Virginia is for Lovers: Day Five

Saturday was a fun-filled day. The Taylor clan arrived and a few of us walked to the library to read some books. We returned for lunch and realized that it can get a little crazy with 7 children running around the house, so we decided that the park would be a great place to release some energy.



Unfortunately it was extremely hot and sunny, so we didn't stay too long.

Mei Li and Mylee talked Ie Mei and I into painting their nails.



Our friend, Barret Johnson, let us in on a little secret. A little town called Lovettsville shoots fireworks off on the 3rd of July for some reason or another. We decided to make a family outing out of it (Barrett joined us too) and it turned out to be a great time. There weren't too many people there and the kids just ran around on the field and the playground until it was time for the fireworks to start.

Most of the kids had fun, but Mylee thought it was too loud and all Stephen could do was cover his ears and say, "This is scary. I don't like it!" It was kinda sad, but cute and funny at the same time. I didn't think it was too loud or too scary. It was just right.



We all piled into our cars and Mylee was talking to be while I was buckling her in and she said, talking about Barrett, "Is that your boyfriend?" Which was funny because Lance had said earlier, "So Ie Ling, is that your B-O-Y-F-R-I-E-N-D??" To which I had to reply no. But I did complement him on his spelling.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Four

Today wasn't necessarily eventful, but I just had the most fabulous day. We didn't have too much planned, so we mostly played with the little children and helped Ie Li and Steve get more settled into their new house. I found Jonathan in the basement watching my favorite movie. And for those of you who don't know me very well, that is Anne of Green Gables. Some of you may remember when I was lucky enough to meet "Anne with an E".

There is just something beautiful about that movie. I think I could watch it everyday and not get sick of it. I love Anne's quirkiness and Gilbert's charm. They are perfect. I can't get through it without shedding just a couple happy tears for them.

The next highlight of the day was getting to put a bow on Mi Na's pretty little head. Seriously, is there anything cuter than this:



We ate at Carolina Brothers for dinner and had BBQ pork sandwiches and baked beans. They were good, but I wasn't blown away. They did, however, have my favorite kind of ice. That maybe made our $12 dinner all worth it.

Jonathan and I started watching Center Stage and Ie Li joined us soon after. Despite the horrifically cheesy lines and bad acting, I love watching this movie. Maybe it's because of the awesome dancing, or the way that Jonathan, Ie Li, and I burst into song when we hear Mandy Moore's, I Wanna be With You in the background. Either way, it was a lovely evening with my siblings.

Tomorrow we will be united with our beautiful sister, Ie Mei and her family. It'll be fun to have four Wests under the same roof this weekend. I'm hoping that this 4th of July weekend will be filled with fun and laughter and that I'll have lots of good things to report on.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Three

Jonathan and I made a trip to Costco with Mei Li and Stephen and enjoyed the food court and lots of samples. But this was only after a little incident this morning. Jonathan and I were getting ready for the day and Mei Li came down all dressed with her hair in pigtails. She saw a flower that I had in my hair and ran upstairs to get a bow for herself.

Well, I went upstairs and thought Mei Li had pulled back her bangs a little funny. Not exactly what happened. Ie Li chuckled a little and said, "Mei Li, what'd you do with your hair?" and as Mei Li approached, we both realized that she had taken scissors to her beautiful bangs. Ie Li and Mei Li cried for a little, but everything will be alright. Hair grows back.

The funny thing is that when Ie Li was about Mei Li's age, she cut her own bangs as well. She was ironically in pigtails too.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Two

We woke up to the high-pitched voices of Mei Li and Stephen saying: "Auntie Ie Ling, Uncle Jonathan, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!" And if you know how cute they are, you know they can't be refused. We got ready for the day and while Jonathan made a trip to the IKEA in Maryland, Mei Li, Stephen, and I went to the park and played with sidewalk chalk. It was the most beautiful day and to top off our morning at the park, we came home to Ie Li preparing a little picnic for us out on the deck:


This year I've become acquainted with a lot of great people from Virginia, including Barrett Johnson. He paid us a little visit on his way home from work. Mei Li and Barrett got along splendidly. Within the first 5 minutes she was already holding his hand on his way to the park. He was only with us for a little while, but I hope I will be seeing a lot more of him in these next 3 weeks.

Jonathan and I let Ie Li take a little nap and we attempted to entertain the kids. Mei Li came up with idea of making cheerio bracelets. It was a definite success:

Virginia is for Lovers: Day One

Our adventure began on a Monday evening at the Long Beach Airport. We departed around 10:30 and my plan was to sleep the ENTIRE flight. I even took some dramamine to knock me out. Unfortunately, my plan backfired and I was awake for most of the flight, which left me with nothing to do but browse infomercials. I saw a couple funny ones like Body Gospel .

We finally landed at Washington, Dulles at 6:00 AM and arrived in Ashburn around 6:30. Jonathan and I were exhausted, so we took a nap for a while but eventually woke up to play with 3 beautiful little munchkins:



There's nothing I love more than little newborns who let you cuddle with them all day long. In addition to cuddling with baby Mi Na Anne, we played hello animals and read a Dr. Seuss book entitled, "Put Me in the Zoo." It's a good one and I highly recommend it. But I'm sure by the end of this trip I'll have it memorized, so I can just tell you the story.

After the kids went to bed, Jonathan and I went for a little run and enjoyed the unusually cool Virginia air as the sun set. We even spotted some fireflies while we were stretching. They're amazing.

Happy Birthday, Best Friend

Today my best friend, Katie Backus, turned 20. Honestly, I'm not really sure how I'd survive without her. She keeps me laughing and smiling whenever I'm around her. I love that I can act a little crazy around her. Katie, Cassie and I have all been best friends for a while now and I wouldn't have it any other way. So many good memories:

countless years at girls' camp
many mornings at seminary
lots of nights at mutual
sleepovers
surprise birthday celebrations for each other
personal progress projects
youth conferences
sleeping under the stars in my back yard
scooter/bike rides
home videos
tie-dying

and the list goes on.

There are so many things that I love about this girl and I just want her to know how loved she is on her birthday. Katie Nicole, you're the most beautiful gal I know. Happy, happy birthday. I love you!

My favorite four-year-olds

I love my nephews, but I always wanted nieces so that I could play with their hair and do their nails. Well, in June of 2006, I was lucky enough to get two nieces within 3 days of each other. I may just be the luckiest aunt in the world. Now it's 2010 and they're four! It's crazy to think that it's been four years since these two bundles of joy came into the world.

Mei Li and Mylee,

Happy Birthday! I love watching you grow up and being a part of your lives. I love doing your hair and painting your nails. I love that you two are such good friends and I hope you stay close forever. I hope you have the happiest year ever and I can't wait to see you both this summer!

Love,
Auntie Ie Ling