Daddy Blogs - MIA

So a little bit ago the list of Daddy Blogs I had got deleted. I'm not sure how. I blame the dog. So. if you know of any other Daddy blogs, please send them my way so I can RE-add them to the Daddy Blog page. Thanks. :-)

Why Hello Spinabifida...

NOTE:  I originally posted this on No Hands But Ours (NHBO), but decided to post here as well for those who may not subscribe to NHBO.  Sorry if it is a repeat for some.

Ping:  Dad!  Dad!  DAD!  
Me:  What's up baby?  
Ping:  Can you take my picture?!
Me:  Of course!  Let me get the camera.  
Ping:  YAY!
... a few seconds later ...  
Me:  Okay baby, smile for Daddy!  
Ping:  What?  No.  I no smile.  
Me:  But you gotta smile for the picture.  You gotta look cute.
Ping:  I want you to take a picture of my back!  
Me:  Oh?  Your back?  
Ping:  Yea!  My back!  
Me:  Why?  
Ping:  Because I have something there!  
Me:  *smiling*  Yes, yes you do.  
Ping:  And people like to see it!  
Me:  Oh do they?  Well, that would explain why you keep lifting up your shirt in Sunday School...  that was an awkward conversation with your Sunday School Teacher.  
Ping:  What is on my back Daddy?  
Me:  Oh baby, we've talked about this before.  You had an owie on your back.  But the doctors fixed it, and now it is all good.  
Ping:  I had a surgar-ie on my back?  
Me:  Yes baby you had a surgery.  But, lots of people have had surgeries.  Mommy has had surgeries, Daddy has.  Even your big brother K has had surgeries.  
Ping:  But my back is broken?  
Me:  No baby, your back is fine.
Ping:  Can I see it?  
Me:  Yes, of course.  Here let me take your picture.  
Ping:  *looking at picture on the camera*  Heeeeeey, I have an owie!  Hahahahaaaaa!

That was not the 1st time, nor will it be the last time she will have asked me to take a picture of her back and show it to her.  Ping has finally clued in that there is "something" special with her back. Well, she clued into that fact a long time... I'm just slowly cluing into the fact that she has clued into it.

Now our beautiful Ping has Spinabifida - and not the "minor" one either.  We're talking doctors can't explain why she is doing so well when the tests show that she had nerve damange.  I'm not going to go into detail with all that right now, there are many great sites you can visit to get more information on Spinabifida (including this one), and our family blog has lots of information on Ping's specific spinabifida (I can be contacted if you require (or are curious for) more information on Spinabifida) - but what I really want to do tonight, as I sit here blogging is to paint a picture of what Spinabifida really looks like for us.  And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'm gonna stop talking and add a couple of pictures.  Man, I wish my Grade 7 English teacher bought that "picture is worth a thousand words" principal... then the essays I handed in with all my doodlings would have been worth well over the 500 words she wanted me to write about Hamlet.  But I digress.  Sorry.  

Doctors...

Yes, we do have doctor appointments.  At first, it was quite often.  Many appointments with the neurologists, spine people, urologists, etc.  It was crazy.  But once all the initial assessments are done, its a once a year check up.  Hmmmm... kind of like NON-Spinabifida children have an annual check up.

Yes, there may be many Doctor appointments...

But she doesn't seem to mind.

Sports...

She does love her sports... she likes swimming.  Which is good, because it can be an excellent exercise for her.

At a friends pool...

... or at the beach.

Climbing...

She loves climbing trees, or play structures, she is going to follow her big sister G where ever she goes.  And since G loves climbing on everything, Ping follows.

The did eventually get stuck in this tree... and I had to get them down.

Happily she did NOT get stuck in the ropes though.

Soccer...

She was in the summer soccer league again this year, and yup, I was coaching.  This is her trying to steal the cooler full of freezies during a match.

Don't just stand there, help!

Karate...

Pings older brother D has been taking Karate for a couple of years now.  And much like any younger sibling, she wants to do what her brothers/sisters are doing.  The Sensis at the DoJo know she has spinabifida and have recommended that we get some chest padding for her, and put it on backwards when she starts sparing.

I'm a cute ninja!  Look, I had red flowers in my hair!

I have to blog about her 1st match, it was so cute.  I was worried that she would revert back to her  feisty ways, but when the sensi said "fight", she looked at me like "what, now, NOW I'm allowed to hit people?!"

