Sophie's Story

Celebrating the Birth of an Angel

2012-01-15T21:02:00.001-06:00

5 years ago, in Viet Nam A beautiful young lady name, whom we never met gave birth to a little girl named Nguyen Thanh Hang. Thank you to this wonderful, selfless lady. Know that we think about you and honor you this day as well! You and Sophie's birth father are THE reason why we are blessed with our daughter!

It has been a great weekend of birthday celebration with our girl. Family in from out-of-town, parties, toys, cakes, more toys, really just a special time to celebrate the life of Sophie and the gifts that she gives us each day.

We held her party on Saturday at Bounce U, where she wanted to go with 20 of her school friends and cousins. After hauling in a ton of gifts and enjoying her Disney Princesses cake we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant Pho Grand later in the evening.

The other day she asked us, "Can I do whatever I want on my birthday?" well, yes of course (within reason though Sophie). Her choice on Saturday night was to stay up late and sleep on the floor. Pretty reasonable choices!

Today, was a day of kind of chilling out one, playing with her new gifts trip to the grocery store and a birthday dinner of her choice. On the menu was messy chicken drumsticks AKA BBQ Chicken, grilled carrots and butter noodles. We think she was asleep before her head hit the pillow in bed!

Enjoy the weekend in photos. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE, AND MANY HAPPY RETURNS! Mommy and Poppa love you with all of our hearts!

Let's get this party STARTED!

Best thing EVER made....

Yep, I am five now!

Go ahead....make my day!

Down the slide at Bounce U

Thanks to everyone that came to my party!

My birthday party.....cake time!

Having a great time!

Princess cake.

I'm a happy girl!

SCORE!!!!!!

Opening all my cool gifts!

Princess castle!!!!

No birthday would be complete without Pho Grand for dinner!

I'm SASSY and I KNOW it!

Mema and me.

Smiles with Uncle Bub.

Chillin' with Grandad at dinner.

Gettin' after my birthday cookie.

New Year Wishes

2012-01-01T10:52:00.001-06:00

Welcome to a new year. A year that is filled with opportunities waiting to be discovered as the months unfold. From the three of us, we hope that 2012 brings health and happiness to you and your family.

We are so grateful for the blessings that 2011 brought us. We continue to just love watching our little girl blossom, form her personalities and skills. As a family formed through the gift of adoption, we have the gift of not knowing what Sophie's traits and or talents are. Since we never met her biological parents, we do not know what they were good at. Was her birth-father an athlete or a musician? Her birth-mom? What did she excel in? I think the cool thing is, we just get to wait and see what emerges out of our daughter this year as God will once again guide our life the way He has planned it to always be. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Long Time No Blog

2011-12-30T12:25:00.002-06:00

With the ease of Facebook etc, the blog has been so neglected. Yep, we still stink at this, but it is a resolution of ours to update once per month in 2012 so those not of FB etc can see Sophie before she turns 30!

What have we done since Memorial day? Too much to list but will post some pictures to recap. Wishing you and your family a VERY happy and healthy 2012.

Went to Chicago with the Walkers to visit the American Girl store on a girls weekend.

Did a photo shoot at Faust Park

Spent time with my Mommy and Poppa

Enjoyed the St. Louis summertime

Went to the cottage in Ludington, MI and saw the Badger

Went to the annual international pumpkin party at the Dorris house.

Was Minnie Mouse for Halloween.

Spent the weekend in Oklahoma City with the Kellers and caught the OSU game.

Yeah, I even went to Disney World!

I had a princess makeover day while I was there, ate dinner with all my favorite princesses too!

Rode my FIRST big girl ride!!! Yep my bow was tall-enough to ride the Star Wars ride and I loved it!

Celebrated my 3rd Gotcha' Day!

Celebrated Christmas with my family and friends.

Remembering The Fallen. One, A Family Friend.

2011-05-30T09:46:00.005-05:00

This weekend is not about BBQs and having people over to celebrate. It is day to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price in defense of this wonderful nation, and fighting for those freedoms that we all so often take for granted. Fly your flag outside your home. So few houses do this anymore. After 9/11 it was hard NOT to see the Stars and Stripes at a house or office. Now it is a challenge! This Memorial Day, as I do each year I pay tribute and honor Lt. William Thomas "Tom" Costen, United States Navy and his partner Lt. Charlie Turner. Tom grew up in the house behind us in St. Louis. I remember playingwiffle ball with him and running behind the "bug man" smog truck on summer evenings after dinner. Not the smartest of ideas since it was a mosquito killing fog, but hey you were a kid and everyone else did it. Tom's father was also a great friend to the family as well as an Orthopedic Surgeon to a few of of us.

Tom and Charlie Turner were assigned to Attack Squadron 155 at Whidby Island, Washington. Their unit shipped out to the Middle East on board the USS RANGER when U.S. military buildup began there in January 1991. Tom and Charlie had been in the region only ten days when hostilities began and they were asked to fly combat missions on Iraqi military targets in the first wave of offensive strikes of the war the opening night of the Gulf War. Tom was the pilot of an FA6 Intruder, and Charlie his BN (bomdadier/navigator). Both failed to return from missions on the morning of Friday, January 18, 1991.

Later reports revealed that two emergency radio beeper signals were picked up indicating that both Tom and Charlie ejected safely from their aircraft. Both were returning to the USS Ranger after a bombing mission over Baghdad.

On January 20, both Tom and Charlie were officially listed as MIA by the Pentagon. It was not until almost two months after the end of Operation Desert Storm that the Iraqis handed over the remains of 14 United States soldiers. One of those was Tom

Lt. William Costen

Lt. Charlie Turner

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Another Child of God.....

2011-05-17T10:54:00.002-05:00

Actually wrote this on 5/11, just did not publish it.... Sorry!

Not only did we celebrate Mother's Day, but we also celebrated Sophie's baptism. Family and friends abound we had a great gathering Saturday night and the baptism after mass on Sunday. We missed those who were not able to join us. It was a special moment for us as parents and not a day goes by that we do not thank God for Sophie and the joy that she has brought to us in such a short amount of time.

Her baptism candle

I baptize you...... She was a little freaked but no crying!

Bible from Belle

Godmothers.

Mommy's annual Mother's Day book.

Good times with friends on Saturday before the baptism.

Swinging with cousins Jack and Mason.

Playing Catch Up!

2011-05-02T19:49:00.010-05:00

We're back!! First of all we are so very sorry that we have went an entire 3 months without any posts!! We have had a busy 3 months. Sophie is growing up fast. She is now 31lbs and 38 inches high! She loves to sing, dance, gymnastics and be extremely girly. We are gearing up for summer and lots of summer vacations.

We spent Easter with Belle and Bear this year. Belle managed to deck her out with the beautiful Easter dress! Thank you Belle. And of course the Easter Bunny came to MS as well as STL and TUL, busy bunny. Sophie came up with 5 lip glosses, a pound of jelly beans 1/2 pound of M&M's and lots of stickers (that are now all over everything).

Sophie on Easter Sunday.

Growing up so fast!

Bear and Belle

Us!

The Easter Bunny hooked a sister up!

Sophie's egg hunt in MS.

Mommy and Sophie

Coloring eggs with Poppa.

Sophie has truly developed into a sweet little girl, but she is defiantly putting us to the test! She is very smart and tries to get away with a lot! It's very clever the way she will ask me for something and if I say no she will go to Poppa, ask the same thing, hoping he will say yes--It has yet to work for her! Sophie now just assumes she can't "have it" for example, "Momma/Poppa I can't have 2 cookies right?" hoping we will say "no, not right Sophie you can have 2". It's very funny.

Sophie with her cousins Jack and Mason

Sophie is a BIG helper. She has become very independent. "I can do it" is a common phrase of Sophie's. She loves to do her own hair, dress herself and tries to cook for herself. I tell her she needs to be 6 before she starts using the oven and boiling water :).

Sophie and Poppa working in "Sophie's Garden"

Celebrating my birthday at our favorite place Pho Grand

Mommy's birthday present from Uncle Bub- CARDS tickets!

Sophie gets her wildlife on with Poppa at Wetland's for Kids day!

STL zoo, "look Momma a snake--is it real?" "yes Sophie it's real and it's o.k. to stand and balance on it's body..it likes it"

Punkie do's (Sophie and her Mema)

Sophie and her BFF Olivia Walker are very silly together...here they decided to do make overs.

Here they stuff their face with marshmallows..

yes...i am a piece of work

DONKEYS

What? You lookin'at me? I'm having a bad hair day.

Sophie loved the Alpaca farm.

Since the last posting, Sophie had major dental work done, which many other children that have been adopted from overseas have experienced. A total of 11 cavities and 9 crowns in one procedure, she looks great. It is the lack of so many things that most American children get such as pre-natal vitamins etc. that caused this. Her mouth is free of pain and her follow ups have been good.

We are looking forward to Mother's Day weekend, which also will be even more special as she will be baptized at St. Joseph Parish. Looking forward to having the family in town for the event. It will be amazing.

Winter Marches On..

2011-01-29T19:26:00.006-06:00

It has been a long....cold....snowy winter in St. Louis. Old man winter is about to get a beating from the Belz! Keeping busy is never a problem for us, but finding warm things to do OUTSIDE is a challenge.....Snow play has been fun. Sophie was up to her waist last week in it. Today was amazing though and a nice change of pace. It made it to 51 so a zoo trip was in order. There was a black rhino born last week, but not on viewing yet, but there was also a baby Amur Leopard and Tree Kangaroo which was fun to see.

