The Casey Update

Trip To Florida

2011-07-28T16:00:00.006-04:00

Here are some pics from our recent trip to Disney to see Moo-moo and Clayton before the birth of their first baby! Yahooo!!

Jades Preschool Graduation

2011-07-28T15:55:00.003-04:00

It's been a while! Here are some pics from Jades graduation! AHHHH where is the time going??!!!

One Hundred Thousand Welcomes

2009-12-27T21:20:00.004-05:00

Ok - so who knew jadie could write "one hundred thousand welcomes" in Galic? We were not alone this weekend, we had Aunt Manita and Uncle Ray with us. Christmas lights went on and off and then when I mentioned to Anita and Ray they were welcome anytime, Jade drew this picture. I even think the accents are above the right letters. Wow. Amazing stuff.

Random Holiday Pictures

2009-12-22T20:58:00.003-05:00

Gee time flies and oh, how quickly!!! I can't believe another holiday season is here! We had our annual Santa Party two weeks ago and last weekend we were snowed in and made a snowman and cookies.

Jade is getting so big and mature! She is writing, drawing unbelievably and is so much fun to hang out with I don't want to work anymore, not that I wanted to since being a Mom, but I don't want to miss a second of time with her because time seems to FLY!!

I've attached some random pictures, I have many more I'll post. I misplaced my "downloading cord thing" for a week, just found it with the GPS (Hello??) I also included some pictures of the house, it looked SOOO pretty with the snowfall I had to post it.

Wishing everyone a fantastic holiday season and fantastic new year. I can't believe it's only been three years since becoming a family!!! AHHH. The picture of Jade in pink has a hint of the baby we brought home 3 years ago. It makes my heart melt and eyes get all teary. I can't believe how we lucked out.

Mery Christmas.

P.S. yes, there are no decorations on the tree and not sure we'll put any on this year, too much work, lame excuse I know but at least we have a tree. I'll try harder next year Mom! I promise!

Jadie Portrat for school

2009-11-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

Pretty freakin awesome.

Mullet Girl

2009-11-08T08:21:00.005-05:00

Jadie and a friend decided to cut each others hair at school the other day. I was mortified when I noticed that jade had HUGE chunks of hair missing from either side of her head. Her "Mimi" took her to the hair dresser to see if there was anything that could be done to salvage the long hair and "The Mullet" was the only option - got to love the 80's!

Recent Trip To See The Wiggles

2009-11-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

We went to see the Wiggles last weekend and it was FUN! The Wiggles put on such a great show, not only for the kids but the parents too. They are very funny and keep the kids interested the whole show, the kids can even dance in the isles. Which of course, Jadie loved.

The funny part about shows for young kids, as you can see most are not big enough to be able to sit in the chairs without being eaten up! Great excuse for Jadie to dance in the isle!

Oh yeah, and we were able to give Dorothy her roses and Wags his bone.

Halloween Fun

2009-10-27T21:13:00.004-04:00

last weekend we attended a Halloween Party at the Spaulding Inn in New Hampshire. The inn is owned by Grant and Jason from the Ghost Hunters Show on the Sci Fi Channel. It was a GREAT party and Scott was in heaven.

Grant, Jason and their wives were there and wow, what down to earth people. No entrances, no speaches or "thank yous" just dancing, cocktails and great conversations (and costumes). Here are some pictures from the weekend.

The picture of jadie in her costume was from the other night. Jadie was testing out her "lady bug" aka Devil costume.

Oh, one funny thing - Although my camera was fully charged before the party, I was taking pictures at the party and my battery died. I went to the front desk to ask if they sold cameras because my camera battery died, they said no and that batteries die all the time at the Inn - a couple of minutes later it was working again, then died, and then was working . . . huuuum they say when spirits want to make themselves known they drain batteries for power. . . spooky

Trip To Point Pleasant NJ

2009-09-10T19:43:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we went to Aunt Suzie's to visit. We ended up going to the boardwalk at Point Pleasant NJ. The same place aunt Suzie and I went as kids. We relived our childhood memories through our kids. What a blast! The kids love rides, Jadie wasn't too sure about the "Crazy Bus" ride it made her tummy "tickle". But then again this is the kid who LOVES the "Crazy Boat" ride which swings back and forth and up and down - go figure!

Coraline, the movie

2009-08-30T20:02:00.006-04:00

Jade has been obsessed with the movie Coraline lately. I think because it scares her a little bit but it's a really good movie, the stop animation is beyond belief and the characters are really different. Jade drew this picture for me today, and anyone familiar with the movie, will note the stitched closed mouth. FUNNY, she's processing because one of the main characters is a spider who makes dolls (and stitches the mouth and eyes), the interesting part of the movie is Coraline has two moms, that theme is not lost on me. I love the way kids think and process information.

Another funny story. We went to Michael's and they had their Halloween decorations out and there was this skeleton that talked when you clapped your hands. Jade was very interested, but scared at the same time. She asked Scott and I to clap our hands in front of the thing for about a half hour. Two days later, I took Jadie to Victoria's Secret (I wanted perfume). Jadie ran into the store in front of me and ran right to one of the "sexy" mannequins and clapped her hands, she turned to me and said "MA! She's not talkin' to me!!" I laughed my butt off! Got to LOVE kids!!

Happy Swirlie Princess

2009-08-15T07:37:00.002-04:00

Jades cousin Moomoo works at Disney and bought her this Cinderella Dress. We'll it was a total hit!!! We couldn't get it off of her, it's a twirly, girlie dress full of glitter and crinoline (sp) so it's fluffy and fun for Jade to wear. The other picture is of Jade and her cousin Cakie, her "big sister", Cakie is the light of Jadies life and she talks about her all of the time. As you can see they are wearing matching dresses, bracelets and tattoo's - very important gear for 3 and 10 year olds!!

Fashionista

2009-07-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

Ms. Jade LOVES clothes and putting together outfits. Our friend TZ made this dora dress for her then helped her make the matching necklace, can you say HEAVEN! Yes, Ms. jade was in heaven as you can tell from the photos. The other really cool outfit was inspired by a pair of PJ's her Mimi bought her. Yeah, this girls got a future in fashion (unlike her mom and dad!!!). P.S. TZ also made the very cool bracelet that jade is wearing!

Cutie Pies

2009-05-19T12:42:00.002-04:00

Not sure if I ever shared this photo. It's jade and two of her China "sisters" celebrating our 3'd family day. They are all from the same provience in China and are they cute or what! I love this picture because it captures their personalities perfectly!

It is so much fun watching them grow up!

Family Getaway

2009-05-10T08:49:00.004-04:00

Yup, this is what it's like when we all get together . . . .

Easter Pictures and Some Random Shots

2009-05-10T08:46:00.001-04:00

Scary People For My Birthday

2009-05-10T08:40:00.003-04:00

Jade just started drawing pictures of people this week. Until this point, she was consumed with drawing letters (specifically J's). So this morning she drew me this picture and when I asked her what it was she told me it's a "picture of scary people for my (meaning hers) birthday". OK. P.S. you can see some "j's" across the top of the picture.

Spring has Sprung!

2009-03-29T20:54:00.003-04:00

Playing around with photoshop and some paintings of mine - Huum, kinda cute . . .

Three!

2009-03-17T07:12:00.006-04:00

Wow - We can't believe jade is three. Time is flying so fast, it seems like only yesterday she was a baby! Where'd that kid go?

Jade is now in Preschool, riding a big girl bike (with training wheels), is learning her numbers and letters, loves puzzles she even picked out "shoots and ladders" for her birthday, so we have officially entered into the world of board games! Yikes.

Most of these shots are from her birthday. We had cake, Jade got a computer in her bed room (hopefully she'll want to sleep there more often!) and an office of her own (in side of my office). The last 2 pictures are of her office. When I was taking her picture I was told "Go Mommy!Go! This is my office!" Very funny!!

