Jazzie and Tahlia

Ohio Valley Voices

You have heard me talk about Ohio Valley Voices for many years. The school has been instrumental in Jazzie's successful transition into the hearing world and we are forever indebted to them. It still amazes me at times that out of all the forever families in the world, Jazzie found her way to a family who practically had a school like Ohio Valley Voices in their back yard. If that wasn't meant to be, I don't know what is.

Here is a new video about Ohio Valley Voices. The director of the school explains what the school does much better than I ever could and the parents featured in the video represent other parents like Matt and myself. The pain they describe upon finding out that their child was deaf, the hope they found when they discovered Ohio Valley Voices, the joy they felt when their child started to talk and the gratitude they hold is something we ALL feel.

Please consider making a donation to this amazing school; the program relies on donations to survive. As you know, I am running the half marathon in just 11 days to help raise money so that other children like Jazzie can have the same oportunities she has been given. Jazzie and Tahlia will participate in the kids marathon. Your donation is 100% tax deductable and can be made on-line here. Just enter Team Peffly in the comment section.

Word on the street

We were in Barnes and Noble the other day and while browsing in their clearance section, I noticed this board game. I had never heard about it before, and when I flipped over the box to see how it's played, I noticed the words "encourages vocabulary development" and I was sold. Vocabulary is the one thing that Jazzie struggles with and given the fact that she loves to play board games and the fact that this game was on clearance for five bucks, I simply had to get it.

I must say that this is a great game. The game can be played one-on-one or in teams. Players pick a category and pick a word that fits the category. You then spell out the word and move the letters from the gameboard towards your side.

For instance, Jazzie's category was:

After thinking about it for a while she came up with "ladder". She then spelled out the word, moving the letters towards her side of the table.

Then it was my turn:

I came up with "branch" and was able to move some of the letters that Jazzie had already moved, back towards my side. The game just goes on and on like this until all the letters have been moved off the board. The player who captures eight letters first wins, but Jazzie and I continue to play until all the letters have been captured. Not only is this a great game for Jazzie and her vocabulary, it's also great for Tahlia and her spelling.

Deep concentration:

It looks like this game sells on Amazon for $17, so I am feeling pretty good about my five dollar find at Barnes and Noble!

Our new addition

We brought our new puppy Rosie home yesterday. It really is like having a new baby in the house! We're potty training and getting up in the middle of the night all over again :-)

Lily is taking to Rosie as well as can be expected. I had no idea how she would react, but overall I think she is doing really well. There have been a couple of times where Lily has growled at Rosie, because Rosie was either too close or playing with one of her toys. I know that part of this is normal dog behavior and that Lily is letting Rosie know that she is the alpha, but I don't want it to get out of hand. But again, so far things are going pretty smoothly and I have high hopes that they'll end up being best buddies.

First introduction:

Jazzie hanging out with Rosie:

Tahlia in particular is having a hard time just leaving Rosie alone. She wants to cuddle and carry her all the time!

14

14 years ago, I married my other half. He's one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

My favorite kind of day

It was a gorgeous day today, so we decided to head to Sawyer Point, a park along the Ohio River. This is my absolute favorite place in Cincinnati. Just being there makes me so happy :-)

We started with a picnic:

Then we spent a lot of time playing on the huge playground:

Then we strolled along the Ohio River:

By the statue of Cincinnatus:

Then we walked over the Purple People Bridge into Kentucky:

After crossing into KY, we walked around the shops, got some slushies for the girls and a coffee for mom ;-)

Walking back over the bridge towards Cincinnati:

After we were back in the park, the girls played in the sand for over two hours. They did NOT want to leave.

We had a fabulous day. The weather was near perfect and the girls had a great time (and didn't fight once!). And while Matt and I sat on a bench people watching, chit chatting and watching our girls, I couldn't help but think how thankful I am for everything in my life.

Easter recap

Just like we do every year, we spent Easter Sunday with Matt's family at my in-law's house. A good time was had by all :-)

I forgot to change the battery in my camera, so all I have are some fuzzy phone pictures...