Sophie is getting ready to undergo major dental work in two weeks. One of the challenges with many internationally adopted children is oral health and Sophie ranks up there at the top. She will be having 14 fillings and 9 crowns....all necessary work. We knew it would need to happen as we could see the issues on our Gotcha day. Lack of all the vitamins, flouride etc we all take for granted was not available to her, thus.....4 hours of dental work :-(
So below are some photos of the past few weeks for us. Hey Spring? WE ARE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEADY! Oh, wait......old man winter is gonna throw snow and ice at us...Monday through Wednesday!

JUST...COLD!!!!!!

Silly times with Poppa

I AM a total ham though.....

Are you talkin to ME?

Petting the goats at the zoo is always a favorite for her.

My resident gray squirrel in the back yard....He's ready for warm too.

GUINEA PIGS!!!

I....think....the....snow....was...YELLOW :-)

Fun in the snow.....

Snow "Angel in the Moon"

ITS UP TO MY WAIST!!!!

Driving home from school. :-)

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

2011-01-15T07:41:00.001-06:00

We love you so very much. Today we honor and celebrate you as well as a special young woman in Vietnam who gave you life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOPHIE LEE-NGUYEN BELZ!!!!

Playing Catch-Up

2011-01-01T10:28:00.009-06:00

We have a back log of photos etc to share, so to catch-up with everyone, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sorry for the lack of updates, but we have had a ton going on in our lives. Time really has flown by! We spent Thanksgiving in Mississippi and Christmas in Tulsa. Hank started a new job, we celebrated two years as a family and just enjoying our little girl as she continues to blossom. She is just a pure joy and we love spending time with her.

She is a huge fan of art, music and really loves fashion. She will say "Mommy, I love your dress. That is cute!" When She and her Mom go get nails done the workers are teaching her Vietnamese and she can count to 10, say thank you and you are welcome. Growing like a weed to say the least with two spurts, two sets of jeans are high-waters :-). Soph is a healthy 28.5 lbs and just under 36"!

So, from all of us to all of you, may 2011 be a healthy and happy year for you and yours. And now to catch up, a plethora of photos.

Fall leaves, full of smiles

Enjoying 80 degree weather on Thanksgiving!

With Bear, Belle and cousin Jack. Mason was running around in the back.

A make-shift sled on our first snow of the year. Sophie braved single digit temps for about 20 minutes.

St. Nichols made his annual stop! SCORE!

December 9th will ALWAYS be special for us. HAPPY GOTCHA' DAY SOPHIE!

Santa made a stop to our annual "Jingle Belz" party.

A nice raccoon eyed make-over.

A family tradition of making our German Christmas Cookies. A recipe from way back when. Love 'em or hate 'em fun was had by all!

A family photo op in the center of Tonkawa, OK under the tree (which is in the middle of the street).

Helping Grandad pass out gifts at the Smith's annual Christmas Eve Party in Tonkawa.

Spending time with a few cousin and giving them lessons on how to make pasta.

Merry Christmas!

Hanging with Grandad at the Oilers game.

Yeah, the Queen of the jumbotron strikes AGAIN!!

Her first time on the ice...

Mommy and Aunt Jenny lend a helping hand.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-14T20:28:00.001-06:00

Sophie and "THE MAN"

Hope to upload almost two months of happenings here this weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T15:46:00.004-05:00

Always a fun day of the year and Sophie really got into it and loved getting her share of the loot from the neighbors. Last year being, her first proved a challenge with all the decorations and scary costumes, but she went all out. This morning she asked "Can today be Halloween too?" Wouldn't that be cool!

Boo at the Zoo on Saturday night.

SCOOOOOOOOOOOOBY DOOOOBY DOOOOOO!

Hangin' with her new friend Carl the corpse.

Ready to solve a mystery!

Hitting the street.

Checking out her stash of the treats.

OT Post : The Most ANNOYING Thing!

2010-09-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

For anyone that has built a house in the past decade or bought one that is around 10 years or younger, you probably have hard wired smoke detectors. We have a total of 10 throughout the house, one in the basement, two on the first floor and seven on the second floor. So, here's the deal for about the past year or so out of the blue the little suckers decided to go off, of course in the middle of the night! And since they are hard wired if one goes off, THEY ALL GO OFF sending cats and dog running, parents darting out of bed looking for fire, Sophie in shambles because she hates the sound. Of course, no fire. Just a false alarm. Back to bed.......20 mins later BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! So we turned the breaker off.... a few months later in the middle of the night....BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP !!! Changed all the batteries and guess what, 30 mintues ago they just went off again! So I did some digging as to solutions and talked to my brother-in-law who is a brave first responder for the Chatam Township FD in New Jersey. Seems that dust, debris and even spiders can cause these darn things to go off. Seems funny that this crud can set off detectors. So I found a nice little thread that talks to cause and solutions. CLICK HERE TO READ. I have to try the compressed air, as my BIL suggested and the thread talks about. Will advise.

Summer Time = Busy Time

2010-08-29T10:37:00.008-05:00

We have been going and going like the Energizer bunny around here thus the long break in posts. Summer is winding down and hoping the cool weather sticks too. From the last post we visited our favorite place, up to the cottage in Michigan, school started back up, swimming lessons, baseball games and a trip back to Michigan for Labor Day weekend is right around the corner.
Sophie is doing very well with her learning. She is writing well by tracing over numbers and words. Language is doing excellent as well, just like a typical 3 1/2 year old. Other than that she is growing like a weed. Tricia broke out her pants and tried them on, well to say the least they were about 3" too short. We have said adios to all her 12-18 month clothes (yep she could still fit into them until about a month ago). She loves her artwork and explores the world outside. Her memory is very good and always recalls things from her first days with us which is just amazing given the drastic changes she underwent.
So we will just recap the past month with photos and vids.

Opening another chapter in her Story.

Building sand castles.

Loved swimming in the lake. Water was as warm as I ever recall.

With Moots and Poppa.

Daily naps on the beach.

Little beach bum.

First fish!

Catching rays in the Michigan sun.

Painting rocks, a favorite Epworth pastime.

Siting big in the Captain's chair on the USCGC Hollyhock.

Ready to watch the Badger leave port.

Surfs Up!

Watching movies at the cottage with the Hensley clan.

Being silly as usual.

The Fam.

Our little girl, growing so fast.

Cards game with Bear and Jack and Mason.

Ready for school!

Two dads friends for 38 years, two girls beginning a lifetime the same (Sophie was pooped).

First Fish Video

Baby Steps Towards a New Agreement

2010-08-01T09:12:00.001-05:00

Glad to see that things are moving along towards a new agreement.

http://www.adoption.state.gov/news/vietnam.html

Take Me Out To The Ball Game... With The Kellers

2010-07-19T18:36:00.003-05:00

GO CARDS! A hot day at Busch, but fun with the Keller crew from OKC! Loving some ice cream!

We had a wonderful time and a great Redbird victory!

The birds on the bat fit them well!

Yeah they made it on the Jumbo Tron

Not at the game, but from under the South leg of the Arch.

We really had a great visit with the Keller family over the weekend. It was very busy with Pho Grand for dinner on Friday and then Saturday was chock full of action. Citygarden for lunch and a swim before the Cards game, a visit to the Arch and then whew....dinner at 9:00. The girls just kept going and just had so much fun.
Sunday we planned on the Zoo, but a nice morning thunderstorm washed that out so we went to Faust Park to ride the carousel and visit the butterfly house. More photos from the weekend tomorrow!

Hello July

2010-07-07T09:05:00.003-05:00

No pictures....please!

Ok...maybe just ONE!

Love our girl.

With Bear and Belle.

Enjoying my Summer.

Visiting Noni's house.

She FINALLY has the smiling thing down for pictures.

At Gino's for a chili slaw burger.

Motorboat ride with Bear.

A rate shot of her OUT of the pool.

The Day That Changed Our Lives

2010-06-13T09:39:00.005-05:00

Friday, June 13th, 2008. 4:47pm. A phone call asking where Tricia was. Still at work I told Judy who I figured was just calling to keep us updated on things. We were less that two months from the expiration of the MOU and as each day passed, one less day, one less chance that we would become parents. But when Judy said, "I have a little girl for you" my stomach dropped to the floor. As we talked an e-mail arrived. A picture and bio of the most precious angel in the moon, named Hang Thanh Nguyen. She was 8,895 miles away from us, but it seemed like 8 million. I so wanted to call Tricia and tell her, but had to wait until she got home. So, around 5:40pm she gets in. I told her, "come here I want to show you something." We walked into my office and I turned on the computer monitor. This picture

of a little angel popped up and I said "Isn't she cute?"
"Oh she is precious.", said Tricia. I looked at her and said, "That's....our....daughter!" And it was just tear central from here on out.
Never in our wildest dreams did we think that June 13, 2008 would be the day we were matched with our daughter. It was just a wow day and moment we celebrate and thank God everyday for. So, today we celebrate the greatest gift ever. We love you Sophie Lee-Nguyen Belz! Thank you God! Thank you Holt! Thank you to Sophie's birth parents.

Below is a link to the announcement video we did:
CLICK HERE

In Remembrance....

