Happy Birthday to Haley!

Haley is 13 today! Happy Birthday girl! (pictured here using Griz as a pillow during an afternoon nap.)

Ni Hao Kai-lan!

Ni Hao Kai-lan ... will air on Nick Jr. next month! It's an animated show for preschoolers that explores "what it's like to be bi-cultural in America, as seen through the eyes of an inquisitive 5-year-old Chinese-American girl living within a multi-generational household." NY Times says, "Kai-lan [the main character] inhabits a fantastical realm with an impulsive tiger, a koala who longs to be a panda, a pink rhino and a dumpling-loving monkey." They'll also feature regular Mandarin vocabulary words. Ms. Harrington, the shows' executive producer, said she "hoped the series would have a special resonance for the estimated 60,000 girls in the United States who have been adopted from Chinese orphanages." 10-year-old Jade-Lianna Peters who is the voice of Kai-lan was adopted from China. (via Great Wall China Adoptions)

(sigh)

The CCAA had been posting updates on their website. I would check there to see how far along they were with referrals and which month is out of the review room. No longer. This information is now private and for the agencies only. (sigh) It should be fine though. Our agency is wonderful and shares the info with us in a monthly update. We will just have to wait a few days longer to know where we are at. Maybe this year I should take a break from all of the rumors and close followings anyway. We certainly won't be going to China this year and probably not next year either. We are part of a pretty good sized bottleneck. (sniffle)
But ... on a happy note ... we have THREE grand nieces/nephews to look forward to being born this year! Hooray!

11!

Today marks month 11! Because of Christmas and the New Year ... time went by REALLY fast!

Today I was able to go bead shopping with one of my dear SILs! We went to the Bead Monkey on Grand Avenue in St. Paul and then had lunch at Bread and Chocolate next door. On our way home we stopped at Glass Garden Beads in Northfield. When I got home I was so inspired that I whipped out two necklaces quick. And have another one in mind that I have to buy a few things for yet. Thank you Pam! What a fun day!
P.S. The funniest thing I've seen we saw at a shop next door. They sold hand lotions and candles and things like that. But they also sell Poo-Pourri. No kidding. Too funny!

Happy Birthday Griswold!