Two Years - WOW

2009-02-11T19:04:00.004-05:00

We recently celebrated Chinese New year. We decorated the house, invited some folks over and ate Chinese food (take out!).

Chinese new year this year was pretty close to our family anniversary day, so we celebrated that as well. I can't believe it's been two years, it seems like we've been together forever and that our trip to China was just a dream (a fantastic dream!).

Tonight at dinner Jadie told Scott and I that she wanted to take a tubbie (bath) and then get dressed for her "china" party, and so she did. The pictures in the green outfit were from this evening. What a cutie pie.

More Pictures

2009-01-12T19:09:00.003-05:00

Halloween with Moo Moo

New Years Eve

Nanna and her girls

Thanksgiving Groovy

Christmas Lady

We had a great holiday season, here are some pictures from Halloween through to New Year's eve. Wonderful times and boy do they fly!

Jade is still a crazy lady. She's taking Gymnastics, swimming lessons, she LOVES to write, draw and continues to hate to sleep. She is ton's of fun to talk to and has a wild imagination. If you ask her about her job, she'll tell you she works in Florida making things, specifically clocks. She also likes to talk about her feelings - "I don't know what's wrong with me momma, but don't worry, I'll be fine. . ." You've got to love a girl who can emote!

More Christmas Dancing

2008-12-24T17:21:00.003-05:00

Except now it's Christmas Eve and Jadie knows it's just a matter of time!!

Christmas cookies for Santa

2008-12-22T08:36:00.004-05:00

Yup, Jade is VERY excited. We made cookies last night for Santa and she has a whole plan for them (including all of the folks who will get a cookie - Aunt Lorraine, Mimi, Nana Poppop etc. and Suzie needs to take a nap before she gets hers!). I'm to place them in a zip lock bag so Santa can take them home to share with Ms. Clause and the reindeer. Wonder if there is an ulterior motive there?? Hum???

random shots and a movie

2008-12-20T19:55:00.004-05:00

Wow - forgot about these especially the interpretive dance sequence at the end.

Santa's Visit

2008-12-20T19:16:00.005-05:00

Santa came to our house last Saturday, we were having a party and he just wanted to check in with the kids, to make sure they were on the "nice" versus "naughty" list. Santa's pretty cool!

I didnt get pictures of Jade with Santa, a friend did and I have to scan the photo to post it.

Finally!

2008-12-20T19:07:00.002-05:00

Finally - we are settled in our new home and are just about ready for the holidays. The move, or rather, the settling in, took WAY longer than anticipated. But we are in, fifi is set up, the tree is up and presents are ready to be wrapped. Here are some shots of Jadie getting the Christmas tree and then as Hannah Monanna. Cool stuff. More to come.

It's good to be back!! And yes, Jadie is VERY excited for Santa's visit. She is loving all of the Christmas movies, especially the Polar Express.

Santa's Village 2008

2008-09-30T09:18:00.003-04:00

Here are some latest photos of our recent adventures. We went to Santa's Village in New Hampshire the other weekend and went on almost all of the rides. Jadie is a risk taker, and although she wanted to go on the ferris wheel and the "crazy" boat ride she told me she didnt like them, they were too scary! But the cool part is, when she was on the rides she didnt flip out!

We also got to see Santa. Jadie wanted nothing to do with him until she realized that he was the one that brought presents, which was a bit too late - we already had our turn sitting on Santa's lap (or rather Mom sat next to Santa, Jadie sat on Mom's lap) - so the whole ride home Jadie was telling us she really needed to talk to Santa - what a riot!

Jadie continues to LOVE pink, she is not listening and is testing us daily (terrible 3's here we come!) - but her vocabulary is awesome ("mommy are you nervous?", "mom, the moon is round and white", "mom, you are driving me crazy!", "I've gotta get out of here mom!") - ha, wonder where she's getting all of this from?

One more thing - we were grocery shopping the other day and jadie snuck some press on nails into the cart and of course I had to buy them, so we played with them last night and I took a picture.

Summer Update

2008-09-03T08:50:00.003-04:00

We can't believe the summer is over! We had a great and busy one!

Jadie was invited to her first birthday party, we attended out 2nd annual China 135 reunion and even got up to Vermont a few times. We attended a county fair and went on rides and saw a ton of animals, we went to the pool or pond almost every day and made it to LBI only once. But Jadie got to go on Uncle Fred's boat and was able to hang out on the beach with her cousins.

Now that we are headed into "fall" (yikes) Jadie is counting to 20 (and 5 in spanish), she knows her colors, her favorite song is still the theme to Hannah Montanna followed by "Zipity Do Dah". Her favorite color is pink, she needs to do absolutely everything by herself including picking out her clothes and cutting her food with a knife (ahh), and she is still a dare devil. Towards the end of the summer she was doing cannon balls off the side of the pool (and being OK with going completely under water), what a trip!

She continues to hate sleep, chilling out, resting, being quiet, sitting still and sometimes listening. But Scott and I think that's what most 2-1/2 year olds are all about (ha, ha, ha). Time sure is flying!!!

Scott's 50th!

2008-07-16T08:58:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Scott's 50th last weekend and we had a blast! All of our friends and family were here and the weather even cooperated! Thanks to Suzie our theme was "argh . . .pirates" after one of Scott's favorite cocktails (Ct. Morgan), however Scott's beverage of choice was Absinthe (no cutting off ears though). We even had a fireworks display courtesy of JJ. Thanks to everyone for making Scotts B'day a great one!

Dora THE Explora'

2008-07-02T12:24:00.003-04:00

I went to TJ Maxx the other day and found a complete "Dora" outfit - hat and all. When I got home and showed it to Jadie, she had to put the outfit on (she liked the hat the most as you can tell), she also went into her drawer to get her "Dora" sneakers. She wore the entire outfit to school (sans the shirt!) yesterday, she added the sunglasses for effect. Very cute!

This first shot is Jadies attempt to take a picture, she doesnt get that the lens has to point TOWARDS what you want to take a picture of. But I don't mind, I have about 100 cute shots of Jadies eyes and nose!

I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I want To Ride My Bike. . .

2008-06-18T07:14:00.003-04:00

Ms. Jade had a great weekend she got to see two of her favorite "peoples" this weekend - TZ and her cousin Taylor!!!! So she had to show off her new skills! Jadie got the bike in March for her 2nd Birthday and within probably a week she learned how to ride it (thanks Mimi). So now she's a pro and can ride really fast and can also go backwards and over big bumps in the sidewalk. Yeah, I know Suzie, we'll get the helmet :).

New Look For the Blog

2008-06-17T12:45:00.001-04:00

After 3 years of blogging, I figured The Casy Update needed a new look. I like it, hope you do too!

Jadie Q

2008-06-10T06:56:00.004-04:00

These pictures are (as usual) out of order but are all from our last 2 trips to Vermont. As you can see it's all about the ice cream! There's a great ice cream place in Littleton NH calls Bishops. They make their own ice cream and have wacky flavors like cotton candy. They also have these great ice cream cones (waffle cones) with chocolate and Jimmies, as you can tell from one of the pictures, Jadie chose that one!

The shots in the "onsie" are from this past weekend, the hottest day of the year so far! I wanted to take some pictures of Jade on the front porch, she wasnt really into it, you'll note there's no "cheesy girl smile" going on in those shots. The one of her lying down was from Saturday, it was like 200 degrees out and she insisted on wearing her minny mouse sweats, she didn't get that it was too hot for them, but in her 2-year old mind she HAD to wear them, so we let her. She konked out on the front porch, and yes we left her there, she was sleeping! After she woke, the pants came off and we went for ice cream!