This is the newest addition to the family. She's so cute and girly and I loved feeding and cuddling her.

Matt and our grandson. Love them both!

Time to hunt for eggs!

Sisters!

Time for a cookie:

Jazzie and Sophie

Jazzie and Sophie have been best friends since they started at Ohio Valley Voices at the age of 18 months. These two were paired up the in the classroom each year and they are very close. Unfortunately, Sophie lives about an hour away from us, so they don't see each other very often, but when they do it's just like old times. Sophie came for a sleepover this past weekend and they had a great time. These two always talk about moving in together and this time they were Googling "cheap mansions" to see what is out there for them ;-)

Doing a paper mache project:

When Jazzie and Sophie graduated from OVV, Sophie's mom and I promised that we would do whatever we could to keep these two connected. Their friendship is just too special not to.

Our new addition

We spent the last couple of days at the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park. We had a great time, but would you believe that I didn't take one single picture?? Just take my word for it that we really enjoyed ourselves and that it was nice to be on a mini vacation. I didn't even worry about Weight Watchers Points once ;-)

On the way home we stopped to pick out our new puppy. We had already put a deposit down on a boxer puppy, but wanted to wait until they were a little bit older to pick "the" one. They are about 4 1/2 weeks old now and their personalities are really starting to show. We knew we wanted another female (we already picked the name Rosie), but we were open as to color. I was kind of leaning towards a brindle colored one, but when we got there today, Matt and I were both drawn towards a black and white puppy. I was a little confused, because I never thought we would have a black and white boxer; I've never even seen one! In the end we narrowed it down to a dark brindle and a black and white one. And even though I was leaning towards a brindle, we ended up chosing the black and white puppy. The feeling was definitely there and we found our Rosie:

If I had any doubt at all about whether or not we picked the right puppy, that all disappeared when I realized Rosie had a white mark on her chest in the shape of Texas and when I saw that I immediately thought of Texas Rose. This is definitely Rosie!

She comes home in 3 weeks and we are all so excited!

Grandma and Dora Wig

Matt's 97 year old grandmother fell and broke her hip last week, so we all went and visited her in the hospital this past weekend. Despite the fact that she is bruised and broken, she's still pretty spunky!

When Tahlia was 4, she dressed up as Dora for Halloween. She recently found the wig that went with the costume and she's been wearing it all the time. I think she actually looks pretty cute with this wild and crazy hair; kind of like a rock star!

Even Lily is not safe from it!

In a few weeks, a new puppy will join our family and I am so curious to see how our sweet Lily Lou is going to react to it all...

We are on spring break this week and we have lots of fun stuff planned. It's going to be a good week :-)

Nine years ago on this day...

... we saw Jazzie's face for the very first time:

Since our very first referral anniversary, I have taken Jazzie's picture holding her own referral picture. Here she is this morning:

Last year:

2010:

2009:

2008:

2007:

2006:

2005:

2004:

Happy referral anniversary, Jazzie!

"With arms wide open... now everything has changed; I'll show you love, I'll show you everything." With Arms Wide Open - Creed

Jazzie's interview

Jazzie was interviewed by a local news station as part of a story about Ohio Valley Voices. Of course we were thrilled to participate just to get the word of the school out into the community. To this day not everyone knows that this school exists in the Cincinnati area and we want to change that! Everyone needs to know that deaf children are able to hear AND talk with the help of cochlear implants and schools like Ohio Valley Voices.

Getting the microphone on:

Jazzie is being instructed to talk in a clear voice and to look at the interviewer, not the camera ;-)

Ready to go:

Jazzie didn't disappoint and did amazingly well. She was nervous at first, but after the first question her nerves disappeared. The interviewer commented on how well she answers questions. Whenever Jazzie answers a question (any question asked by anyone for that matter), she always repeats part of it. For instance, when the news man asked her what she liked about Ohio Valley Voices, she responded: "What I liked about Ohio Valley Voices is...." She always does this and this is due to her years of training at Ohio Valley Voices where the kids are always expected to repeat the question back to make sure that they understood it correctly. He said she was an interviewer's dream :-) Add to that the fact that the entire crew could not believe that she was deaf and I would say that this was a success. The interview was taped at Ohio Valley Voices and it was so special to see her sitting in the same classroom where all the magic once began :-)

Jazzie has come so far and we are beyond proud of her!

