New Year's Eve with Lil' Miss Maran

 Using the chop sticks at the Japanese Steak House.

 Snickerdoodle Luke with the LOUD noise making windy thing.

 Maran standing in her seat.  She wore one of Daddy's favorite dresses.  By this time she had already shed the hair bow and Party Hat.

Her eyes were as big as saucers when the chef was cooking the rice and noodles.  She looked at me and did a 'thumbs up' and said "Mommy, so yummy". (The Cola is Daddy's)

It's a little after 9 pm on New Year's Eve.  The children are asleep and we are watching a movie.  We are so much fun!  We had a 5:00 dinner reservation at the Japanese Steakhouse.  It was lots of fun and entertaining for the little ones.  At our table was a family who had adopted a girl from China who is now 8.  (She came home at 10 months of age).  She asked her mother if Maran was from China and then she was fascinated when Maran ate her meal with chopsticks. As usual Maran was a real trooper during dinner and couldn't wait for her meal to be served.  She ate her food and then started on Daddy's plate.  This little girl just might eat us out of house and home and it will be fine.  David still loves to just sit there and watch her eat.  She will say 'uhm...yummy" and pat her tummy.   Luke was a little spooked with the fire and the loudness.  We took him there two New Year's Eve's ago and he loved it.  You never know what you are going to get!! There are few things that Maran won't eat and she still absolutely refuses to have anything to do with milk or milk products.  She loves juices though and vitamins.  One day she may like cow juice as much as she likes cow meat.  The girl can eat a piece of steak and leave no trace of it. 

Our NEW YEAR is perfect since we have two sleeping toddlers and our family is complete.  What incredible memories we have from 2010 but we welcome 2011 with open arms.  We hope that tomorrow we all wake up feeling a little better.  Daddy is on his first round of antibiotics and I am on my second.  Both Luke and Maran have been taking cough meds for about 5 days now but seem to be much better.  They both go to the Dr on Tuesday for a well visit which I am sure will go fine.  We have to get paperwork filled out for their applications to PRE-K.  Charlotte is a wonderful city and we LOVE it but there is not a PRE-K program.  They offer it at one school so 30 kids get in and there are literally thousands applying.  So we get to do the private school route for this.  Let the fun begin!  How sad it is since we have a wonderful elementary school across the street from our house. 

Happy New Year! From our family to yours we wish you a year of love and hope.  We pray for our country to become stronger in many ways.  May you be kept safe and full of love!  We also hope and pray that many more orphans find their forever family.

MICKEY MARAN ARRIVES!

For those who have asked ... YES MICKEY MARAN IS ON THE CAR (aka "GANGSTA").  It took a while for some reason (Maybe our coma overtook us) but it is done.  Here are some pictures of the event.  NOTE THIS WAS DONE BEFORE OUR WINTER COLD SNAP... I am just a TAD behind in updating... uhm.... I should stop resting so much!!

Daddy preps the car and Mickey Maran.  His side kick is right there to tell him how to do it.

Maran making sure it is done right.  She said "YES DADDY THAT LOOKS GOOD"

 Maran and Luke at the scene

The final results--not perfectly straight but good enough.  Maran's help added to the perfection.

Believe it or not we are not "BUMPER STICKER PEOPLE".  We have no problem with those who are but have never felt the need to have them.  For us to have the MICKEY FAMILY is a big deal.  Also we have a MICKEY HEAD on the antenna where Mickey faces backwards.  It's called 'bringing up the rear'.  He likes to see where we have been.   On the other side is a VERY SMALL N.C. STATE STICKER.  You just can't leave your ole' Alma mater out.  (INSERT... "GO PACK" we have waited a while to be proud of our football team again.  Being a State fan is often like being a Carolina Panthers fan... it takes A LOT OF PATIENCE).  I love how Maran's sticker looks bigger than Luke's (at least in the picture it does). 

She is getting along so well.  She loves to count and sing the ABC's.  She is a sweet & loving child who absolutely adores her daddy.  She is equally fine with both of us but prefers him.  Luke is, and has always been, a daddy's boy so David gets no rest. 

Our home is full of love, joy, loudness, pitter-patter, sibling rivalry and toys everywhere.  One day it will be organized again but until that day comes we will just play and enjoy the wonders that each day brings.  God IS GOOD!

