets I Spy type book, lenticular Disney book, Angelina Ballerina book (she can make the cardboard dolls dance on the pages in the book), **Sony 8” DVD player with Sony’s children’s pink headphones and movies.

Books & Activity Books

View Master, Pipe Cleaners, Travel Books, etc.

DVD Player, Case, Headphones, Holiday Movies, Holiday Book

**Sony phased out the 8” portable DVD player. They now make a 9” model. Both the 8” and the 9” come in different colors. We ended up getting a new black one as they only had the 8” pink model refurbished. We bought the DVD player for a steal $119 new (retail price $179) at Tigerdirect.com. When Pat's folks heard about this they wanted to give this to Audrey. So it's from the grandparents.

The manufacturer (Sony) says that their children’s headphones are for 8+ years. I looked at the reviews and many younger children use them successfully (hopefully Audrey will too). To make it “girly” we bought them in pink along with a pink travel case for the DVD player.

Fall Events

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:39:00 +0000

GOTCHA DAY

November 5th is Audrey’s “Gotcha Day.” I can’t believe the time has passed so quickly! It’s a huge day in our lives that we are forever grateful. We love this little girl so much. With all that is going on in the month of November this is one more wonderful reason to celebrate!

The First Day of Bonding

Final Babyhouse Snack

Before Picking Up Audrey – Medina, Eileen and Valera

As a Family of Three – Leaving Babyhouse

Audrey Today

FLU VACCINATIONS
On October 20th Audrey and I were vaccinated. Fort Belvoir had an open call listing on base of all the dates listed for vaccinations. I knew that if we went immediately it would have been a madhouse. From what I understand I was correct. By the time we arrived they’ve had 5 open calls already. We walked in on a weekday and immediately got to business. It was great!! I was told that the weekend prior to our visit that there were over 1000 people lined up. Whew……Audrey (and I) would not have been a happy camper.

I had the seasonal spray and Audrey had the H1N1 mist. Both of us did rather well. Audrey was a trooper. She was asked if she could sniff. She stared at the woman and I said, “Let’s do it together!” After each side of her nose was complete….she was all about the sucker she knew she was going to get! Then she saw that I had a spray too. She thought that was neat that Mama and Audrey did it together.

We will return for Audrey’s second dose of H1N1 and at that time she will have a seasonal flu shot. I’ve prepared her for this. Maybe I’ll bring an extra sucker or stickers. At that time I will have a dose of the H1N1 mist.

ACCOTINK FALL FESTIVAL
I volunteered to help with this function at Audrey’s school. I remember my mom doing things like that for us. I’m a stay at home mom so why not! I was able really meet and talk with other parents and see Audrey and her classmates have fun. Audrey liked it that I was there. She would stop and blow kisses to me. I helped kids pick out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch and writing their names on the bottom of each pumpkin. I also helped with tattoos. There were about 7 or 8 different fun activities.

About to Sing Fun but Spooky Songs

Getting into the Song

Playing Hopscotch

Mrs. Buell Helping Audrey

HALLOWEEN
Between Oct 30th and the 31st….we had a lot of things packed into two days. I actually fell asleep at the computer with my hand on the mouse one night. Thankfully I wasn’t in that position for long.

On Halloween Audrey attended the birthday of her classmate Isabella. It was a Little Mermaid party and the kids dressed in their Halloween costumes. It was a little crowded in a townhouse but Audrey enjoyed playing with her friends. There was a possibility of rain so the party ended up indoors. There was a piñata and amazing enough it broke open before all the kids had a chance to hit it. Isabella’s mother is from Mexico and while the kids were hitting the piñata people were singing the Piñata Song in Spanish. Fun!

Isabella’s father works for the State Dept. The family will be moving to Astana, Kazakhstan in 2011 for a two year tour! So we now have another thing in common – Kaz!

TRICK OR TREAT
Later we arrived at another classmates house to go “Trick or Treating.” It was nice for Audrey to be with other children on her very first Halloween (Tabitha and Anabelle). I enjoyed being with Kirsty, her husband Jim and Kirsty’s cousin Liz. They dressed up too! Normally I dress up as well but I honestly didn’t think about it this year as I was focused on Audrey.

Audrey was thrilled to run and go door to door. She loved saying loudly, “Trick or Treat” and that people gave her candy!! She had a bit of a scare a couple of times but not enough to stop her from getting the candy.

When we came back home we passed out candy…..thankfully giving most of it away.

I Love My Light-Up Wand

I’m a Fairy Princess

With Tabitha and Anabelle

You Can Feel Her Excitement

HALLOWEEN PARADE at SCHOOL
Just before the Parade

Lining Up

Little Military Dude

Singing

THINGS I CAN’T WAIT FOR
1. Pat coming home
2. Audrey’s date with Santa (photo op)
3. Being with my family in California….seeing our friends there too
4. The smell of a pine Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music & drinking Mexican hot cocoa!!

RE-ADOPTION PLANS
After the holidays we will be working with our social worker one more time before we move. We will go to court for re-adoption!! Audrey already has our name but it would be nice to have a U.S. birth certificate for her. We have her Kazakh birth certificate with our names as parents. It is in Russian and translated in English. Re-adoption will also remove any possibility that our adoption will not be recognized by a probate court in the U.S.

SIGN LANGUAGE
Audrey still signs “more” but recently I taught her to sign “I love you.” She does that all the time now. She’s so proud that she can do this!

TODAY, AUDREY SAID…..
We were talking about Papa coming home. She said, “Ah-dee really want Papa to be home now. Ah-dee want Papa to hug, kiss, play with me, eat and cook too.” We had to call Papa so she could tell him this. Cute!

I wanted to hear how Audrey said the word ridiculous. She tried and said, “dic-u-lis.” Not bad. Audrey then said, “It too hard Mama. Ah-dee be a big girl and grow and grow and grow and then Ah-dee say the word."

THE PLEDGE
I found out that Audrey can say The Pledge of Allegiance! I knew it was said in class but I had no idea that Audrey remembered it. She even said it for Papa over the phone with her right hand over her heart!

LITTLE MISS SHOPPER
We discovered that our grocery store now has little carts for children. I’ll have to remember to bring my camera. Audrey had a blast and wanted me to follow her (she didn’t dare let me get ahead of her). Normally people barely glance at us, if at all, when we’re shopping. But this time I could see people walking our way with a little smile on their face and looking at Audrey. Sometimes they’d stop to say something to her. She was quite cute I have to say! She would tell people that she was helping Mama.

AUDREY WORDS
Leaf-ease – Leaves

Live-ease – Lives

Loom-mama – Aluminum

Panties – What she calls Pants or Shorts

Prize – Surprise

Bye-da-min - Vitamin

FUNNY MOMENT
While shopping in Kohl’s we were next to the lingerie dept. Audrey saw a “sea of bras.” She loudly said, “Boobies….lots and lots of boobies.”

TWO THUMBS UP
She can do this and thinks its fun to do with her thumbs. However there are times when she uses her index fingers instead and quickly realizes she’s made a mistake! Cute!

THE FUNNY NEW STICKER

A friend gave us a purse that she was going to put in a garage sale. Audrey discovered it and wanted to play with it. She opened it up and said, “Mama what’s this?” It was a pantyliner. She started to peel off the backing and excitedly said, “It’s a big sticker!” and “It’s different!” She didn’t understand the “quilted” pattern or why there wasn’t a picture on it! I tried not to laugh too hard and let her play with it. She started to put it on her arm and face. Ultimately it ended up on her little kitchen…..and it’s still there.

