Easter

Friday we went to a local church's Easter Eggstravaganza. We had to park our cars a distance from the church and then they bused people to the church on school buses. Well, Karla could have just rode on a school bus that day and she would have been happy. She was EXCITED to be on a school bus "like big kids". She did an Easter egg hunt, bouncy castles, and a big inflatable slide. We went with Grammy and Pap-Pap since they had the day off. Just as we got to the big slide Pap-Pap saw one of his students from school so he had her help Karla up the big slide. It is a good thing too because Karla really wanted to go up and I don't think she could have done it without some help! I was amazed at how much braver she is now...I don't think she would have done the bouncy things or the slide 6 months ago, especially without a friend that she is familiar with! She saw one of the bouncy house things as soon as the egg hunt was over and made a bee-line for it! How did she even know what it was?!? The weather was sunny and HOT! It was a perfect day for the festivities. I'm looking forward to going again next year. The only thing we didn't get to do was sit on the Easter bunny's lap. We waited too long and they started turning people away so the Easter bunny could leave on time. :)

Minutes before the egg hunt began...


Loving all the bouncing!


Inflatable slide....yes, that is Karla with the "balloon" dress and her underwear showing.


Saturday Grandma and Grandpa came over. We all went to church for Karla's choir rehearsal. The children's choir was singing Easter Sunday. Last Easter was the first time Karla attempted to sing in the choir...and she ended up not going up in front when it was time (she just wanted her Mommy) and that was fine, I didn't mind! This year she was excited to go up. She didn't sing a whole lot I don't think but I thought she did a fine job for being the youngest kid up there!

Isn't it a great blessing that Karla has now been home for TWO Easters!?!? I kept thinking about that this weekend. I'm so thankful!

Anyway, Karla had a good time with her grandma and grandpa. They gave her an Easter gift and some new flip-flops. She has hardly taken the flip-flops off!!!

Helping peel potatoes for our "Easter dinner"


Sunday morning Karla came into our bedroom when she woke up and was standing right by my head when I woke up. She said "Mommy, is it Easter time now?" Even though I could have kept sleeping I had to smile and get up because it was so cute how excited she was. She knew it was time to get an Easter basket! We all got up and went downstairs to find her Easter basket. I loved watching her pull things out that I knew she would love! I did (accidentally) go overboard and got her more things than she needed for Easter. Everything did not fit in the basket! She was very excited about each thing and acted so surprised. She is funny!

Then we went to church and actually had behavior issues there for the first time, so I missed most of the service. Thankfully the children's choir sang at the beginning of the service...

The rest of the day got better. She took a decent nap and then we went to have dinner with Grammy, Pap-Pap, and both Tio Ryan and Tio Kevin. There was also another egg hunt with more chocolate and more Easter baskets!!

We had a really great Easter weekend!

I'm going to have to upload pictures to flickr soon because I have so many to share! :)

American Idol

With the exception of this past week, Karla and I have been watching "American Idol." I have never really watched it much before but when my mom was here for my surgery, we started watching it and discovered Karla really likes to watch people sing. It also means I get a break from Dora and Max and Ruby!

Karla is funny when we watch the show. She notices the shoes, the clothes, the hair, the make-up...stuff I wouldn't even notice. She knows most of the contestants names and can remember what they did in previous weeks (I can't always do that!). When asked who her favorite contestant is, she always says, "I just love the judges." I don't know why she says that - but she says it every time!

Please click HERE to view a video of Karla, the next American Idol. For those of you who think Karla is quiet....be prepared. This is the REAL Karla and, as Karla says, "THIS IS....AMERICAN IDOL!!!!"

She mostly sings the word "love" in this video, followed by "I love them" and more "love." She adds "ballet moves" toward the end. Usually she won't perform if she is being video taped, so we were lucky with this one!

I hope you can view the video. I've been trying to post it for 2 weeks...

Funny Sayings

I'm having difficulty blogging lately - meaning I don't have a lot of motivation to do it for some reason. I guess we haven't done too much out of the ordinary recently. :)

Here are a few funny things Karla has said lately....the things I've remembered to jot down anyway.

*We went outside one day when it was pretty warm. As Karla was taking off across the yard I said "Karla, run like the wind". She stopped. Looked at me like I didn't know anything and said, "Mommy, wind doesn't run".