Playing with others...

Me and the girls went camping a little bit ago - while playing at the beach and park the girls made friends with a small group of children (Indian, Vietnamese, french Canadian ... interesting group.  The kids didn't care) who were running relays.

And Dancing... oh yes, there will be dancing!

Every time a movie ends, its Dance Time!  The girls tend to jump up and shake their little booty until the music ends.  Well, this time, G was too tired to dance, so the Yeti had to fill in... I love at the end when she falls over shes shaking her booty so hard.

So yea, that's been about 2 weeks worth of life with Spinabifida there.  Well, the Doctors office was a while ago.  But the camping, swimming, relay running and booty shaking were all in the past couple of weeks... and it was a pretty busy week full of many activities which some may think impossible for a child with Spinabifida.  Now, every case is different, but this is ours... Hopefully there is something in there, that if you have been considering adopting, and maybe Spinabifida has come up in conversation, that you can use... even if only for hope. I know spinabifida is a big word, and I know it can be scary... and that's why most days when I see my daughter scratch her back, or lean awkwardly to the side I hear the voice in my head going "Why hello spinabifida... I had almost forgotten about you.  Guess I was too busy being amazed at how beautiful my daughter is."

The UN-Spoken Cost of Adoption

So, on a rather large adoption forum, my wife and other "moms to be" have been passing the time on our 100+ day wait for China to get back to us, by ... oh, how do I put this?  Passing the time by applying "Retail Therapy".

The Yetis version of "Retail Therapy".  :-)

Yes, between all the waiting moms on this forums the follow things have been purchased during their Retail Therapy sessions:

• Chocolate
• New Luggage Sets
• Pets
• Chocolate
• Ice-Cream
• Books
• Chocolate
• Art
• Electronics (yay - new TouchPad ... okay, that was me)
• Kitchen (yes, someone even got a new kitchen out of their 100+ day wait)

More "Retail Therapy" ... for the wife!  I swear!

And it got me thinking... what IS the true UN-Spoken cost of adoption?
So I did a quick search in my blog for some of the things these women were trying though Retail Therapy in an effort to struggle through the pain of the 100+ day wait...


Well, we DID get a New Kitchen for the PREVIOUS adoption... ;-)
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2009/07/ulterior-motive.html

And we also go new appliances:
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2010/01/refridgerator-art.html

And new bathrooms:
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2010/03/baby-needs-new-pair-of-bathrooms.html
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-70something.html

And new furniture:
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-family-member-this-time-not-child.html

Oh sod it all!  THAT is why adoption is so darned expensive!

Oh, and to any who are following my plight in trying to acquire a stereo for the past 15 or so years, there is now a new stereo in the house:
http://berzenji.blogspot.com/2011/08/welcome-home-stereo.html

*siiiiigh*  :-)

Welcome home... Stereo?!

Yes, a stereo... but not MY stereo...

... re-wind about 2 years...
Wife:  I want an iPod!
Me:  Really?!  But you don't like music.
Wife:  What dose music have to do with an iPod?  I got to use my friends at the school to look up bible verses, and totally loved it!
Me:  Okay.  *YAY!  She is finally starting to embrace the technologically enhanced home I've been trying to create!*

... some time passes ...
Me:  Hey, I got you something!
Wife:  What is it?!  OOoooh!!! An iPod!
Me:  Yup, and the most expensive one I could find!
Wife:  What can it do?!
Me:  What?  What do you mean what can it do?!
Wife:  Well, I don't know what they do.
Me:  But you asked for one.
Wife:  That doesn't mean I know what it is for though.
Me:  Well, you can play music with it.
Wife:  Can I make phone calls?
Me:  No, that would be the iPhone.
Wife:  But I want to make phone calls with it.
Me:  Okay, ummmm.. here let me set it up on the WiFi network... and then I'll install Skype on it... then you can make phone calls.
Wife:  YAY!  And can I send emails and stuff?!  Look at pictures?  OH!  Email the pictures?!
Me:  Uh, yes... were you really wanting a computer?  We have a couple of them.
Wife:  Oh no, computers are too hard to use.  I just want to click on a picture and say send!
Me:  But, we have Google Picasa on our computer.  That's what you do.
Wife:  But on the iPod it is easier!
Me:  Okay.  I'll download all the photos to the iPod, set up Skype, make sure its on the network, get your Bible application installed... anything else?  Oh, and I'll put on the music.
Wife:  Oh I don't need music.  I'm not a music person.  *remember this line*