The shot on the tiger is from Story Book Land. Awesome park for kids, terrifying for this mom. There were SOOOO many people and there were things kids could go into but not parents, so I stressed the whole time, that's why I only took one picture. I had the death grip on Jadie the whole time, poor thing! She is a dare devil though, she wanted to go on the roller coaster, I didnt, so we settled for the flying shoes (fun!), the Swan Boat ride, the train and all of the fun things she could climb onto and swing off of. Anyway, next time we go, I'll chill out!

It's about time!

2008-04-28T18:01:00.004-04:00

Here are some new photos. Jade is doing really well and growing up super fast. She's sleeping in her own bed, talking up a storm and running super fast. She is an amazing kid, I totally can't keep up with her! She is dressing herself (as you can tell from these pictures) and also lets me fix her hair (finally!!). Her favorite food is still noodles and soup, but she will try anything! Life is crazy awesome fun AND I'm not as tired as I was when we first got home (ha, ha,ha).

Ms. Jade Su Who Is Not More Than Two!!!

2008-03-18T09:40:00.003-04:00

Jadie turned two on Sunday. WOW, does time fly or what. We had a great party and here are some photos of the highlights. As you can tell the theme was "lady bugs".

Jadie got her first chocolate easter bunny (she couldnt believe that chocolate came in the shape of a bunny), a brand new stroller and a BIKE! Yahoo.

Pictures from Chinese New Year & Antsies B'Day

2008-02-14T08:51:00.005-05:00

Here is Ms. jade on Chinese New Year with Antsie Ellen and Ms. Claudette. You'd think I'd take a picture of the table and decorations, but no. I zoned. We had a great time, ate great Chinese food with red chopsticks and laughed a lot. Next year I'll do better with the whole documenting thing. And yes, Jade doesnt wear pants when home.

We also enjoyed lovely ice cream cake to celebrate Antsie's 30 Birthday (ha, ha,ha)

Then and Now - WOW

2008-01-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

What a difference a year can make! One year ago today we became a family, the most amazing day of my life. Jade is one awesome human being, Scott and I are the luckiest two people on the planet. I can't even think of what life would be like without our little bundle of energy, one thing is for sure, those Jangxi girls really are spicy!!!

I was looking through pictures this morning (and crying) and came upon this little video of Ms. Jade right about the time we got home from China. To think she couldnt even sit up or roll over and now she's a monkey, climbing and jumping and dancing and swinging and all that crazy stuff that keeps us in shape! (ha, ha,ha). WOW, does life just keep on getting better or what?

Gotcha Day Celebration!

2008-01-28T08:51:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the year anniversary of our Gotcha Day, amazing how time flys. Over the weekend Jadie was able to celebrate with two of the lovely ladies from our amazing journey, Laurin (the cutie in the red jumper) and Kacy (the cutie with the bangs).

We went to a Chinese restaurant in Windsor and my breath was taken away when I saw these beautiful ladies together, they are all BEAUTIFUL, funny, active happy girls (and John is pretty cool too!!). Jadie had a blast! The last three pictures were ones that Jade took, yes, she's a budding photographer!

Jade Opening Auntie Suzies Christmas Gifts

2008-01-26T16:20:00.003-05:00

Although I sound totally obnoxious, this is a cute video! As you can tell, once jadie got the cool yellow shoes (which she is wearing) and the chocolate, she was done, Christmas was complete!

Enjoy.

Christmas Part 2

2007-12-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas. Jadie wore the dress Nana gave her and even wore the hat (and yes, she wore the yellow shoes auntie suzie gave her!!)! We had a lovely breakfast at Antsie Ellens, and Jadie made cookies for Daddy. We had an awesome Christmas dinner with friends and family afterwards and the food was great. As you can see, Jade did her best at flirting with Dave. We missed all of the Jersey folks, Jadie was asking for everyone, but we'll see you this weekend Nana and PopPop!!

I do have a few short videos, I'll post them when I get a chance!

Love ya!

Deed

christmas part 1

2007-12-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

ok here are the coolest shoes on the planet, Suzie Jade LOVES them!!! The other pictures are from last night. We went to Aunt Lorraines and Jadie got to hang out with Patrick, Eddie and Sarah. We had a blast! and Antsie Ellen stopped by after church last night too - more to come!

Merry christmas! Love Deed!

Jade Listening to Nana Sing Christmas Songs

2007-12-19T08:59:00.001-05:00

Here is a little video of Ms. jade listening to her Nana sing to her. We can't wait to see you Nana!! By the way, she is saying "more, more" cuz she liked it!

Big Snowstorm

2007-12-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

It's the first snow of the season and we got about one foot of snow, it's beautiful outside. We are not sure if Ms. Jade likes the snow but she sure likes to have her picture taken!

The pink marshmallow shot's are from this morning getting ready to go to school, the other photos are from the other day. jadie is becoming quite the "fashionista", loving shoes, hats, scarves and anything that will make mommy take a picture!

Hope all is well!

Love Deed

And yes, that is truely the "I've fallen and I can't get up" picture. Kinda reminds me of "A Christmas Story" and Ralphies brother, doesnt it?

Elmo - jadies latest obsession

2007-12-13T17:20:00.001-05:00

Video of Ms. Jade Su

2007-12-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

OK, Ive got to figure out how to turn this around, but you can still see Ms. Jade in action.

Big Girl Bed!

2007-12-05T08:50:00.001-05:00

Since we've been home with Jade the only way she has gone to sleep in her crib is if she was asleep BEFORE she went into the crib. It's only taken me close to a year to figure out she hates her crib. So, this past weekend I converted her crib to a "big girl bed" and boy was she happy! She squeeled with delight when she saw the bed and got in and out of it a million times. Not that she is sleeping in it, but she pretends to go to sleep in it which I think is the first step to her sleeping, period. Maybe theres finally a light at the end of the tunnel!

Now that she's a Big Girl she is also helping me in the kitchen, as you can see from the picture she has dish duty! As my parents always told me, you are never to young to start working (ha, ha, ha).

Enjoy!

Deed

Anniversary Of Referral & Pictures From Thanksgiving

2007-11-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

So today is the anniversary of the day we received our referral for Cen Li Yi aka Jade Su Raven Casey! This year has flown and it seems as if life never existed before Jade Su. I remember when I received the call, I was at work it was 11:30, I was on the phone with the social worker for about 5 minutes. I called my dad and burst into tears and didnt stop crying for about 3 days. I feel the same way today - I started blubbering like an idiot last night while I was giving Jade a bath, and then started to cry after I dropped her off at daycare. I'm bringing tissues to work!

I've also included some pictures from Thanksgiving at the beautiful Jersey Shore. We had a great time and even got Jadie into a fancy Chinese outfit. Enjoy the pictures!

Oh the shot of Jade with the glasses was from this morning, we were on the way to "school" and she needed her reading glasses! What a trip. Oh, this week also marks another milestone - Jade said her first swear word, and just for the record, she didnt learn it from me!!!

Love Deed.

Almost One Year Ago . . . .

2007-11-20T09:06:00.000-05:00

I can not believe it's been alomst a year since we first saw our beautiful daughters face. It's amazing how time flys and how jadie has grown and developed into this wacky, smart, beautiful person. There's not one moment that goes by that Scott and I arent feeling like the luckiest people on the planet to be a part of Ms. Jades life!

WOW - what a year, what a trip, what a life!!!

Crazy New York Fun!

2007-11-20T08:46:00.000-05:00

We just spent a fabulous, crazy 24 hours in Manhattan. Jadie and I drove in Saturday morning, went to the zoo and then met everyone for dinner at Beccos on Saturday night. WOW what a worldwind!

On Sunday we all went to "Build A Bear" which proved to be a bit too much for Ms. Jade and her mama. Jadie had a ton of fun with her cousins, Auntie Suzie, Uncle Fred, nana, poppop and enjoyed saying "hi" to everyone she could possibly say hi to.

