For Kerri ~ Grandma Felisa

From the moment she met you...
Grandma loved you.

You made her laugh...

and made her smile.

And she was there for your first birthday...

and your second birthday...

and you were there for her birthday too.

She taught you how to play cards and "poker"...

and how to draw and write.

And she loved your Pookie too.

She was there for your third birthday...

and we visited her as often as we could.

Your grandparents love you very much.

You were thrilled when she sent you a scarf or a bear...or two!

And the holidays were special times.

Your Bobe will always watch over you.

And you carry her Hebrew name in her honor.

We will always remember the last time we saw Grandma...just last month.

And Grandma always said you were special to her.

Never forget that.

Kerri's 5th birthday party!

Mommy, Daddy and Kerri (and her friends!) celebrated Kerri's 5th birthday at PlayTime4Kids on Saturday, September 26, 2009:

Kerri bounced,

and swung,

and slid,

and climbed!

Meanwhile, our professional photographer (the lovely Nana) had her camera turned on her for a change:

Kerri also loved the arcade,

and sliding with friends:

especially her dear friend Maria!

So there was more bouncing.

until it was time to eat:

A feast of popcorn, chips, cookies, and pizzas was served:

and Kerri promptly took over the popcorn and created popcorn pizza (take a close look!):

And then it was finally time for her cake, her favorite Batman:

And we all sang happy birthday,

while Kerri made her wishes:

and then blew out her candles with a little help from her friends!

Yes my girly girl picked a Batman cake. Sigh.

Kerri won a teddy bear, and she spent the rest of the day holding it:

but first we had to eat cake!

And after more fun in the arcade and play area, and more prizes and loot bags galore, it was time to bring the real loot home:

And as Kerri likes to say, she "had the bestest birthday party eber!"

She especially loved her new princess jewelry:

and decided to wear all her accessories at once!

And then we celebrated and partied some more at Boston Pizza:

And the staff all came and announced Kerri's birthday to the entire restaurant, clapping and singing until she blushed!

And it really was the best day eber!

And I could not finish this post without thanking our lovely photographer Nana and Kerri's sidekick Pookie:

I think Pookie likes Nana...

almost as much as we do.

Thank you to everyone who made Kerri's birthday special, and for those of you who could not be here, we felt your love from afar.

Life with Kerri is the bestest eber!

Fun Friday!

Today Kerri and I went to get our nails done at a Vietnamese owned and operated nail salon. You would think a movie star was in the salon, the way the girls all oohed and aahed over Kerri. She even had to have her polish reapplied three times (because she kept messing up her manicure), and the ladies never complained - or charged me for that matter. It was interesting to talk to my nail technician about Vietnam, and I was surprised when she leaned over and whispered "you are so nice to adopt her." After my usual "we are the lucky ones" speech, she went on to tell me she was surprised a Caucasian would adopt an Asian child and treat her like she was Asian first, Caucasian second. I then realized Kerri was wearing her "Mei Mei" Chinese shirt.

After Kerri handed out Yogos to everyone in the salon and inspected everyone's choice of nail polish, we headed out to run some errands. Our last stop was at a new children's salon that opened close to my home. We were the only customers, so Kerri schmoozed the owner and made out like a bandit. She got a full haircut (but I was only charged for a bang trim - a whole $6!), and then given a lollipop and a tiara, that she is still wearing hours later.

Tonight Nana comes to visit and tomorrow I will have my camera ready for all the birthday party fun. We have a party for the kids first, then the adults are going out to eat with Kerri. It will be a long day, so I am bringing extra pain pills with me - there is no way I am missing this! No worries, hubby will handle the Mama Mobile.

Life with Kerri is full of anticipation!