... fast forward a couple years and 112 days of waiting ...
Wife:  ITS TO HARD TO LISTEN TO MUSIC AROUND HERE!  Why can't I just put in a CD and press play, or turn on a radio!  You've made it too hard to do anything!
Me:  Me?!  What?!  I got you an iPod.  Its super easy to listen to music on that.
Wife:  I gave the iPod to K.
Me:  Okay, well, you can put a CD in the computer, it will play automatically.
Wife:  The computer is too hard to use.
Me:  You can play music on your Palm Pre - its just like the iPod.
Wife:  I just want to turn something on and hear music.
Me:  Okay... *why is a "I'm not a music person" getting upset about not having music?*

... so after much soul searching, I come home with the 'perfect' solution... 
Me:  Look!  A new stereo!  It has a CD player on it, and AM/FM radio just like you asked.  You can put in a CD and play it.  Or listen to the radio.
Wife:  But I don't WANT to listen to CDs!  No one buys CDs anymore.  Everyone just downloads the music from iTunes and stuff.
Me:  But you don't.  You say its too hard.  You said this morning you wanted a CD player.
Wife:  I said I wanted something LIKE a CD player.
Me:  Okay, look, I've added all your songs to your Palm Pre - and it can connect wirelessly to the stereo.  And now you click on your music button, you can play by Artist, Album, Genre ...
Wife:  Oh thats too hard!
Me:  OR, you can just press Play All.  Then everything will play.
Wife:  Fine.  But I have to do what, keep plugging this INTO the stereo!
Me:  No, its wireless.  Listen, the music is already playing.
Wife:  But I don't like this song.
Me:  Then go to the next song.
Wife:  I want a play list.
Me:  Okay, you have to make a play list.
Wife:  I want it to have only the songs I like.
Me:  You can do that.
Wife:  Why is it playing another song I don't like!?
Me:  *siiiiiiigh*
Wife:  Well, you must be happy... you finally have your stereo.

Oooooh, no.  That is NOT my stereo.  Look at the picture up to again.  That is NOT my stereo.
MY stereo will have to have its picture taken by the International Space Station because it is sooooo big!
When I play AC/DC Thunder Struck, the Earth Quake sensors in Japan will be registering an 11 on the richter scale!  That little black thing up there... that is NOT my stereo.
My stereo will be able to stop a bullet for me.
My stereo will be able to be used to help correct the gravitational pull on the moon.
My stereo will be able to make the world spin backwards and allow me to reverse time to take the van keys with me to work so my wife can no longer get to the humane society, 3 days ago.
THAT is my stereo.

I guess I've been waiting a long time for a stereo.
Dreaming of a stereo.
Seeing my friends get stereos.
Waiting... where is my stereo.

And when a stereo entered my life... what was my response?
Its not good enough.
Its not the stereo I wanted.

I wonder... is that maybe why me attaching with Ping took so long.
Was she dreaming of a Dad?
Seeing her friends get Dads?
Waiting for her Dad?
And when her Dad walked in... she got... me.
I think it would be pretty foolish and arrogant to think that I was exactly the father she was expecting... if she even wanted one.
Maybe it wasn't abject terror or rage which was the stumbling block for her.
Maybe I just wasn't what she was dreaming about.
*shrug*

My wife's stereo is pretty cool though.  The bluetooth connectivity is awesome, and it has USB ports on it, and a Card Reader for different types of media from a computer.  Its a pretty cool little box.  Even if it can't help me travel back in time.  Maybe my expectations for a stereo were a little un-realistic.  Maybe Ping I need to let go of my expectations stereo and embrace what I do have*.

* == that would be, 1 cat, 1 dog, 2 budgies, 4 children, 1 on the way, and a wife who is driving me crazy

Welcome home ... Jet + Mariline?!

Our son D with his 2 birds at the humane society: Jet and Mariline
(or something, why do you bother naming birds?)

