Florida trip pictures, part two!

At the hotel in Orlando:

Kerri enjoys the kiddie pool:

Kerri jumping on the bed!

Downtown Disney:

Lego land:

At the T-Rex restaurant:

Disney ducks

Universal Islands of Adventure:

The "Hat on the Cat" , as Kerri calls him!

And back in the pool:

Tia:

Kerri makes friends at the pool:

Dinner at a Japanese restaurant:

And enjoying the grounds:

At the Olive Garden:

Kerri cut the cheese!

Arrival in Coral Springs, at our hotel, Kerri and Erin:

Tammie:

Lisa:

Mommy and Lisa:

Tammie and Mommy:

Kerri and Erin:

They love water fountains!

Friends forever:

I love this picture:

At the bookstore with Katie:

And back in our room watching Mulan II:

Pedicures!

The girls indulge:

And got their manicures done too:

Kerri and Erin's toes:

Can you believe they both wear the same size (6)? Kerri is almost 5 and Erin is 7 years old!

Our last day in Coral Springs was spent with friends. Olivia, Kerri, Erin and Dante pose:

Some how that never lasts too long!

The four amigos:

Look how much they have grown!

Kerri opening early birthday presents

The soul sistas pose!

OK, back to opening presents:

We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's, where we met Jolene and her beautiful daughters

Kerri, Erin, Jade and Emma

Later that evening, at McD's:

Kerri playing

Kerri, Erin, Katie and Ethan

The beautiful Chianna

Candy and Rachel

Fun at McD's!

Myke has a way with girls....

Katie takes a dip

Marc, Lori, Kerri, Erin, Katie Starr and Ethan

Candy and Kerri

Shari, Myke, Chianna and Kerri strike a pose. Thank you Shari for the gifts, we listened to the Disney CD the entire trip home!

Back home....Nana comes to visit!

You can tell by Kerri's face she was looking forward to this!

And if you are wondering, Kerri has not gained weight; she stuffed her plush animals into her jacket to keep them warm!

The pictures tell the story. Life with Kerri is picture perfect!

Goodbye Live Oak!

Today we started our trek home, and said goodbye to my parents. Kerri cried in the car and said she did not want to leave her grandparents. I promised her we would be back soon. We both love and miss everyone very much!

I will post more tomorrow night, as we are on the road and very tired.

Life with Kerri makes every journey worthwhile.

Weekend recap

Today was all about spending quality time with dear friends.

Breakfast was at a fancy pastry shop with Lisa and her children Dante and Olivia (and Tammie and Erin, who we have spent the entire weekend with!). It was followed by fun and frolicking in our hotel room.

Lunch was at Ruby Tuesdays, where we met up with the lovely Jolene and her daughters Jade and Emma. Thank you Jolene for driving so far just to see us! And after lots of laughs and good food, we headed to Target for some last minute shopping. Can you believe my van's thermometer registered a temperature of 108 degrees?

Dinner was at McD's, where we met up with our FCC friends Shari, Myke and Chianna; Lori, Marc, Katie and Ethan; Candy and Rachel; and of course Tammie and Erin. Kerri had a blast in the play area and loved seeing all her friends (as did Mommy!). She had a very hard time saying goodbye, especially to Erin. Kerri cried inconsolably the entire way to the hotel.

Thank you to everyone who came to see us this weekend. And to those we missed, we hope to make it back down soon. And a very special thanks to Kerri's godfamily, who spoiled her rotten and ensured she had lots of quality time with her BFF.

I took lots of pictures, and will post them when I get back home. Tomorrow we have some last minute shopping to do, and then we head up North to my parents' home. And in a few days we will begin our journey home to Daddy. We miss him terribly. But I am very glad we came. The last five days have been heaven for Kerri!

Life with Kerri is more than I ever hoped for.

Sunday, August 23 pictures!

Today we met Lisa and her children Dante and Olivia for breakfast, followed by a visit to our hotel room:

Kerri is jumping for joy!

The three amigos...girls rule!

Clowning around.

Kerri is so happy!

