Diet coke-anyone?

It was empty, but still cracked me up....

Beauty and the Beach

On September 5, 2007
A brand new angel dropped from heaven

She knew that she was to live near the beach
but the wind blew Florida JUST out of reach

She longed for a big brother named Sean
But the wind blew her to Kostanai, Kazakhstan

She had to be patient because it's all in God's timing
But her family flew in from Florida and her mom was all rhyming

She said, OH THANK GOODNESS can we please go to the beach
and wow, My mom is a real Georgia peach

Our Kazakhstan angel is happy and tan
Because being a Serra was part of God's plan!

Pretty girls wear BOWS!

I have been working with Leeza on how important it is for girls to accessorize. She, of course, pulls her hats off, and pulls her bows out, and forget about sunglasses. However-a couple weeks ago I kept putting the hat that matched her outfit on and telling her how "pretty girls wear hats". She ran to the mirror to check her sassy self out and I said, "SEE! PRETTY GIRLS WEAR HATS!" and low and behold, she kept her hat on. I'm cracking up that she knows what a pretty girl is...but she sure enough does! She did a good job of keeping her sunglasses on when we went to the beach too-but maybe because it was so bright outside.

While we were out and about yesterday, we had 2 Grandma's ask us if Leeza was a BOY. C'MON! Granted, she was in the ergo, but she had on a dress, and her earrings and her bracelet....but we still get many boy comments. I decided to try the "Pretty girls wear bows" strategy since it worked with the hat. After repeating our new mantra SEVERAL times and putting it back in her hair each time she ripped it out, WHOA, she decided to leave it in. She wore one yesterday, and today to kindermusic (but she had to take it out halfway thru class). I was trying to get pictures of her and was chasing her around the house. She is getting really adept at dodging the photographer. I guess I need to tell her.."Pretty girls let their mom's take their pictures" and I should probably also use other words than "pretty" because I don't want a vain, shallow daughter on my hands.....but at least I will have a vain, shallow daughter who wears hats, and bows, and lets me take her picture.

NEXT ON THE AGENDA: SUNGLASSES! Smart girls wear sunglasses!! Yes-that is the next lesson in the life of Leeza. Stay tuned...



And, our next American Idol sings..."Girls that are wise...learn to accessorize"

Oh you know if a girl is wise
She will learn to accessorize

My mommy taught me this I know
Please check out my pretty bow!!

Leeza and Sadie frolic at Islands of Adventure

Leeza and Sadie sit oh so patiently (sorta) in their strollers while they wait with their mom's for the boys to get off a ride they were too small for...

I did not get pictures, but Leeza rode her first ride at an amusement park...she rode 3 rides, actually. She rode the Dr. Suess ride, the fish ride (kinda like Dumbo at Magic Kingdom, but you get wet), and the merry go round. She was VERY brave and really liked them. She is WAY braver than Sean was at her age. Joe has a "strict rule" about no kids at Disney until they're 3, but even Sean agreed that he thinks Leeza would LOVE IT! She's all about the rides and the crowds. :)







Leeza got to meet Sadie, and Mommy got to meet ANOTHER member of Kaz Mama walkin team, Kristan, and her hubby, Mark. Another bonus for Sean: Sadies' 2 big brothers! Sean and Ryan (who just turned 10) really hit it off and had a blast hanging out together. Boys are so weird when they meet each other, they don't "chat" like girls do...they just kind of "hang out", but by the end of the day, they were both laughing and having a great time. Sadie is a lil over a year older than Leeza, but they were still pretty cute together and I loved watching Sadie climb the ropes. Seriously, this is the strongest and most fearless lil girl I've ever met!

The girls havin fun while the boys rode the water rides over,and over, and over. :)














The boys (Ryan and Sean) climbing up the rock...(they did great!)









They had the COOLEST play area at Island of Adventure. It was a maze,with all ropes. I was a little bit nervous, and Leeza was too, at first. Sadie, however, never had a moment of fear and was HANGING on the ropes, climbing like a monkey. I have NEVER seen a child like her-EVER. She is so olympics bound-Kristan has her hands full! She is so strong and so fearless and VERY coordinated. All I could say was "WOW!" It was so much fun!!! Fun was had by ALL the boys and the girls.:) The boys went on the wettest water ride 4 times in a row and got sopping wet....and then we all had dinner at NBA in Citywalk, before we drove back home. It was such a wonderful time, and we all loved meeting the Struck family, and may even try to see them on our spring break in another week! This Kaz connection is freakin AWESOME!