2010-05-31T08:44:00.002-05:00

This weekend is not about BBQs and having people over to celebrate. It is day to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price in defense of this wonderful nation, and fighting for those freedoms that we all so often take for granted. Fly your flag outside your home. So few houses do this anymore. After 9/11 it was hard NOT to see the Stars and Stripes at a house or office. Now it is a challenge! This Memorial Day, as I do each year I pay tribute and honor Lt. William Thomas "Tom" Costen, United States Navy and his partner Lt. Charlie Turner. Tom grew up in the house behind us in St. Louis. I remember playing wiffle ball with him and running behind the "bug man" smog truck on summer evenings after dinner. Not the smartest of ideas since it was a mosquito killing fog, but hey you were a kid and everyone else did it. Tom's father was also a great friend to the family as well as an Orthopedic Surgeon to a few of of us.

Lt. William Thomas Costen

Lt. Charlie Turner

SCHOOOOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!! Well maybe the weekend!

2010-05-27T21:30:00.005-05:00

The end of the school year program was tonight with Sophie and her classmates singing two songs. We had a great time watching and great laughs too as our little ham worked the crowd. Enjoy!

Sophie and her Tumbler Classmates
Sorry about the furry headed lady standing up! GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ!

Birthday weekend in review.

2010-05-23T15:52:00.009-05:00

It has been a very busy weekend over here at the Belz Centre. For those of you who have the honor of knowing Tricia well, you know she can NOT keep a secret to save her life. Well this time she did keep one, by planning a surprise birthday dinner party at our favorite place, Pho Grand. I was just planning on the three of us and we even told Tammy and Michael we'd be down, as we ate there last Saturday. I knew we would be fine getting a table, but when we arrived it was crazy insane, since this was the first nice Friday night we have had all Spring. I was kind of worried, but Tammy and Michael said they had our table and we rounded the corner and there was a big table with everyone waiting on us! Thanks everyone for coming. It was the first surprise party I have ever had and Trish did it spot-on! Nice work babe!
Saturday was the 12th annual cancer survivorship walk and the 7th for Tricia's Team Sarcoma. It started with just the two of us and now we have a wonderful team each year. Thanks to everyone who came out in support of Tricia and the Wellness Community of St. Louis. Later that eve, we grilled some great brauts and the Sophie and Olivia played in the sprinkler ball courtesy of Mema and Grandad. All-in-all it was a fun birthday weekend.

Our crew outside of Pho Grand

Good times with my girls.

Tammy, one of the owners of Pho Grand serving up a special treat!

Thanks Walkers for the GIANT warm throw! SWEEEEET!

Our hero. 7 years plus!

Uncle Bub and SLB

Playing with the sprinkler ball on a warm Saturday.

Olivia joined in and the girls had a blast.

Sophie signing songs to Amelia. She pulled her chair up and just started singing to her.

Sophie is legally Sophie

2010-05-20T03:15:00.007-05:00

Today was a very exciting day and a sad day for us as well. Our little girl legally became Sophie Lee-Nguyen Belz as we paid a visit to the St. Charles County Family Courts to complete her name change and the final step of the adoption process. It will be nice in a sense because everything such as her SS card, COC papers, insurance cards have her birth name on them. That sometimes is a challenge like visiting an urgent care and you get some moronic health care person, hand them her insurance card an they of course look at you and say, "Your relation to her is?" , uh she's our neighbor's friend's cousin's dog walker!? So the guessing game will no longer be a part of things anymore. But what we have to look forward to is more back-end paperwork with the USCIS to change her Certificate of Citizenship, Social Security card, and the vast array of other docs that go along with this.

But it is sad that she is no longer be Hang Thanh Nguyen. That beautiful name that her birth mother gave her on January 15, 2007 at the Binh Duong Hospital. We are glad though that we incorporated her birth last name into her legal name, as it means so much to us and we hope it does to her later in life. Sophie knows that her name in Viet Nam was "Hang" just ask her and she will tell you. What's in a name? So much history in such a short amount of time.

Wishing that we had a great court picture to share with everyone (thus the random Google generated search photo above), but our Judge was a complete JERK! He was cold from the moment we entered the court, during testimony and was just down right foul. You would think with all the crud he deals with in regards to family courts, this would be a ray of sunshine in his day, but NOPE not this guy! Maybe a hey, congrats to you all, or your daughter is beautiful, NOTHING......A disappointment to say the least and NO PHOTOS. Hey at least these folks have a judge with a semi-smile on his face! But it is over and done with, so turn that page. Our attorney who is a family friend and helped us out pro bono gave Sophie a little blue hippo stuffed animal who we have officially named Hang now.

Dear Sophie Lee-Nguyen Belz. We love you so very much!

Help Support Tricia & Team Sarcoma!

2010-05-14T16:23:00.008-05:00

TEAM SARCOMA 2009

Next weekend is our 5th year for Team Sarcoma in the Wellness Community of St. Louis' Annual Cancer Survivorship Walk. Each year we have a great group of friends and family that walk in honor of Tricia and helping to support those affected by cancer and their family members. It is a wonderful organization and we are proud to be part of it.

If you are interested in making a donation to support our fund raising efforts, please click HERE .

We appreciate your help and thank you for your support of Team Sarcoma 2010!

It's All About Mommy Today

2010-05-09T15:17:00.004-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

A picnic at Faust Park, followed by some playground time and then a carousel ride. We had a fun day today and tonight's menu requested by Mommy is Poppa's ribs and Bear's special recipe twice back potatoes :-) Happy Mother's Day to you Mommy B!!!!

May Brings Smiles and Longer Days

2010-05-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

Welcome to May! We love that the days are getting longer and that we can go out and play for a good while after dinner. The weather is just amazing and Sophie loves running up and down the hill in the back yard, playing red rover and just being a 3 1/2 year old girl! The only thing she does not like is when Poppa hits the ball over the fence playing baseball. She says "that hurts my feelings!" Hope all is well, we are doing just fine here in our little world!

Best Buddies

Serious Pose

Hamin' it up now!

BEEEP!!! BEEEP!! Back it up!

The giant of the forest. That Bur Oak is 85' tall :-)

Eggs, 13.1 miles and Dance

2010-04-22T20:12:00.009-05:00

Ok time to catch things up. We have been busy with the weather finally warming up. Easter was a great time with family and friends. Sophie totally gets it and have a sugar high for about a week! LOL. But besides the fear that the rabbit was going to come inside, all went well.

After church with Bear and Belle

CHEEEZY!!

Hunting eggs with Jack and Mason

Sweeping the yard for stragglers

Baseball time!!! GO CARDS!

We are VERY proud of Mommy. She completed her first 1/2 marathon on April 11 finishing in 2 hours 30 minutes. Sophie was amongst the 30,000 on lookers with signs and cheers as she came across the finish line.

Run Mommy!! Holding Sophie's picture

Proud of Mommy!

Our friends the Tripps came up and Jenny was a runner too! CONGRATS AUNT JENNY!

Getting ready for dance class.

I was scared at first but a friend from school is also in my class which made it fun!

Small but mighty!

Watching and following along

I love dance and I even got a Dora sticker!!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2010-04-01T20:29:00.003-05:00

A big Happy Birthday to Mommy who turned 30 again today! We love you and hope that you have had a good birthday week-a-paloza so far!

We love you very much!
Sophie, Poppa, Puck, Peaches and Spicy

HOP! HOP! HERE COMES THE RABBIT!

2010-03-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

GETTING READY FOR THE RABBIT!!!

March 15th, 2003

2010-03-15T13:58:00.003-05:00

It was seven years ago today. Happy Anniversary T. I love you very much!

Tough Times, But Kids Make Things Better

2010-03-09T19:09:00.003-06:00

It has been a tough past month and a half for us here with Hank's job being eliminated but still employed as they are accommodating him as much as possible. Reality set in but we remain positive that everything will work out in a positive way as it always has for us over the past 7 years of marriage.
Life really has thrown us so many curve balls with the Tricia's cancer six years ago, the roller coaster ride of adoption and now the job front. It is really a challenge to remain up-beat all the time but our little girl just makes all those bad things go away.
She is just a joy to see every morning when she wakes up and when she is picked up from school. That smile and shriek of happiness when she sees us. She really makes things better. At the end of the day it is really about one thing and that is our daughter and the "reason" that she was matched with us. Everyday we look back and reflect just how lucky we are the God blessed us with her and what she has done for us.
So as we move forward, Sophie is doing very well with her language, growth and just being a three year old girl. Winter can not end soon enough! Last weekend was the first beautiful and half-way warm one in 3 or so months and it was great to get out and just enjoy! We look forward to Spring and getting her garden planted and spending time as a family doing fun things and enjoying each other.
We have enrolled her in swimming classes and some ballet/tap classes so that will be fun to do!
Honestly, all the hardships of life can be made "all better" by the hugs, kisses and love that you children provide. We....are so lucky.

Getting her hair done with Mommy last weekend.

Silence

2010-02-28T12:35:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of updates here with us, just going through some potential life changing events in our family that have taken us away from the blog. We pray that everything will work out in the long run this week and can re-focus on getting back to "normal".
I was just surfing around looking for some beautiful pics of VN and came across a blog of a man that lives in Saigon and is a pilot for Vietnam Airlines. He has dedicated his site to pictures of everyday life in Vietnam and aviation. In my eyes, the best of both worlds. Check out his blog HERE and enjoy the wonderful photos. Those that said at the West Lake will find some of his photos of Ho Tay VERY familiar. Also some familiar sights from around Saigon, and now looking there are some MUST GO TO places when we go back someday.

Help Holt Help Haiti

2010-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Holt is VERY active in Haiti in finding families for the children of Haiti. With the numerous earthquakes over the past week couple of weeks Holt is seeking assistance for the children of Haiti. While the center that Holt operates and thank God all the children are safe there is still a monumental task at hand. Over 10,000 children have lost their parents.

