Sugar Cookies!

 

Several days before Christmas, I put Cadie at the kitchen table to decorate some sugar cookies and she took it very seriously.  This was only the beginning...she was at for a good half hour or so and they were quite attractive when all was said and done!  Just an FYI..."mom and pop" are Cadie's grandparents!  Enjoy.

Happy Gotcha Day - 1 year!

I never get tired of looking at this picture!  And neither does Cadie.  She is constantly carrying it around and saying "Mommy, Daddy, Baby."  No amount of video footage could have captured the emotion of our first minutes together better than this picture taken by another family, the McComas'.  We are so thankful to Carson for capturing these first moments for us.  We can hardly believe it's been 1 year.  Our trip is so fresh in our minds and China will always be in our hearts.  Acadia has adapted so well and she has a beautiful spirit for such a small child.  Happy Gotcha Day Cadie!

Trick or Treat!

The cutest Lion on the block!

Starting out in the wagon...

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First stop, Mimi and Bill's house

Snacking after foraging the neighborhood for candy!

The Halloween Parade at school, marching with Auntie Jenny.

Having fun, but holding on tight to Jenny

Taking her marching seriously

We almost cancelled trick or treating because the weather was so cold and rainy, but around 5:45 pm, the clouds parted and the skies cleared.  So we bundled up our babe and headed out in the wagon for her first ever Halloween night.  She didn't quite know what to make of it, but we talked about it for weeks and told stories to her and by the third house, she got the hang of it.  She can't quite get out "trick or treat" but she could roar and that seemed to be charming enough for the neighbors to toss some candy in her bucket.  She even score 3 whoopie pies from her "mimi and bill" next door!  She was one happy kid when we got home.  And in the 10 months that Cadie has been home with us, we have never seen her eat candy.....until tonight!  I can no longer brag that my child "doesn't like sweets!"  Yes, she's just like any other kid.  But I still think she's the cutest Lion ever!

On Friday, Cadie's school had their annual Halloween parade and open house.  Cadie's Auntie Jenny drove up from D.C. to march in the parade with her and "mom and pop" (my parents) were there as well.  Afterwards, we headed out to dinner for pizza.  She loved showing off her classroom and teachers to her Auntie and Grandma too!

A Birthday Party and NYC!

Eliott turns 2!

Eliott enjoying his very own cake

Cadie and Daddy at the party

Sweet kisses!

Quinn, with Annabelle and Howard at the Childrens Museum of Manhattan

Archie, Howard and Annabelle

Pretty little Annabelle!

Cadie and Daddy having fun at the museum

Quinn, Cadie, and Archie in the Fire Truck

Cadie on the slide in the museum

Quinn and Cadie- the calm before the storm!

Lunch- finally!

Quinn, Archie, Annabelle, Howard, Stephanie, and Cadie



The whole gang



Stephanie and Cadie having fun on the slides in Central Park

Smiling Howard

Annabelle-city chic!

Cadie in the park

Cadie and Daddy taking a break

Cadie and Mommy

A walk in the park

On Saturday Oct. 16th we attended a birthday party for our friend Elliot, who arrived home to his forever family in April. Elliot turned 2 years old and is the younger brother to 3 siblings, an older brother and 2 sisters.  We had a wonderful meal at a local chinese restaurant to celebrate.  Then on Sunday, we made the drive into New York City to meet up with 3 families from our China travel group.  We took the kiddo's to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, out to lunch and then to Central Park to play!  It was a beautiful fall day in the city and it was so special to see our travel families again.

 

A Day on the Eastern Shore!



Cadie and Aunt Holly having fun at the Horn Point Laboratory Open House!



Cadie using a magnifying glass to see all the interesting creatures in the tank!

Trying to find more interesting stuff with the flashlight!

Cadie's first Hayride- not so sure about this one!

She just wasn't enjoying this ride!

Now THIS is fun!  After the open house, we headed to the pumpkin patch!

She is really loving this Swing.

My happy girl.

She didn't get very far trying to pull this wagon!

So she stopped to count the pumpkins!



Playing with cousin Jack in the corn box!



Caving!

Cadie and Mommy by the Totem pole at the entrance to Woodward Cave

Cadie and Daddy getting ready to go in!

I LOVE this old building- it reminds me of the Whistle Stop Cafe in Fried Green Tomatoes

Heading in- and it is COLD!

Bundled up for the 45 minute tour of Woodward Cave

Thank goodness for playgrounds- this one had a FAST slide that kept her happy!

And a swing too!

Just practicing with the camera!

A few weeks ago we had our semi-annual caving event at Woodward Cave and Campground in Woodward, PA. While we didn't camp overnight (my parents live only 25 minutes away), we did enjoy the festivities on Saturday and Sunday, which included a tour of the cave.  I don't think Cadie thought too much of the caving tour, though at one point they turned out all the lights and she said "ooohhhh!" But we did enjoy time with fellow cavers, a great meal on saturday night, and an excellent presentation, as always.  Maybe someday, we'll do some REAL caving again...but then I hear China calling again!

A Wedding!

Cadie and Mommy waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Cadie and Daddy 

Cadie sitting quietly during the ceremony!

Cadie's Auntie Holly, a bridesmaid

The bride's adorable son

The groom's beautiful daughter

The beautiful bride, our friend, Sharon

Sharon and her dad coming down the aisle

Sharon and Chris

Cadie and Auntie Jenny

Cadie and Mommy on the swing...little gigglebox!

Cadie in front of the old log building

Cadie and her cousin Danielle, with Auntie Pammy and Mitchell

We attended a beautiful wedding a couple of weeks ago for our close family friend, Sharon.  It was at a beautiful country estate in Virginia and the rain held out long enough for a gorgeous outdoor ceremony.  My parents and sisters were all there and it was a really fun time.