As I thought

I thought that once Lily got wind that I had been behind the scenes at the Britto gallery she would be green with envy and I was right. She begged me to take her back down to Lincoln Road today so that she could see his new work that is on display. She said she didn't care if she didn't get "the tour" she just wanted to see his new style of painting.

I was fine with that. Lincoln Road is a lot of fun and the people watching there is bar none. Where else can you teach your kids about transgender, movie stars, pimped up geriatrics, body builders and young love all in one place?  We strolled around for a little while and then made our way to the gallery. Lily was in awe, as she always is. Anthony sadly wasn't working today and the crew that was in today lacked the sparkle that he had. As the girls were chatting about which pieces they have another man overheard them and came and chatted. I told them our story and he took them upstairs. It wasn't the grand tour that we received yesterday but they got to see the studio. They saw most of what I saw yesterday and Lily took in every single inch of it. She floated on air from piece to piece. They both loved the giant panda.

Once back downstairs they both purchased something with their own money. From there we left and headed to the art gallery next door which is a shared space of many starving artists using umpteen different medias and quite fun.

By this time it was  eleventy billion degrees so the girls needed some ice cream.

Hot and happy girlies

Kilwins, our favourite ice cream

speaks for itself

 Lily took this and I actually don't hate it. Wrinkly old prune.

An absolutely great day spent with my kiddies whom I missed a lot, a very very lot.

best mothers day ever.....again

Dear little girlies of mine.

Thank you from deep inside my heart for calling me mummy. Thank you for making my heart whole and for giving my life purpose. I thought I knew what it was to live life but I knew what it was to go through the motions of living. Now I LIVE life and revel in each moment. I savour the small things and celebrate our victories. I can't wait until tomorrow because I know it holds an adventure just waiting to be seized.

I laugh loudly and cry freely. The day I met Lily my heart moved to the outside of my body where it has remained, in  an extremely vulnerable state, only to become even more vulnerable with the arrival of you, Rosie, a few years later. Things that I once would have shrugged off now touch me deeply.

I just read an article written by a mum who just lost her 5 yr old son and she called herself a helicopter parent, she was proud to be one. After reading her sad sad story all I can say is that being a hovering Mum is an honour. I have been accused of the same but all I can say is no one knows how much I wanted and longed for you, no one knows what it is like to live here in Miami (unless of course they actually do) where kids are sexting at age 10 and how I am trying to protect you from things that I don't want in your life. From creeps and substances. This is your childhood and it should be void of certain things, you will learn all that in time but not now little ones not now.

Your proud little faces when you came into my bedroom this morning carrying not one but two trays, with my breakfast, brought a huge smile to my sleepy face. The toast in different shades of burnt, because you know I like my toast done, was so sweet. I loved how each piece had something different spread on it, something that each one of us would love, just in case I wanted to share. We giggled as the crumbs fell into the bed and you tried to spread them about so they would not be so prickly. It was logical to you.

I asked what you wanted to do today because without you I wouldn't be celebrating anything today, I would be sad. I threw out some ideas of things I thought would be fun but could tell you were saying yes for me and then I thought of something we would all love and love it we did.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me, me.

 I love all the way there and back and then a little bit more too.

Love always,

Mummy.

This is how we spent our day. More on it tomorrow. 

Time passages

• 5 years ago we were waiting to leave for China to bring home Rosie.
• 5 years ago today exactly, we received our consulate appointment.
• in 9 days time, the baby that was waiting for us in China, will turn 6
• 5 years ago Lily was only 5 and had the squeakiest high pitched voice I had ever heard 
• my babies are getting very big very fast.

5 years ago Lily looked like this

Lily 5 yrs old. Our last mummy and daughter day out together before she became a big sister.

and I don't know what Rosie looked like 5 years ago today because I hadn't actually seen her but she looked something like this, which is her referral photo

I fell head over heels in love with this photo

and this, which is her on Gotcha day....not her happiest of days. (have no fear she soon cheered up)

Rosie at 12 months. The Civil Affairs office in Guandong Province PRC.

Time flies when you become a parent, enjoy every second of it, savor each moment, make the good times far out weigh the bad, laugh at your mistakes but above all remember YOU are the parent, you are NOT a friend.

thank goodness for blog readers that are on the ball and can add. It wasan't 4 yrs ago but 5. Duh.

Inside my heart

This morning I was all alone in the kitchen groping through a large storage container marked simply, "Chinese Holidays". I have many of them all marked differently, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day and so on but the words on the side of this one just struck me. Never in a million years did I ever imagine that I would have a storage container with the words, "Chinese Holidays" on it. As I unpacked the pieces I want to display for Chinese New Year I stopped and pondered each and every one of them. They are all from China, not as in, "made in China" but each one was carefully chosen by us on one of our 2 trips to that beautiful land.

I am so thankful to the Peoples Republic of China for allowing me to parent, not one but two of their precious children. My girls have made my heart whole and have made me a much better person. I hope I never take them for granted, I don't think I ever will due to the journey that led us to them.

They are both so different but yet so alike. They love life and thankfully, more than anything else, they love us. Each morning when they awake the first word uttered by both of them is Mummy. Both of them want to know I am close by when they open their eyes. It's not called with distress, well sometimes it is with Rosie, but more for the reassurance that I am near. Once they see me, their life is fine. I am not discounting Jacob here as sometimes I am gone before they wake up and he is the face of reassurance that they need.

Their beautiful eyes sparkle with a zest for life only seen when one is a child. They play together, as sisters do, oblivious to the lives they once had. A life that I could not be part of.

I love these girls with all my heart and as I hang the lanterns and prepare to read them stories about Chinese New Year I thank my lucky stars they are mine and that we were the ones chosen to be their parents.

Chinese New Year is a time to be together with family. How fitting.

Image from google images