Please read more HERE and help out Haiti.

And Now I Am 3!

2010-01-17T10:31:00.000-06:00

It is really hard to believe that Sophie is now THREE. She has just turned into a little chatter box and Ms. Independent which is really cool to see. Her birthday weekend was really fun with family and friends. Friday for her birthday was laid back, kind of. We had birthday cupcakes at school and then Sophie made pizza for dinner followed by a "little" birthday cake. Saturday we had her party the following day at Build-A-Bear with friends from school, as well as some other friends and cousins. Then for dinner we all headed down to Pho Grand for some "home cooking" courtesy of the wonderful owners Tammy and Michael. Sophie sported her Ao Dai and are more Pho than we thought possible. Overall a really fun weekend with our little girl, who is really growing up way to fast. Before we know it she will be in college! EEK! Too many really good pix, but below are a TON! Enjoy. MANY HAPPY RETURNS SOPHIE! WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH AND THANK GOD EVERYDAY THAT HE BROUGHT US TO YOU!

Making pizza.

Relaxing in her new chair... little leather wing-back from Mommy and Poppa.

Welcome to my party!

Picking out bears to build from the party lady.

Hard to keep 12 kids attention for 1 hour but she did. Laughs all around.

Kisses and promises to love.

Some of my friends from the party.

Gotta have a Dora cake!

OH MY GOSH! She raised her hands the exact same way last year when the cake was placed in front of her too!

Mommy reads my cards while we open gifts.

We finally got a fam pic in all the craziness!

Left to Right : "Bear", Uncle Mike, Mommy, "Belle", Sophie, Grand Dad, Mema, Poppa, Cousin Nikki and Uncle Bub.

Ringing in 2010 with Snow and Frigid Cold!

2010-01-08T14:29:00.000-06:00

The New Year is here and we have been busy again! Winter is also in full force in St. Louis with bitter cold temps and snow. We DID have a snow last year after we got home, but we didn't take Sophie out in it due to her cold she had. So this time we were ready! It only lasted about 5 minutes because the wind was insane and only like 4 degrees (without windchill). Really a fun year to start with. It is hard to think that in one week she will be THREE!!

Braving it...

Yeah, she looks happy :-)

With Bear & Belle

Just the three of us.

Aye! Aye! Captain!

RIBBIT!

I did my own make-up!

Hangin' with some of my friends from Mississippi. Hi ya'll!

Happy New Year!

Another HUGE bowl of pasta courtesy of Nonni!

Feed the ducks with Mommy.

Christmas Past

2010-01-01T09:28:00.000-06:00

We had a great Christmas! And the addition of the snow was nice too! Below are some recaps from our house. We hope Santa was good to you all too!

Christmas Morning stairs photo

Santa was GOOD....pink kitchen and table, plus more...

Stockings PACKED!

Hand and foot painted plate for Mommy & Poppa from Sophie. A school project :-)

Tricia sporting her new Binh Duong Football Club shirt!

A Dora fishing pole! HOLA!!!!

A Very Merry Christmas...

2009-12-25T10:51:00.000-06:00

As the wrapping paper and bows begin to settle to the ground,

the fire in the fireplace is stoked to warm the house, you walk outside

to silence as the snow falls on this Christmas day.

We would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

- The Belz

One Year Home!

2009-12-22T08:37:00.001-06:00

Today is another special day for our family. It was one year ago this afternoon at 4:55pm United 5361 landed in St. Louis completing the final curve of the circle that joined us as a family. WE ARRIVED HOME! It was a long fight to get home before Christmas last year after delayed flights, snow storms and flight cancellations but we overcame everything and were able to spend Christmas home with Sophie. So, we say Happy Home Day!
It is also kind of sad too, as I sit in a hotel lobby in Kansas City for work knwoing that I won't be able to see or hug and kiss my girls today either, but I know that when I get home I will be able to see their smiles and hug them! I love you T and S! Poppa will see you all tomorrow night!

Check back on the 12/22/08 posting HERE

Jingle "Belz" Returns!

2009-12-18T13:33:00.002-06:00

We were glad to have Jingle Belz BACK again this year! We had a really small version last year on Christmas Eve, but it was nice having friends back along with family. Everyone enjoyed the festivities and even Santa stopped by! Sophie was attached to him at the hip kissing him and holding on to him, it was really cute! The kids made Christmas cookies while the parents laughed and just enjoyed being a group again. We also celebrated our Family Day as well with everyone watching the video we had made! It was really special to have everyone back and a wonderful night was had by all! Thanks everyone for making it!

Santa makes his entrance.

"Do you have my purple kitchen? I've been nice!"

Gift time!

Family time with SC

The Walkers

The Schapers

Jack making cookies

Mason working on his

Sophie's masterpiece

Olivia loves the sprinkles

Opening their "matching jammies"

Sophie's idea of hiding in hid-n-seek with Jack and Mason ;-)

The Husbands of Ha Noi

2009-12-12T08:38:00.001-06:00

Rich and I seriously thinking of moving to Ha Noi and starting a new reality series called the "Husbands of Ha Noi". With all the trash reality shows on TV these days I think we could make this one work. Just look below and you be the judge!

We have fashion skills...

We have fame...just look at all the fans!

We have class....

Where to eat in Ha Noi?

2009-12-10T08:30:00.002-06:00

Let Rich and I show you around. We found all the little nooks and crannies around town. Our fav?

Ready to serve...walk right in. Open? Well no hours, but just knock!

YUMMY!

We give the owners and cooks praises!

Our review!

Happy First Family Day Sophie!!

2009-12-09T00:01:00.010-06:00

One year ago today at 9:46am Viet Nam time, we became a family of THREE with our beautiful daughter who was born Hang Thanh Nguyen. She is know known to all as Sophie Lee-Nguyen Belz. What a day filled with every emotion possible and the most awesome day of our lives that we will NEVER forget!

Below is a video that we created over the past few months that celebrates our first year as a family. We love you so very much Sophie and we thank God everyday that you are our daughter! Take a 30 minute break today turn on the sound and enjoy the videos and photos.

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Revisit the day's blog from December 9, 2008 HERE which is our blog early that morning,
and HERE which we were not able to blog until we arrived in Ha Noi.

Remembering The Day We Met

2009-12-08T07:06:00.001-06:00

Today is the day we met Sophie for the first time at the Binh Duong Holt Child Wellness Center. A VERY special day for us. About this time we were actually at dinner with the Duckers at Lemongrass, revisting the thrill of meeting our daughters for the first time! So below are some pix we never posted and a video!

The view rom our room.

At Highlands after breakfast waiting to leave to meet Sophie

Sophie and Mya. The lady in the middle was Sophie's primary care giver when she was here for 9 months.

The heart of Saigon.

Getting ready to cross the street. It was a blast learning how....It took guts but you just....go and keep looking at the oncoming traffic.

Ben Thanh Market

Lunch at one of the stalls at Ben Thanh.

Photo op with the Duckers after dinner.

One of our fav vids

Revist this day HERE

Happy Birthday & Viet Nam Revisted 12/7/08

2009-12-07T08:42:00.002-06:00

Recorded last year, but hey it works! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Photo Flashbacks.....

Nope, not PetSmart :-) Benh Thanh Market

Crusin' Saigon in the cyclo

All our gifts for the children and staff at the child wellness center,

plus special items for Sophie' foster family.

Re-visit our first day in Viet Nam HERE

Sunday with Santa

2009-12-06T16:13:00.000-06:00

Hurdle #1 overcome! Sophie has not wanted ANYTHING to do with any freaky man in a red suit and hat or similar related dressed up sporting mascots. But today we went to see Santa. Sophie was great and actually carried on a conversation with him, asking for a "purple kitchen, care bears". She even gave him a "rock" too! Nice work Sophie!
The "man" himself will also make a stop at our house for our joint Family Day & Jingle Belz party on Saturday.

St. Nicholas Day!

2009-12-06T08:58:00.001-06:00

We celebrated St. Nicholas Day today. A European tradition, and one celebrated in many cities with strong German heritage like St. Louis! In many places St. Nicholas is the main gift giver. His feast day, St. Nicholas Day, is December 6, which falls early in the Advent season. Some places in the world he arrives in the middle of November and moves about the countryside, visiting schools and homes to find out if children have been good. Other places he comes in the night and finds carrots and hay for his horse or donkey along with children's wish lists. Small treats are left in shoes or stockings so the children will know he has come.

Where St. Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary gift giving day. Shoes or stockings left for St. Nicholas to fill during the night. Children will find treats of small gifts, fruit or nuts, and special Nicholas candies and cookies. St. Nicholas gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself.

So we shared this tradition with Sophie today! She was kind of confused as to where he "purple kitchen" was that she is hoping that Santa brings her. We just told her that St. Nick is one of Santa's helpers and that we are going to visit Santa today!

He packed the stockings extra tight!

A special note from St. Nicholas

Eager to dig in and see what he brought.

Sticks and coal...Think these were misplaced and supposed to be in Poppa's stocking :-)

Last year, St. Nick somehow managed to find us over the Pacific too!