The picture on top is jadies "cheezy little girl smile", if you ask her for her Cheezy Little Girl Smile, that's what you get. We were at Build A Bear and Jadie asked me to clear a spot for her to sit among these animals and then asked me to take her picture - true story, it blew my mind.

The blue tongue below is documentation of my "bad momma" status, yes, I let her eat candy until her entire mouth (and teeth) turned blue. The bunny shot was at the Zoo, which by the way turned out to be such an amazing thing to do, the Central Park zoo is kid friendly and fun for parents too!

The group picture is of Jadie and her beautiful cousons in the lobby at the Waldorf Hotel, where nana and poppop stayed. We stayed at the NY Hemsley Hotel and had a great PJ party including running around the halls in our PJ's.

It was a fantastic trip, I'm pooped!!

Love to all!

Deed

"Tighty Whities and Tube Socks" just like you know who!

2007-11-06T09:33:00.001-05:00

Jadie LOVES her Dada! The other morning she was in our closet looking in the hamper and saw Scott's Chef pants and said "Dada", then she moved on to his tube socks and said "Dada! On!" and of course I put Scotts tube socks on Ms. Jade. So here she is in all of her glory, looking just like Dada in the morning (ha, ha,ha)

Enjoy!

Love to all!

Deed

P.S. the head shot is her "whiney face", totally fake, totally cute :)

"Trick or Treat"

2007-11-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

Jadies first Halloween was a blast! She totally enjoyed herself !

When she went to school yesterday morning she really didnt get the idea of the costume, but by the time she got home she understood EVERYTHING about Halloween. Apparently at school all the kids wore costumes, they had a parade and practiced "trick or treating".

When we got ready to go out last night she was sooo excited and actually wanted to keep her ears on and hold her candy bucket. I think her favorite part was handing out candy to the folks who came to our house.

The picture of her in pink is the outfit she wore to school, I had to trick her into putting the skirt on, the "kitty-cat" was her "official Halloween outfit. I had absolutely no problem getting her into it AND painting the wiskers on her face, she LOVED it! And of course, I had to include a picture of my parents because they are always doing something wacky that makes me laugh. This picture of them was taken at Brian's Birthday Costume bash a few weekends ago - they went as Jades Great-grandparents. It's gotta make ya laugh huh!!!

It's Been A While!!!

2007-10-18T08:35:00.000-04:00

Here are some latest picture of Ms. Jade. As you can see she is growing like a weed. She is talking, running, being Mz. Independant, has about 11 or 12 teeth (finally), the molars were the WORST! She is loving school, Hannah Montanna the Wiggles, her baby doll stroller and her pink cowgirl boots as you can see from the pictures.

We've been a family for 9 months now, and we have no clue where the time has gone! November 30th will be the year anniversary of getting our referral, WOW.

Hope all is well with everyone and I'll try to be better in posting pictures more often. The picture by the pool was taken at our China 135 reunion this summer, Jadie is with her "sister" Allie. It was an amazing reunion, all of the kids are beautiful, doing well and happy. I threw in the pictures of Nanna and Poppop in the feather Boas for chuckles.

Aileen

16 Month's and counting!

2007-07-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

Jade Su is now 16 months old and counting. She's still a wacky-nut and is a bit of a dare devil too.

We've been a family for 6 months now and time continues to fly. These pictures are from Duke and Dwaynes wedding over the weekend. I'll post more pictures later.

I just needed to share these photo's because they totally capture Jade's spirit and personality. We are the luckiest parents in the world!

June 29th Weekend!

2007-07-03T20:31:00.000-04:00

These pictures are all out of order, but it captures most of the fun events surrounding last weekend. Jade and I went to LBI and had a blast! We had some "firsts" - first time at the ocean, first popsicle, first time on a "bike" (I didn't get pictures :() etc.

Jadie was with all of her cousins and had a blast! She was a wild woman in the ocean and slept like a baby, which momma totally appreciated. Great weekend had by all!

Some of the pictures include:
JJ surfing . . .

Jadie eating a popsicle, hanging out with auntie Suzie on the beach, looking like a princess at home with daddy, reading a book with nana and poppop etc.

Willie T with his fish and being a wacky macho-man-nut

Miss Cakie as a bathing beauty and cousins on a surfboard. . . . .

Weekend In Vermont - Heaven!!

2007-06-13T17:13:00.001-04:00

We went up north last weekend and had a great time! We didnt really do anything except hang out. Scott and I actually got to sit on the porch and read after Jadie went to sleep Saturday night, we were in heaven!!

We went into Littleton and ate at the diner, went to Chutters Candy Store (with the longest candy counter in the world!) and went to the book store to get Jadie some more books (she LOVES books!). It was a totally relaxing weekend.

On the way home we stopped at Curtis's BBQ in Putney Vermont. Curtis operates out of an old schoool bus and has the best BBQ this side of California. He has a pet pig named "CJ", CJ thinks Curtis only BBQ's chicken - so if you stop by, don't let him know Curtis also does ribs!! Jadie got to pet and feed CJ and LOVED it. She also got to sample real home-made baked beans - YUM! Is she her mommy's girl or what!!

Love to all!

Deed!

Memorial Day Weekend On LBI

2007-06-06T20:42:00.001-04:00

Scott, Jade and I headed to Long Beach Island on Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend - yeah I know, what were we thinking - it took us 6 hours BUT we got there by 8:00 PM and were able to eat dinner with the family.

Molly flew in from Fla. so the entire Muller/Weiss/Casey Clan was together for the whole weekend. We had a blast.

Auntie Suzie bought us all outfits for the "photo shoot" on the beach (white shirts and denim) and the pictures turned out pretty well. Jadie got to swim in the bay with Bella Sera the crazy mini-hot dog-dog (the ocean was too cold), play in the sand, play with the hose at Nana and Pop Pops and totally hang out with her big cousins. She had a blast.

Needless to say we were all pooped when the weekend was over. And by the way Jadie fell more in love with her Auntie Suzie, she got to spend some quality time with her and LOVED it!

Love to all.

Aileen

My First Mothers Day! YEAH!

2007-05-25T13:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's taken so long to post again, it's been very busy around the Casey Household. Jade Su is doing great, she's loving Day Care and is practicing walking every opportunity she can get. She's still not sleeping through the night -- a girls got to practice all of her new skills ya know -- so Scott and I remain pooped. However we heard from all of the experienced parents that the Poop never goes away - Ha, Ha, ha!!

Hope all is well and enjoy the Mothers Day Pictures. . . .

The Communion Princess!

2007-05-10T07:40:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Cakie made her first holy communion. Jade, Nancy Ellen and I went down to celebrate and attend the big day. We had a great time. Everyone was there and Cakie looked beautiful. Jadie also had her first experience in the Hot Tub!! I didnt get any pictures but Auntie Suzie and Uncle Fred did so hopefully they will send me a few. She loved the hot tub by the way!!

P.S. Isnt JJ SOOOO Handsome (ha, ha, ha)

Three Months!!!

2007-04-23T07:46:00.000-04:00

We have been a family for three months now, it's amazing how time flys! It seems like we've been together forever. Scott and I wonder what we ever did before Jadie. In the past three months Jadie has learned to sit up, stand up, roll over, walk with help, clap, eat with a spoon and fork, sing etc. She has grown over 5 inches and has 6 teeth. She is an amazing beauty and a ton of fun!!! Every day is a new adventure!!

First Day Of "School"

2007-04-05T20:25:00.000-04:00

OK, so I went back to work yesterday and Jade went to Daycare today. Traumatic? Not for Jade.

This is a picture of Jade ready for her first day of "school" with her Dora The Explorer back pack courtesy of Auntie Suzie. She was all ready to go and I had to fight back the tears.