CRAFTY KIDS & MAGIC KITCHEN
Audrey is continuing to enjoy both of these classes. Two hours of fun Sunday afternoon. I like it too because Audrey and I are doing something together and I get to chat with other moms!

DENTAL APPOINTMENT
Audrey had her six month cleaning and check-up. She didn’t cry but needed Mama there to hold her hand. She’ll just get some sealants on her molars but other than that she’s fine. The hygienist noted that Audrey is very girly. She certainly is!!

I NOTED ON MY FACEBOOK WALL LAST NIGHT......

Audrey just said, "I love you Mama" and blew me a kiss. She came to me and said, "I want to give you a hug." While hugging me she kissed me and said, "This is love." I'm tearing up guys!! How lucky am I to have such love!!

What a little love she is!!

Another Big Update

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:12:00 +0000

There are many photos here. Be sure to click on them to get a closer look!

PRESCHOOL
We are now in the fifth week of school. Audrey absolutely loves it! She “pulls” me by the hand to rush to her class. She enjoys her immediate hugs from both teachers. She’s always happy to go. Picking her up is fun too. The teacher will call each student by name to come to the door to be matched with their parent to go home. Audrey usually barrels out of the classroom and runs into my arms. She is by far the loudest and says, “I love loo Mama!” Sometimes she’s so proud that she’s gone potty there and loudly tells me what a good girl she was too. Cute!

Chilly Day on Her Way to School

Dropping Her Off at School

There are 10 kids in Audrey’s class….all girls and one boy. The kids have been active in class with art projects, show n’ tell, story time, music, PE, letter recognition and writing them, later she will be in drama, etc.

By the way, Audrey had picture day at school (October 5th). I’m crossing my fingers that she did not have a cheesy fake smile on her face! She’s got that look down pat!

Picking Her Up From School – Happy Girl

MAMA VOLUNTEERS
I went to School Orientation on September 11th. Earlier that day I had to put Oreo to sleep. I was pretty devastated and looked awful from crying. I did the best I could with make-up but it was apparent that something wasn’t right. I was embarrassed. However, going to her School Orientation helped me focus on something else.

It was great to see what they have in store for the children – activities and what they’re learning. In one area they had sign up sheets to volunteer. I don’t mind doing that. This is something that I remember my mom doing. I always loved that she was there to help.

I’ll be working the Pumpkin Patch for their Fall Festival and possibly the tattoo area too. I will help with their class Halloween party and parade. I of course wanted to volunteer on St. Patrick’s Day because that is Audrey’s birthday!!

SCHOOL EVENTS
Audrey will have a Christmas recital and another one in spring. Papa will be here for both!!!

WORDS BY AUDREY

Oh-pain – Airplane

Mit-tee – Misty

Fun-na-lee-la – Thumbelina

Ba-lee-rees – Batteries

Lell-low – Yellow

Pook-sure – Picture

Swoop-pers – Slippers

*Cool – School

Hick-bucks – Hiccups

Ah-ver-er - Oliver (a school friend)

Cinder-gella – Cinderella

Keem Up – Clean Up

Macaroni – Pepperoni

Bod-du-Bidder – Bob the Builder

*She is really starting to come along with pronouncing the letter “s” at the beginning of a word. She’s working on it. Especially the word “school.”

Another letter that she has trouble with is the letter “m.” The difficulty is pronouncing it when it is at the beginning of some words. She can say “moo” but she can’t say “mouse.” She pronounces the “m” like the letter “n.”

LATEST SAYINGS

What’s this Mama? (Questioning what is in her food)

Yes “me” do! (Meaning to say “Yes I do!”)

Ah-dee love boys! (Wait until Papa hears this!!)

I made music Mama! (that means she "tooted.")

While driving to school this is the conversation we had…..
Audrey - Red light mean “top” (stop) Mama.
Mama – What am I doing now?
Audrey – Mama “topping” (stopping).
This was the first time she used “ing” for an action word.

AUDREY TRIVIA
She now has 8 freckles

RANDOM PHOTOS AT HOME

Fun Skirt and Shoes

Singing Princess Songs

Ta-Da

PAPA….COMING HOME SOON
I am crossing my fingers that he’ll be home for our 16th wedding anniversary! November 27th. We’ll celebrate Thanksgiving, my 47th birthday (which is November 22nd) and our Anniversary all at once! He will have to leave to go to Norfolk, VA on November 29th to do what they need to do upon returning from Iraq (paperwork & medical). THEN he comes home for good!!!

I’m so excited!!!

POST ADOPTION REPORT
Yesterday our social worker arrived here to ask me questions and to observe Audrey. She will be writing the one-year report. She felt that Audrey is a loving child and feels very secure in her surroundings. I just can’t believe how quickly this came up!

For those of you who don’t know, Kazakhstan has asked families to have a yearly report update on the adopted child until they turn 18. Initially I had to write a self-written one-month report, our social worker had to write a six-month report and then it starts with the yearly reports. The social worker will do yearly reports until 2011. Those reports must be notarized and apostilled. After that Pat and I will make self-written reports until 2024. Thankfully they do not have to be notarized or apostilled. They will be translated and sent to Kazakhstan.

FOOD ISSUES
Audrey is still difficult at times. Even with food I know she really likes. When she likes something and doesn’t want to eat it’s because she wants to do something else (play or watch a DVD). Sometimes it’s a power struggle and I’ve been learning to let things go. I do remain firm that she is not having something sweet instead of a real meal.

Audrey is all about mind games too. She’ll tell me that she doesn’t like something. She will mutilate it, get it all over the place or play with it. When I throw it away she starts crying big time and says she now wants to eat it. It is enough to drive you insane in these moments. Oh…sometimes when she cries it’s fake but she can still manage to create real tears.

She’s still *iffy* on meat.

Steak – likes it must have Worchester Sauce
Hamburger – likes it
Roast Beef – dislikes it
Pepperoni – likes it but sometimes she doesn’t
Salami – likes it but sometimes she doesn’t
Chicken – doesn’t really care for it. May take zero to a couple of bites and shoves it aside.
Turkey – likes it but sometimes she doesn’t
Ham – really dislikes it
Bacon – likes it
Sausage – too spicy doesn’t like it
Morningstar Vegan Sausage Patties – likes them (not real meat but they’re not bad)
Bologna – likes it but sometimes she doesn’t
Pork chops – only likes them fried with salt and pepper on them
Tuna - used to like it but won't eat it now
Fish Sticks - a no-go

Talking with my mommy friends and doctors – Audrey is very typical when it comes to meat. I wonder how the Kazakhs would feel about this!!

CLASSMATE TABITHA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Ready to go to the Party

Putting Soil in a Pot to Plant a Flower Bulb

Our Cutie

Group Photo

LEE REC CENTER CLASSES
Two hours every Sunday Audrey has classes at the Lee Rec Center in Alexandria.

Recently I pulled Audrey from a dance class she was taking there. I didn’t feel comfortable with the teacher. She was quite young and seemed unsure of herself. She didn’t have command of the class and the kids were just running around. Even so I thought that I’d give her a chance. By the third class I still didn’t feel right. Audrey ended up getting injured. She fell on the wood floor landing on her chin. She was so lucky that she did not bite her tongue, lip, cheek or break her chin open. She ended up with a huge knot on her chin. It started to bruise right away. The teacher walked the opposite direction and stood on the other side of the room. She did not come to take a look at Audrey nor did she come to suggest Audrey go to First Aid. Two moms came to me and had a look. One of them even took me to the First Aid station.