This Time Last Year

2009-12-05T00:05:00.024-06:00

We began the most amazing journey that we could have ever imagined. We left Lambert early in the morning on 12/5/08 for our 10,000 mile flight halfway around the world to Viet Nam to be united with our daughter. A journey where we would meet some new wonderful lifelong friends in the Duckers, and share two special weeks that can never be duplicated. While we are so happy to be home with Sophie, we both so want to be on a plane headed back to that wonderful country and the beautiful people, and to re-visit those special places. Our fellow Holt Viet Nam familes are the only ones that can really understand that feeling we have inside of us for the love of that country that gave us the most wonderful gifts we have, our children.
It seems just like yesterday. Wow, how the time has flown by.Wow, how Sophie has grown in such a short period of time. She is still our little Binh Duong princess, but has evolved into a special little American girl. She knows.....she knows when she looks at the pictures and says "Poppa, Mommy, Vietnam pictures!" She remembers when she looks at the videos, as do we. So this day, we look back and remember this special journey of a lifetime that started oh so long ago with a pen and paper. An application. But not just an application. An application to find a family for one little girl half way across the globe who, was waiting. Waiting for her forever family to come and love her. To bring her home forever. Miss ya Duckers! Miss ya Viet Nam! Wishing we could be on a plane again back to do it all over again!

"BACK TO THE FUTURE"

A photo fav of ours! We took a picture before and after each of the legs we had (four total STL-DEN-SFO-ICN-SGN). This is after we landed in Seoul from our 13:44 gate-to-gate flight from SFO. Trish was beat! It was really weird as we TOTALLY missed one night! We NEVER saw night on 12/5/09! When we left SFO it was noon on 12/5. Landed in Seoul the night of 12/6!

Link from the trip blog 12/5 er 12/6

Changing Holidays

2009-12-01T08:45:00.003-06:00

Like the changing of the guard, we did the ol' switch-a-roo of holidays on Saturday and Sunday. Since we came home really two days before Christmas last year Sophie had never decorated a tree, or learned about Santa and his helpers. So we took some time to decorate the house and teach her. She has caught on quick to the Santa thing, but screams bloody murder when she sees him, even a ornament that has Santa on it. So we are trying to get her comfortable before he makes his appearance at our "Jingle Belz" party on the 12th.

Below are some pix and a video from the weekend.

Meet Purple our Scout Elf. Thanks to YaYa for the sweet idea.

wwww.elfontheshelf.com

Giving Purple his name.....

Hanging her first ornament on the tree.

Hanging the ornamnet we got in Viet Nam...

Angel tops it off...

Hanging the stockings for St. Nick.

Christmas cheer is here.....

Finding our new Scout Elf "Purple"

Thankful Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T14:27:00.000-06:00

It was a special day as we celebrated our first Thanksgiving with Sophie as a family. We had a wonderful day laughing, eating, eating and more eating. Sophie enjoyed playing with cousins Jack and Mason and spending time with Bear and Belle. We are so thankful to have this little girl in our lives. She is truly a gift from God and each day never ceases to amaze us. We love you Sophie!

Getting ready to host the cousins in her new dress! Thanks Bear and Belle!

Happy face (thanks Emma) with Mommy

Happy little family unit.

Sitting with Bear, Belle, Jack and Mason.

Tricia's spread. She cooked one heck on a dinner.

FINALLY we have a KIDS table!!!!

And the beautiful and awesome bird! Next year's cover of Southern Living!

One Year Ago Today

2009-11-25T06:35:00.000-06:00

At 3:41am on November 25, 2008 that little red blinking little on my BlackBerry went off. An email....the one we had been fighting for finally arrived. It was one year ago today that we received Sophie's I-600 pre-approval which cleared the way for us to go to Viet Nam. Here is the link from last year http://babybelz.blogspot.com/2008/11/woohoo.html

We love our life with Sophie, but the frantic pace we experienced getting travel plans etc ready was fun (after fighting with the USCIS). We miss the country of Viet Nam and all the wonderful memories that we had there with Sophie and the Duckers. We look forward to going back someday with our girl.

We have alot to be thankful for this year. From the Belz family, we wish you and your family a very Happpy Thanksgiving!

Family Night At The Blues Game & MeMa's Birthday

2009-11-22T09:37:00.002-06:00

A Saturday night tradition in the fall and winter are the Blues games in St. Louis. Last night (11/21) was a great non-conference game against the Islanders who have not visited St. Louis in a few years. The three of us went and had a great time. Sophie loves watching the games on TV and in person. She laughs at the fights when they happen and says, "Not nice!"
The Note pulled of an impressive 4-1 win before a packed barn. After the game we went to meet with a few players thanks to Poppa!

Family photo op.

Sophie PROUD to wear the Blue Note on her chest.

Yep....she has made in on the jumbo tron AGAIN. She has been to 5 games!

Kisses to Poppa

The Cam Janssen Family :-). Cam is the first Blues player that was born here to play for the Blues.

The B.J. Crombeen Family :-)

T.J. Oshie Family :-)

Trish and Sophie went to Arkansas last weekend to spend a birthday weekend with MeMa. They had a great time! Unlce Bub and Sophie made the cake, had some PF Changs for dinner and spent a nice warm Saturday at the park.

Making the cake

A little tasting too

A masterpiece!

out for dinner

Big smiles with Mommy

TRICK-OR-TREAT! It's Halloween Time!

2009-11-01T08:46:00.008-06:00

Always a favorite around our house, we had a wonderful evening with Sophie and her first Halloween! Friends joined us and Sophie was excited to "trit r treat". Well that was until she caught glimpses of the huge spiders, skeletons and other ghouls and ghastly gargoyles that adorned the houses of the neighbors as well as ours. The shrills and screams that echoed from the wagon were funny....We only hit 4 houses with her since it was in the low 40's but she received plenty of candy from those four. Three even made her special candy bags which we thought was really nice. This morning she was like a pirate in a treasure chest with all her goodies. PlayDoh and accessories, goldfish, stickers. You name it, she got it! Below enjoy the pix. HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!

Pumpkin Flag

The graveyard at 1058 :-) Looks even better at night all lit up, with sounds and fog.

Spider basket she got last year from Olivia Walker...Now she got to use it!

Yes, I am coming down the stairs.....don't laugh at my costume

Mommy and the Gnome!

Big smiles

What are we? Well we are OU Hoosiers :-)

Rollin' out yo! The Yard Gnome and Elmo! (Olivia Walker)

First house

Sweet! I scored CANDY!

More!

Just saw the HUGE spider....trying to jump out of the wagon :-)

Special treats from wonderful neighbors!

Hope your evening was SUPER SPOOKY :-)

More Updates

2009-10-28T06:41:00.009-05:00

Been another long while since we last updated. Been super busy including a personal trip to Oklahoma City and a wonderful meeting with the Keller family whose daughter Emma is from Binh Duong. Our two girls spent the first 6 months of their lives togeather and we know they will remain life-long friends. We also celebrated a birthday for Sophie's cousin Jack too at this birthday party! Our little girl has been battling the flu and pneumonia this week. She is improving and we hope that she will be ready to go for Halloween :-)
It is hard to believe that our girl has been home for just over 10 months. She has made such wonderful progress. The language is so amazing. She is right in line with the other kids her age and now is counting all the way to 10 by herself. She loves anything to do with art. Painting, coloring, play-doh. And now she is even into watching hockey with Poppa. There was one night she actually picked the Blues game on TV over Dora. Promise we will post Halloween if she is able to go. Regardless you have to see her costume :-)

Belz and Kellers

Cutie Pie...

Emma & Sophie re-united...now sporting OSU cheer gear!

Orange Power with Mommy. Poppa's girls :-)

Playing at Jack's party with the trains

Of course can't pass up cake.

chest x-ray with a tad of pneumonia :-(

Getting Out After The Rains

2009-10-10T15:48:00.006-05:00

After 3 days of non-stop downpours and about 5" of rain we made our first trip with Sophie to Rombach's Farm with our friends the Walkers to let the girls get out and frolick amongst the pumpkins. Sophie was loving the pumpkins, even saying "I love you pumpkins" and giving them kisses, but for some strange reason she did not want anything to do with the horse rides. We will wait until a few days before Halloween to grab the traditional Belz-gantic pumpkin from Rombach's. So far Sophie is NOT a fan of Halloween costumes or decorations at all, so it will be interesting how 10/31 plays out. We go all out :-) so see might be stuck to us like velcro that night.

Off to watch the Blues hit the ice tonight and a great dove dinner tomorrow night with the Dorris family! Glad the sun is finally shiny, and Noah and the arc went somewhere else down the river!

Gotta' love Fall!

I LOVE YOU PUMPKINS!

Poppa in the pumpkins

Big smiles from the girls!

Mommy Photo Op

mmmmm-kay?

knee-deep in orange

NOT loving the wagon ride...

Lovin Rombach's

Yeah she had to kiss them

"O" and "O-E"

Just love this expression.......

My little pumpkin!

Sophie's Student Week

2009-09-30T11:11:00.003-05:00

This week at school, our girl is the center of attention. It is SOPHIE'S WEEK in her class where she gets to lead a bunch of events and cool things. We had to make a poster for her classroom and below is what we came up with. It had to include her family, friends and what she likes to do.

You can click on it to make it larger.

Mya Gave Me Money

2009-09-28T11:21:00.002-05:00

Just a funny video from a few weeks ago. When we went to NJ in July to visit with the Duckers, Mya had outgrown a pair of her size 5 sandals, which Sophie in great. So we had told her a while back that Mya gave her those shoes. So now she thinks that Mya gives her lots of things!
Cheers to the Ducker family! We also need Mya to give us a few other things when she gets a chance :-)

Catching Up....

