Cute Thanksgiving Girl!

We were invited to my Dad's friend's for Thanksgiving so I had to catch some shots of our baby. Lao Lao bought Sarah the cute dress (of course, who else?). It was a little long, but with the color scheme, I couldn't resist making it the Thanksgiving dress!

Being cute, by my Baba

Here I am with my friends, Nati and Greg

Huh? What? It wasn't me! I didn't do it, Mama!

Okay, I'm ready to EAT!

I love my Baba!

My Little Cleaning Lady

So, from somewhere, my little Sarah got the "cleaning gene". I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong! I wish I had the gene myself, for me it's always been a struggle...a constant battle. I remember my Mom constantly getting on my case as a child, "clean your room," "Make your bed." etc, etc, etc.

Well, not with this girl! Sarah found the paper towels...took them to the dog's water dish, (not the most sanitary, I know) and began to wipe down everything in site! It was pretty cute so I had to let her continue for a bit and grabbed the camera before I got her cleaned up.

Uh, Hi Mama, I am just cleaning up my car...(maybe if I look all cute, she will let me keep my paper towel)

See, Mama...I figured out how to flip over this box and it still holds me and I can reach the window for you and get it nice and clean!

Look, keening, keening!

All Dressed Up and Somewhere to Go!

So, when choosing our outfit for church this morning, we opted for the fashion-ista look! :) LaoLao got us this cool dress off ebay (it was brand spankin new) from a woman in NYC who bought it at a boutique there somewhere. We found the perfect tights and shoes...and with LaoLao's hand crafted bow for the hair, we were ready for a glamourous day in the Nursery at church! *wink*

Wait for me, Mama, "thirsty, dink, Mama"

I know you do it with this button somehow...I just can't coordinate my fingers to make the water go into my mouth!

A Beautiful Day at the Zoo!

We had a Great day today. Since my Dad got us a ZOO membership this year, we like to go even when the weather gets cooler. The animals are more fun to watch, it's not so crowded and not as miserably hot as the summers are around here. We couldn't have asked for a more beautidul day. The weather was sunny and there was just a hint of "cool" in the air. It was a blast. Sarah loved it. Enjoy some of our memories from today.

Look Mama! Me and Lili are in the Egg!

This is a fun bridge that swings a little when you walk on it, Sarah loved to walk back and forth on it!

Weeeeee, that was a fun slide! Especially cause I got to ride it with my friends, Lili and Tati.

I'm a lot smaller than the Gorilla, huh?

Look, Mama...this is a lot like the bikes we saw when we were in China!

This is the life!

Baba held me so I could pet the giraffe! He was really soft and friendly, too.

There's me and Baba looking at the zebras!

A Few Updated Photos

Well, Today I'm trying to get a little bit caught up, Here are a few updated photos of the last month or so. We have been really busy lately and the Holidays aren't even here yet! Yikes!

Here's my Baby at church last Sunday

Baba is being so silly!

Lao Lao is playing with me and my new purse that Gigi gave me. Isn't it cool?

Showing off one of my new outfits

Look, Lao Lao...maybe we can take Pebbles for a walk??

Do you think if I smile real BIG, she'll come with me? "here Pebbles!"

WEEEEEEEE I LOVE the swing!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY SARAH!!!

Well, we had 2 heck of a celebrations for our little girl's SECOND birthday! When we traveled to Ohio to visit my family, we decided to celebrate her birthday there so that my family could be a part of her birthday and then we had another party here, the day after her actual birthday (the closest Saturday!). She had a blast both times and got A LOT of awesome presents! What a joy to FINALLY be able to celebrate a birthday with our daughter, since we hadn't met her last year for her first birthday. What joy she's brought to our lives.

Hmm, let's see this music....what song shall I play?

Music, schmusic! Who needs it? I'll just play the concerto in my head!

Look at one of my favorite presents! I got a ladybug raincoat, umbrella and cute boots to match from my Great Uncle Greg and Aunt Cathy! They're awesome!

Here's my cute cupcakes that my Mama's cousin, Christine, made for me for my birthday...I'm not so sure about those candles, Mama said that they're hot and I don't want to get burned!

Here's my new xylophone that I got from Aunt Nati...this was from my second party. I love to play songs for my Baba, but for some reason, he puts these little things in his ears and just smiles at me while I play.

This is my cool new wagon that I got from my Poppa, I LOVE to go for rides all over the neighborhood, I tell Mama and Baba, "ride wa-GON please" every day!

Peek-a-Boo!

Here I am holding my new asian baby doll that I got for my birthday, isn't she cute? She kinda looks like me in the first photo that Mama and Baba saw of me...except she has a lot more hair!

Here's the cupcakes Mama made me, and Baba is holding it so I can blow out the candle, I was feeling a little better about the candles this time.

What? Huh? Can't a girl enjoy all this sugar without that silly camera in her face?

Our First Year Gotcha Day Anniversary!