Dance Class Day 1

In the Car Before Dance Class

I moved her to a Crafty Kids class. She loves it and loves the teacher…..who also happens to be her Magic Kitchen (cooking class) teacher too! She’s made a number to craft projects and is having so much fun. She has enjoyed the food in her cooking class too.

She Looks so Small

Dance Class Day 3

Ice Pack

Fresh Boo-Boo

Decorating a Cake She Baked in a Terra Cotta Pot

Flower Pot Cake Completed with a Silly Smile

Egg in a Nest – Step 1

Egg in a Nest – At the Griddle

Egg in a Nest – Flipped It Over

Egg in a Nest – Eating It

Paper Aquarium

Candle Holder

Snow Globe (lid painter later)

T-Shirt (fabric paint)

These are only a few of the projects she’s worked on. She’s also created art projects in school too. I’ll have to leave that for next time.

Our School Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:11:00 +0000

IRAQ
Earlier today when I was speaking to my husband I could hear the "duck-and-cover" alarm going off. Nothing like hearing him tell me that he had just heard a boom moments before I called. After a time I heard the "all-clear" given over the loud speaker. I just saw on CNN that U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill said that a projectile landed in the east end of the embassy complex. I can't wait to find out where Pat is in comparison to this.

MY HAND UPDATE
I forgot to say in my last posting that my hand is fine! I was given a single shot (which produced a few days of bad pain) I am now doing great!!

OREO
I want to thank all of you for sending your best wishes and virtual hugs about dealing with Oreo. She was a special kitty. I know that she is in a better place. Thanks to my friend Mary Ann who came to the vet’s office with her son Alex. They kept Audrey occupied giving me time to spend final moments with Oreo and doing what I had to do. Pat and I both appreciate that! Oreo is very much missed!!!

AUDREY WORDS
Pock-sure – Picture
Bee-U - Blue

OUR LITTLE SCHOOL GIRL
Click on Photos for a Closer Look

School Flag

Our Sweet Girl

I thought that I’d be okay with Audrey starting school. I am but a part of me wasn’t exactly ready to let her go (I’ve had one nightmare and a little panic here and there about it). I of course did not let on to Audrey about that. I read books to her about going to school, showed her a Leap Frog DVD about school. I pumped her up about how great it will be to be a school girl, having nice teachers, meeting new kids, playing with new toys, etc.

Not only am I blogging Audrey’s preschool time…I’m creating a scrapbook too. I wrote a poem (at the bottom of this post) for Audrey to include in her scrapbook. Scrapbooking her journey will keep me busy while she is in school.

Waking Up on Her First School Day

Uniform Ready

Book Bag

Book Bag & Show in Tell Puppy

Ready to Go to School
Come on Mama….Let’s Go!
Photo with Mama

It turns out that her first day of school was a success. I spoke with one of the teachers and she said that Audrey had a great time and was as good as can be. I could tell from Audrey’s attitude that she loved it. She said that she wants to go back.

I was half afraid that when I picked her up that she would tell me to go away (because she was having fun) but she ran to my arms and gave me a huge hug and kiss!! It made me feel good. Then on the way home she talked about school and sang songs about loving Mama. Of course I loved that part!!

Finally at School

Ready to Go Inside

Hanging Up Her Book Bag
Mrs. Stonelake Takes Her Hand
Mrs. Buell Welcomes Audrey to Class

Her class has 10 or 11 children….still only one boy. So far she's only had one problem that seems to be proving difficult (including some interaction with Audrey). It’s hard for me to see this because I want to say something. On the other hand I want to see how Audrey deals with the situation. Right now she just lets things happen because it’s a new experience for her. I’m hoping that the teacher’s will guide things and/or Audrey will learn and say “Hey….I don’t like you poking me or taking my things all the time” and doing something about it!

Her main class has two teachers. Mrs. Buell and Mrs. Stonelake. Her class is called “Buell’s Butterflies.” She also has a music teacher (Wednesdays) and two PE/Drama teachers (Mondays) too.

After each class I will get a written note (called Butterflies Tales) of everything they’ve done in that day. Did they have anything special that day, what they did in circle time, art activities, what they had for snack, bathroom breaks, playground, story time and “show in tell.” Their art project that day was to make a puzzle “kissing hand” with a little poem. It went along with the story time book that was read to the children.

Kissing Hand Art Project

THE KISSING HAND BOOK
At “Story Time” Mrs. Buell read “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn. If you haven’t heard of this book it’s about little Chester Raccoon who doesn’t want to go to school. He wants to stay home with his mother. She assures him that he’ll love school, with the promise of new friends, new toys and new books. Even better she has a special secret that has been in the family for years – the Kissing Hand. She tells him the secret to make school as cozy as home. She take’s her son’s hand, spreads his tiny fingers and kisses his palm. Little Chester felt his mother’s kiss rush from his hand, up his arm and into his heart. Whenever he feels lonely at school all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmeth of his mother’s kiss. Chester gave his mother a “kissing hand” too, to comfort her when he is away at school.

Saying Goodbye to Mrs. Buell

Ready to Go Home

T’was the Night Before Preschool

T’was the Night Before Preschool
And all through our house
Preparations were happening
For the big day while listening to Bach and Strauss.

Clothes were set out
To dress fast the next day
A carefully pressed uniform
And new shoes – hooray!

Her school bag was ready
And hung inside the front door
Filled with another set of clothes,
A white puppy and more.

Audrey awoke quite happy
And gave Mama a kiss.
She said, “Princess Ah-dee a big girl!”
Announced my little Miss!

Audrey had breakfast and later had lunch
She dashed to her room to dress and get ready
I just had a hunch

Arrival on time
Traffic lighter than planned
Posing for pictures
Mama’s camera in hand

Our big girl, so proud
With her book bag held tight
Outside the school doors
Everything looks and feels right

Off to her classroom
Hanging up her book bag
We hurried on quick so as not to lag.

Some hugs from Mama
Thoughts of Papa too
Off then she went to check out the room

Mrs. Stonelake and Mrs. Buell were waiting right there
Greeting her warmly and guiding her with care.

Mama looked at Audrey
My how she’s grown.
Mama is so proud and thrilled she’s our very own.

Audrey gave one last look, a big smile and a “I love loo.”
Mama smiled, blew a kiss and said I love you too!

By Eileen Hochstein

So Many Things Going On.....

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:14:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,
This a big update. So much time has passed since I last wrote (you’ll see why in a minute). Hopefully I’ve broken this update down so that it’ll be an easy read for you. Enjoy the photos too which are mostly at the end! (click on any of the photos to enlarge and get a closer look)

Oreo
I have been struggling emotionally with a sick kitty. I haven’t written about these struggles. Dealing with her is largely why I’ve let my blogging updates go for longer periods of time before I update again. I’ve been going back and forth to the vet 2-3 times weekly.

We’ve known that Oreo has had kidney problems since 2006. She is 17 years old. Her life is winding down now. She is still quite alert and gets around. But there are changes, even within the last couple of days, in her that tells me we’re getting close to when I need to “do something.” I can’t even bring myself to say it. She is not in pain. Don’t worry I will not let her progress to the point where she is in such a state that it’s super awful for her. I have been working closely with her vet and we have a plan in mind. I just take one day at a time. I think the care she has been given the last three years has prolonged her life and overall it’s been a good one.

I do cry a lot over Oreo. She is such a wonderful kitty. Very loving and a beautiful little companion. I sure wish Pat were here now.