Who said beds were for sleeping?

Friends.

Kerri and Mommy.

Kerri can't believe Olivia is catching up to her!

Thank you Lisa for the pictures. We miss you already!

Friday, August 21 pictures!

Thanks to my friend Lisa for the pictures!

My friend Lisa took this picture as she surprised me at the door of our hotel room.

Kerri and Erin, together at last!

They are godsisters, soul sisters, and Erin is Kerri's BFF!

Mommy and Lisa, close up!

And not so close up!

Tammie and Mommy pose.

The girls always seem to find a water fountain to pose at whenever they get together.

This made the entire trip worthwhile!

Good friends are better than ice cream!

And better than chocolate!

Kerri, Erin and Katie Starr at Barnes and Noble!

Life with Kerri and friends is happiness.

Coral Springs updates

• Friday we started the day off lounging by the pool. Tia brought Kerri an alligator head, which Kerri now calls a "crockagator". It is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen, and Kerri loves it. Ewww!
• Tia invited us to a wonderful lunch, where Kerri cut up a mozzarella cheese stick, and Tia told her she cut the cheese. And as soon as we giggled, Kerri repeated it over and over and the entire restaurant found out Kerri cut the cheese. Repeatedly!
• We had great weather for our trip down south, and spent the evening in the company of great friends. Sushi dinner, a trip to a bookstore and a party in our hotel room ensued. Kerri went to bed very late, but happy!
• Saturday we went shopping. Kerri has outgrown her Britax Marathon, so we upgraded to a pink Britax Frontier booster. We are both happy with the new seat!
• We also had a girls' beauty day, and Kerri and her godsister got their hands and toes done. Mommy now has new long, beautiful and useless nails and is typing with one finger. I have to get used to these things again, and the first time I went to the bathroom was a reminder of that!
• We are enjoying our time here, but it is quickly coming to an end. Tomorrow we will be meeting friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I just wish we had more time and could see more of our FCC friends!
• This trip for Kerri has been all about reconnecting with her Florida friends, but especially her godsister.
• Mommy, on the other hand, is not getting much sleep! And the 100 degree heat and humidity here is just gross. I miss the North!
• Monday we are going to head back to my parent's home for a few more days, and then we start our road trip home to Daddy. I am not looking forward to the drive, but cannot wait to see my wonderful hubby again!
• Wait until you see all the pictures I took! I will upload them once I am back home and can use MY laptop!

Life with Kerri keeps me smiling.

Cat in the Hat day!

I wanted to note something that happened to us at one of the Downtown Disney stores on Wednesday. I was at the cashier, and one of the employees was a beautiful girl with a name tag that said her name was Vivian, and that she was from Shanghai. Tia noticed it, and we started talking with her, and she was enthralled with Kerri. She kept saying Kerri was a very lucky girl. And Tia and I (at the same time) said we were the lucky ones, we are blessed to have Kerri in our lives. (It has become such an automatic response!). Kerri even spoke a little Chinese with Vivian, and she was in no hurry to see us leave. It was almost as if everyone around us were frozen in time, and there was just us talking. No one in line complained, everyone seemed fascinated with what was happening.

I rarely find anyone that shares my name, but the connection was solely between Kerri and Vivian. It was amazing, because we don't even see an "adopted Chinese orphan" when we look at Kerri. Her Daddy and I only see our beautiful, funny and amazing daughter, and it's easy to forget that we attract attention because of our differences. Most of the time, I conclude people are just taken with Kerri because of her outgoing personality. It was a wake up call to me that Kerri is reminded constantly that she is different and adopted.

Yesterday we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Tia got us preferred parking, and we had the "best day eber!", as Kerri likes to say. As we entered CityWalk, Kerri found dancing water fountains that squirt up. She immediately spent a joyous ten minutes getting drenched. Then we entered Dr. Seuss-land, and we never got any farther. Kerri was in Cat in the Hat heaven! She loved all the themed rides, shops, and restaurants. But she did not like the characters at all, and told Cat in the Hat to "go away!". And yes, Mommy got her shop on too. So did Kerri!