She did OK, was a bit intimidated by all of the kids and noise (she didnt eat anything - yikes) but Scott and I picked her up at 1:30, took her home and fed her and she was back to her normal chipper self. She is an amazing kid. She goes back to Daycare on Tuesday. I think she will LOVE it!

AHHHH - are kids are totally cool or what?

Love to all!

Aileen

Got To Love Vermont!

2007-04-03T10:09:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately Scott cut off the tip of his finger at work on 3/25 (it's going to be fine), but fortunately for the three of us, we all got to go to Vermont for the past week.

The weather was exceptional the entire time we were there. We spent most of our time outdoors, took road trips and many, many walks. We also scoped out lakes for swimming and parks for swinging. The shots of Jade in the swing and the barn are from the town where our house is (Lunenburg Vt) and the views are all breath taking.

The shots of Jade in the high chair are of her first experience with a marshmallow (sp?). She didnt really like it and ended up spitting it out (yeah Jade!) after it almost completely melted in her mouth.

We went to Ben & Jerry's last Thursday - did the tour and got some ice cream (yum). The really cool thing was this post that was outside of Ben & Jerrys. It is the exact same post we saw in Nanchang China at the Buddist Temple. It says "May Peace Prevail On Earth" . Scott took a picture of Jade and I in front of it at Ben & Jerry's and I included a picture of the three of us at the Buddust Temple in Nanchang. Isnt that cool? From China to Vermont. WOW.

Anyway enjoy the pictures!

Love to all!

Aileen

Birthday Part 2

2007-03-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

Jades Birthday was great, she still didnt "get" the cake and singing, but boy did she enjoy eating it (after she ate her dinner of course, hence the shot with the mac & cheeze and the string beans - notice how much she likes them!).

I've also included some shots of her in the snow (not sure if she liked it) and a picture of Jade and Scott at Nancy Ellens St. Patty's Day bash (which was fun, and the food was awesome!!!)

Love to all!!

Deed

Happy Birthday Part One

2007-03-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Here is Jade-Su this morning wearing the 1st Birthday shirt Auntie Suzie bought for her and yes, the bow is back, I couldnt help it! We will not be headed to Vermont as planned (because of the bad weather), so we'll be staying home and chillin'.

Jade and I went out an got a Birthday cake, some food for this weekend and wine for mommy (yeah! I can drink my wine again). We also made a visit to the bank, we wanted to get out before the bulk of the snow started falling.

I'll post more pictures later, I hope to get some good shots of Jade ripping through her cake. I'm also going to try and figure out how to post a video to the blog, so stay tuned!

Love to all!

P.S. doesnt she look so big? Yikes!

Aileen

Too Cute Or What?

2007-03-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

OK, so I did what I told all of you I would never do. I velcro'd a bow to Jades hair. I couldnt help it. I wanted to see her "cutesy" side. Note the look she's giving me, she is practicing for when she's 16 and is saying "Are you done now? Get a life Mom!".

Aileen

Some Firsts!

2007-03-13T17:07:00.000-04:00

Jade and I took our first road trip together this past weekend and took a 4 hour drive to Long Beach Island where Nana and Poppop live. What a trip. I was nervous the whole way down, Jade isnt big enough so her car seat is still rear facing. On the way down I stopped 5 times to make sure she was breathing and for a diaper change. We also tried eating some chicken Mcnuggets (yuck) at the top of the parkway because this new mom completely forgot that she needed to eat (bad mommy).

I was much better prepared for the trip back. I timed it so she would nap better and brought some food for the road. I only stopped twice :)

Jade got to see the Atlantic ocean for the first time this weekend and was also able to go to the park with her cousins and swing on a swing (a first too!) - she loved every second of her Jersey Shore vist.

We did celebrate her birthday, she didnt quite know what to make of everything. She had a great time with her cousins, they pooped her out! Enjoy the pics!!!

Love to all -

Aileen

Wacky Chicken!

2007-03-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

I bought this annoying chicken at CVS the other day. It plays the Chicken Dance song (that I refused to have played at our wedding!) really loud and for an uncomfortable length of time. It also dances in a circle, flaps it's wings and it's cheeks blink. Sound annoying- we'll YES IT IS!! unfortunately Jade Su loves it!

I took some pictures of her with the Chicken yesterday, some are blurry because she was also wiggling along with the crazy music. The things you do for your kids huh?

I also finally have a picture of Jade with me!

Hope all is well everyone!!

4 Week Mark!

2007-02-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

We've been a family for 4 weeks and wow how things have changed. Jade Su is doing great and Scott and I are adjusting well too (ha, ha, ha). Scott went back to work last week and I have the next 5 or so weeks to spend at home, get some sort of schedule established and secure Daycare. Time is flying!!

Jade Su is waving, saying "ma ma" and dancing like a crazy lady. Here are some more pictures - she is a joy to have around!!

The pictures are of Jade Su with her Auntie Suzie (& Willie T), Cousins Brianne and Taylor, Antsy Ellen, Pop Pop and Daddy. One of these days someone will take a picture of me with Jade Su (ha ,ha, ha). It's been snowing here pretty much since we've gotten home, Jade Su has been out in the snow and likes it, I've posted a picture of she and her daddy all geared up for the snow, pretty cute huh??

Hope all is well with everyone! I'll post more pictures soon!

Love ya!

Aileen

We Are Home!!!

2007-02-13T17:58:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, we have been home for almost a week. Our last few days in China were crazy! We werent feeling well and we had a ton of paperwork to do.

We spent our last few days in Guangzhou a beautiful town on a river. There was a ton of shopping and it was very European.

As usual, the pictures are out of order, the first picture here is of Jadie and her Cousin Caileen, they were having breakfast the first day we were back. Since we've been back Jadie has been awesome. She has learned to roll over, sit up, support her self on her legs and eat, eat, eat.

Most of these pictures are from the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou and the surrounding area. There was a beautiful park next to the hotel where people congregated to sing, dance, do Tia chi and just hang out. The hotel itself was 5 star and had all sorts of antiques and "fun stuff" in the lobby including a waterfall. The last day we were in China we saw clouds, so I took a picture. It was a beautiful day!

From Guangzhou we flew to Beijing and stayed overnight in a hotel next to the airport, that's the picture of Jadie and Scott crashing out! We were all so pooped! The flight home was a DREAM. Jade was perfect. She was so happy to have her own seat, her own food and undivided attention! She travelled super well and slept for about 5 hours of the 13 hour flight (not including the 2 hour flight from Chicago to Hartford which we almost missed!).

We got home Thursday night around 11:00 and had Pizza and Pot Roast, we never thought food could taste soooo good!

We've been home now almost a week and are adjusting slowly but surely. The jet-lag is crazy, but Jadie is doing great, she only get's up once a night (2:00) and then falls asleep till around 6:30 ish.

It's good to be home and will keep you all posted!!

Love - Aileen

P.S. we were able to go to a buddist temple and get Jadie blessed by a monk, it was awesome. couldnt take picutes of inside the temple, but were able to take shots of the grounds of the temple. You'll see the sign "may peace prevail on earth" as well as some shots with prayer flags - it was beautiful and kinda made me cry a bit. But then again, that's pretty easy!

Yahoo!

Nanchang China

2007-02-02T02:38:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures of Nanchang China, again, they are out of order but I think you'll get an idea of how massive this city is. I found out yesterday that it is on water, there's a big ol river that passes through and water buffalo wander the banks of the river - go figure!!

We went to a big Pagoda and park yesterday in the center of town. The pagoda was 6 stories high and you could climb it and then walk around the outside. The pictures of the "sky line" view are from the pagoda, so is the shot of the three of us and the mural (it's from the inside of the pagoda).
Jade is doing really well, since we've had her she is doing the "so big" thing (the picture of her in Scott's lap with her hands above her head is "so big" , she is sittin gup, rolling over and her two front teeth appeared out of no where.