NEXT DUTY STATION?
We just received word that Pat will not get the position he originally asked for (in Washington State). This changes the timing of our move and some plans that we had made….including where and when we do readoption.

Yesterday Pat spoke with his detailer. What happens next is that upon coming home from Iraq, Pat will work here in the D.C. area until the summer of 2010. We have choices we never expected and we’re not sure what we’re going to do yet!

He could be a Public Works Officer in one of three California areas – Coronado, Point Loma or Port Hueneme (we used to live there a few years ago). He could also be an XO of an Amphibious Seabee Battalion in Coronado. Or lastly he could be an Assistant Operations Officer in Bangor (Kitsap Peninsula Washington).

My father lives in Northern California (he’s 78) and it would be wonderful for him to see Audrey. He has yet to meet her. I have an aunt and two cousins who live in the San Diego area that we could visit too. For us west coast feels like “home.” I grew up in California (San Pedro and Huntington Beach) and Pat has adopted it and loves it. Now we have to think what is best for us and importantly for Audrey too.

On the upside of our recent changes….Audrey will now get to finish her preschool year here. I can’t wait to tell her teacher. She’s still quite young and when we move it’ll be easier now rather than later. Another plus is that we can still be with our friends here just a little while longer before we move.

IRAQ
Pat will return home in December. Can’t wait to get the exact date!!!

My brother just left his home in Hawaii to begin his year long tour in Iraq. Hopefully he and Pat can meet while there!

Audrey’s Teacher’s Home Visit
On August 31st we had a home visit with one of Audrey’s teachers (she’ll have two). This is something the school likes to set up before school begins. We had the option of different places to meet her teacher (school, park, or home). For me the best scenario was to have the teacher come to our home. It made Audrey comfortable because it was in her own environment. Now when Audrey goes to school she’ll see a familiar face….someone she met at home. The meeting went very well. By the end of the visit Audrey kissed her, hugged her and wanted to walk her to her car. She didn’t want her to go!

On September 11th we’re going to her school orientation. I’m looking forward to hearing more about what Audrey will be doing at school. This is an exciting time for her!! One thing I do know right now is that Audrey will have a small class (currently 7 children but when school starts possibly 10).

School Begins:
September 14th!!

LEE Rec Center Classes – September to November
Magic Kitchen (10 classes) – She loves cooking and doing things with her hands.

Little Dancers (10 classes) – Audrey loves music and dancing. Perfect class for her!

Kazakhstan Babyhouse Photos - Audrey’s Reaction….Interesting
Very recently I showed Audrey many photos of us at the babyhouse. I first showed them to her back in January or February. She didn’t have much of a reaction at the time about where she was in the photos but was excited to see herself.

However seeing the babyhouse photos recently they produced mixed reactions from her. She just kind of stared at the building a little bit. She recognized it but didn’t say too much. She saw the playground. She wanted to swing and play there again. I showed her photos of us playing with her during the bonding period. She loved that and would announce her name, Papa or Mama. Then I showed her a photo of her bed. She was surprised and said, “That Ah-dee’s bed….Ah-dee go there later.” I told her no that she has her bed here now. She said that she liked her bed here better. Next I started to show photos of the caregivers. Her immediate response was to put her face in my shoulder and say that she loves Mama. She squeezed me tight and kissed me. She looked at the woman and said, “Ah-dee no like, she mean.” Geez…..we had no idea she felt like this about anyone there!! There were a couple of other ladies she had a negative response to. Not everyone she gave a negative response to, she did like one woman.

Now that Audrey can express herself it was interesting to hear her thoughts. I know that she also thought that I was showing her those photos because she was going back there. I reinforced to her that she is ours and we are hers. She is going nowhere but here at home with us.

AUDREY’S WORDS
Moco-cycle – Motorcycle
(which cracks me up because in Spanish moco is mucus & mocos in snot)

Packa-piter – Catapillar

PRINCESS AUDREY
She loves anything princess. She now wants to be called “Princess Audrey.” Sometimes she’ll even correct Mama when Mama simply calls her Audrey.

THE BANANA BREAD
Audrey wanted to watch one of her Barbie DVD’s before lunch. So while she was busy doing that I thought that I’d take the time to “finally” work on a blog update! I timed when the movie would end and headed upstairs to make lunch. As I was doing this I heard the sound of “foil.” I knew Audrey was getting into the banana bread on the kitchen counter. She immediately ran to the stairs and said, “I love loo Mama.” Then before I could say anything she said, “Shush, China Orneo (Oreo) sleeping.” In other words she was trying to divert my attention from what she was doing. Apparently I caught her in mid-act. I looked at the banana bread and there was hunk of bread torn out but dropped back in.

The look on her face when she was “caught in the act”…..priceless. The constant hugging, kisses and “I love loo’s” were super cute too.

CHINESE ZODIAC

Pat brought this to my attention. Interestingly enough…..according to the Chinese Zodiac our three signs tell us that we are the most compatible with each other than with those in other signs. We were certainly meant to be as a couple and we were certainly meant to have Audrey as our daughter!

Eileen – Tiger (Water Tiger)
Patrick – Horse (Fire Horse)
Audrey – Dog (Fire Dog)

The Fire Dog is highly dramatic and an attractive type of Dog who will be thrown into the limelight by her alluring yet friendly personality. She will be defiant and rebellious when forced to do something against her will, but he will be very popular with the opposite sex. Although she may be the life of the party type, she is still careful to practice what she preaches and will not be spoiled by success and fortune. Fire makes her very fierce when attacked; nor will she make threats she cannot carry out. Her bite is just as strong as her bark.

The buoyant and self-assured Fire Dog has great magnetic charm and can convince others to follow her lead. Her independent spirit and courage will see to it that she is never afraid of getting involved with others. She will constantly thrill to new experiences and adventures. But she needs a strong shining example to pattern herself after. She will relate better to people older than herself, those from whom she can learn a great deal or whom she can depend on to bring stability into her life.

We have gotten a taste of the "dramatic", but so far - knock on wood - we wouldn't say that Audrey is an out-of-control drama queen. Attractive, friendly personality, magnetic charm....we sure think so. She seems to be the center of attention wherever she goes. Defiant and rebellious when forced to do something against her will....very popular with the opposite sex....God help us when she's a teen! She needs a strong shining example to pattern herself after...will relate better to people older than herself, those from whom she can learn a great deal or whom she can depend on to bring stability into her life.....that's us!!

BURKE LAKE PARK
We’ve recently gone back to this park so that Audrey could play with her friend Alex. They have a train, a merry-go-round, play areas, the lake and trails. The only thing to mar the visits….bees. Folks, I’m talking about a lot of bees! It’s unfortunate that they are buzzing all around the play area and the picnic area. When I told Pat of this he was worried. As sensitive as Audrey is of things we worry about the possibility of an insect sting reaction. I’ve never been stung either and who knows?

We’ve seen a turtle, geese, spiders, baby praying mantis, butterflies and caterpillars.

Here are some photos of our time there.

Aren’t I Cute Papa?

Having Fun on the Slide

Where’s Alex?

Baby Praying Mantis

On the Merry-Go-Round

Merry-Go-Round

Train at Burke Lake Park

On the Train

Little Park Cutie

Throwing Rocks is Fun

SINGER & LYRICAL DANCER
From the moment we had custody of Audrey it was apparent how she loves music. She’s a natural when it comes to how to move to different styles of music. When Audrey had dance classes on base the teacher told me that “Audrey feels the music.” If you were to see her, it’s quite true. I say that her natural style of dance is lyrical. It’s a combination of ballet, jazz and contemporary style of dance. Although sometimes it’s all ballet moves and twirling.