After half a day, I had blisters on my feet. It was so hot we all started to get cranky and tired, so we headed to the hotel with the intention to cool off in the pool and return later to visit the other theme park (the original Universal Studios). We stopped to pick up some sneakers for my achy feet, and Tia bought Kerri a beach ball and pool ring. Kerri made new friends at the pool, and did not want to get out. She stayed in the pool all afternoon playing until 6:18 pm (and the park closes at 7, so we never made it back). No worries, we might return on our way back up North.

So instead, we did the next best thing and went to a cool Japanese restaurant. Our server Mai told us that her sister in Italy was adopting from China and complained about the 6 year wait. Mai and the other employees were fascinated with Kerri's love for Ubon noodle soup, and amazed that she finished the entire bowl by herself (no surprise there for me!). We had a delicious dinner, and I even tried Gator tail for the very first time (yum!). Made me wonder if there are a lot of Florida gators walking around with part of their tails missing. And then we took lots of pictures on the beautiful property, especially of the enormous fish pond.

Back at the hotel, Tia's doberman Sadie visited, and we chatted until late. Kerri crashed in bed out of sheer happy exhaustion. This morning we are going to lounge at the pool and relax until check out time, and then we are headed to Coral Springs, South Florida!

Life with Kerri is a reminder of how very blessed we are.

Kerri's smiles

Thank you Tia for sending us these pictures!

Life with Kerri is joy.

Downtown Disney!

It never fails, Kerri is always counting down the days to leave somewhere and then when the time comes she gets all teary and does not want to leave. But once we get there, she does not want to go back! I guess a girl has the right to change her mind. Constantly.

Today we left Live Oak and went to Orlando, where we met up with Tia. We had a fabulous time in Downtown Disney! Kerri loved Lego Land, and the new Rex restaurant (think Rainforest Cafe but with dinosaurs). And after dinner and the shows, she went to Build a Dino (same company as Build a Bear) and Tia helped her adopt a pink dino. Kerri is still deciding on a name.

Kerri also enjoyed the hotel kiddie pool when we arrived, and when we got back too. And we have been lucky that it only rained when we were indoors.

As for me, I shopped, and shopped, and shopped! Daddy is getting lots of new Goofy things. And chocolates.

Tomorrow we are headed out to Universal Studios to visit both theme parks. If today is any indication, Kerri is going to have a blast! I can't figure out how to upload the pictures, so they will come later.

Life with Kerri is DINO-mite!

Sunshine state?

I think Florida should change it's motto, because "the sunshine state" just does not seem to apply here. It's more like the tropical storm state! Yesterday my sister and family were over for a barbecue, and all of a sudden it turned dark. Torrential sideways downpours and 55 mile an hour winds accosted my parents' mobile home. The lights kept going on and off, which was almost funny (because every time it went off I would get up to go get a portable oxygen tank for Mom, only to have them flicker back on the moment I got to the tank).

The aftermath left the property with scattered tree branches everywhere, and flooding in the living room. It reminded me of one of the reasons we hated living in Florida. The 101 degrees of heat with 100% humidity is another reason. Bad drivers is another reason. I better stop before I tick off all my Floridian friends. :o)

Today my Dad is trying to beat the weather systems and is headed to Mississippi for a much needed vacation. While he enjoys a luxe hotel and casino, I will take his place caring for Mom 24/7, which is a full time job in itself. And then there is the house, cooking, cleaning and entertaining Kerri too. Dad may not want to come back! (Just kidding). Actually I am not kidding. He better come back!

Weather permitting -because there are two more storms heading our way - Kerri and I will be heading to Universal Studios in Orlando mid-week. And weather permitting, we will then go to Coral Springs for the weekend. I say weather permitting, because thunderstorms and heavy rains are forecasted this entire week. That is in addition to Tropical Storms Ana and Bill, which may become hurricanes and are headed straight to Florida. We may not get the chance to do much. Whatever happened to the sunshine state? I guess it's a state of mind. Ugh.