We went to a Porcelin (sp?) shop today, check out the picture with the big vases!! Nanchang is where the original "china" came from, it's the best quality in the world. Yes, we did buy some, we got jadie a tea set. Beautiful stuff!

I've included the head shot of Jade so you could all see the "Spicy Girl" side of her, otherwise she is a sweet little delicate flower (not!).

That's all for now, hope all is well with everyone and we can't wait to get home and eat breakfast, I need a BIG OL CUP OF COFFEE - AHHHHHH

The Potato Chip

2007-01-31T01:43:00.000-05:00

I gave Jade a Potato Chip yesterday and she laughed her butt off, she thought it was the funniest thing. She didnt eat it, she just looked at it and laughed hysterically. I was able to get a short video of part of it. I tried to attach it to this post but I don't think it worked, I can't tell from here. If it worked, enjoy, if it didnt I'll try again later.

A -

Here She Is!!!

2007-01-31T01:19:00.000-05:00

OK -here she is!! She is a beauty!!

These are kind of in reverse order, the sleeping shot is from this morning. Jade was up all night and wouldnt let Scott put her down, so at 5:00 am I strapped her into the carrier and she and I walked around the hotel until 7:30 then had breakfast together, she is beginning to like me :) - which is a good thing. She ate a Croissant with Jelly, I don't remember what the heck I ate I was just so happy she wasnt freaking out! :)

The photo of Scott in the black shirt holding Jadie who is in the Pink sweater is "Gotcha" Day - as you can see she really liked him from the beginning, she didnt cry or anything she just checked him out and touched his hair. She was given to me first and completely freaked out which was kind of good because I didnt cry, I just freaked out too (ha, ha, ha). It was absolute mayhem on Gotcha Day - babies screaming, tons of people all over, having to pull together paperwork and make bottles - YEHA!

The picture with Scott holding Jade with her smiling - she is actually smiling at me, not at the bottle with food (good thing huh? ) and the shot of the town is downtown metropolitan Jaingxi China, it's a cool place, I think over 8 Million people and more buildings than I've ever seen in my life. It's not as European as Beijing so we are getting to see the "real" China.

One of the pictures is at the Notary Office, Scott and I are with the Director of Jadies Orphanage and the woman who is in charge of all of the adoptions. The gave us a photo album with pictures of the orphanage, Jadies Nanny (Fu Hu Di) and a business card so we can email/snail mail updated photos - we also got a piece of Porcelin (sp?) and a silver charm from them for Jade.

Since we didnt have a good night last night, we all decided to stay at the hotel and just lay low, we thought Jade was getting a cold, but she seems A-OK now. We ordered room service - Spaghetti for Scott and I, a ham sandwich (for Scott) and some rice with Eggs for Jade - it was so nice to not have Chinese food (even though it was really Chinese food - ha, ha, ha). We also walked around outside but decided to come back to the hotel becuase we completely stand out and the beggers make a B-Line for us - We went to Walmart yesterday, what a freakin trip! A Bizillion people in the store and it was 3 stories. Amazing, but we did OK!

We Are Here!!!!

2007-01-26T18:24:00.000-05:00

We made it! It's Saturday morning 7:25 AM. We just got done with a great breakfast and super good cup of coffee! I'm going to try and post a picture, let me know if it works!

Anyway, out hotel is really nice. The beds are comfortable and the folks here are very nice/friendly. Scott is loving it too, when we went through immigration (or what ever we had to do to come in to the country) the official told Scott he was "cool" - so we be cool!

We will keep you all posted!

Love

Deed

OK, I can't figure out the picture thing yet, so I'll try again later . . all of the icons are in chinese, so this is going to take a few trys

We Are Ready To Go!

2007-01-24T18:22:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, we are ready to go! Two suit cases and two back packs - can you believe it? We are kinda psyched cuz the pile that we had to pack looked a lot more like 4 suit cases and 3 back packs!!

Scott and I have a ton of reading material, munchies (thank you Kathie and Jim) and sleep aids to get us through the 13 hour flight from Chicago to Beijing. We are exhausted but totally ready to get this party started!! Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive through our journey, we will keep you all posted.

Just think, we leave tomorrow, but by Friday morning when you all get up to go to work, we will be in Beijing China - CHINA, CH- CH - CH - CHINA - Yahoo!

Here we go!

Love to all!

Aileen & Scott!

P.S. the pictures are of us getting ready and yes, that is a glass of wine on the dining room table, a girls got to chill out yes? (ha, ha, ha)

Love you guys! Stay tuned!!

What A Weekend!

2007-01-21T17:20:00.000-05:00

We are leaving in 4 days and finally got the room "done". Is it perfect, no, but there is a crib for Jadie, clean clothes and a bed for mommy and daddy if we need it. Suzie, Cakie and Willie T came up this weekend and helped me get it all together (thank you!!) and I must say, the room looks pretty cool. It looks like a little girls room and one that I think Jade will find interesting. A good number of colors and textures as well as some friends hanging out all over the place.

In her room she will have a leprechaun with an umbrella, a Chinese friend (check out the lamp mom), a mobile and all sorts of other nice things that Nana can sing about (we can't wait!)-

Bean also had a great time hanging out with the crazy 4-legged Weiss girls, they wore him out! And Uncle Scott had a fabulous time on his Ski weekend with the guys, he actually went skiing, the first time since we met. I'm sure he was practicing for when he gets to take Jadie skiing.

Anyway we are all very excited and can't wait to get to China and Back with our beautiful daughter, granddaughter, grand neice, neice, cousin and choochie-momma. J-D-Q!

Yippee!

This Is For You Cakie!

2007-01-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Here's is the progress on the room, you asked about the colors. We chose a very nice off white (kind of creamy) and a red-raspberry, it looks awesome. When you come up next weekend you can help us pull it all together.

P.S. I've included pictures of the house and the crazy mess it is, as we try and get Jades room pulled together.

P.S. Thank goodness for Nana and Poppop.

I love you!

Shopping For Jade

2007-01-11T08:15:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went shopping for stuff to bring along to China, we over purhcased as you can probably tell. Although overwhelming, Scott and I did manage to have some fun. As you can see we both purchased some items for our beautiful baby daughter - I'll let you all figure out who bought what! Note to grandparents - just hope that I'm the one dressing her when you baby sit! (ha, ha. ha!)

By the way, I confirmed our travel itenary to and from China. We will be flying out of Bradley and then Chicago to Beijing, and the THREE of us will be flying from Beijing to Chicago to Bradley. We arrive home on 2/8 around 9:30 PM.

We Are On Our Way Jadie!!!

2007-01-10T07:41:00.000-05:00

We had our travel meeting yesterday and found out we will be travelling to China on the 25th of this month - YAHOO - and we will officially become parents on the 29th. Scott and I are so excited we can't even think. Here's our itenary:

Leave the 25th arrive in Beijing on the 26th
1/27 - visit the great wall and see an acrobatic show in the afternoon
1/28 - visit the summer palace and Tian'an Men Square
1/29 - fly to Nanchang (2 hrs) and get Jade
1/30 - registration and notary (where we officially adopt Jade)
1/31 - site seeing in Nanchang
2/1 - same deal
2/2 - same deal
2/3 - get Jades passport and all of her other important documents
2/4 - fly to Guangzhou (don't know how long the flight is)and check in to the White Swan (yippee!!)
2/5 - Jades visa photos and medical check
2/6 - Jades Visa appointment
2/7 - fly to Beijing (3 hours)
2/8 - fly home (13 hours)

We don't know which airport we'll be leaving from yet, it will be either Chicago O Hare or Newark. I need to do a bit of research. Anyway, we have just about 2 weeks to pull everything together - AHHHHHHHH. We'll keep everyone posted!