Hugs --



Winter Wonderland

We woke up to a WINTER WONDERLAND and how breathtaking it was. This is our first TRUE White Christmas.  I recall wearing shorts and t's on many Christmas Days.  As a child we would go see my grandparents on Christmas Day and would occasionally get snow (Greensboro, High Point area) but NEVER has it snowed in Charlotte on Christmas Day since I have been alive.  It started last night around 7 or so.  We made it home from Winston Salem just in time.  Winston was a nice layer of snow when we left.  Waking up this morning was so nice.  It was chilly (of course) the house was a disaster and it didn't matter.  We went outside to play and Maran and Luke had a blast.  We came in for home made hot chocolate (OK I am NO Betty Crocker but the package stuff I think is better although I am not a huge Hot Chocolate Fan).

We played with more new toys and discovered things that had gotten overlooked in the frenzy.  We ate Tomato Soup for lunch and hot cheese sandwiches toasted in the oven.  Maran liked neither of them.  She ate Doritos.  Lunch of Champions!  This is the most relaxing day I have had in YEARS... yes Years.  It was so nice to do really nothing but even nicer to be around those who love me unconditionally.  More days like this are welcome.  SNOW KEEP FALLING!!! 

Little Miss Sassafras ready to play.

Luke had to check on Thomas to make sure he was doing fine.

Heading out for some fun.

Luke towing Maran.

Luke says "We can still slide". 

We fell some too....well we fell A LOT!

We were SOAKED from head to toe so off came our clothes.  We were so wet from the sledding that even our skivvies got soaked!

Abbey was not too happy for us to return.  She likes the peace and quiet of an empty house at times.

Wishing you a beautiful Winter Wonderland......

Just to CLARIFY

We ARE into safety and we do have helmets.....yesterdays crash was a MILD fender bender which consisted of 'rolling into each other' so it was not truly a crash.  BOTH helmets (YES I KNOW WERE NOT ON YESTERDAY) are approved and rated by the DOT.  WE DO practice safety but were a bit lax yesterday for the few minutes they rode.  Accidents can happen at any time we know. SO IN CASE you think we are not taking our children's safety into consideration... we honestly do!!  I think that today we needed helmets while playing in the snow.... pictures to follow it was fun but truly full of crashes! 

Stay warm.... homemade hot chocolate is on the stove.........

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas......

This holiday season has been extra special to us and our extended family because of our new bundle of joy.  Bundles of joy don't always have to be infants now do they?  To add to the festivities of our already over zealous crowd (mom being the ring leader of course) Maran fell into the parade in high stride.  She never missed a beat and hung out like a true trooper.  Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Peggy's house in Weddington (about a 25 minute drive from our house).  We enjoyed a wonderful Italian dinner of HOME MADE LASAGNA, ziti and CHICKEN PARMESAN.  (This has become a Gieser tradition.... ITALIAN on Christmas Eve... a REAL treat).  We got home about 9:30 with two children who were asleep in tow (at least for a short while).  Thankfully we bathed them and jammied them at Peggy's house so the transition from car to bed was pretty simple.  What was not simple is that EVERY one of us is sick and Maran woke first with an extremely sore and raw nose and would not stop crying.  She only wanted daddy and she finally let us put some Aquaphor under her red little nose.  Rudolph would have had stiff competition with her for sure.  We were also able to get some Vick's on her chest and she was soon fast asleep.  She didn't understand the fact that Santa was coming today although she TOTALLY loves Santa and jumped right into his lap at the mall and even answered his questions (not sure they were accurate but that's irrelevant).  Her retirement meant that we could finish some last minute wrapping and help Santa unload his sleigh at the back door.  It was quite a large load this year so the door had to be used instead of the chimney.  David and I were in bed around 11 so it was great.  The first one to wake was Maran around 7:50 and she jumped in our bed and hung out quietly telling David and I to be super quiet so we wouldn't wake Luke.  We finally made it into the tree area around 8:20.  Luke felt so bad last night I don't think he truly even remembered that it was the day that Santa came. 

They enjoyed their gifts and loved opening them up.  It was quite cute.  We went outside to play with the remote control cars first.  Then out came the ATV's... LET THE SHOW BEGIN.  We had a couple of crashes but overall things went well.  Our traditional Steak & Egg breakfast was great and then off to Grandpa's house we went (really Aunt Jean's house but Grandpa was there).  It started snowing on the way and it was beautiful.  It was truly picture postcard perfect.  It was landing so beautifully on the side of the road and thankfully NOT sticking to the road (not yet at least). After a wonderful meal at Aunt Jeans (you NEVER get anything but wonderful from her kitchen) we opened some gifts and quickly got in the car to go to Winston to deliver more gifts and head home as it was snowing hard by now and really starting to accumulate.  In most parts of North Carolina any amount of snow halts any and everything and traveling is first and foremost.  We got to Winston and dropped in for no more than 10 minutes and back on the road we were.  It only snowed for less than half the trip home so it was not too terrible.  We left just in time because the places that we were are a WINTER WONDERLAND now.  We wanted to stop and see my cousin and Uncle Leon but we couldn't take the risk. 