Life with Kerri is a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day.

Checking in...

• We are counting down the days to Orlando! We head out next week for a few fun days, and then Kerri and I will be going to South Florida for a few more days.
• Mom is hanging in there. She has her ups and downs, but she still can beat me at card games and Yahtzee, so it's all good.
• The beautiful pine forest in front of my parents' home was cut down. It looks awful, and the beautiful landscape, shade, and whispering winds are all gone.
• I will post pictures and catch up on blogging when we get to Orlando, since we will have high speed and the use of my laptop there.
• I will also catch up with my favorite blogs then too, sorry!
• Pookie is getting groomed today, yay!
• Hubby is on a date with Carol. He is taking her out to dinner while they wait for Pookie. I am sure they have lots of catching up to do, since Carol missed hubby's birthday because she was sick.
• Kerri is bored. She has been enjoying her cousin Chelsea every day, but cries when she leaves. And here she has to be quiet, versus at home she is allowed more freedom.
• Kerri is looking forward to meeting certain characters in Orlando next week - I hope we can find some!

Life with Kerri keeps me focused.

Updates from Live Oak

• Friday we had a fun four hours with Tia Veronica. We went shopping, had fun at Cracker Barrel and then we were off to my parents' house. We are looking forward to seeing Tia real soon. Thanks for all the goodies, Tia!
• Dad looks tired. Mom says he is not sleeping well. He headed out Saturday for a fun fishing weekend trip. He never rests on these trips, but has alot of fun. And tonight he told me he caught lots of fish! He is heading back here tomorrow evening.
• Hubby turns 39 tomorrow. I am so sorry we will not be there to celebrate with you, but Kerri has a huge birthday gift planned for you upon our return! We love and miss you!
• Mom scared me today, she bled out and for a while there I thought I was going to have to call 911. I monitored her blood pressure and am keeping a close eye on her. She is thankfully pain free, since they have increased her morphine doses.
• I think nursing is not for me. I don't know how my Dad does this day in and day out.
• I cut my Mom's hair! And shaved off part of her eyebrow in the process.
• My sister Denise has been awesome. She has come every day and is staying over nights while Dad is gone. I know this is hard for her and her family, and I am very grateful for all of her help.
• Speaking of my sister's family, they came over today for lunch. I cannot get over how much the kids have grown in just a few months! I took pictures, but will need to wait until I have a better connection to upload them.
• Cousin Chelsea will be coming over tomorrow to play with Kerri all day. We are looking forward to seeing her again!
• Kerri is having a hard time sharing Mommy with Grandma. She says things like: "You love Grandma more than me.", and "You don't care about me anymore.". I think having Chelsea here to entertain Kerri will help.
• My cousin is flying in from Argentina on Tuesday for just one day to see Mom before heading to Canada for a wedding. I can't wait to see her, it's been way too many years!
• I am thinking of heading to Orlando sometime after the 17th, and am looking forward to some park time with Kerri! We will probably head to South Florida after a few days in Orlando, and will keep everyone posted.
• Pookie is getting a new groomer. Hubby finally had enough with the super pet place. We will never use their services again. Pookie will now be pampered at an exclusive doggy salon, lucky pooch!

Life with Kerri makes me smile, especially on hard days.

Hola from Saint Augustine, Florida!

It's been a long day so I will keep today's post short too.

Today was a much more difficult day. For starters, it rained pretty hard, on and off, all day. An 18 wheeler blew and shredded a tire, and no matter how much I swerved to avoid it, the Mama Mobile still got hit head on by a huge chunk of flying rubber and steel. I think it is still under my car. And Kerri decided to stop to pee in the toilet every half hour. But then she had an accident and now her car seat is soaking wet. We saw several bad car accidents. And a beautiful yellow butterfly got tangled up in my windshield wipers and died.

Then Kerri started asking all the hard questions. About why she was abandoned. She wanted to know why her family did not leave a note or name her. Since my daughter is so logical and smart, the questions got more philosophical and tougher to answer. And the conversation ended with a promise that I would show her when she is ten years old exactly how babies are made and carried, and how they are birthed. I have a migraine now.