Here are a few photos of her with her Barbie “Floweroake” player where she is singing and dancing to the music. I bought three CD’s (Disney Princess and Barbie) for her. She loves singing and dancing….with an audience in attendance of course.

Barbie Floweroake CD Sing-Along Player

Singing a Princess Song

Our Little Dancer

Dancing in Her Ruffled Ariel Dress. It’s a little big so there is room to grow. But she loves it and thought she looked “boo-two-ful.” She saw these photos and said, “It Princess Audrey doing a Princess dance!!”

Movie Fun and More....

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:58:00 +0000

MY HAND
It’s amazing to think that problem with just one finger could cause the entire hand to hurt and be inflamed! I’ve been told that I have “trigger finger.” Most likely cause is lifting and dealing with Audrey repeatedly. I’ve had to go to the orthopedic clinic and occupational therapy at Walter Reed. I now wear something on my finger at night and take Aleve. On August 27th I will hopefully get some relief when I get a shot in my hand. We shall see!

MOVIE DATE WITH ALEX
When school is out during the summer, our local movie theatre (and others around the country) have “Free Family Film Festival” showings! The movies are Rated G or PG, start at 10AM every Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s first-come, first-served and limited to theatre capacity.

My friend Mary Ann suggested we go. We arrived early at 9:20AM and found that there was a short line already. We had a choice of two different movies showing Barnyard or Charlotte’s Web. We ended up seeing Barnyard. (Next week we’re going to see “Pirates Who Don’t do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie.”)

Audrey and Alex were great! This was a new experience for both of them. At Free Family Film showings you are allowed to bring in your own snacks and drinks (which we did for the kids). Mary Ann and I bought popcorn and soda for us. I chose not to let Audrey eat popcorn yet. I’m afraid of her choking on it. She didn’t seem to mind that she was eating something different from Mama. As for Audrey and her buddy Alex….the kids really like (love) each other and they’re so affectionate too. It’s cute to see. I’d say they were little sweethearts!

Cute moments: A few times during the movie Audrey told Alex, “Be quiet I watching TV Alex!”

Our theatre was PACKED! There were even groups of children on school field trips! You would think that it would be loud, noisy and crazy. Actually as the movie played you forgot that there were even children in the room. It was fairly quiet. Some moms even brought their baby….not a peep!

Here are some Toddler Movie Tips:
1. Arrive early to be sure to secure a seat.
2. Going to a free or paying movie - Before the movie begins bring things like Color Wonder Markers/Books, Magna-Doodles, etc to keep them occupied.
3. Things to Bring: a warm cuddly blanket, juice boxes, a lot of different snacks in small portions (I brought raisins, Dora & My Little Pony fruit snacks, Joe’s O’s (Trader Joe’s idea of Cheerios), Goldfish cracker mixes, etc).
4. Pick your seating wisely. I immediately went to the seats that Pat and I like to go to. We sat behind the handicapped seating area (behind where a wheelchair person would sit). If the kids stood up and grabbed onto the bars they wouldn’t bother the people in front of them – women parked their strollers there that day. We also sat on the aisle in case of a quick potty breaks.

Normally I’ve got my camera and really meant to bring it to document Audrey’s first movie experience. But I forgot it! Thankfully this time Mary Ann remembered! Thanks Mary Ann!!

Sit Right Here with Me Audrey!

Before the Movie Starts

Whispering in His Ear

Holding Hands

Audrey & Mama

WORDS BY AUDREY
Books-is – Books

Nexx-is – Necklace

Mo-gee – Mowgli from the Jungle Book

Air – hair

Hap-po-paw-na-niss - Hippopotamus

AUDREY QUOTE
Audrey likes it when the wind blows my hair and says something every time she sees this.

She usually says, “Wind blowing Mamas air, Mama look boo-two-ful.”

GREAT BUY
The winner is TJ's brand - both in price and taste!

Trader Joe’s Organic Mac & Cheese (box of 5 single servings) $2.79
vs
Annie’s Organic Mac & Cheese (box of 5 single servings) $4.59

THIRFT STORE FINDS
I loved books as a child and I’m happy that Audrey does too! I went to a local thrift store with Mary Ann to have a look around. I found some books that looked “brand new.” They’re in beautiful condition and seriously look like they’ve never been opened.

Good Night Harry – I fell in love with this little stuffed elephant. Sweet story and beautifully illustrated. I found out there are a couple of other Harry books that would be great to get (Hooray for Harry and Here We Go, Harry). Good Night Harry is available online (Barnes & Noble or a better buy at Amazon.com ) Ages 3-6 My cost $5.00

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin – Cute story about a little girl named Nell trying to choose a pumpkin for Halloween. This is available online (Barnes & Noble or a better buy at Amazon.com ) Ages 4-8 My cost $4.50

Blue and the Color Detectives – This book was brand spankin’ new. The stickers are all there and intact….ready for Audrey to adhere into the storyline. This is available on Amazon.com to buy new or used. Ages 4-8 My cost $1.50

LATEST FAVORTIE
Audrey loves fairies! So we’re thinking she’ll be a fairy for Halloween. At this stage she likes “pretty” things. She doesn’t want to be a kitty or a witch or even Dora the Explorer! She likes pink, lime green, fluff and pretty! A girl after my own heart!

Green Glitter Fairy

Speaking of fairies, last year I preordered the DVD Tinker Bell for our future daughter at the time (we have a collection of Disney movies for her). Audrey loves Tinker Bell!! This year there will be a new movie coming out. I’ll preorder the Blu-ray version of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. It’s coming out October 2009! It’ll be hard to hang onto it for the holidays before showing her.

SCRAPBOOKING
I’ve been a rubber stamp artist for quite a few years and a commissioned stamp artist some of those years. Stamping has been a great outlet and a fun way to be creative. I’ve created cards for Christmas, birthdays and many other occasions including our adoption announcements and thank you cards! When it came to scrapbooking I admit I was a late bloomer. I finally took the plunge when I started to create albums for our nephew Zach when he came to visit us. I found it to be fun and a wonderful way to remember the times we’ve shared. He loved the albums too.

For Audrey
I want to document and share with Audrey her time from the moment we met her. I will create an adoption album. This will be her baby book. Other scrapbook albums of our family will follow. But I have something different especially with Audrey in mind!

Preschool and Beyond
Since Audrey will soon to be starting preschool I decided that I’d like to create scrapbooks of her schooling…starting with preschool. I want to give her memories of her past, something for her to look back upon. It’s a gift of love for her. I’ve seen “school memory books” on the market that have pocket pages to put keepsake items/papers in. They also include pages where one can “fill in the blanks.” For someone who is not creative or who doesn’t have a lot of time to spare that would certainly be a great route to follow. My only problem with them is the small size of these memory/keepsake books. I’d prefer either 8 ½ x 11 or 12 x 12. I want to see exactly what I am putting inside my album and not have to fold things (like report cards, etc).

With my plan in mind to create a preschool album off I went to a couple of craft stores….armed with coupons of course! First things first, finding the perfect scrapbook album. I found one made by Crayola. Its 8 ½ x 11 and I think will work fine with what I have in mind.

Organize
To keep me organized I bought a nice lime green photo box (the color screams “preschool” to me!). This box will store stickers, colorful scrapbook photo frames, sketches/notes for page layouts and a list of theme page ideas that I thought of. By the way it was so much fun picking out what stickers to buy for preschool and other school themes! There are so many to choose! I also have quite a few rubber stamps that will work with her album so that I may combine my craft. None of this would work without paper. I’m a paper and cardstock fanatic too. I bought a few colorful sheets of fun background paper that will work with a school theme to help me get started right away.