We are home now and the sleigh is unloaded (again).  It has started to snow and is very pretty.  Everyone is in bed and almost asleep.  PEACE on Earth.  There is a lot of heavy breathing and sniffling since we all are sick and sound pretty pitiful.  What a joyous day it has been.  It has  been memorable for me especially.  My first Christmas with a daughter.... a Christmas where I got 4 pairs of boots ( I SO LOVE BOOTS) and one where I received two of the most beautiful hand made gifts ever.  I got to see my entire family except my sister (which normally doesn't happen at Christmas) and now we are safe and sound in our comfy home.  As well all of our family members are safe and where they wanted to be for the night. 

I feel  both relief and bittersweet right now as Christmas Day 2010 is about to come to an end.    I have always made Christmas a huge production at our house and always will.  I simply love it.  This year I was more unorganized than ever and I think it was one of the best ever.  NO one missed the coffee cake that I forgot to make this morning.  We made do with NO SACRIFICE with only one fresh apple cake instead of the 3 I usually make and no one noticed that we didn't put up our usual NC STATE WOLFPACK Christmas tree.  Simple was the mode and it was the right one for us. 

We are blessed to have the family that we do both immediate and extended.  We are honored to be called mommy and daddy by two of the most beautiful and loving children ever and we pray for Peace on Earth and the safety of our armed forces.   We pray for them year round not just at the holidays and we always pray for their families to have strength. 

I hope you had a Merry Little Christmas because sometimes a 'little' Christmas is all you need.

Joy to the World!  May your heart be light.

 Snow at Aunt Jean's House

 Christmas Eve

 Christmas Day at Aunt Jean's.

 Maran's First Ride on her ATV.

 Slightly before the first crash.

. NOTE MARAN's HEAD IS DOWN as it's better for an impact crash.

 A blurry crash sight photo.

Luke preparing for drag racing. 

Hugs and Holiday Cheer----

Lil' MIss Sassy's Holiday Pictures

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL

 It's amazing how much she has changed in the short while we have had her.  She is such a daddy's girl and now prefers him over me which is a nice change.  It has given me a break but poor Daddy doesn't get to eat or do many things for that matter when she is awake.  Add Luke and daddy has a double force on him.  HE LOVES EVERY MINUTE  OF IT and it has given me a break since she always had to be around me. Her hair is growing so fast.  (It has been trimmed twice as the back really wants to be a mullet in a bad way).  She can make incredible things out of paper which are amazing.  She will make a hat and then turn it into a boat.  She can fold clothes PERFECTLY and is an organizer.  She loves to tell everyone 'bye bye' and shares the love with them by blowing them kisses.  She will often tell them to "put it in their pocket" as Luke tells people to put his kisses in their pocket and save it for later because you 'never know when you need a kiss'. (it was fun teaching him that as a baby and even funner now with Maran).  Her English is INCREDIBLE!  Her favorite phrase so far is "OH MY GOODNESS".  She has yet to miss a THANK  YOU since she has been taught the word and now "PRETTY PLEASE" is coming out.  The mam's and sir's are adorable too.  We say please so I am not sure where the pretty please came from but it is super cute.  She tells us when she is hungry, has to go potty, when she wants to leave, when she wants a different DVD and many other things. She will count to 20 and now WILL say the number 4 (Chinese apparently do NOT like this number but I think it's pretty cool) and will hold up her fingers to accompany the number.  She will sing and say her ABC's.  Right now Jingle Bells is her favorite song followed by a Thomas tune that she sings in both Chinese and English (go figure that one). Sometimes at night she has some bad dreams and she cries.  She is not awake but she is whining and crying and it is the saddest thing ever.  At times she will start to cry for no reason at all.  While this is sometimes frustrating it is totally sad too as it is a part of her 'past' that is sneaking back into her life.  This little girl has so many secrets that we will never know.  I pray every day that she will not remember the 'bad' and  traumatic parts of her past.

 She intentionally looked down for this picture as she was being a character.  Cousins Dylan (A Marvin Mavericks football player) and Stephanie (A UNCC CHEERLEADER) are in the picture.

 Luke and Maran both have UNCC Cheerleader outfits so they can be like their cousin Stephanie who cheers for the 49'ers.