Today is a VERY special day for our family. One year ago today, we met our Sarah for the first time. We got to hug and squeeze that girl and endure all her tears! I remember reaching out for her from the caregiver in China that had been holding her. I remember her screaming her little head off-wondering who in the heck we were and why were we holding her! Where were the people she'd come to know over the past year while in Foster Care? She had probably never seen a caucasian before. Not to mention she was grieving the loss of her Foster Mother. She had been in her care from the time Sarah was 4 weeks old until the day she met us last year. It was a rough few days with our baby girl. She would only want me and cried like crazy when Troy would just look at her for the first day or 2. Then something amazing happened...he was trying to play with her on the bed the second night we had her and she smiled!! even smiled more than once. It took her a week before she'd smile for me but she would smile for her Baba after 2 days...it was emotion with him...crying or laughing, but Troy was the one who could get her to show emotion. Me? well...she just wanted me to hold her and comfort her, she wasn't really interested in showing emotion with me, just wanted me to give her comfort and all the love a mother could have for her baby in all the world. I suppose it was all part of the grieving process and starting to attach with us. I know that it took her some time in order to learn to trust us. Attachment is a process and we were thankful that she had an attached relationship with her foster mother because we knew in time she'd be able to transfer attachment to us and we'd be able to develop that kind of relationship with her.

Troy took this photo just after they handed her to me. You can see she wasn't nearly as happy about it as we were!

She slowed down here for a second...only to continue the screaming all evening long. Poor little thing. The amazing thing was-I didn't shed a tear! For those of you who know me, it's like the water works over here usually. I guess I was more worried about her and put all my energy into trying to calm her down. It wasn't until I crawled into bed that night that I started to cry tears of joy.

Of course, now things are much different. It's amazing the difference a year makes. With both of us every day, she laughs and smiles and plays. There is nothing in the world that can compare with the feeling of love coming to you from YOUR child. What a feeling!

Her first smile at her Baba!


Words just cannot express how we're feeling today. Our lives are so different than they were a year ago...what an amazing responsibility and blessing it is to have been chosen by God to be the parents of this little girl who was conceived and born half way across this planet. Thank You Lord for the gift of our daughter...and what a gift she is!

Here is our little angel today just after we gave her the first Gotcha day present...we bought it in China for her last year and got gifts for her every year until she's 21. It was nice how inexpensive things were in China that we were able to do this special thing for our baby.

Going on Vacation!

Well, I just wanted to let you all know my posts may be a little sparse for a bit. We are leaving for Ohio to visit my family this weekend and will be gone for a bit. I have been SOOO stinking busy trying to get some work done to make some money since we'll miss out on some paychecks while we're gone I feel like I'm in the middle of a whirlwind and it's winning and I'm losing! Hopefully today I'll be able to get the rest of the stuff done so that I can focus on packing tomorrow. Sorry I don't have any photos of my Noodle today. I've even been too busy for that this week, what a travesty! Well, we'll be back soon, and who knows...if I get bored while at my Mom's I may post a little or a photo or 2!

My Little Wall Flower!

Yesterday at church, Baba decided to put me up on a shelf, like a little baby doll! Mama said I looked like the prettiest wall flower she's ever seen, but I didn't know what she was talking about. I just know I was happy to have my crackers and to play with my Baba! Look, I even let Mama put a pretty yellow bow in my hair too, and I only took it out 5 or 6 times all day, not the normal every 10 seconds...cause for some reason, I'm not sure why I do it, I just love to pull it out of my hair and have Mama put it back for me.

Look, in this one I'm showing Mama and Baba my pretty teeth!

Uh, Baba...are you sure I'm okay up here?

I guess it is pretty FUN up here! heehee

Here are a few cute photos to show off of new outfits from Sarah's Lao Lao. Sarah has FINALLY progressed to keeping little bows in her hair with her waterspout! I couldn't believe it, but for the last few days, she's left them in for the most part, anyway. I can't believe how much my little baby is growing...she's getting so tall and much less like a baby and much more like a little girl! *sigh*

Yup, I am cute!

I LOVE for Baba to wrap me up in my "sof" so I am not "toad"

Yeah, I'll let Mama think that I will leave my bow in my hair...just wait 'til she turns her head...

Uh, yeah...So I have been a little busy!

Well, I'm a little bit of a slacker lately and a whole lot busy! I am finally getting back to trying to blog a little more consistently...at least until we go to Ohio in a couple of weeks to see my family. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago after church and before naptime. I just LOVE this dress and the boots! TO DIE FOR! What a little fashion princess I have!! Thanks to Lao Lao, that is!

Hee Hee! quick, Mama, catch my smile cause it's not gonna last for very long!

Yeah, Mama...Hurry it up, will ya! I have "bottle on the brain!"

Okay, I have Winston (Sarah's FAVORITE doggie) all bundled up and ready for his nap...isn't time for me too?

UGH, Mama...can you put that camera AWAY?? I really am tired of modeling for you today! I want to go night-night!