Shoe

Jazzie came home from school and told me that her class had to draw their shoe in art class today. 

I must say that when she took her drawing out of her backpack, I was seriously impressed!!!

In addition to some of Jazzie's writing about art that I posted in one of my previous posts, she wrote another one:

I love my artsy girl ;-)

Elementary School Father-Daughter Dance

My sassy girl; ready to go:

Got a pretty wrist corsage:

And some pretty shoes and toes, too ;-)

She loves to twirl!

And one with mom as well, of course:

What art means to Jazzie

Hilarious.

2012 Heart Health 15K Race

Training Group Photo:

Just starting out, so still smiling:

I can see the finishing line from here!

Finished!

Got my medal...

A great race!

When I came home (thanks girls!):

Another medal to add to my collection:

Oh, how I love this!

Spring is in the air

It was a gorgeous day yesterday. Perfect for hiking in the woods. Alex and Winnie are still here, so we've been having tons of fun hanging out with them.

Jazzie doing some trail running. I think this girl is a natural runner. She's got great form!

Getting ready to walk up the tall, steep steps:

We were all EXHAUSTED. I did the steps twice, just to get some cross training in ;-)

Matt pretended to fall and hurt his ankle so that Alex would have to carry him up the steps:

(They didn't get too far!)

Flying Pig Marathon - Meet Team Peffly

As most of you know by now, I am planning on running the half marathon in the 2012 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon on behalf of Ohio Valley Voices and in honor of Jazzie. 

Ohio Valley Voices is a nonprofit oral deaf school that teaches deaf children to listen and speak. Everyday the school reaches out to a population of children who would ordinarily be confined to a world without sound or voice; Ohio Valley Voices opens their world to both.

As you know, the school has changed Jazzie’s life and we will be forever grateful for everything they have done for Jazzie and our family. Running 13.1 miles is just a small thing that I can do to try and repay them. I ran the full marathon last year and through donations from friends and family I was able to raise almost $1,200 for Ohio Valley Voices. I cannot express how thankful I am to those who donated on my behalf. I am once asking for a donation in support of the school and the students. But this year I am not doing it alone! This year I am doing it with my girls. Jazzie and Tahlia will run in the Flying Pig Kids Marathon the day before I run my race. This year I am part of an awesome team :-)

Your tax deductible donation to Ohio Valley Voices will assist students in gaining their voices. You can make your donation on-line at www.ohiovalleyvoices.org; please include "Team Peffly" in the notes section so that we may reach my personal goal of $1,000. You may also send a check directly to the school with our name - Flying Pig on the memo line. The school address is:

Ohio Valley Voices
6642 Branch Hill Guinea
Loveland, OH. 45140

If you have any further questions please contact me directly, or you may contact the school at 513-791-1458.

Thank you for your support, it is much appreciated!

Gala pictures

A few people have asked me to put up side by side pictures of Matt and I at the OVV gala from the past couple of years. Here you go!

2009:

2010:

2011:

2012 - I wish I had a better picture than this one taken with my phone! 

Fun weekend

What a great weekend! On Saturday, Matt and I attended Ohio Valley Voices' annual gala. It's always fun to dress up and go to a fancy party, without kids. In fact, we were without kids for most of the weekend, thanks to Cera. I love my kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed a weekend with just my husband.

Here we are ready to go:

Pictures taken with my phone, so not the best quality...

We even won one of the raffle prizes: Chinese pearls!

It was a great evening with dinner, cocktails and dancing. There were a few speeches including one by the mother of a current student and one by a 13 year old boy who graduated from the school several years ago. I had to wipe away a few tears during both speeches, because their stories are our stories. The mom talked about how the school has changed their family's life (just like it has ours) and the boy talked about what it is like to be deaf and have a cochlear implant. His words could have been Jazzie's. I think the entire room was inspired by this very confident and funny young man. I have said it many times and I will say it again: Ohio Valley Voices is AMAZING.