2009-09-27T17:28:00.007-05:00

Been a busy past three or so weeks here with more travels, a brief illness with Sophie, a death in the family and so much more. Below is a photo montage of the past month.

Visiting Bear and Belle in Mississippi

She loved the kitchen Belle got for her

Belle, Sophie and Nonnie

Blessing from the priest at church

Night out with our girl

A trip to the Delta would not be complete without stuffing your face full of Nonnie's pasta with meatballs and gravy! Yeah she ate it all too..

Tea party at Bear and Belle's pool

Caroline (The God Motha') while the family was in town for Mimi's funeral

Neighbor's birthday party at Bounce U. She had a blast.

Holt family picnic in St. Louis. About 40 people came. Everyone LOVED playing with Sophie's colors.

Down the BIIIIIIIG slide.... all smiles at the end.

Coloring with friends from all over the world. It was a fun day talking with other Holt families and letting the kids just play around.

Heaven Called Another Angel Home Today

2009-09-20T09:25:00.009-05:00

Today our family lost a true angel. Our "Mimi" was called by God early this morning to come home and be re-united with "Gaga" and her parents once again. It is a rainy day here, but we know that she is in a place so wonderful that none of us could imagine.
Mimi was loved by so many and was a true giving person. Her laugh, smile and personality will be what we miss the most. Mimi, we love you so very much. THANK YOU for everything that you have given to us. May you be at peace and know that you will continue to live in our hearts for eternity. Below is a tribute to this beautiful mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.

WE MISS YOU MIMI! TELL GAGA HELLO FROM US ALL...WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE YOU HAD...MAY YOUR NEW LIFE IN HEAVEN BE EVEN MORE WONDERFUL!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Never Forget Today

2009-09-11T09:02:00.003-05:00

A special prayer to those who perished 8 years ago today and their families. May this Nation NEVER forget the events that changed this world forever. We are so very proud to be Americans and the freedoms that we have thanks to the wonderful men and women that continuet to fight terrorism across the globe.

A Dollar A Day Can Make A Difference

2009-09-08T14:06:00.002-05:00

Just something we are passionate about are all of these beautiful children that are waiting for a forever family. Please click on the Holt Web Banner above and consider sponsoring a child. For $1 per day...you can change the life of a little boy or girl. Just $1. It is because of generous people who donated to Holt for the past 50+ years that we now have our girl. There are 10 children at this time. We know that 10 of you will decide to make a difference in the lives of a child. Just $1.
Thank you.

Hives & Memories

2009-09-01T11:11:00.004-05:00

Yep, we are still battling the cause of Sophie's hives. She had a doctor's appointment this morning for some blood work to help figure this thing out. We thought we had it narrowed to something in milk but nope, this morning she broke out again with no exposure to it, not as bad as before but still uncomfortable. Praying that the blood work shows something versus having to expose her to everything in the world through an allergy specialist.

On a side note, Sophie never ceases to amaze us. We were getting rid of some of her clothes she outgrew. Pulling the zip-loc bag that holds her Gotcha Day clothes, she immediately pointed to them and said "flowers" As you can see there are two fun flowers on the dress. When she was asked if she remembered these she said "yes". She was then asked, "Where did you wear these clothes?" She replied "IN VIETNAM!! .....wow....

Tasting Vietnam and School

2009-08-18T07:58:00.005-05:00

Summer is officially over in the eyes of the school! Sophie headed back to school yesterday. New class, new teachers and some new friends. It was a difficult transition as she was so very fond of Ms. Leslie and Ms. Dana.

They had her visiting a few hours a day to her new class for the past week and she seemed to not be very receptive. Not really eating lunch, etc which is not her. She cried as she was dropped off in her new room. She ended up having a very good day except when she was on the playground and looked into the window of her old class and saw Leslie and Dana. So we have one more milestone under the old parental roadmap.

Something else that has surfaced with Sophie on the medical front (if it is not one thing it is another!). While we have her under-active thyroid mangaged plus another rash deal whipped, Saturday she started to break out in hives on various parts of her body. So we are battling that now with some meds and hoping that they go away. Strange...

Saturday we had some friends over to celebrate our friend Scott's (Scooter) birthday. Trish had a wonderful Crab Spring Roll receipe and an outstanding pork dish that was devoured. The smells in the kitchen were unreal. Everyone really enjoyed it.

Trish churning out the Spring Rolls....YUMMY!

Peaches ready for some too!

Giving Uncle Scooter his picture in a frame she decorated.

Ready for the Goddard School year!

Another clear CT!!!

2009-08-12T08:36:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Tricia had a regular follow-up CT Scan with her Oncologist yesterday. We received word back late afternoon that the scan looked "remarkable" which we have never heard Dr. Yim use that word before. He is normally very reserved, for those who have met him.

Everything is looking wonderful and now Trish is 5 1/2 years cancer free and we are so blessed to have the care of great doctors like Dr. Yim and Butler from St. Luke's in St. Louis. So we breathe one more sigh of relief. Another milestone passed. WOOOHOO!!!

Epworth Heights Welcomes Sophie

2009-08-09T12:34:00.015-05:00

A special place to our family since 1956 Sail In cottage built in 1901 has become an annual retreat from the summer heat of St. Louis. This year, Sophie spent her first summer along the shores of Lake Michigan and she fit right in and really enjoyed herself, as did her parents. Our weather was awesome. Mid 50's at night low 70's during the day with zero humidity and a nice breeze gave us perfect beach time!
Our friends the Walker's joined us again this year with their daughter Olivia, departing St. Louis on 8/1 under the cover of darkness at 2:20am for the 9 hour northern journey to a place were the sunsets are among the best in the world (seriously) and the Blue Moon ice cream is a local favorite at the Park Dairy drawing locals and tourists alike who wait in line for ever just to get a taste. Another Ludington (the city that Epworth is in) attraction is the lighthouse and of course the S.S. Badger which crosses the lake twice daily from Manitawoc, WI to Ludington making it easier to get to Michigan versus driving all the way South and around the bottom of the lake. She leaves Ludington in the morning at 8am, returns at 6pm and then back across at 8pm. It is a place you have to experience to understand. So if you want to find a fun family spot look up Ludington for a summer trip. You won't be sorry.
We took over 400, yes four-zero-zero pictures, and we will share the link as soon as we upload them all. But below is a small but hefty dose of the fun days we spent with our girl. Tomorrow is back to the old bump and grind. We just have to wait 11 more months.............ugh!

Sail In

Family photo op, take 1

I love it here! minus the 30 mph winds today....

Pretty little girls.....

Park Dairy for some Blue Moon!

More...More! MORE!

Not sure if more got in her tummy or on the dress :-)

Poppa and Sophie playing in the water

Like Mother...Like Daughter. Sophie loves to do what Mommy is doing.

Family photo op #223 :-)

Mothers and Daughters

Ready for the annual Sail In Luau!!!

Loving the beach! Playing with her beach bum buddy Olivia

Yeah, she can write her own name in the sand! :-)

Jumping waves in the lake with Mommy

Here comes the Badger!

Lighthouse photo op with Mommy

North Pier Head Lighthouse

Badger steams into Ludington

The Walkers. They are expecting #2 in January!

Can't go to Epworth without a cherry dress!

Cheese!

Shopping at the grocery store in the children's museum

3 scoops of mint chip please

Always on the front door to remind you.

Taking it all in......ahhhh

Thanks again Sail In...Another special summer....

Greeting the carferry

Tricia teaches Walker how to do a cartwheel. Funny stuff...As Walker says, "you can't make this stuff up!"

First Epworth beach stop the day we arrived. Windy but a memorable moment.

In The "Blog" House

2009-07-30T05:55:00.007-05:00

HELLO? MOMMY? POPPA? CAN YOU PLEASE UPDATE THE BLOG!

Yeah we have been BAD bloggers lately. Well after the weekend of the 4th with the Duckers, we needed a vacay :-) ! J/K. We have been keeping SUPER busy and enjoying our awesome temps we have been having. Normally we have mid to high 90's and HUMID HUMID. Not this July.

So much to re-cap we can just do a little photo montage to cap it all off. We head off to Michigan this weekend. Our annual trip, my 37th summer there and Tricia is on 8 and Sophie's first to this magical place. Lots of previous memories and we look forward to many more trips. We will be absent again....for sometime. We will try to post some trip photos while we are away.

Baseball Heaven was busy during All-Star week! "El Hombre" during the HRD.

Mowing the...uh patio.....

I look like a ROCKSTAR!

Mimi and 4 of her Great Grandchildren. Beckett, Sophie, Jack and Mason

With Uncle Bub and Dozzy in Tulsa while spending time with Mema and Grandad.

Feeding the stringrays at the Oklahoma Aquarium

Cheers with Mommy and Aunt Jenny

Requesting Your Voices

2009-07-23T14:39:00.001-05:00

Currently the immunization and sibling age exemptions for children adopted in a non-Hague country are not applicable to those children adopted in a Hague country. This unintended consequence was an oversight of the Intercountry Adoption Act and not the intent of the authors.

As a result, adoptive families are being delayed in bringing their children home and having to stay in the country additional time. In some instances, children are having multiple shots for immunization just prior to boarding the plane.

Senate Bill 1376 has been introduced in the Senate to correct this problem and urgent action is required to pass this legislation immediately so adoptions will not continue to be disrupted.
Please contact your Member of Congress and encourage your friends and family to join you in this effort. Contact your Member and urge them to give this matter the high priority that it deserves.

You can review further details at Holt's Advocacy and Legislation website here:
http://capwiz.com/holt/issues/alert/?alertid=13750611

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of children and families!