Thursday updates

• Kerri is having a birthday party this Saturday at a party place that specializes in her age group. Her entire Kindergarten class is invited. There will be one hour of craziness on the play structures, and then another hour of food and entertainment in a private room, followed by another half hour of arcade machines, ticket counting and picking out goodies. Kerri has selected a "Batman" birthday cake. The only thing her Daddy and I have to do is take pictures!
• I ended up in the hospital because of the back pain that has kept me in bed the last three weeks. My discs are arthritic and one is worn but they are not the cause of the painful Sciatica. So I am awaiting my October 5th appointment with a specialist. In the meantime, I remain on medication. I am normally loopy, so no one is the wiser, but you can tell when I walk that there is something wrong.
• My Mom fell and is now in Hospice. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I so want to get on a plane and go there, but right now that is impossible in my current state of health.
• Thanks to our good friends Candy and Shari, we now know how to Skype! Hubby had his final interview via Skype and now we are awaiting patiently to hear the outcome. So we still don't know if we are moving to Paris or staying here. Hubby said using Skype was unnerving, since he had to look into the camera and could not see the person(s) reactions or expressions. I told him now he knows how an actor feels!
• Kerri is doing well in school, and has a new best friend, Vanessa. And the class already calls me by my new name, "Kerri's Mom". I think I remember my real name, but no matter where we go, I am "Kerri's Mommy". Parents call me to RSVP for the birthday party and ask, "is this Kerri's Mom?". So the next time I have to fill out a form that asks for my first name, I think I will write "Kerri's Mom". And I am proud of it, too.
• Speaking of RSVPs, I always get the awkward question regarding what Kerri wants as a gift for her party. And of course, I always answer that a gift is not necessary, only to be interrupted by Kerri who starts to yell out "I like Batman!". That usually breaks the ice, but boy, do I hate that question.
• Kerri is now into creating bug food. She says that "somebody has to feed the bugs." So we now have plastic containers on our front doorstep that contain mixtures of flour, rice, hand soap, crumbled paper and whatever else catches her fancy. It is disgusting!
• Fall appeared out of nowhere, while I was still waiting for summer to happen. It is now in the 60s and we are using sweaters in the mornings. The trees' leaves are turning orange and red, and some leaves have started to fall. Kerri has started a leaf collection.
• Kerri has decided that we no longer can pick out her clothing. Which means that yesterday she left the house with one purple feathered sock and one turquoise cotton sock. And striped pants with a flowery top that does not match. Topped off with a bright yellow jacket that totally stood out. Since her Daddy is taking her to school in the morning (because of my back), I get to be surprised every day when I pick her up. And then realize that she is the best dressed kid in her class! I am glad we are not the only ones who have a fashionista and creative dressing kid. As my friend Tammie likes to remind me, "if it doesn't kill you just let it go."

Life with Kerri is a kaleidoscope of love!

Good news!

Today we went to see the Pediatric Optometrist.

He said that Kerri's glasses are spot-on...meaning she does not need to get a new prescription!
And although she still sees double and is writing backwards and upside down...
...which the doctor said will result in her having educational delays, at least in reading/writing...
...her vision has improved from 20/60 to 20/40. That is very good news!

Kerri's next appointment is with the Pediatric Opthamologist in December, to rule out any other serious issues and check to see if Kerri needs surgery or will need a patch.

Life with Kerri is eye-opening.

Kerri and Pookie...

You would think they were siblings sometimes....

Life with Kerri is cute!

This is what "5" looks like...

Happy 5th birthday Kerri!

Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

More updates!