*We were getting ready to go to Lilliput (a place nearby with the play homes) and Karla wasn't cooperating when getting ready so I suggested maybe we shouldn't go. She yelled, "Yes. I want to go to silly putty!"

*Karla was playing with her Barbie's, Prince Louie and her newest Barbie, Mermaid Princess (for those of you on a first name basis with her Barbies). She said "Mommy, Prince Louie and Mermaid Princess are SO happy. They just adopted their baby!" Mermaid Princess was holding a baby from her dollhouse. I immediately texted Jason to tell him about it. :)

*Last weekend we saw my sister Brenda who is due to have a baby in May. Karla has been around pregnant women before occasionally but never paid much attention before. This time, she paid attention because it was her Tia Brenda. All this week Karla has been telling me there is a baby in her tummy. Sometimes after that she will pause and then say, "Oh, she just kicked". One day her baby moved up to her throat. :) It has raised some interesting questions. Luckily Karla never asked me if she grew in my tummy... I know she will one of these days and I'll answer her....but for now I'm okay with putting it off a bit longer.

Before the baby shower last weekend, after Karla had initially seen Tia Brenda and discovered there was a baby in her tummy, Karla pulled me aside and asked me if Tia Brenda ate her baby. She was dead serious and I actually did not start laughing but was able to answer her. I laughed about it later though!

Having some fun outside after the baby shower.

Hiding behind the couch in the sunroom with Audra. Karla and Audra played together ALL day! Karla loves her cousins!

Me, my sis, and my sis-in-law.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Aren't they cute?!?!

Yes, that is a polar bear swimming right about their heads!



For Jason's birthday yesterday we went to the zoo. Jason and Karla took a "zoo class" called "Teddy Bear Picnic." We signed up for it quite a while ago knowing Jason was going to take the day off. The two of them went to the class while I sat in a hallway and read a book (and loved every second of it). Jason and Karla saw a few live animals, learned about bears, sang about bears and made a craft (cookie that looked like a bear). Jason said Karla participated in the class once she warmed up and answered some of the teacher's questions.

After the class we all went and visited the animals!

Girl Time!

Two Sundays ago Karla and I had "girl time." We went to get our hair cut. When I used to go get my hair cut before Karla was home I'd go to Starbucks afterward. So I decided to let her be part of my "tradition." She's never been to Starbucks and was excited to go. She got a hot chocolate. :) She actually let me take her picture because Oso was posing for the picture NOT her. Oso was very excited about girl time...and the hot chocolate. :) At the salon she doesn't look happy but she was....she just purposely doesn't smile for the cameras anymore. She's still talking about our "girl time."

Adoption Day - FIRST Anniversary!!!!!!!!!

This was us last year!

For my "Adoption Day recap" from last year, click here.

In celebration of Adoption Day this year we went to Toys R Us last night and picked out a desk for Karla. Jason and I both have a desk in our "office" room so we thought Karla would like to have one too. Karla did get to play with her new desk a little last night before bedtime but it wasn't fully assembled yet. She seems to really like it and got right to work making pictures. This morning...she's back at it! "Working" with Oso this time. She's been "working" for almost an hour now!

It is an easel...

...and a desk!

Look at the back! All of her coloring books fit in.
Pap-Pap is in trouble. He gave Karla some markers that we just used for the first time...and I haven't been able to wash this off of her hand after two scrubbings. :)

Karla announced last night and this morning, "I need a puter (computer)now too, Daddy!" Jason and I both have laptops on our desks. I think she'll have to wait a while for her puter. :)


This is still one of my favorite pictures from last year. The whole time we were in the courtroom Karla was holding my fingers and playing with my hair. I loved it! :)


Happy Adoption Day Karla!!

Promised Pictures

At the Science Center. Karla wouldn't look at me so I didn't get a good picture.

My sweet girl.

Tio Kevin with his cake decorated by Karla.

Princess Karla. If we aren't playing Barbie's we are pretending that Karla is a princness, Cinderella, or Princess Aurora.


Karla just helped me complete my occupational therapy exercises for the first time at home. She is SO sweet! She uses encouraging words and everything! :) She is now working on making a picture for Daddy (another favorite activity that involves drawing and LOTS of cutting with her little scissors. Better go because now she wants to cut something else...