We arrived at our hotel around 9ish PM. Five minutes after checking in, the manager knocked on the door to advise that the people below our room called several times to complain we were stomping loudly on the floor. It was Kerri, all 40 pounds of her. So I told Kerri to jump on the bed instead.

We ordered pizza, and I am waiting for the vertigo to stop. And counting my blessings that we are here safe, and that my brilliant daughter is finally asleep. Ah, peace and quiet!

Tomorrow we meet Tia and then we are headed to my parents' home. I miss hubby, Pookie and my bed.

Life with Kerri keeps me going.

Hello from Stafford, VA!

Kerri and I are safe and sound in our hotel room in Stafford, Virginia! We have ordered Chinese food, and Kerri has jumped on the big King size bed, oh, about 45 times. She has advised we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, so I will keep this post short.

Check back tomorrow for our next post from Saint Augustine, Florida!

Life with Kerri makes being stuck in traffic fun.

More party pictures!

Thank you cousin David for the great pictures!

Pre-birthday bash, part deux!

The princesses start the day with a smile, but the tedious royal chores are just boring to Pookie!
The birthday king with his new Mickey ears crown, courtesy of cousin David!

The boys hang out on the couch after a great luncheon!

The birthday bash was so much fun! Nana's cute new boyfriend Cristiano came over, and Kerri could not pronounce his name and called him "Pistachio". Cousin David came over and after a yummy meal, there was Karaoke galore. Here is my favorite video from today, where everyone participated in the song "Love Shack":




After more fun and games, we ended the day with a barbecue and watched "The Cat in the Hat" movie. And when hubby was about to take cousin David home, Kerri announced that she was in love, David is her new boyfriend, and she is going to marry him. She handed him one of the royal rings leftover from Saturday's party, and announced that she was now engaged. And sighed and rolled her eyes. We are in so much trouble!

Life with Kerri makes every day worth celebrating.

Kerri throws a party!

Kerri decided to throw Daddy a birthday party and invited all the neighborhood kids over. So Mommy went to the salon to get her hair done for Kerri's first party!

I think Pookie is not that interested in having his picture taken.

Anyways, Kerri formed committees, and two of the older girls were in charge of decorations. They created this sign for hubby:

Kerri was in charge of games and activities, and it took several trips to several stores to get exactly what she wanted. She really put a lot of thought into this day.

Here you can see her mind at work. Note the eyes, the look of deep thought!

The older girls were also in charge of assisting the smaller ones with decorating their own royal crowns. They did a superb job!

The princesses display their royal work of art:

The birthday king himself supervised the day, along with Duchess Nana:

The royal court stopped to pose for a picture before playing "Guess how old the birthday boy is?":

The answers varied from 36, 39, 100, and one crowned prince even guessed one million years old.

Then came "Pin the tail on the royal donkey" game. Kerri helped everyone by telling them exactly where to put the tail because they were blindfolded:

And the birthday king even got a turn:

And ended up putting the tail in the donkey's ear.

Kerri checks the results:

After the winner was declared and the prize awarded, along came Duchess Nana with the royal carriage pinata:

And stopped so the paparazzi could take a closer look:

And once the pinata was opened, the crowd quickly collected the treasures:

While the king ensured all the candy was handed out to his loyal subjects, although he was caught pocketing a few for himself.

And the loyals stooped at his feet in awe of his generosity. Who am I kidding, it was free candy!

And then they descended upon the royal feast of goblets containing cotton candy, popcorn, chips, cupcakes, and juice boxes. Because not enough sugar had been consumed already.

And everyone shared in the good fortune:

Even the Duchess was caught confiscating the royal rings from the cupcakes when no one was looking:

And this was how Princess Kerri threw her Daddy her first ever birthday party.

I think it was a huge success. Three hours after it ended, the loyal royals all remained to continue the party on their own and play games on our royal lawns. Way to go Kerri!

Life with Kerri is regal.