Humane Society Staff #1 (HS1):  Oh look, here comes a nice looking family to adopt more pets!
Humane Society Staff #2 (HS2):  Yup, looks like a Mom and a bunch o 'kids.
HS1:  Hmmmmm... single Mom?
HS2:  Nope, I see a ring on her finger.  Oh!  I bet she is adopting more pets without telling her husband!
HS1:  Yes!  Right!  Because that happens ALL the time.
HS2:  I'll bet you $20 that she didn't tell her husband.
HS1:  You're on!
HS2:  Hi!  Welcome to the Humaine Soci... oh, its you guys again!  How is Electra?
Wife:  Electra is great!  She sleeps on my bed, and has replaced my husband.  This adoption is doing strange things to my head.
HS1:  Well what can we do for you today, do you want another dog?
Wife:  No, not another dog.  My son would like a couple of birds!
HS1:  Oh, and is the husband OK with that?  He didn't seem to happy about the dog?
Wife:  Oh he loves the dog now.  Annnnd, well, when we spoke, he said "No birds!"
HS2:  HA!  See!  Where is my 20$!
HS1:  Wait a second, she said she DID tell her husband.  The bet wasn't that she wasn't going to listen to him.  Just that she told him.
Wife:  That's right, I did tell him.  I'm just ignoring him.
HS2:  Okay, well, we can hook you up with a couple of birds...
Son:  YAY!!!  Oh look!  There is a crazy one!  I want that one!
... a little while later ...
Wife:  Okay, we are ready to go.  Lets go kids!
HS1:  Goodbye!  Good luck with the birds!
HS2:  ... and come back tomorrow!  We'll help you get a cat!

Okay, so maybe the conversation didn't go exactly like that... I mean, I wasn't there, so how could I know.  But I have a sneaky suspicion that it went something like that.  They did tell the wife to come back today though to get a cat... that part I know.

Sooooo, yes, we now have:  mice (unwanted), a cat (unintended), a dog (replaced me dearly loved), two budgies (snack for the cat) and I'm falling ever lower on the food chain.

Daughter G with Electra, okay, fine, she is a cute dog...

This Letter Of Authorization / Travel Approval from China has GOT to come NOW!  If it takes much longer, you are going to see me posting about the wife adopting a Llama... or Alpaca... there are a couple farms near by.  I think the wife is really just trying to adopt ANYTHING just to have some sort of adoption complete.  I'm getting scared a little.  She might start taking in strays... and no, I don't mean dogs... like, homeless bums living on the streets of Ottawa... she might start taking them in, cleaning them up, calling them slightly Asian sounding English names and sending care packages to the Salvation Army for raising them thus far.

*siiiigh*  Anyway, on a side note, I'm really proud of our son D who adopted these birds.  This is a big step for him, to have something that he has to care for and take care of, hopefully without killing them...

Oh, and yes, I did buy a "stereo" - but it was for the wife ... there will be a blog about that later...

Oh, and to all you other Adoptive Moms out there, "encouraging" my wife with new animals to adopt... STOP IT!  You're not helping!  :-)

Welcome home ... Electra?!

* BING *  You've got mail!

Hmmmm... an email from the wife.  Huh.  I wonder what it says.  Odd title.  "Guess where we r..."
Sounds harmless enough.
Oh look, no text, but a photo attached.

Ottawa Humane Society...
you know... where  the Dogs are?

WHAAaaaaat?!?!?!?

We've talked about this... LOTS... over the years.

She wants a dog.

She always had.

She grew up with Dogs.

I want a stereo.

I grew up with a stereo.

She said no Stereo, I said no Dogs.

I still don't have a stereo.

Because you know what... THAT's what we need right now!  More chaos and MORE "Things" living in this house!

I grab the phone and call the wife... She reassures me that she is only filling out a Questionairre.

... so I jumped in my car and went down to the dog pound. 

It was like an ambush!  Before my feed even got to the door I think my wife had strategically prepped the girls! They came BOLTING OUT of the Humaine Society giggling and skipping and yelling at the top of their lungs "WE'RE GETTING A DOGGIE DADDY!!!  OH DADDY I LOVE YOU!  CAN WE GET A DOG!!!!"   And it was all down hill from there.  Before we even did the paperwork for the doggie adoption, I got a text from one of our kids friends asking if we had gotten the dog yet.  

Hey, wait a second... if she was only filling out a questionairre, HOW did the kids friends know about the dog?!  Hmmmmm... I'm starting to think maybe this wasn't as UNplanned as she was describing it.  This is probably what it feels like when a well oiled military strike force plans a covert operation.  

It really can happen that fast.

I'm still not sure what happened.

Was it the 104 day wait?

Was it the pre-adoption blues?

Was it the need to fill a void?