Adoption Update

2007-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

There is none. HA, Ha, Ha. Really, no update. Bummer. We are still waiting for our Travel Assignment from China, until then nothing can really happen except pulling stuff together for the trip and finishing Jade's room. Speaking of the room, I did start it, I'm still in the cleaning out stage. Scott and I have accumulated a ton of stuff in the 7 years we've been married. Once I get it all cleared out, then I'll paint. The big pile of stuff is the last of what I need to go through and get rid of. The other photo is Jades closet, as we get closer Aunt Suzie, Mom and I can't help but buy cute little outfits for Jade - AHHHH - hopefully they will fit her :)

We do have our travel meeting next week, we are both looking forward to that, we'll be able to connect with the other families we are travelling to China with. It's all good and we will keep you all posted.

Love ya!

Deed!

Christmas in Vermont

2007-01-03T06:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas in Vermont was beautiful, we actually had snow! The only bummer was Scott and Molly couldn't join us because they had to work. We still had a great time, ate a lot, drank good wine and enjoyed some nice long walks!

Here are some pictures of our hanging out and having fun! The picture of Molly is from Anita's party and Mom, we did'nt get any pictures of you! Love you all!!

Adoption Update

2006-12-16T06:08:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened in the last week! We took Jade Su's referral info to a Peditrician to review. She is developmentally where she needs to be and all blood work and medical stats are right where they need to be as well.

All families in our group approved their referrals and our agency has returned them to China. We are waiting for Travel Assignments (TA's) from China. Once the agency gets the TA's they can book all of the various consulate appointments that are needed to legally adopt Jade Su. They can also book all of our travel arrangements for the group.

We received an email from our agency yesterday and we will have our travel meeting on January 9. The purpose of the meeting is to prepare us for the trip, to share the basic iteninary and get to meet the other families who will be travelling with us.

I'm told travel will follow anywhere from two to four weeks after the travel meeting.

As I'm sure you are all aware, Scott and I are VERY excited. I am actually going to "officially" start Jades room this weekend. Say what? Yup, it's time!

Love you guys!!

Gilman Vermont, Beautiful

2006-12-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

Great weekend, Scott and I are still on a Vermont High. It was 20 degrees yesterday and about 40 degrees today. There is about 3 inches of snow and the view is spectacular. We putzed around, continued to pull the house together, talked to our neighbors and totally enjoyed the outdoors. I was able to do some holiday decorating around the house, I also hung some pictures. Scott installed new locks on the garage doors. We feel like the luckiest people on the planet!!!

HERE SHE IS, MS AMERICA!

2006-12-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

Introducing Ms. Jade-Su Cen Li Raven Casey! Scott and I are the proud parents of a freakin' beautiful baby girl! She is presently 9 months old and in foster care, so she is probably very happy and feeling loved. Who could wish for more. Scott and I picked up our referral package today at Wide Horizons and have been on cloud 9 since then. I've scheduled our first peditrician appointment for tomorrow at 6:00 PM, we will review all of her medical information and then get ready to send back paperwork to the agency.

We also have made Dr's appt's to get our Hep A shots and physicals, so by the end of the month we will be in gear and so will all of our paperwoek, but Jades room? HUUUMMM?

We will find out more about our travel dates as we get closer to January, but the thought is we should be a forever family in 6-8 weeks. Seems like a breeze considering we've been in the "process" for 2 years now.

All I can say is I can't wait for Jadie to meet all of her cousins, family members and family friends, is she one of us or WHAT?? Here's to life and all of the great experiences we have, and to love baby! Cuz you know it's all about the love!!! YA FREAKIN HOOOO!! WE HAVE A JADE-E-Q!!

Scott and I are SO HAPPY!!!

The writing is her name "Cen Li Yi" in Chinese, it was on the back of one of her photos.

YAHOOO - WE GOT THE CALL!!!

2006-12-01T05:21:00.000-05:00

Wha-hoo Scott and I are officially parents, so we celebrated in style!! Had some bubblie to toast our new daughter Cen Li Yi a.k.a. Jade Su Raven Casey!!

She is located in the Jiangxi provience, in the Hengfeng Social Welfare Institute. She was born March 16, 2006 and is 8 months old. Scott and I are totally psyched because we will have her home for her first birthday!! Yippee, it's also cool because Aunt Suzies birthday is March 8, Jadies is March 16 and mine is March 24. Cool!

We should have pictures next week and some additional info. I've been crying on and off since Monday (I was anxiously anticipating referrals this week cuz the Rumor Queen said they were coming, and she was right!), so the goofy picture of me below is the result of lack of sleep, crying for 4 days and the bubblie. We couldnt be happier!!

To the folks out there in cyberspace, thanks so much for all of your well wishes, we will try and keep this blog updated so you can follow our journey to our beautiful baby girl! YAHOOOOO!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-27T05:57:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful weekend to be at the Jersey Shore! It was absolutely beautiful, sunny and in the high 50's.

Thanksgiving dinner was awesome, the food was great and we ended the evening with the official beginning of the Christmas Season -- the lighting of the house!Thanks Fred!!!

I have more pictures and will post them later, just wanted to share some sooner than later!

Love you!

Halloween 2006 - Can You Believe It?

2006-10-31T07:17:00.000-05:00

Can you beleive a year has gone buy? Time fly's huh? So who's in for next year? WE ARE!

We had a jam packed weekend full of rain, wind, birthday's, food, a lot of wine laughter and Camille having "boys" fall in love with her (ha, ha, ha).

Michele and Steve were catching up, Claudette and Buzz, Buzz Dave where checking it all out. Sue, Fred and the kids finally made it (yahoo!) and Mom and the Energizer Bunny Dad wouldnt stop for a minute!

It's funny that I took pictures of the folks who won the costume contest, I guess it is a bit of a popularity thing. The Grim Reaper who was like 8 feet tall won first place, the Ecoli/Spinich gang won second and Michael Jackson won third.

The band was AWESOME this year and we all danced our butts off. Next year we all stay at the Hawthorne!! Yahoo! Here's to good times and GREAT Friends/Family!

Preparation for the Ball! Yahoo!

2006-10-31T07:09:00.000-05:00

What a day - we were all soaked to the bone and then got back to the hotel and lost power. We got power back just in time to put on our makeup and get dressed, then . . .it went out again! The manager of the hotel handed out glow sticks - hello, like they help! - but the party went on!

We all met in Michele and Steves room for a little pre-ball cocktails and food. The driver showed up on time to take us to the party. Thank goodness the rain stopped in time for the party!

All of these pictures were taken in the dark, they turned our pretty well!

Getting Ready For The Day in Salem

2006-10-31T07:08:00.000-05:00

Uncle Scott did both Cakie's and JJ's makeup for the day in Salem. I have no other pictures because we walked right into a Nor'Easter. I never saw rain and wind like Saturday. Needless to say we didnt really get to do or see much, but we were all able to meet for lunch at the Pub in salem. And, as you can see I was too busy talking to take pictures of us all at the pub :)

Captin' Carlos - Food and Friends!

2006-10-31T07:04:00.000-05:00

Captin' Carlos was a blast. We were welcomed by some friends we met last year (Camilles getting cozy with some of them) and were all secretly wishing Brad Byrd would show up.Come on Brad!!

We all had great food and then danced. The band was great and even the kids got into the dancing. And Scott didnt have to watch the purses this year (ha, ha, ha) he might have been a bit bummed as youcan see by his picture!

Friday Night Par-tay!

2006-10-31T07:01:00.000-05:00

Friday nights are always fun. Sue, Fred and the kids arrived in the afternoon, everyone else followed just in time for Happy Hour! We did a bit of hanging out, drinking wine and then headed out to Captin' Carlos. Thanks Joe for making the reservations!!!

We did It!

2006-10-01T15:52:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures from the weekend. The most important one is the picture we took with Ed the owner of 57 Cedar Street, he owned the house for 43 years and took great care of it.