• Today I picked up Kerri at school only to be told by the teacher that Kerri's new (and expensive!) classroom sneakers were missing from her cubby this morning. So someone took them either Friday afternoon or during the weekend. Ugh! The teacher tried to blame Kerri (like she did with the lunch bag).
• There are 20 kids in Kerri's class. Wow.
• When we got home, I did not see one of Kerri's toys on the floor and I slipped and lost my balance. My injured leg and hip gave way, and I fell. So now I am in even more pain. But I have no one to leave Kerri with so I can't go to the hospital. And hubby is overwhelmed and asked me to wait until mid week, when he might be able to take a half day off from work.
• Hubby and Kerri went shopping tonight and brought me flowers! Beautiful pink roses from hubby and fuchsia carnations from Kerri - she picked them out herself!
• They also picked up pre-ordered cupcakes to take to school tomorrow, for Kerri's 5th birthday! And the cupcakes were made to match her birthday outfit. Her shirt, jeans, necklace and hair pins all have birthday cakes on them! Kerri picked that outfit herself in Florida. I will try to remember to take a picture tomorrow morning.
• I cannot believe that our little baby is turning 5 tomorrow. And that she has grown so much and is a really big girl now. Sniff.
• Kerri's birthday party has been postponed due to my back injury. I am hoping it will happen the weekend after this one. Thank goodness the party place we are hoping to use is flexible!
• Kerri is going through another growth spurt. She is now a size 6 and is eating non-stop!
• By the way, Kerri has a new husband lined up. It is one of her class mates from last year, and she told me that not only is she going to marry him, but she is going to kiss him.
• Including this new future hubby, Kerri has been engaged at age 3 and has lined up two other potential life partners before the current one. She tells me she wants to have options, just in case she becomes a widow. Sheesh!
• Kerri has also told me that we will live with her in her big and very clean house, and Daddy and I will sit in rocking chairs on her big porch playing checkers while she cooks. I told her she would have to go to college to get a good paying job to afford this. Her reply? "No, I don't, I will find a husband." I feel sorry for him already.

Life with Kerri passes by much too quickly.

Delayed updates...

• My back injury is acting up again, but this time it's different. The doctor is not sure what is causing this, so he has referred me to a specialist. In the meantime, I have spent the last nine days in bed, unable to stand or sit for more than a few seconds. The pain is excruciating, and there is no position that is comfortable. I am taking prescriptions, but they do not appear to be working.
• My poor hubby has taken over all the household duties and our meals are now all served in our bed. Kerri and Daddy keep me company, and Pookie has not left my side. He does take a few breaks to take of business, but comes right back within minutes. He also licks me frequently. Poor pooch is worried!
• Kerri's 5th birthday is on the 15th, in a few days. Mine is on the 17th. Unfortunately, I have to postpone her birthday party because of my injury.
• We are still not sure how this school year is going, Kerri already had her lunch bag stolen on the second day of school. Thankfully, the boy's mother returned the bag...I guess princesses are not what she envisioned for her son!
• Life does go on, so we are doing our best to get by. I think I might be headed to the hospital ER if I do not get an appointment soon, since I am not seeing any improvements and I really need to get back on my feet. We do not have anyone to help us out, and it is very painful for me to deal with the stairs and drive to pick up Kerri from school every day.
• I will try to catch up on Life with Kerri soon!

Kerri's first day of school!

Kerri was not too thrilled about waking up earlier than usual! But she came home all smiles and told me she was going to marry one of the boys in her class. It appears they had a moment in the playground where they discussed Batman, and I guess that makes this boy husband material!

Life with Kerri is a hoot!

Florida trip pictures - Part One!

Arrival in Saint Augustine, Kerri rides a horse at the outlet mall:

Kerri and Tia pose:

Lunch at the Cracker Barrel restaurant:

Arrival in Live Oak, my parents' neighbors:

This one liked me:

Then the other one came to see what was going on:

I never knew cows were so curious!

This cow tried desperately to get to me:

And the horse is another neighbor:

Kerri playing with her new guitar:

Kerri, Alora, Bobe and Denise:

Another shot:

Caleb and Aaron join in:

This is the new view from the front, all the beautiful pines were cut down, sigh.

Kerri, Bobe and Chelsea:

Graciela came to visit for one day (all the way from Argentina!):

Denise

Mommy and Graciela:

Zeide and Aaron tend to the "asado" :

While Graciela tries to figure out how to use her camera:

Kitty keeps an eye out:

Lillian, Graciela and Chelsea:

Zeide mows the lawn:

Kerri and Justin:

Life with Kerri is an opportunity to capture happiness!