Was it the need to have someone/something else to love?

Was it to at least complete ONE adoption this year?

But we walked out of there with the newest member of our family... Electra.

Our newest Family Memeber - Electra

Electra is a GORGEOUS 7 year old Somoya(?) Huskey. 

And yes... she is about the cutest thing ever.

And yes, she is in my bed right now.

I've already lost that battle.

The wife is curled up with the dog... and I'm down here... in the basement... on my blog.

*siiiiigh*

Oh, and for any of those who have known us for ANY length of time... I am NOT a dog person.

I swore we would NEVER get a dog.

We had a dog once, and it got hit by a Honda.

I carried him in my arms back home and rushed him to a 24 hour Vet to try to save his life.

It didn't work.

But never again I said.

No more dogs.

...

Oh well.  You win some, you loose some.  

Or so I've been told.

I haven't really won anything yet.

:-)

Don't you worry about: "Buying your child"

I've been noticing a theme lately in some of the blogs/fourms regarding adoption... maybe it is triggered by the tough finical times that people are going though - but the topic of money and adoption is coming up a LOT lately.  And although these discussions MAY be spurred on by peoples individual finical troubles, I think it is more likely caused by peoples individual ignorance.

Oh... spoiler alert, this is another SOAP BOX type post.  You've been warned.  :-)

Is this better...

... than this?

Someone recently posted a question about how other adoptive parents have responded to the comment that they are "buying" their children:

The other day I was talking to a friend who wanted to know where we were with our adoption and as I was telling her ... and [they] just blurted out, "Ya but you are buying her." I was mortified. I could not believe [they] had said that to me. I have never felt so bad before in my whole life. I was sick to my stomach. I really did not know what to say to [them] or the other people that were sitting there.

Now, I've blogged about this before... adoptive parents are not "buying children".  There is a legal process which has to be adhered to - legal processes costs money, mostly for services rendered.  At best, I'm paying for my Lawyer's new Yacht, or AirCanada to re-paint one of their aging A320s.  But to say we adoptive parents are "buying children" is just ignorant!  The amount of money which goes towards China (in our case) is so small in the overall costs that it is the LEAST of our expenses.

NOTE:  More info about can be found here, here, here and here using the TAGs feature of the blog for finances, money, ontario internation adoption procses and adoption process.

NOTE:  For the cynics out there, yes, child trafficking is a reality.  But it is not an 'adoption issue' - that is a global injustice issue, something perpetuated by bad people doing bad things.

 Do these same people realize that having bio-logical children costs money?!  Do they think that DOCTORS deliver babies for free?!

I've been told before that (in our case) China should just GIVE us the child.  That adopting a child should not cost anything.  In a perfect world, this should be the case.  In a fallen and broken world, maybe AirCanada doesn't have to charge us FULL FARE for our child to fly home.  Maybe my lawyer or social worker can provide services for free, or a reduced rate.  What about the hotels we stay at in China?  Or the restaurants we eat at... it should *all* be free!  Because, after all... we are "giving a child a home right!"

*siiiigh*  Welcome to the world of ignorance comments.

Would anyone expect their US Doctors to deliver their babies for free?!  No.  People are not that ignorant!  You go to a US hospital to have a baby, and you walk out with a new born bundle of joy AND a 20,000$* Medical BILL!  You have fees for staying in the hotel, er Hospital room.  You have transportation costs (hey Ambulances are NOT free), you have Doctor fees, Anastegolists fees, registration fees, fees, fees, fees!  Don't forget the meals at the hospital cafe, or the coffees from Tim Hortons!  Oh, and if you want  NEED a C-Section?!  Well, add another 5,000$ to that cost then!  I mean c'mon, you are "giving a child a home right!"

So... in response to this lady who has asked in her email "have other adoptive parents had to answer hurtful comments?" and "what did you say or do?", here is my answer...