On Sunday we celebrated Matt's grandmother's 97th birthday. What a spunky woman she still is!

Jazzie and Lily

Smart is beautiful

Behold my smart 4th grader:

There are so many messages out there telling girls what beautiful is. I disagree with a lot of them, but not this one! When I saw this jacket at Justice, I knew I had to get it for Jazzie.

I want to share a list that Jazzie made in speech therapy the other day. It made me laugh out loud:

A few notes:

• I love that "Not getting what she wants" is at the top of her things-that-make-me-mad list. I would agree with that statement 100% :-)
• Not quite sure why Alex made the same list and why Tahlia didn't. Tahlia makes Jazzie mad WAY more often than Alex does.
• Is she her mother's daughter or what? Being hot makes me mad as well :-)
• Frankie is Cera's cat and since she is allergic to cats, "being around cats" made the mad list.
• However, I was confused as to why cats was also on her things-that-make-me-happy list. Her explanation was that she hates being around cats, but she loves pictures of cats. This was news to me ;-)
• W.W.P. = Wizards of Waverly Place
• The best part to me was that she mentions that Tahlia talks during movies the entire time. Uhm, that's like calling the kettle black. Lol!

This list is a keeper for sure. I love my smart (and beautiful) girl!

Homework with Twizzlers

Jazzie's all time favorite candy? Twizzlers!

Another tooth gone

Tahlia lost yet another tooth today. The school nurse pulled it out :-)

When Tahlia got off the bus, she came running towards me because she was so excited that she had lost her tooth, but then started to cry because her tooth had fallen out of the little box the nurse had given her. She was afraid that without her actual tooth, the tooth fairy wouldn't come.

I told her to go ahead and just write a note to the tooth fairy and leave it under her pillow.

And sure enough, Tahlia found a dollar under her pillow this morning ;-)

Cranberry-almond oat bars

So I saw this oat bars recipe on the Cooking Light website and knew I had to make them. However, I didn't have all the ingredients, so I modified the recipe slightly. They turned out SO good. I'll definitely make them again. 

Crust:

• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats 
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 3 tablespoons orange juice 
• Cooking spray 

Filling:

• 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream 
• 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind 
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, ricotta, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Cut in 15 squares. 5 points+ per serving, sprinkled with some slivered almonds.

Dress shopping

Those who follow me on Facebook know that I have been shopping for a dress for the annual OVV Gala. Matt and I have attended this fundraiser for Jazzie's old school for the past 5 years now and it is always a lot of fun. Let me tell you just how much fun I've been having shopping for a dress. It is so nice to be able to try on dresses and actually like the way I look in them instead of feeling disgusted when I look in the mirror. What is even more fun is realizing that the size I pulled of the rack is too big ;-)

A few years ago I did not enjoy the whole dress experience. In fact, I covered up as much as I could:

Last year was a lot more fun. By then I had lost 80 pounds and I loved my little purple dress:

Fast forward another year and I have lost 115 pounds. This year the gala has a Roaring 20's theme and I have two dresses that I like. One has a flapper kind of feel to it (perfect for the 20's theme) and the other one makes me feel fabulous and super sexy. I love them both and don't know which one to choose. I keep going back and forth between the two.

The good news is that I still have two weeks to decide, unless of course I keep shopping and trying on more dresses...

Biography school project

Jazzie's latest school assignment was to read a biography (any biography) and do a project on it. After looking at manyl biographies at the book store, Jazzie decided on Anne Frank. This brought up many questions from Jazzie that were hard to answer at times. But being from Holland, having read the book and having visited the house several times, I really enjoyed helping Jazzie with this project. 

Sisterly love

Here is a (rare) loving moment between two sisters:

I use the word rare, because unfortunately that's the way it is right now. Tahlia is very loving; Jazzie.... well, not so much. I love Jazzie to pieces and she is amazing in many ways, but she does have some selfish tendencies. I have had MANY conversations with Jazzie lately about the importance of thinking of others and not just herself. About sharing. About being considerate of other people's feelings. 

