Happy Birthday To Grandma!

We went to Macon recently to visit with Grandma and Pop Pop and to celebrate Grandma's birthday and an early Mother's Day. We had a great time! Here we are: Three generations!

I love my Pop Pop very much.

We also were able to visit with my brother, Xavier.

And as a very special treat, Uncle Walker was there! He lives in Tacoma and lives very far away. I don't get to see him often, but when I do, we have a great time!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Tribute To Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Pre-K class performed a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during Black History Month!

We had such a good time!

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy Lunar New Year!!!

Xin nian kuai le! That means "Happy New Year" in Mandarin. It's time for the Lunar New Year as we welcome the Year of the Rabbit. As always, we attended a nice celebration that the Asian Children's Mentor Program at the University of Georgia held. Here's a picture of me with my Mommy outside the venue. See that Bulldog next to me? Woof, woof, woof!

This gentleman played some beautiful music on this ancient Chinese "violin" type instrument. It had a very unique sound.

And here are all the kids in their cheongsams and silk pantsuits.

My mentor, Ji In, helped me to make a rabbit by folding paper.

Here they are again.

And a close-up.

A nice close-up of me and Ji In. Mama curled my hair again. Can you tell?

And then it was time for the lion dance!

It moved quickly through the crowd.

Posing in front of the giant fan.

Happy Lunar New Year! I hope all the Rabbits out there enjoy it!

What A Surprise! The B-52s!!!

My parents really know how to surprise a little girl. They had known about this for months but somehow kept it a secret! See Grandma, my Mama CAN keep a secret if she really wants to. Anyway, this was my first "real" concert. It was the first time the B-52s had played in Athens in a very long time. And it was such a special concert. Here is a picture of us before we left. We first went to Utage to have some delicious Japanese food. And then we walked over to the Classic Center to enjoy the show. I could hardly contain myself when Kate, Cindy, Fred and Keith came out on stage. I shook my cosmic thing for 2+ hours. What a memorable evening.

The B-52s were also having this concert filmed for DVD release. Their manager said that although they play all over the world, when it came time to film this DVD, they wanted to come home to Athens. It was an amazing night. Maybe you'll see us on the DVD! Here is a video (shot by someone else since ours didn't turn out as good) that recaps some of the highlights of the evening that I will never forget.

Alright REM, when are YOU guys coming back home for a show? I'm not getting any younger, you know!

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.