• Smile (I know it is hard to do)
• Calmly explain that you did not buy a child
• Explain that it is expensive to adopt, but that the money is going to lawyers and government offices to ensure that children are safe and NOT being "sold"
• If you are the sarcastic type, you could ADD that if you were to BUY a child that you could have found a child for cheaper than 20,000$
• If they are still listening, I point out the fact that in North America it costs approximately 20,000$ to have a baby at your local hospital
• If you are feeling especially ornery, you could then accuse them of BUYing their child.  If they claim that they didn't have to pay (because of medicare, or health insurance) then point out that they have then "STOLEN THEIR CHILD FROM THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNER" ... after all, they didn't pay for the child to be born.  ;-)
• Then, if they are still listening, I would ask them (and provide them with information) to read up on adoption so they could maybe better understand the process**
• THEN, if they are still listening, I call them a flaming moron and slash their car tires

But hey, each time it is different - depending on who you are talking to and how willing they are to listen.
You will get better at deflecting these type of comments and questions.
Each time you answer, it will get easier.
No, it will never stop hurting.
No, you can not say what you "want" to - at least I can't, because I want to say many horrible things to these people... but we have to be bigger than that.  We have to educate people, not berate them... no matter how ignorant and hurtful they may be.

But that's just me... and yes, sometimes I'm sarcastic and ornery.  But mostly, I'm in love with my children, bio-logical or adopted, and I will not stand idly by while people hurt their feelings.

* == Source information on costs of having a baby:  http://www.costhelper.com/cost/child/baby-delivery.html
** == It is normally around this point where they realize that they don't have an informed decision and that they don't WANT an informed decision and walk away

Things Ping Probably Never Thought She Would Be Doing

NOTE:  If the embedded videos do NOT work, I will attempt to correct them tonight - my internet is not working so great right now, so I can't tell if the videos are working.  Sorry.

Yes sir, I'm sure two years ago, when (and IF) Ping was first told that she was going to be adopted by some Canadian Family, I'm sure there were things she expected, some things she did not expect, and even thing which she could not have even known not to expect!  

Ping and her friend trying to steal the cooler full of freezies!

What are such things?  Well, having a Yeti for a father seems to have caught her a little off guard.  However, she is dealing with that about as best as she can.  ... hmmm... what else?  Oh, Cow Calling!

Cow calling... ye'sir... HEY BOSSY!  BOSSY BOSSY!!! HEEEEEERE BOSSYYIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!  Oh goodness, don't'cha just love the country life?!

I'll come back to that.  But first, lets lay some background.  This year, my two girls once again were playing soccer.  And once again, I was the coach for both their teams.  It's not like they could have been on the same team... of at least on the same night... nope.  Tuesday I was coaching G's team - and she did great, my little striker!  :-)  And on Thursdays I was coaching Pings team... she did great too!  Got some goals this year, was confident, and enjoyed herself.  What a change from last year.  This year, she was excited to have me be her coach!  She would tell everyone "My Dad the coach!"  Aaaah, fun times.

G making a play during the game.
She was one of the few who scored on her team.

So at the end of the soccer season, we always have a Soccer Day at the Chesterville Fair!  So once again, this year me and the girls trundled down to the fair and had a great time.  After playing soccer, me and the girls went to partake in some of the Country Fair activities... including the Cow Calling Contest.  Check out the video of the girls doing the Cow Calling below.

Now, was playing soccer on Pings radar when she was sitting in ZhongShan waiting to be adopted?  
I don't know.  Maybe.

Was she expecting to partake in a live country band playing at a fair in a small farming town in Ontario Canada?  
I doubt it.

Was she expecting to come in 1st place in a Cow Calling Competition?  
Definitely not.  Well, maybe... perhaps there is a big underground Cow Calling Culture in China which I just haven't stumbled upon yet.

Milking a plastic cow?  
Doubt it.

Taking part of a magic show with her sister?  
Maybe...

Taking part of a Water Mellon eating contest?  
Only in her DREAMS!  That girl LOOOOOVES Water Mellons!

Did any of that make her life "better"?  
Nope.  Just different.

However, I hope that our love and her being part of our family has made her life "better"...  just like I hope all our other children feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful family.

We can take family for granted so easily... I wonder if Ping does?

Listening to a live country band at the main stage

Meeting Winnie the Pooh and Elmo(ish) characters

Showing off her prize for the Cow Calling

Showing off her price for the Cow Calling

Milking a plastic cow

I still find this whole "milking a plastic cow" thing disturbing

Helping with the Magic Show -  G is so shy, Ping is looking for attention

Ping sizing up her competition

G anxiously awaiting to eat that water mellon

She loves getting dirty when she eats

And they kept eating the mellon, even after the race was done

Ping is perfecting her technique here, on her 2nd Wedge of Mellon!

Getting ready for the Pie Eat'n contest!

She likes pies

Is there something on my face?  I can't tell.