It was in perfect condition, he left us a phone, an answering machine, and even left on the satellite service so we could watch TV over the weekend. It was great to meet him and he took Scott on the grand tour of the house.

Jan, Scott and I worked like dogs moving everything in and setting it all up. You can see pictures of every room but the basement (the basement was CLEAN). I also took some shots of the neighborhood, up the street, down the street etc.

We did take some time off yesterday to drive around and admire the foliage. It was spectacular. We ran into some "Wacky Chickens", saw a lot of horses, cows, some pigs and a ton of fuzzy catipillars.

I don't have the patience to figure out how to get the captions next to the pictures. But here's some other info - Cedar Street is a dead end steet, at the top of the street is an artsian (sp) well, I think our water comes from there. The water tastes like water, can you believe it? No chlorine, no odor, no slimy feeling on your tongue etc., just plain ol' quench your thirst water. Did I mention the air? It smelled like Christmas Trees all weekend, no foolin.

We didnt meet any neighbors, we think they were hiding from us. We also found out that Gilman is a "village" inside of Lunenburg and that most locals think it's the pits. WE LOVE THAT because it isnt, it's a treasure. We are only 20 minutes from Littleton (I thought it was further) where you'll find Walmart, a beautiful Shaw's Supermarket (with wine!!), Home Depot, Staples, TJ's etc. And, we are 30 minutes from St. J with a bustling down town area, complete with a museum, planetarium and a prep school.

It was a busy weekend, Bean was a pain in the butt and pooped in the car on the way home, but life changed for Scott and I this weekend cuz one of our dreams came true!! NOW . . . come on Jadie-Q make our other dream come true!!

Love you all!!

This is a shot of the living room

Dining Room

I'm Gonna Bore You With The Details!

2006-08-19T19:18:00.000-04:00

OK, so we started our day by going to Steven Henecks Dog Chapel, he has 100+ acres in St. Johnsbury Vt. called "Dog Mountain" where he has built a Dog Chapel and other dog related memorials. It was a hazy humid day, and it was beautiful!

Although Bean was distressed the entire trip, we were able to get him into the chapel. It's beautiful with stained glass windows and all and Beanie told us he wants to get Bella and Dixie up there ASAP

Ok, so this is kind of a pain to put discriptions next to the pictures, but you'll see pictures of everything. The basement, attic, master bed room, back bedroom, kitchen the detatched garage etc. Anyway I'll call ya so we can discuss.

This is awesome!

Love you all! Can't wait till we are all up here!

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Check Out The Rug Mom!!

2006-08-12T17:08:00.000-04:00

Mom, I put the rug down today (finally) and it looks AWESOME!! Thanks so much!! I also remembered that I had the wicker coffee table from Philly, and I dug it out of the attic. It will work perfectly and now I have space for yummie treats and our glasses of wine! Yahoo!

I put the little rugs that were in there in the Studio, not sure I like them in there, I need to work with them a bit.

Anyway, thanks again for the beautiful rug. Now Suzie, you are next!! You need to put your rug down too.

Head Quarters!

2006-08-07T07:29:00.000-04:00

We finally moved in! Fifishead has a physical location outside of my brain. Scott and I worked like dogs this weekend but got it all spiffied up!

We still need to get the phone and cable hooked up and yes, a computer. But other than that we are ready to roll and I am ready to start working!

I was actually able to draw a bit this weekend, which was nice. And yes that is a celebratory glass of wine on my desk, Scott and I hung out in the studio last night listening to good music admiring all of the hard work that went into making "Headquarters" happen.

Surtex 2007 here we come!!!

This Is Birthday Bouy aka JJ

2006-07-05T07:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the first in the series of "family as fishes". I did this for JJ's Birthday. It looks just like him (ha, ha, ha). More to come!

I'm going to turn all of my family members into fish. The other fish is Scott, my husband aka "Goth Boy". I need to create a background for him (a spooky one with sea weed and stuff). I made one for Willie-T but I left it on my sisters computer. I'll have to have her email it to me (hint, hint). I'm working on girl (or gill) fishes, trying to make them "pretty". So I'll post as I get them done.

all images (c) 2006 Fifis Head Design

Head Shed Update!

2006-06-13T07:59:00.000-04:00

Fifi's Head Studio is coming along beautifully. It's wired, has power and has been approved by the town. Scott's going to begin insulating this weekend, then the wallboard goes up and the flooring. It shouldnt take too long after that to be in business. I was able to landscape a bit, I havent finished it yet as you can see.

Scott and I bought stand for our pig weathervain and we are going to put it under the window (that doesnt have anything under it now) and plant some flowers around it (it's too big to put on top of the shed). We also are going to get a front "stoop" for under the door. Pretty cool and very exciting. Yippee!

Downtown Metropolitan Gilman

2006-06-13T07:53:00.000-04:00

More shots of downtown metropolitan Gilman. This is the Senior Center, it's next door to a thrift shop (the yellow building). They post the chicken dinners, town meetings and water testing results on the bulletin boards next to the doors. The thrift shop is open by appointment, it's really for folks who can't afford to buy stuff like winter coats, clothes etc. I think it's run by a church guild or something.

2006-06-13T07:48:00.000-04:00

Another view of New Hampshire from Gilman. This is the old bridge, you can see the new one to the right. This is the road you take to get to the high way. The highway is about 15 minutes away.

Gilman Vermont

2006-06-12T07:34:00.000-04:00

This is a shot of down town metropolitan Gilman Vermont. As you can see it's bustling with activity and excitement.

Gilman is about 4 blocks long and 4 blocks deep. It's a mill town (the mill is still in operation) within Lunenburg VT. and is between Littleton NH and Lancaster VT.

Gilman has a post-office, Senior Center, 3 churches an Elementary School and that's about it! It provides easy access to the Connecticut River, many Ski areas and a gigantic lake for boating and water skiing. Ahhh. :)

It's also close to St. Jonesbury which is a cool little Vermont town too.

2006-06-12T07:31:00.000-04:00

This is a view of the Connecticut River from Gilman Vermont. You are looking at Dalton New Hampshire (across the river).

FIFIS HEAD SHED

2006-03-29T06:52:00.000-05:00

Yahoo, what a birthday present! Fifi's Head Studio arrived at 6:30 AM on March 24. The whole process for installing it was amazing to watch! We purchased our shed from Kloiter Farms a fantastic garden and home center in Ellington Ct. Their customer service is beyond belief, that's why we went back (Scotts shed is from Kloiter Farms too!). So, here's Scott greeting the delivery guy, who by the way, installed the whole thing by himself. He off loaded the shed behind ours, drove the truck into the back yard, positioned the shed, twirled it around and plunked it down on the gravel pad, then went back to the street and picked up the other shed and went on to his next delivery. The whole thing took about an hour.
Here's the front of the Studio, and the side with the double doors. Next step, we will get it wired, insulated, wall board and then I move in! :). We have a little village going on in our back yard, and I can tell I'll have some fun this summer with some landscaping as well as art projects! It's all good and I can't wait to get rolling. Oh, by the way, JJ and Cakie, get ready cuz this is where you'll sleep when you come over to visit (ha, ha, ha)

Hairy Tongue Cow a.k.a. Sparkey

2006-03-21T07:08:00.000-05:00

This one is for Willie-T!

I went to Suzies House the other weekend and after a gruling workout (ha, ha) we went to "The Farm" to see the Hairy Tongue Cow. Here she is! What a riot. The cows head is so big that she can't see the food in front of her mouth so she sticks her tongue out hoping that you'll place some carrots on it.

Miss Molly is quite familiar with "The Farm" after an incident that left her "shocked" and amazed -- she got jilted by the electric fence. . .and you wonder why her hair is so curly! -- Hey Sparkey how are ya? Ha, Ha, Ha.