Leeza meets Nina-Kaz cuties everywhere!!!

Leeza (born in Kostanai) and Nina (born in UST) discuss the diva's that they have now become on the playground at the Swan Hotel in Orlando



Nina's parents ROCK and gave the girls Mickey Rice Krispy treats on a stick! YUM!









Of course, Nina's mom has Mickey Princess Hats, and Nina shares one with Leeza for a photo op...


Leeza looks a lil "Drunk" off all the sugar and has her princess ears half off...she clearly doesn't have the hat wearing and sunglass wearing skills that Nina has...



Happy Susan carrying 2 very cute, very happy lil girls!!


What's even BETTER than Leeza getting to meet another darling lil girl from Kazakhstan? Getting to meet a darling girl who has BIG brothers that can hang out with Sean too!!! Sean and I drove up to Orlando on Sunday to meet the infamous Nina..the girl who has the cutest wardrobe, complete with matching sunglasses and hats with every adorable ensemble (and she keeps them on!!). Nina has 3 brothers, 17, 14, and 9, and while Sean hung with Nolan on the water slides and such, Nina and Leeza played in the pool and got to know each other. I loved meeting Lori-she is just as "real" as I expected, and very down to earth and nice. I am excited to get to know her very well, as we walk 60 miles together as she is also a a member of our Kaz Mama team and we are walking the Arizona Breast cancer walk in November. Her husband, Dart, is a total sweetheart, and clearly Nina has him and her brothers wrapped around her finger. :)

We had such a great time and the girls were really cute together. They are about the same size, but they are about 9 months apart,but we could tell because Nina walks and runs rather than the toddler "waddle" that Leeza still does,and her verbal skills are really exploding too. Watching them play and run around, one would never imagine they'd spend the first year (or two, in Nina's case) years in an orphanage. I got teary eyed just watching them because they both (as everyone else I have met too) have found the perfect families that have allowed them to blossom into the charming lil people they are becoming. :)

I am loving how this Kaz connection is helping us make so many new friends!

Stay tuned-we met the infamous Sadie, future olympic gymnast, the next day, but I thought Sadie and Nina deserved their own posts....

Happy Nauryz!! (or Nauriz)-Spring is HERE!

Happy Happy Nauryz everyone!!! Today is the first day of spring! I think this is such a cool holiday to celebrate...Kazakhstan got it right! My favorite thing about spring is all the FUN SPRING FASHIONS! (Imagine that!)
Of course, have I gone shopping for MYSELF for any of these great new clothes?
OF COURSE NOT!






I can no longer afford to buy clothes for myself, because no one looks at me anyway. They're too busy looking at the blond bombshell of a daughter who is with me everywhere I go. :)






The best thing though, about this holiday, is the suprise the kiddo's at the Dolphin baby house in Kostanai will have today, courtesy of all the donations made thru Two Hearts for Hope! We were able to wire the lovely Tatiana several thousand tenge thru generous donations given thru Two Hearts so that she could "get her shop" on for the kids at the baby house. She went with the head teacher, and Ivan, and they purchased tricyles, a new spring wardrobe for the kids, books, puzzles, toys, and musical instruments. They will be presented to the kids today. I can't wait to see the pictures.

I am so incredibly grateful for being involved in such a fantastic organization that truly does everything they can to give back to the orphans of Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan adoption community is the most incredible group of people-I never ever imagined all the support and all the new friendships I've made-all because of our journey to Leeza! I feel incredibly blessed and I am so grateful for all the wonderful Kaz adoptive parents that we've gotten the chance to know and love! Not only did we get to add our cherished baby to our family, but we were all forever changed by our trip to Kazakhstan,and the people we continue to meet now that we're home (for 5 months as of tomorrow, wow!!)

Here are only a few of the things that Tatiana was able to purchase with the generous donations given thru Two Hearts for Hope. I am also incredibly blessed to have a continuing friendship with Tatiana, thru skype, and emails and facebook. She will ALWAYS and forever be a cherished friend and "Aunt Tatiana" for Leeza!

Take a look at what you can do thru www.twoheartsforhope.org!!

Here is an example of the adorable children that you are helping.

Can you guess who the last baby is standing in the crib?




Until these babies are adopted or picked up by their parents, let's give them a reason to smile...like Leeza is doing when Rustam's, daddy, Chris is holding her. This was back in June, a month and a half before we met our angel. She was waiting!!



Take a look at what you can do thru www.twoheartsforhope.org!!