On the Belz front....We are keeping very busy at this time with a NEW post coming very soon.....stay tuned! Sorry for the lack of updates, but since it has been OCTOBER weather in July here we are taking FULL advantage of the cool weather.

Rosebud Camp out

2009-07-13T07:07:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday we went to the annual Rosebud Camp out. Our friend, Uncle Mike, has a place in Rosebud Mo. that is perfect for camping, swimming and fishing and he has made this trip an annual trip for friends.
This year we had an extra guest... Sophie. Originally I was just going to take Sophie out there to swim and hang out and then take her home. BUT, we got there and she was having so much fun and it wasn't to hot that we decided to stay. So........she is a full blown camper now. She slept in a tent, pee'd in the woods and even slept on a blow up mattress! We are very proud of her and she amazes us more and more each day. She even got to fish a little.

She got a big one!

Celebrating Our Independence In Jersey

2009-07-08T08:34:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful trip to Jersey last week to visit my sister Diehnee and the rest of "Team Hognon" as well as spending the 4th with the Duckers who live just South on the Jersey Shores. We kept very busy in Summit, welcoming a new fire engine to the Chatam Township Fire Dept, playing at the children's museum and spending good time with family. Sophie enjoyed meeting Sarah and Jack as well as Uncle Chris. Jack kept Sophie busy the second she arrived! Thanks D and crew we had a blast!

We spent the 3rd-5th with our fellow Holt buddies Rich, Jackie and Mya Ducker whom we share a very special bond with. They were with us at the same time in Viet Nam to be united with their beautiful daughter Mya Grace. The girls had a wonderful time with each other and the parents did as well. We had some wonderful food and laughs with great friends. We plan on keeping the girls in touch as much as possible. Thanks Duckers, it was very special!

Hugs to Aunt Diehnee.....

Being silly with Jack

Piper 5 Alpha Charlie cleared to land runway 30R winds 305 at 6.

I love America!

She could be Miss Viet Nam too...

I make this look GOOD!

Family photo op...

Reunited once again!

Playing on the beach at Surf City

Passed out after the beach...Mya trying to wake her up!

Rich grilled some AWESOME bay scallops and shrimp for dinner

Moms & Daughters

Sunset photo after dinner at the Oyster Creek Inn.

...and a video....

Ready To Kick It BD Style!

2009-06-29T14:52:00.003-05:00

HUH? Yeah time to kick it BD (Binh Duong) style with our VN travel buddies Rich, Jackie and Mya! We are looking forward to re-uniting the girls and spending time with the three of them! We also will be making an appearance to Hank's sister's family since they are so close and a first time meeting Sophie for Uncle Chris, and the rest of Team Hognon! WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT EVERYONE!

Ah......the Vine in Ha Noi on our last night :-(

Palmettos & Gardens

2009-06-23T17:19:00.007-05:00

Sophie and Poppa invaded the Palmetto State the other weekend to visit with Moots and Big Top and help celebrate Moots' birthday. We had a wonderful time and I know we were both tired when we got home. Sophie did very well on the flights.
In SC we enjoying the zoo, swimming, riding in the golf cart around the neighborhood and just having lots of fun! Thanks Moots and Big Top! We had a great time.

Riding in the air-mane

FREAKY LOOKIN CAT ANIMAL, THING.. LOL

Drawing with Big Top out at dinner.

Moots and SLNB!

Smiles and laughs.

Party time!

Birthday wishes!

Riding the horse at the zoo.

Feeding the Lorikeets...

and the giraffe...Sophie was freaked out...

Water fun in the fountain

Swimming with Moots

Loving life..

Um yeah, that is a TON of newspapers and underneath it, the same amount of cardboard to what is the start to Sophie's flower garden. Hank had to dumpster dive at the recylce center to grab enough newspapers. We were just looking for the coupon to Lowe's :-). Anywho, beginning this fall we will begin planting as soon as everything is composted. We hope our girl will enjoy it for years to come.

Anyone find the Sports section?

Tons of peat moss later, we are composting!

Being a Father

2009-06-21T20:45:00.003-05:00

Being a father....Never thought I would be able to actually experience it. With all that Tricia and I went through, my first Father's Day was very special. Not only was it awesome it had some very special moments. I was able to watch my daughter with my own eyes. Watch her laugh, play, cry, sing, dance all in one day. One year ago she was half way around the world, not knowing how much her Poppa loved her and missed her, even after just seeing her picture 48 hours before.

As we sat at dinner tonight, she looked over at me, held out her arms wide and said, "Poppa...hug....Poppa hug". WOW! Sophie is a loving little girl, but never had she said that to me. She will give a kiss when asked to, but she really has not just reached out like that to me. That was something I will never forget.

We really had a nice day. No bouncing around from place to place, just enjoying the family and the wonderful humidty here in St. Louis on the first day of summer. I began work yesterday on what will be "Sophie's Garden". A special place with beautiful flowers and that "Rock" we had in our garden last year.

I am very fortunate to be a father to such a wonderful little girl. I thank God each and every day for her. As we put her to bed tonight, I picked her up so she can turn out the "big light", we said night night to "cat that waves", night night to Mr. Binh and night night to Spicy like we always do. She gave me a big squeeze and I thanked her for making me a father. I now know what all the other father's feel like. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Poppa's Angel in the Moon...I love you Sophie!

A good word to live by.....

Legal Fun

2009-06-19T10:22:00.008-05:00

Right now we are eyes deep in legal papers to have the state of Missouri legally recognize Sophie's adoption. Since she was adopted in Viet Nam, Missouri does not formally accept that when it comes to Sophie being an heir. So, in lieu of going through re-adopting her, there was a new law that allows internationally adopted children to be recognized by the state and serves the same purpose as a re-adoption..HMMM!! Yes there are some smart things our government here in Missouri does!

There is, yes you guessed it, more paperwork to complete, filing a petition with the family court, supplying them with proof of adoption, her birth certificate, proof of immigration and citizenship, and expenses, yaada, yaada. Amongst all of the recognition of adoption papers is the section in there to legally change her name to Sophie Lee-Nguyen Belz. Everything we do when it involves doctors, school papers, etc uses her birth name, since technically and legally that IS here name, but to everyone else she is Sophie.

All of this recognition of adoption/name change stuff CAN be done without an attorney, but we have one helping us out pro bono which is nice. If anyone is in Missouri who would like info please let us know. So we have to have a few notarisations and then our attorney will file the petition on our behalf next week sometime at the court house. He is going to try and push up our court date. Right now we are looking at 6-8 weeks to get in front of the judge. With the waiting that we had to do, that really is not much but we want to get everything all wrapped up and out of the way.

Look this weekend for pix and more from Sophie's trip to South Carolina! But to hold you over, here is one...

Feeding the Lorikeets at the Riverbanks Zoo.

The Call Of A Lifetime...One Year Later

2009-06-13T13:16:00.004-05:00

It was Friday, June 13th. I was home waiting for Trish to return from work. It had been a long week, we were very down and depressed and the day before Trish almost had a nervous breakdown with the looming 9/1 deadline. Her post from 6/12/08 said this,

"Today I wake up as I do every morning wondering if today will be the day. I wake up every morning at 2:15 a.m, 3:33 a.m (make a wish) and lay there for another 30 mins. wondering what will happen today. I know I'll spend an hour and a half getting ready for work, and thoughts will flow through my head. Thoughts about will today be the day, will I have a good day and what can I do to make it the best day. I get into my car drive to work and most days I'm happy to be alive and blessed to have a great job and I know that I will not think about this turmoil if I just keep busy. However, today is a different day. My heart hurts, a hurt like I have never felt before. I feel the pain in my throat. Most days I just go through the motions, day after day after day. On my way home every single night I am very angry and I don't understand WHY NO ONE CALLED TODAY! WHY WHY WHY? What have I done? Why have we been dealt card after card after card. Five years of marriage we have done nothing but fight through life. Why can one person have everything perfect, but others have to climb a huge mountain every single minute. It's not fair. As I try to not "lose the faith" it's very hard to keep that positive attitude. Today I am sad and for once I want the world to know that we are human and we feel pain and today I AM VERY SAD."

And then the next day, it happened. At 4:43pm on 6/13/08, Judy called and asked where Tricia was. I said at work, She said, "well I been trying to reach her, so I wanted to let you know that, we have a little girl for you!". I was numb, excited, anxious, everything all at once. It was like when we drove up on the CWC in Binh Duong and saw her sitting on that bench. I wanted to call Tricia and tell her, but decided to wait until she got home. I just kept looking at the pictures, saying, its you....you are OUR daughter! It took no time at all to fall in love with her. Tricia got home I said, hey come on in here, took her to my man cave, turned on the monitor and up popped Sophie's picture. I said, "What do you think?" Tricia said, "she is so cute!" I said, "That's our daghter" then the tears came. Wow...What a beautiful day. We love you Sophie! Happy Match Day!!! You are our little girl an we just are head over heals about you and the joy you have brought us!

Then.....

Now.....

Six Months....

2009-06-09T13:49:00.004-05:00

Today marks six months since we became a family. Wow how our little girl has advanced. We had out six month post placement visit on Saturday morning and our social worker was just in awe at how well and advanced Sophie is in relation to other foreign adopted children she has seen in her age range. That was our final visit from Holt in person. We though still have yearly reports to Holt and the Vietnamese government until she turns 18. Sad to say that Sophie though has had a nasty fever and throwing up over the past 36 hours, but needless to say she is so worth it.
We are almost ready to file the recognition of adoption and legal name change with the state. In Missouri, we do not have to re-adopt her. A law that was passed awhile ~1997 back allows recognition of an foreign child, who was legally adopted in another country to just file a petition and go to court..simple and around $165. We have a very nice attorney who is taking care of all the paperwork etc, at no charge! So hopefully in the coming month(s) we will be in court!