I just keep thinking that if I remind Jazzie of these things often enough, that one day it just might sink in. Imagine my shock (and delight) when the girls were watching TV this evening and Tahlia got a bit scared. I heard Jazzie say to her: "Are you scared, Talley? Do you want me to come and sit next to you?" She proceeded to sit next to Tahlia and put her arm around her to comfort her.

I was so proud of Jazzie and made sure to tell her so. Maybe she is listening to me after all?

This and that

It seems like I don't have much to blog about lately, so I'll just post a mismatch of pictures.

First, a picture of a typical Friday evening for us: the girls watching a movie or one of their DVR'd shows, eating popcorn and drinking a smoothie:

Look at this smiling, happy face!

I still can't get over how much she has changed from this sad looking little girl at Yangchun Orphanage Guangdong, China:

Half marathon training is in full swing and I'm really enjoying it. I love running with a group of people; it makes the time go by so much faster and I've enjoyed meeting some new people. I've noticed a big change in my level of fitness compared to last year. Right now I can say that the training has been relatively easy, but I know that will change once we get up on mileage.

I think that this past Saturday was the coldest temperature that I have ever ran in. It was in the single digits, windy and bitterly cold. Let's just say that I was very glad that I invested in some proper cold weather gear!

I went to the Asian Market the other day to get some decorations for Chinese New Year. I bought some red banners with things like "There will be harmony in the family", "Wealth will enter the home", etc. However, I was not sure what to make of this one and no, I did not buy it ;-)

Greek meatballs

Here is one of my favorite WW recipes. These meatballs are simmered in a hearty tomato sauce with a hint of cinnamon. Different, but so good!

For the meatballs you will need:

• 3/4 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 3 Tbs chopped parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix well and form into 18-20 balls. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray...

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning them once. Set aside...

Now for the sauce:

• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 Tbs tomato paste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray and add the onion, garlic and the oregano. Cook until the onion is soft and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/4 tsp salt and the cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until sauce begins to thicken slightly (about 15 minutes). Add the meatballs and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I serve this over orzo, along with a greek salad. One serving is 3 meatballs with 1/2 cup cooked orzo. The WW points for this is 8. I love this meal. The cinnamon makes the flavor quite unique. It makes plenty for leftovers that freeze really well. Try it, you'll love it :-)

Tahlia's turn

Amazingly sweet.

Amazingly giving.

Amazingly selfless.

Amazingly strong.

Amazingly energetic.

Amazingly insecure (at times).

Amazingly daring.

Amazingly polite.

Amazingly kind.

Amazingly, our daughter.

Jazzie...

Incredibly smart.

Incredibly focused.

Incredibly quiet.

Incredibly strong-willed.

Incredibly stubborn.

Indredibly determined.

Incredibly analytical.

Incredibly ornery.

Incredibly self-reliant.

Incredibly driven.

Incredibly, our daughter...

Hearing Birthday

Today is Jazzie's Hearing Birthday. Eight years ago, her first cochlear implant was activated and Jazzie heard her very first sound. She has come a long way since then. We've seen her go from a 16 month old girl with absolutely no speech or hearing abilities, to a normal, almost tween (!!!!), girl. 

I've used every adjectiev imaginable to describe Jazzie's journey: amazing, miraculous, astounding, unbelievable... But none of them truly capture how I feel. My deaf daughter is talking just like any other girl her age and can hear within normal limits with her cochlear implants. People that just meet her, have no clue she is deaf. Jazzie, truly is amazing.

January 3, 2004 - The audiologist is getting everything in place before turning on the device:

Her very first sound ever:

When Jazzie first got her cochlear implant, the processor was so much larger than it is now. She actually carried it on her back in a harness for a long time.

You can see how large her backpack was in this picture. When Jazzie first got her device, they didn't have a black magnet for her, so she wore a brown one until the black one was back in stock. The magnet is so visible not only because it's brown, but because Jazzie's hair hadn't grown back yet.

