We've been to the basket!

M and I took a mini trip with our good friend, K to Longaberger-land!

Here's M in Dresden* in front of the "World's Largest Basket*"
The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were in bloom. It was great to be out and about.

At the Longaberger* Homestead* it was Collector's* Club gathering. The theme was Camp Longaberger* and the basket for the event was a LADYBUG!!!! We love ladybugs!

M holding the mini ladybug basket. See the joy Longaberger brings to her face? Actually that is the face I get when I ask her to keep her eyes open for a picture, as opposed to her closing her eyes with a smirk on her face.

M had lots of fun. Her favorite things were making a flower out of Longaberger* basket splints and going fishing in the Fishing game to win her very own piece of Longaberger* pottery! She got an eggplant dessert bowl. She is thrilled to have her own special purple bowl. My favorite part was spending time with my good friend K and my baby girl!

Behold the power of our risen Lord!

This was my thought as we worshipped in church on Sunday, as I held M in my arms. We were singing and she was raising her hand in praise to Jesus. Less then a year and a half ago this child was an orphan, no mama, no baba, no Jesus. In fact, she lived in an orphanage built by a buddist Taiwanese charity group. Today, she is no longer an orphan. She knows what it is to have a mama and a baba and she knows Jesus!!!

So I'll say it again,

Behold the power of our risen Lord!

Thank you, Jesus for doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

M really enjoyed all the aspects of Easter this year. She had an egg hunt in Nai Nai and Ye Ye's basement, where she also found a big basket especially for her.

This is the joy that only a new tube of lip gloss could bring.

Mama's annual contribution to the dinner, the lamb cake.

Eggs courtesy of M.

Hope you had a blessed Easter!

Jenny

Easter Activities

A local church advertised an egg hunt Saturday, so we went to check it out. Turned out to be really nice! They kept a count of all children checking in and then announced how many eggs each child could find. I love egg hunts like this. It keeps the big kids and toddlers' parents from scooping up all the eggs before the little ones get any. My biggest pet peeve about egg hunts is parents that run and grab all the eggs!
Very happy to be hunting eggs! It was so nice she could find them at her own pace and really enjoy the hunt.

Checking out her spoils!

Coloring eggs at home. M dipped the eggs all by herself! She was so careful putting the eggs into and getting them out of the color pots. She really did a great job!

What else could complete colored eggs, but Kung* Fu* Panda* stickers! Thank heaven for the Dollar* store! ;)

Guess who saw the Easter* bunny????

M greatly anticipated this visit to the bunny during which she could have her photo taken. She has visited the bunny at another mall a few times, but just to say "Hi" and get a coloring book. She got to wear her Easter dress which made her VERY happy, as her favorite thing to wear is a "pretty dress".

Caught in the act!

Picking the artifical flowers around the bunny's house.
Happy Easter*

Jenny

We jumped ship!

Well, all good things come to an end....

M has her suitcase and is ready to get off the "big boat" and head to Grandpa Wai Gong and Loa Loa's house.
Making our way off the ship.

The week of fun has absolutely exhausted her.

Baba had to fly home to work, but M and I were able to spend a few extra days with Grandpa Wai Gong and Loa Loa.

Here's M on the beach near their house.

We saw several dolphins while out on the boat one day. M thought all their jumping and flipping was pretty cool.

Loa Loa and M watching pelicans at the restaurant where we had lunch.

M and the seagull.

Boating back to the house.

We had a great time. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time with my family. Definately, one of the best Christmas presents ever!

Jenny

Day 7- Great Stirrup* Caye*- Bahamas*

Our last day was spent at NCL*'s private island. The beach was very small so with our 2600 fellow passengers it was like your worst visit to the public beach. M didn't seem bothered by the people piled upon people. She loved playing in the sand.

Cousin A2 got her hair braided while M watched.
So guess who got braids next?
(Sorry, not sure how to turn pics once they're on.)

Look what I got Baba!!!!

Eating lunch, another not so great experience,

but M doesn't let it get her down.

Walking down the beach.

One of the tenders from the ship can be seen behind them.

Loa Loa and A2 ready to snorkel.

Back on the ship, looking at the caye from our balcony.

Our final sunset of the cruise.

Jenny

Day 6-At Sea

A relaxing day at sea. We took it easy, but did manage to find time to swim in the pool. The weather was a little overcast, so we could swim without being in direct sun. We were probably in the pool 45 minutes to an hour. The sea was rolling so the pool water was too. It was fun to glide back and forth with the waves. Loa Loa, A2, and N all got in with us.

M hardly let me hold her like this. Most of the time she was clutching firmly unto me. She loves to be in the water, but is not thrilled to get water on her face.

After swimming we had a poolside lunch, during which M not only ate her requested hotdog, but Uncle J's chicken as well.


Cousins
A2, N, A1 and M

Our last family portrait on the cruise

Our sweet girl

A little mouse was waiting for us in our room!

Jenny

Day 5- Tortolla*, British* V.I.

Ok, I got messed up and lost some pics and had to put them in again and can't figure out how to get them back in the right order so these first two are out of order.

At the Baths*

3 going on 14? The girl has attitude!

In between boulders at the Baths*

And now back to our regular scheduled program...

The view from our balcony sailing into Tortolla*.

We took a ferry boat to a neighboring island Vir*gin Gorda* to visit The Baths*. The Baths* feature the large boulders that can be seen behind us in the pictures. (Meaning the pics now located at the top of the post.)They are all piled up on one another all along the beach. We climbed through them to another open section of beach. It was really neat, but crowded. We often had to wait to get through a one way section.

Ayi J's family getting ready to head into the boulders.



Relaxing in the water.
Left to right, Ayi J, Loa Loa, M with Baba, and N.


The Baths* were really beautiful and I wish we would've had more time to stay there.

Enjoying a roadside smoothie in Tortolla*

Sailing through a narrow area with land on both sides of the ship.

The sunset

M was very happy to find an elephant on her bed!

Jenny