It seemed just like yesterday when we signed our names to the ledger. That hot, sweltering DOJ room. We would do it over in a heart beat though!

A BIG GIANT THANK YOU...GRANDAD AND MEMA

2009-06-05T18:16:00.012-05:00

What a busy week we have had. Last Saturday we had the 11th annual cancer survivors hip walk! Team Sarcoma had a team of 45 people! We rocked our red shirts and walked for those who have survived cancer, those who are battling cancer and those who have unfortunately lost the battle. This is the 5th year for Team Sarcoma and each year our team grows and grows. I would graciously like to thank everyone who participated in the walk this year. It means so much to me.
Grandma (or Sophie calls her Me Ma) and Grandad have spent the entire week with us. And Sophie has had A BLAST! She has had a lot of one on one time with them and they love to spoil their only grandchild. It is amazing how much she had learned in the past week and we love to see how happy she is with them. They took her to Grant's farm and she could not stop talking about horsey and goat's and ducks. Sophie finally got to use her pool that Uncle Bub bought her for Easter and if it was up to her she would sleep in it. So funny because she used to hate water. Just another milestone to write down. She made pudding, meatloaf and tuna salad this week as well. Sunday we went with Uncle Mike and Kayla (Yeahla) to the carnival. She had her first snow cone, rode the carousel and the motorcycles. I almost feel like I have been on vacation this week (well except for the crazy work we I have had) because everything is Me Ma and Da Da. I mean everything! When it's time to potty, eat or bath she wants me to step aside and let Me Ma and Da Da do it.
Sophie continues to amaze us every single day. She speaks very well and can put together a sentence of 4 words. And potty training... wow, a piece of cake.
Poppa has been gone for a couple of days and this is why I called in my parents to help. It's not like I had to twist their arm or anything :) . I have enjoyed watching my parents with her this week and it makes me so happy to see Sophie so happy with them. The joy on my parents face everyday they are with her is priceless and it touches my heart. They have to leave tomorrow and it will be very hard for Sophie as well as me. The time with them is amazing, but it's always hard to say good bye. So thank you Mom and Dad (or Me Ma and Da Da) for being so amazing and for the help.

3 musketeers!

Belz Family

Nap time!

WEEEEE!

Uncle Bub, Sophie and Mommy

Team Sarcoma

Fritz's!

He hasn't done this since I was 2!

Break A Leg Sophie!

2009-05-28T21:02:00.005-05:00

Sophie's last day of school is tomorrow and The Goddard School had a end of year Summer Concert for all of the classes. Our little girl has grown up so much since starting in February and her teachers take so much of the credit! Along with her classmates and with Ms. Leslie and Ms. Dana, her teachers, they kicked off the concert in style singing "All The Little Fishies" We are so proud of her!!! She only tried to dart off stage once!!! Thanks to Uncle Mike for joining us! It was a really special moment for us as parents!!!

Monday starts Summer Camp for the pride of Golden Orchard Drive which includes all kind of nature and water activities along with more learning for her.

VIDEOS!

2009-05-27T20:19:00.003-05:00

Table Rock Weekend

2009-05-27T06:29:00.004-05:00

A nice family trip to Table Rock Lake this past weekend with Mike and Kayla. Sophie's first adventure on a boat (that we know of) went well.. She loved it. After just 5 minutes of our run she was asleep on the back bench! The swimming in the lake was a different story. Water was a tad cold and she lasted about 2 minutes.
The weather turned to crud on Sunday and Monday so we hit Branson, went to the freaky zoo there and just bummed around town. Sunday night there was a break in the weather and we were able to hit the lake on the boat to watch fireworks. Sophie loved those!
Sophie has also transitioned over to big girl panties. She is doing VERY well with them. We do pull-ups at nap and bed, but all in all the potty training is progressing nicely.
It's a short week and we have a big weekend coming up. It is the 11th annual cancer survivorship walk and Team Sarcoma is ready to go again with 64 team members. We ALWAYS have the biggest team!!! Looking forward to seeing everyone at Creve Couer Park Saturday morning.

Ready for fun in the sun!

We found a toad with Uncle Mike!

Great photo of the girls!

Just the three of us!

I'm on a boat with Mommy. Lovin' my stylish life jacket!

Yayla (Kayla) and Mike. It is so cute to here her say their names.

First dip in the lake. Sophie, not to keen on it. As you can see.

Ok, this had to rank as the second most bizarre zoo we have been to (Ha Noi takes the cake), but Sophie loved feeding the deer.

Sleeping like an ostrich during nap..

All bundled up on the boat after watching fireworks. She wanted to go night-night so she laid on the floor with some life jackets and went to sleep.

Yes...Sophie is only 1 1/2" tall :-)

The giant banjo in Branson..

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-22T14:03:00.002-05:00

This weekend is not about BBQs and having people over to celebrate. It is day to remember all those brave men and women who paid the ultimate price in defense of this wonderful nation, and fighting for those freedoms that we all so often take for granted. Fly your flag outside your home. So few houses do this anymore. After 9/11 it was hard NOT to see the Stars and Stripes at a house or office. Now it is a challenge! This Memorial Day I honor Lt. William Thomas "Tom" Costen, United States Navy and his partner Lt. Charlie Turner. Tom grew up in the house behind us in St. Louis. I remember playing wiffle ball with him and running behind the "bug man" smog truck on summer evenings after dinner. Not the smartest of ideas since it was a mosquito killing fog, but hey you were a kid and everyone else did it. Tom's father was also a great friend to the family as well as an Orthopedic Surgeon to a few of of us.

Lt. WilliamThomas Costen

Lt. Charlie Turner

Happy Birthday Poppa!

2009-05-21T06:52:00.002-05:00

Happy 37th birfhday Poppa. Eye lu you!

A Viet Nam Family Celebration - HORRAY FOR BRIAN AND WENDI!!

2009-05-20T12:47:00.005-05:00

We are thrilled to say that Brian and Wendi are FINALLY going to Viet Nam to be united with their daughter An. They have waited almost two years since her referral to travel! They leave on SUNDAY and have their G&R 6/1. CONGRATS Brian and Wendi! We are SUPER thrilled!!!!

Their blog can be found HERE

Happy Birthday Boomer!!!

2009-05-18T16:08:00.003-05:00

A big Happy Birthday to our newphew Jack Hogan, (Boomer, Truckie, etc). Jack is the youngest children to Hank's sister Diehnee who lives in New Jersey. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN JULY!!!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2009-05-17T19:20:00.005-05:00

An oddly cool day on Saturday for mid-May here in St. Louis but that did not stop Cardinal Nation from rootin' on the Birds.....Sophie enjoyed herself for the first 5 innings then decided it was nap time. She slept the remainder of the game. It must have been the hotdog, ice cream and some soda she consumed. All in all another first for her, and the three of us had a blast! Looking forward to many more as a family, and if all is right another World Series pennant!

Busch was decked out in Red, as always..

View from the seats...

Ready for game time in my Cardinal red!

Chowing down on my first ballpark Hunter hotdog

...oh and ice cream too..

Fun with Poppa

Watching.. #5

The "Mang" at the dish...

What a fun day!

With Mommy at the fountains after the game

Tomorrow....Baseball Heaven Adds Another Angel

2009-05-15T22:56:00.005-05:00

Yep...she will officially be part of "THE CULT" effective tomorrow. For those who are familiar with the STL, we love our baseball and the boys of summer are out in full force again! Tomorrow will be Sophie's first Cards game, nice and close to the field, just like it should be! So.....for those that do not know, St. Louis is called Baseball Heaven see the above, because the people here live, eat, sleep, breathe and die Redbird baseball. Fans here know their summer ball and are passionate to see the "Mang" #5 and crew win that 11th World Series title. Its that time of year when from April thru October, Sophie's Great Grandmother (Mimi) is plastered to the TV screaming "HOT SPIT" as the Cards battle it out!
Soph' loves her hockey too! We took her for pizza last night, and there are loads of Blues pix around the restaurant. She pointed and says, "BLUES Poppa" and gave us her "Let's Go Blues" fist pump...Now we have to teach her our anti-cubs (lower case 'c') chant! :-).

The "Mang" and Lidge...Houston residents should be WAY to familiar with this shot. :-)

Fondue & Flowers

2009-05-12T15:15:00.005-05:00

Just a photo essay from Mother's Day with some shots that just made this one special day!

Sophie made Mommy a photo book called "Mommy & Me - Our First Months Together"

Reading and looking....tears and laughs..30 pages of memories with hundreds more to come!

Kisses.....I love you Mommy..

We had brunch at the Melting Pot. Sophie loved it and was an angel...even for 2 1/2 hours.

In our backyard....I WISH!! No, at the Missouri Botanical Gardens...

Our FIRST Mother's Day!!!!

Sniff Sniff the Peony Garden....

Just a truly beautiful day....

Happy First Mother's Day

2009-05-10T07:45:00.004-05:00

Happy first Mother's Day Mommy! I really have enjoyed all the things we do! I could not have asked for a better mother! EYE WUV YOU! --- Sophie

Us exactly 5 months ago...

Us now!