My favorite picture of all. Luke is wearing his daddy's jacket and hat. Maran's Christmas outfit is adorable.  Some days she loves dresses and other days she prefers the 'grunge' look. 

Chinese Anyone? NO...the language not the food!

If only I knew what this child was saying and what was going through her mind I would feel so much better. First, her telling Luke off is quite funny in a bad way I know. She can go from zero to ninety and shake that finger like tomorrow is never coming. She won't let him get a word in and it is crazy. If only.... You know the old saying "Some things are better left unknown"... well, maybe this sassy frantic finger shaking diatribe falls into that category.   It is even more hysterical when English words slip into her diatribe like "I told you no". UHM.......

Shhh... the Social Worker came and Saw our Children Getting Along!

Well, at least for a short while.  IF ONLY... it had lasted.  Our one month POST Adoption home study was done yesterday.  Great timing... with the events of last week (CRAZY WORK WEEK to put it mild) a Christmas Holiday Drop in that was INCREDIBLE and prepping for the social worker it has been quite a week.  (NO WONDER I SLEPT SO WELL LAST NIGHT).  3 hours of sleep in two nights and so on... so that gives you the picture.  Add to that hands that have NEVER hurt this bad EVER and we have the 'perfect storm' (sorry I feel much better now that I have complained). 

So the social worker arrives and Luke immediately grabs her hand and takes her to the Christmas tree where he has to show her the THOMAS and POLAR EXPRESS train.  After a few minutes of chugging Maran grabs her and proceeds to take her to the bathroom to show her her toothbrush.  She then takes her to her bedroom and shows her where she puts her dirty clothes.  OK kind of CUTE I must admit.  Luke then grabs her and shows her HIS dirty clothes hamper and we keep on from there.  Finally she sits in the playroom.  I got a bad feeling but thought... OK there is no way that they could have been any more adorable thus far so we may just be OK.  WRONG.  Luke decides that Maran can't sit on daddy's lap and this starts the bad behavior rolling.  He then decides it is time to chunk some trains and say "NO" and tell Maran to go to time out.  Keep in mind that Maran was sitting there doing nothing but breathing so there would be no reason for time out.  I see the social workers eyes get really huge.  I think...oh my how to recover from this nice blow up?  Well after Luke had  his mini melt down and is in time out he comes back and he apologizes to everyone in the room.  Shewww.... on the way to recovery I am thinking.  Well, not so fast there...... we have some more sharing issues and get past them and FINALLY they play on a chair together before  fighting over daddy's lap again.  (LUKE MUST be on the right knee and Maran on the left).  She leaves and Maran 'SHARES THE LOVE' by blowing kisses and telling her to "BE SAFE" and Luke rubs her hand and kisses it.  OK so maybe a BETTER ending makes up for the "BAD MIDDLE".  Beginning was good... middle NOT SO GOOD...ending memorable?  We can only hope so. 

Thankfully we met our family at MELLOW MUSHROOM (newly opened in Charlotte) for dinner and they had $5.00 wine.  Great timing.  It was nice to see our family although I was exhausted.  We get home and I head to the store to see if I can find BATH ROBES for our ride on the POLAR EXPRESS tonight.  If they had them they were gone.  So new Jammie's for all.... now freshly washed, folded and waiting for departure at 1 pm today.  We go to Bryson City to ride the POLAR this afternoon.  How exciting... well it is exciting except for the long car ride.  Thankfully we will our TEFIE (our niece) with us who is a GOD SEND with children.  Woot Woot! 

GOOD RIDDANCE to a WEEK of DISASTER!

It is with great happiness that I bode the past week farewell. It was a week of craziness, chaos, disaster, thanklessness, selfishness and many more things. Have you ever tired to make good out of something bad? Well, I spent the better part of the week trying to do just that and boy I am worse for the wear. So goodbye to last week. I hope that NO PART of you returns. For those who found some kind words and know of the events I thank you dearly. It is nice to know that your friends can pull you away from even the largest of disasters even if they can not make it all go away. Sorry but this blog entry is about ME. One day I will get my blog going....it will be called "MY WARPED CHILDHOOD"....oh and I have to say... it was incredibly warped to say the least. Keep on Chugging and smile even when it seems the world wants to spit on you!! I can't wait for the Christmas Party tonight. I know it will be fun and a much needed relief. Happy Hanukkah to my many dear friends who celebrate this holiday and a good HOLIDAY Saturday evening to those who are celebrating the Christmas Holiday Season!