Preschool Album Page Ideas:
Photo Page of Waking Audrey Up for First Day of School/Uniform Ready to Wear
Photos of her Prep to Get to School
Photo of the School
First Day of School (Mama will include a few sentimental words on her feelings about this first day too)
Important Stuff About Audrey Page (age, height, etc)
Classroom Photos
Playground Photos
Handprint Page
Ask Teacher to Write a Few Thoughtful Words About Audrey
Photo of Audrey with Teacher
Friends Page
Staff Photos
Class Picture
Audrey’s Artwork
Have Audrey Dictate a Story About Her Favorite Things About School
Random Photos of Field Trips, Projects & Class Parties
Report Card
Document What Happened in Class Each Day
Pocket Pages (I’ll have a few)
Record Highlights (Best Field Trip, Happiest Memory, etc)
Audrey’s Favorite Snack or Meal (photos & recipes included)
School Recipes (i.e. Homemade Playdoh, etc)
Audrey’s Favorite Book – photo of her reading it & photos of the book

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:06:00 +0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAT!!
First of all I have to say Happy Birthday to my sweetie who is 43 today! I was so excited to hear that my large care package that I sent arrived today! I didn’t even try to work that out it just happened. If you wish to send an e-card his addy is: patzune66@gmail.com

RANDOM PHOTOS
Here are photos of our cutie!!

Tossled Hair

Laughing with Alex

In Her Own Little World

Little Love Bug

Little Miss Audrey

The Artist

Making a Placemat

Tea Party Girls

Silly Smile Miss America

Hi Mama

Having Fun

Audrey & Emily

SUMMER DANCE CLASSES
Because Pat is deployed Audrey qualified for classes on base for free. She attended “Preschool First Ballet with Angelina Ballerina” dance class. The girls had ballet lessons, crafts and a snack. She also attended “Preschool Princess Dance Camp” with the same teacher. The girls danced to princess songs, wore special tiaras, and enjoyed princess story time, created princess art: totes, necklaces and photo frames, and a snack. Pat and I thought these two classes would be a hit with Audrey. We were right! Audrey has loved music and dancing since Kaz. Prior to her classes I’ve even caught her playing with music and dancing by herself. When Pat was here she told Papa and Mama to look at her dance. Audrey also enjoys watching Angelina Ballerina on TV.

Waiting for Class to Begin

On Her Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Marker

Look at Me Mama

Ballet Certificate

Ready for Princess Dance Camp

Being Pretty

Making a Crown Magnet

I Made a Crown

Mama’s Here!!

Princess Tea Party

Princess Frosting Face

Princess Audrey & Her Hat

Princess Audrey

Teacher Elizabeth & Princess Audrey

The girls would be in a room with Miss Elizabeth for their dance class….while the moms would be in another room viewing the class on TV.

TV Monitor

Audrey loved her dance classes so much that I will be signing her up again for Fall.

GREAT WEBSITES
Here are a few places to check out for learning and fun!

Starfall (Click on ABC’s!!)
http://www.starfall.com/

Sprout Online (crafts, games, recipes, etc)
http://www.sproutonline.com/sprout/home/

Nick Jr. (recipes, crafts, etc)
http://www.nickjr.com/index.jhtml

Fisher Price (e-cards, games, printable coloring pages, etc)
http://www.fisher-price.com
(On the left – click onto Fun & Family Time)

Sesame Street (games, videos, etc)
http://www.sesamestreet.org/home

Noggin
http://www.noggin.com/games/index.php

AUDREY TRIVIA

Audrey only has five little freckles!

NEW WORDS
Bra-key – means Broccoli (her new favorite food)

Moo-sicks – means Music
Audrey was having fun in the living room while I was making dinner. I peeked out to see what all the noise was about. She was banging two toy cooking pot lids together and singing. I said, “What are you doing?” Audrey said, “I making moo-sicks” Mama!” I said, “Oh, that’s what that is! Keep it up babe!”

Hee Haw – We have an Alphabet CD to sing-along with in the car. A couple of the songs say the words, “Yee Haw” and Audrey think she’s saying that but is actually saying “Hee Haw.” One day she mentioned that the people were singing the sound of a donkey!

NEW SAYINGS
When she is in trouble she is starting to say the following:

Next time Mama (sometimes followed by Ah-dee be good girl)

It an accident

I promise (she had to have learned this from TV. She used it correctly!)

FUNNY THINGS
The Cough
While I was washing the morning dishes Audrey was in her room sitting in the rocking chair watching her show on TV. She had her sippy cup with juice. After awhile I could hear her “fake cough” walking down the hall to me. I said, “What’s going on?” Audrey said, “I cough Mama.” Then she proceeds to give a few fake coughs. She then tells me, “Ah-dee watching TV and drink too much juice. Make Ah-dee cough. Ah-dee find Mama. Mama love Ah-dee give Ah-dee hug.” Then she proceeds to give one last fake cough for good measure. She got her hug and kiss and all was better! Back to watching TV!

Excuse Me
As I was about to open Audrey’s door to get her from her nap I heard her sneeze. Then she said aloud to herself, “Coom-Z.” By the way a Princess covers her mouth when she coughs, burps or sneezes and says "Coom-Z!"

Kissing Boo-Boo’s
Audrey loves to have her boo-boo’s kissed. She’ll insist that I kiss her. She says that it does make her feel better. Recently at the playground she said she had a boo boo on her leg. Instead of breaking up the momentum of play to come “all the way over” to Mama…she kissed her fingers and then put her fingers on her boo boo. Viola….boo boo feels better now!!

The Onion & the Bananas
I just bought 3 bananas to make a special treat for Audrey. She opened up the skin of one banana and ate part of the banana on one day. The next day she ate the other two bananas (little by little) and then tried to hide what she did in the trash can.

In addition to that she took a large onion I was planning to use and took it to her favorite spot to hang out it….under the dining room table. She peeled the skin off and ate a small area of the onion. No matter what I did I could not get that smell off her breath! I’m trying to drum into her that if she wishes to eat to tell me. I think she’s simply hungry and “wants to do it herself” and be independent. She has a big independent attitude right now!

NEW THINGS SHE’S LEARNED

AEIOU - She sings her vowels and knows their sounds!

Traffic Lights - I taught her what the color on the traffic lights mean. She likes to “help” me drive and loudly tells me to STOP – GO MAMA GO or SLOW DOWN!

AUDREY’S DAILY SCHEDULE
I’m not sure how long this will last but Audrey is still on the same sleeping schedule since Kaz! Sometimes she misses her nap when Mama has to run errands (and recently because of dance classes). Before you know it her naps will be no more….preschool begins!

Nap Time
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Bedtime
8:00 pm – 8:00 am

About an hour before her sleep time I wind things down to get her geared to sleep. I want to devote that last hour before she sleeps to sharing that time with her. When Audrey naps during the day I try to nap. I’m not a napper but having a little one here 24/7 makes it a necessity. Either that or I wish to rest quietly. It’s nice to hear “nothing!” Sometimes if I’m not sleepy I’ll get in a little work around the house that I couldn’t do when Audrey was awake.

After Audrey goes to bed at night I look forward to “Eileen” time. It’s quiet. I like to rest, work on the computer, watch a TV show or two, read, or work on a puzzle and sometimes if I’m not feeling well go to bed early.

