Happy 5th Birthday To Me!

I'm 5 years old now! My parents threw a really fun party for me at Chuck E. Cheese's. And from what I've heard, parents don't necessarily enjoy doing this at Chuck E. Cheese's (I heard Mommy asking Daddy to pick her up more migraine medicine before the party). But what's not to love about hundreds of kids in a confined space with lots of loud noises, flashing lights and talking animals? Before we left, they let me open my present from them. My own DVD player!

I played lots of games with my friends.

They brought me some awesome presents. Here's my table.

We had pizza and some delicious cake.

Can you tell that Mama curled my bangs before we left?

Here's my Chuck E. cake.

And my Birthday Star balloon.

We enjoyed all of the food.

Here's Chuck E.!

I'm wearing my birthday crown.

And my birthday medallion.

In front of the blue screen.

I'm about to enter the Ticket Blaster booth. That's why I'm wearing goggles.

This was a blast!

I had a wonderful birthday. But the best part was that my grandparents, Aunt Doe, and lots of my friends were there to celebrate it with us. And in a few months, I'll be turning 6.

Mommy's Reunion With Her Sorority Sister

Mommy told me that sometimes in life you meet unforgettable people. Well, Laura was one of those people. She and Mommy and about 80 other girls lived in the Delta Zeta house and had some wonderful times together. Mommy said that Laura had the best sense of humor of anyone she's ever known. Well, Daddy and I had the chance to meet Laura and her partner Susie. And she does have a great sense of humor! It had been way too long since Mommy had seen Laura. We met them for dinner at one of our favorite places and had a fabulous evening! Daddy took a picture of all the ladies. Laura is in the middle. Now if someone would just hurry up and invent a teleporter, we could do this more often!

Before we picked Laura and Susie up from Hotel Indigo, we spent a few minutes in their very cool lobby. Now we see why Hotel Indigo has won so many awards for being eco-friendly. What a neat place! I'm drumming on a table made of reclaimed wood.

I made Laura and Susie promise to come back to visit soon. Oh, and I also met their dog Truman. I want to see him again too!

Road Trip To See Grandma Dottie & Jim!

The last week of December, we traveled to visit my great grandmother, Dottie, and her boyfriend Jim. We had a fantastic time with them! We ate lots of seafood, had a blast with her animals, visited with friends in Flagler Beach and then spent some time in St. Augustine. Here we are at a delicious seafood restaurant in Flagler Beach.

And here I am at Ripley's Believe It Or Not in St. Augustine, which happens to be the oldest settlement in the United States. We enjoyed "old town" and had a great time. Here I am at Ripley's with a T-Rex. Don't worry. It's not real. Believe it....Or Not.

Daddy is trying out some of the restraints.

Here I am outside Colombia Restaurant in St. Augustine. Mama absolutely loves Cuban food and wanted us to try some too.

I am a bread lover. And now I'm a Cuban bread lover! Colombia makes some of the BEST bread ever. We had all sorts of tasty dishes, and Mama can't imagine a trip to a Cuban restaurant without having some plantains. They were so good!

Daddy enjoyed his meal too!

The atmosphere at Colombia is nice too. What a fun experience!

In addition to her beloved plantains, Mama also had some delicious mango Tilapia. She was so happy!

We also met up with some friends who also have a daughter from China. Our mommies were part of the "July Dragonflies" group, which meant that their paperwork arrived in China at the same time. She, her friend Dusty, and all the Dragonfly mommies helped support each other through the very long wait to meet their babies (that's us!). Here I am with Mary Joyce.

And here's a picture of all of us but Chet (Dusty's husband), who is taking the picture. Dusty's other children are Katherine and Malcom. We had a great time together enjoying some delicious food and our friendship. I hated to leave, because I want to play with Mary Joyce more often.

And then, of course, we had to go back home. Of course, we just happened to be in Florida when they were under a freeze warning. Brrrrr! We had a great time, though, and look forward to visiting again soon.