Jazzie certainly has come a long way, but so has the cochlear implant processor. She no longer wears her processor on her back, the entire device now fits snugly behind her ear (like a large hearing aid). Jazzie actually wears an older model; the newer ones are even smaller than what she has now. We will probably upgrade to those in a few years when we are eligible for the upgrade and our insurance will cover them ;-)

To celebrate, I had brownies waiting for Jazzie when she got home from school.

Year of change

Well, another year has come to an end. I can honestly say that it has been a year of transformation for me. I lost over 100 pounds, ran a half marathon AND a full marathon. I feel better about myself than I have in years. I've learned to let go of negativity in my life. I've learned to say no more often. I've learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. I've learned that a few people in my life weren't able to accept the new me, but I've also learned to not let that bother me. It is what it is.

Half marathon:

Full marathon:

Before and after:

Matt and I have attended the annual OVV Gala for several years. This was the first year I bought a sassy dress and felt fabulous:

Happy New Year, everyone. I'm looking forward to what 2012 has to offer. I hope it's as great as 2011 was!

Too cool for school

We've really been enjoying our holiday break! The day before Christmas we went downtown to see the Christmas train display and to see Santa. While Tahlia enjoyed riding the kids train...

And seeing Santa...

Jazzie refused to do either. Her response as to why: "Because I am too awesome for that"...

Well, I guess this girl is definitely too cool for school :-)

Christmas morning

The girls coming down the steps. Of course Tahlia had to stop and pose for the camera:

Opening gifts!

Among the gifts were a disco light:

Magic tricks:

A Shake It Up CD:

The one thing both girls wanted more than anything was an iPod Touch. Santa didn't bring them last year, but they were hopeful for this year. Santa left two large boxes with a note "open last" on them, and I could see the look of disappointment on the girls' faces. Once again, no iTouch :-(

Little did they know that Santa tricked them and that stuffed inside the boxes were two brand new iPod Touches. To say the girls were excited is an understatement :-)

And now it's the day after Christmas. It's been fun and for as much I enjoy Christmas, I am always very ready to have my house back to normal. So, this afternoon I put ALL of the Christmas stuff away. 

Aaah.... life is good :-)

Making a gingerbread house - part 2

Well, we've learned a few things from making a gingerbread house from scratch:

• When making the roof, make sure you roll it out thin enough. Ours was too thick and heavy and we ended up having to use cardboard for the roof.
• The entire process is very time consuming. We made our house in four steps: making the dough, cutting the shapes and baking it, assembling it and finally, decorating it.
• Homemade gingerbread tastes REALLY good!
• It is a great family project. I think we'll make this a tradition :-)

Ready to make the icing!

Ready to assemble:

And now for the best part, the decorating!!!

Tada!

Making a gingerbread house - part 1

One thing that Jazzie wanted to do while on winter break was make a gingerbread house from scratch.

I usually take the easy way out and buy the kit, but I thought it would be a fun learning experience to make our own gingerbread and cut out our own house. So, I found a recipe for gingerbread, printed out a template for the house and we got to work.

We started this morning by making the gingerbread dough:

Daddy got in on the action!

A big batch of gingerbread is chilling...

We took a break for lunch and then went back to work on rolling out the dough and cutting the house shapes.

This is what happens when you forget to put your apron back on:

The aftermath:

But hey - we had fun, so it didn't matter. The kitchen is clean again. Tomorrow we will be making the icing so we can assemble and decorate our house. Stay tuned!

Holiday Break is here

Today was our first full day of holiday break. Last year I had every intention of doing all kinds of fun, wintery, "Christmassy" things with the girls, but didn't end up doing all the things I imagined we would. I felt bad and guilty about it for weeks after the the kids went back to school. I am determined not to have this happen again this year. I will not be filled with regret again!

This evening we went to the Cincinnati Zoo for their annual Festival of Lights. We walked around the zoo, admiring all the pretty lights while eating cinnamon roasted almonds (Tahlia LOVED them!). We even got to see some animals and a few characters (like Frosty):

Writing a letter to Santa:

My diva's:

How I wish they could see her now...

We went to school last night to watch the fourth grade classes perform "North Pole Musical". Jazzie's homeroom class was dressed as elves and she looked so cute ;-)

The students did a really good job. I was truly impressed and enjoyed the performance very much. It was very entertaining.

As I was sitting in the audience, watching my girl sing and dance and looking so cute in her elf outfit, I was overcome with pride and love for her. And I started to think about her birth parents. How I wish they could have been there to see Jazzie. To see how happy she is. To see how loved she is. To see how amazing she is.

I'm not sure if they ever even knew she was deaf, but how I wish they could see how far she has come. Here was this deaf child, standing on the stage of her school, singing and dancing with her peers. And she was good.

She is good and I'm so thankful she's ours...

Joy, love and soap

Each year I struggle to come up with a small token of appreciation for the teachers and some of the other staff members at school. I always chip in money for the class gift, but I like for the girls to give a little something to their teachers as well. Pinterest came to my rescue! So many great ideas on the site!

I bought a bunch of soap at Bath & Body Works. We printed out tags with the words: "Wishing you a holiday season full of joy, love and hope  soap"...

Jazzie signed the tags and wrapped them around the soap bottles:

Cute, no?

The original post where I got this idea is here.

You can find the printable for the tags here.

Yoga and stretching with Jazzie

My girl is one limber and flexible girl!

Silly Santa

Good Luck Jack

The girls love watching Good Luck Charlie on Disney Channel. It's a show about an older sister who makes a video diary for her little sister Charlie. She ends each entry by saying "Good luck, Charlie"...

The girls have been playing around with the Flip camera and this evening I found this video made by Jazzie where she is talking about her birth parents. I had no idea the girls were making video diaries for their nephew. Seriously, how cute is this?

St. Nicholas Day

Today is St. Nicholas Day. I have vivid memories of celebrating this holiday as a child in Holland. We would get lots of presents and the night before, we would put out our shoe and find goodies in it the following day. We would always get our initial in chocolate and I have continued this tradition with my girls. They love it :-)

Weekend Pictures

Jazzie and I went through all of our games. We have SO many and I really wanted to donate some to less fortunate children. Believe it or not, these aren't even all of the games we own. Now to decide which ones we don't really use anymore...

We visited with Matt's 98 year old grandmother...

Played on the Photo Booth...

Did some wine tasting...

Relax, it's just grape juice ;-)

Went for my daily 5K run, despite to cold...

Decorated our Christmas tree...

Love hanging with my girls!

Nail polish

It's hard for me to admit that the girls are getting to the age where they are (kind of) able to put on their own nail polish. Where did my babies go????

Jazzie actually does a pretty decent job by herself:

Just because I love it

The picture below is one of my favorites from our family photo shoot. You can't see our faces, but I love it because it's just so us.

We're out in the woods, the girls are squealing on the swings and Matt and I are enjoying the fact that they are having fun, and enjoying each other ;-)

I look at this picture and I see love and joy and I realize just how lucky we are to have each other.

One of my neighbors passed away from cancer last night. She was younger than me, with a loving husband and two young children. Sad :-(

Nature Center

We are fortunate to live just a couple of miles from a large Nature Center. We've been going on hikes there for many years, so when it turned out to be such a beautiful day on Saturday we loaded up the entire family (including Lily) to go hiking in the woods.

We always have to stop at the creek so the girls can climb the rocks and practice their rock skipping skills.

Lily loves the woods as much as we do!

Getting ready to climb 207 steps (we counted):

We made it!

Cookie Sunday

It was such a rainy day today. A perfect day to spend with my girls baking cookies and snuggling up together to watch a movie. We watched Home Alone; first time for the girls :-)

Ready for some baking! Gotta love Tahlia's red little toes ;-)

Tahlia wanted to make aunt Christi's sugar cookies...

Testing one to make sure they're okay:

Jazzie decided to make good ole chocolate chip cookies.