Phone Calls…..
I want to delicately tell my friends and family that If I don’t answer the phone during the time leading up to, during or immediately after Audrey’s sleep time…..I’m either busy with Audrey or resting myself. I hope everyone understands and tries to avoid calling prep and bed times.

I’ve had to pick up the phone up to this point because of a phone problem. I need to figure out the new phone system that was put in place here while I was in Kaz. The ring is too loud and there is a voice announcement on top of the ringing (loud enough to wake the dead) that announces who is calling and the phone number….over and over. I cringe every time this happens when Audrey is in bed. It’s so loud that it makes one jump. I want to make it clear that I am not picking on any one person!! There are a lot of people who call me during nap time, etc.

I’m technically challenged but I didn’t think I was so bad that I couldn’t figure out how to fix this by myself. I’ll have to try though. When Pat was here I didn’t even think to have him look at this. Of course when he was here phone calls were few and far between then as people wanted to give us space for his visit….so it didn’t come to my mind. No doubt if Pat were here he’d probably push a few buttons and “viola” problem solved! Apparently I’m not that gifted!

When to Call?
I guess the best time to call me is when Audrey is awake. I’ll keep her occupied in the room as we’re talking so she doesn’t get into things! Another thing you can do is to e-mail me and tell me to call you when I’m free so the phone doesn’t ring to wake Audrey!! Of course if you call and it’s an emergency I totally understand.

LAST MAGIC KITCHEN COOKING CLASS
She very much enjoyed taking Magic Kitchen classes at one of our local recreation centers. I signed her up again in the fall! Not only is it fun for Audrey but I learned some great things to do with her at home! Talk about inspiration! Each class had a theme with food and an art project.

At her last class the kids made an “upside down” cheesecake. It was made to look like a beach scene. This was her first cheesecake and she liked it very much. She also made a virgin piña colada!

Mixing Cheesecake Batter

Piña Colada & Fish Project

Finished Cheesecake

PRESCHOOL PREPARATIONS
I just ordered her uniforms! I can’t wait to see them and to have Audrey try them on. Yesterday we had Back to School Tax Free Day so I purchased a couple pairs of school shoes (Stride Rite sale) and tights.

I ordered and received “personalized iron-on label tape” so that I could iron her name into clothing, her official school tote bag and other things.

Up next we have an appointment with a doctor to fill out the school form. She will begin school on September 15. She will attend afternoon classes 3 days a week.

We thought that even though we’ll only be here for a short time (leaving this area possibly Feb or Mar) that having time in preschool early would be great for her. When we settle in our new place she’ll have an idea of what preschool is like. Knowing her I know she will take to preschool well.

I’ve read books to her about going to school (Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer) and other stories of course. I’ve talked to her about what to expect. I’m looking forward to her learning to “take turns, sharing, playing with a group and to practice on her listening skills.”

Injured Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:21:00 +0000

Hi everyone,
I have much to blog about and hope to do so soon. I hurt my right hand (not sure how)....and I'm right handed! On Aug 3rd I will be going to Walter Reed for help with this. I actually started to notice something wasn't right in June when Pat was here. But I just thought that it would get better. I was wrong as it has become progressively worse and painful.

It sure makes it difficult to do things (computer, driving, etc). So I'm keeping this short for now. I miss e-mail chatting, blogging and catching up!

Check back soon please!!!
Eileen

One More Thing....
Pat's birthday is August 9th. He'll be 43 years young :) He doesn't know that I'm writing this and I thought it would be fun to surprise him if you all sent him e-cards to patzune66@gmail.com Thanks in advance!!

A Message From Pat

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:25:00 +0000

I’ve asked Pat to write a blog update on what it’s like for him at this time. Check out the photos at the bottom of his post!

FROM PAT
Since my return to Iraq, there have been many changes, and there will be many more to come, I'm sure.

As you've probably heard on the news, our troops pulled out of the cities on 30 June, and in anticipation of a possible increase in attacks all ground transportation between the Green Zone and the main military base known as Victory Base Complex was suspended between 1 - 4 July. While this may not seem like a big deal, it meant no food shipments, so our galley was seriously lacking in the usual variety it had to offer. Even after the suspension was lifted it has taken about a week for things to get back on track. At one point the only fruit we had were kiwis....rock hard, unripened kiwis that would have served David against Goliath better than anything else. There are days when cafeteria food is just totally unappealing to begin with, but it was really sucking there for a few days. At least I'm not out living in a tent eating MRE's so I can't complain too much.

For a few days after the troop pull-out things were unusually quiet, but attacks eventually escalated with 170 casualties throughout Iraq on 9 July. Most of those are occurring in the northern city of Mosul where Arab-Kurd tensions are fueling the last significant trouble spot in the country. The central and southern parts of the country continue to see attacks as well, but they are minor and infrequent compared to the almost daily events in the north. The only difference is that in addition to innocent civilians, the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police are now the ones getting hit rather than U.S. troops.

Another big change is the departure of the toxic shrew that was the director in my office as well as the departure of her boss who did little to keep her in line. In their place we have a new Deputy Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition who has delighted everyone with her no-nonsense and friendly approach. Most importantly she's making decisions on programs that have been lingering for months as we transition from construction to sustainment and capacity development. It should make the last 6 months of my deployment much more pleasant!

Blowing dust and sand storms have also dominated the weather since I've been back and even delayed my return to Baghdad from Kuwait after leaving home back in late June. Visibility gets cut down tremendously, and it not only impacts flights, but also vehicle traffic. Apparently it hasn't been this bad since 2003, and has a lot to do with the drought situation in the country. I don't mind it too much, but it does affect some people's breathing and allergies. I enjoy the fact that it blocks out the sun and cools things down a bit - it almost feels like a 20 degree drop at night sometimes, and actually makes it half-way pleasant to sit outside at night. Hotter weather is apparently on the menu as we get deeper into summer though - I still can't imagine 140 degree heat. As it is, 120 degrees just feels like having your face in front of the oven when you open it.

DUSTY DAYS

DUSTY PALMS

FROM EILEEN
I was happy to hear the good news that the director above him is gone (fired). In all the years I’ve known Pat he has never complained about a coworker before…..until now. Frankly it has been miserable for him and many others. It was difficult for him to be in a position where things were not getting done despite hard work and effort. Everyone was affected by this person and flying off the handle at people also did not make for a good working situation either (thankfully not directed at Pat). Our men and women, who are far from home, do not need to put up with this. Apparently someone high up thought so too! Whew….that is over now!

On another note, Pat had been craving chocolate for awhile but he'll have to wait until the heat is gone. It wouldn't survive the travel to get there and it's not being stocked now of course for him to buy. He's discovered that his favorite chocolate is Hershey's Bliss Milk Chocolates! I tried them and admit they're quite good. Poor guy has to wait! Funny thing is, he's never really been one to crave chocolates. Guess it's like being on a diet. If you can't have it you really want it!

I'm working on a care package for him now that includes Trader Joe's bean dip and other goodies since food supplies seem to take forever to get there. If you have any cool snack ideas to send him and would like to do so....here is his address. Throw in a homemade card from the kids! He is thankful when someone thinks of him and is very appreciative too! Just remember "no chocolate."

CDR Pat Hochstein
Unit 2019 Box 19
APO AE 09870-2019

Many New Things

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick & Eileen) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +0000

It was wonderful having Pat home. While it was fantastic to be a family of three it was just what we very much needed as a couple too!!

GONE
Sweet Audrey
Now that Pat has been home and gone again….Audrey remarks often about Papa gone and China (our cat) gone. She hasn’t cried about any of this. She recently said that she misses Papa. So you know it’s on her mind. I’m glad she is voicing this. I tell her often that Papa will be coming back. In fact we see Pat via Skype and talk on the phone as well. We’ve started something new. I set up the laptop at the kitchen table and Skype Pat while Audrey eats lunch. About China, we’ve told her that China is in “kitty heaven” in the stars in the sky but always with us in our heart. We bought the book “When a Pet Dies by Fred Rodgers” to read to her as well. This will be of help when it’s Oreo’s time too.

The problem now is that Audrey is worried that I will be gone next. I have been trying my best to reassure her that I’m not going anywhere!! She has become just a bit more clingy at times. I have to be within sight. While this is normal for a child her age we have to factor in her life before us in Kaz, Pat coming and going and China’s passing. I have noticed a change in her since these recent events and know that thinking I’m going next weighs on her mind.

That being said, overall she is quite happy and playful. There are just moments in time that she is out of sorts.

PRESCHOOL
When Pat was here we took the time to put Audrey on the waiting list for preschool on base (Ft. Belvoir). We were nervous about not getting in since she was number 17 on the list. We decided to contact area preschools for a tour and info. The two of us wanted Pat to be a part of where Audrey would be going to school in September.

As it turns out we signed Audrey up at Accotink Academy Preschool the day before Pat left for Iraq! We were so pleased with what we saw, how personable the staff was as well as what to expect Audrey will be learning there. She will also be wearing a plaid uniform. Audrey will attend three days a week. A fun part of the curriculum will include drama! Perfect for our budding little “drama queen!”

PARKS & RECREATION CLASSES
Have you taken note of what your local Parks and Recreation centers have to offer children in the way of classes? It’s amazing and so much to choose from – at least in our area. I signed Audrey up for a couple of classes in one of the areas Parks & Rec Centers.

ABC’s & 123’s (2-3 year olds):

Using Scissors for the First Time
We’ve attended a couple classes so far. At the first class I guess you could say I sort of clashed with the teacher. Ugh! It just happened. It was the last thing I expected to happen. Life’s too short so for Audrey’s sake I have set things aside and hope that things go well. The class isn’t my favorite or the most exciting but Audrey seems to like it and that’s what counts. We signed up for ABC’s & 123’s because my friend Mary Ann’s son, Alex, was going to take it. It has been nice to do something with them. The teacher has the kids sing songs, count and create art projects.

Magic Kitchen (3-5 year olds)
We’ve attended three classes so far. All very enjoyable! The teacher is a young woman with two children. She’s extremely patient and calm. Great because she has eight students, their parents and her two kids in tow too!

Stirring Cake Batter

Making Frosting

So far the children made mini cupcakes, breadstick snails, Forth of July candy & snow cones. Oh, not only do they cook in this class they also create an art project too! Audrey’s made a handprint plaque for Papa, a mug and decorated a candy box so far!

Waiting to Get Started

Just Before Baking

Audrey just loves this class and wants to make things she’s learned here at home too. She’s eating what she’s made because “she’s” made it.

For Papa

PICNIC IN THE PARK
We spent time with Mary Ann, her son Alex, Jeannie and her daughter Kathryn at a local park. This particular park covers the playground area when it’s super sunny. After awhile we sat on the lawn under the shade of a large tree for our picnic. It wasn’t long before the kids wanted to run off to play in a sandbox. Audrey told me that she was going to build a sandcastle and a volcano. I was amazed to hear her say such things! No doubt this must be from Dora, Diego or Backyardigans. Picnics in the park will be a standard for us. The kids just have so much fun.

Fun Swinging

Audrey & Alex

Snack Time

NEW FOOD
Audrey has been eating new foods lately. While Pat was here he brought out “goat cheese” and spread it on a cracker just like frosting. Audrey loved it. I told her it was “chevre frosting."

AUDREY’S NEW FAVORITE SONG
On one episode of Dora the Explorer there is a blue owl singing a lullaby. The song is sung to the tune of Frère Jacques (English version – Are You Sleeping?). The tune is also on a play piano that my mother gave to us for her “future grandchild.” In fact, Audrey woke up from her nap singing this song today! She also sang it over and over again, loudly I might add, in the grocery store.

La Lechuza, La Lechuza
Hace Sshh, Hace Shhh…
Hagamos Silencio, Hagamos Silencio
Por favor, Por favor

WORDS BY AUDREY
Chinky - means stinky
EOPS – these are the same 4 letters she uses when she thinks she’s spelling something.
Tem-T – means empty
Hiding – she likes to pretend that she’s hiding all the time.
Look – She’ll use the word correctly but at times she means to say “lick” but says look instead!
Boat-ta-phone – means telephone
Ah-mono-one – means another one
I “dude” it myself.
Coom-z – means excuse me
Boo-two-ful – means beautiful
Mayonnaise – means raisins (we don’t know why she says it this way?)
Forkhead – means forehead
Kin – means skin
Nake – means snake
Free-ah-old – means three years old
I’m a big girl now!
Counts to 16 but always skips numbers 13 and 15
Barbeque – means Barbie
Kin-da-shoe – means kangaroo
Upstairs/Downstairs – She mixes up the meaning of upstairs and downstairs
Alligator – means alligator, escalator, elevator and together
Mocos – She says, “Ah-dee blow mocos Mama.” Mocos is Spanish for snot/boogers.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – She says this whenever she sees a star on something or in the sky.

THINGS AUDREY SAYS & DOES
No talk food in mouth Mama! (She insisted that Papa told her not to talk with food in her mouth but it was actually Mama who said it. Now she says it to me!)

I was telling Audrey I wasn’t happy with something she did and I turned around to continue to talk to her. She was smiling at me and plugging her ears. She said, “Ah-dee no hear Mama!” Honestly…..where she learned this I have no idea? Thankfully this only happened once! I would hate for this to be a habit.

Audrey said, “Juice in Ah-dee’s nose mama.” I said, “What happened?” She said, “Ah-dee drink too much juice and it went up my nose!” After that…she didn’t want juice for awhile.

While singing Twinkle Twinkle Audrey ended the song with, “Twinkle China really gone so far.”

This morning after getting out of bed Audrey felt she had to tell me something about my hair. “Hair looks really silly Mama. Ah-dee not like it.”

When eating colorful food Audrey wants me to look at her tongue to see if it’s taken on the color of food she’s eating……after “every” bite!

SUPER FUNNY BUT IMAGINATIVE!
I debated on if I should write about this and decided to do so. Not only is it very funny but it shows that Audrey has an incredible imagination! Gotta love it! Here goes:

While making sure Audrey wiped herself well after going caco she pointed out to me to look at her little potty. She said, “Look it Mama, it’s a toucan!” I took a look and laughed. I must say her caco really did look like a toucan! She has a thing for toucans by the way. It was one of the birds she really wanted to see at the zoo.

TV COMMERCIAL
Audrey is “insisting” that a photo of a man and child on a TV commercial is Papa and Audrey. This commercial is on Sprout TV who is having a contest. You have to send a photo to win a trip to meet Chica (bird on Sprout TV). Audrey calls me all the time to see this whenever it comes on TV. I’ve only caught it once and it upsets Audrey that I miss it when it does come on. The photo flashes very quickly. Of course it isn’t her and Papa but she likes to believe so. She’s so happy about it.

JUST WANTED TO SAY "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD!! 78 YEARS YOUNG TODAY! WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO!