Happy Valentine's Day, My Love

Here's to a very special Valentine's day to the best husband in the world. I am so blessed to be married to my best friend. Who knew that a blind date 12 years ago would turn into something so special? God certainly had his hand in our meeting, and has continued to watch over us and bless us. I love you!!!!

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails."
1 Corinthians 13

Funny Friday

Thankful Thursday

"O.k. baby, it is time to get ready for bed. First I'll give you a bottle."
"Next I'll read you a bedtime story."

"Now it is time for prayers. Make sure you fold your hands and say Amen when we're finished."

"Nighty-night. I love you. Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning!"

Break out the trike (at least for a short while)

Well, the sun peeked out, there was some blue sky, the wind died down and the temperature broke 35 degrees...so we decided to give the trike another try. The Chinese Noodle and I had gone out for a ride one other day when we had had a break in the weather and she LOVED it! During our last venture, she pretty much needed assistance the entire time to pedal, steer and keep her feet on the pedals. She showed a great deal of improvment this time. Unfortunately, the helmet is too big and so it kept falling down in her face--certainly not the easiest way to learn how to ride! There were a few times when she kept the trike moving, until she hit a snowpile--this is the Midwest in February afterall! When it was time to go in, she just kept saying "more? more?". It is rather hard to explain to a 2-year-old, that when your fingers and nose turn bright red and the sun is setting, then it is time to call it a night. Until next time..........

Re-adoption day

The "official" photo
Is it time to eat lunch at Daddy's office yet?!?!
Yep, I'm really hungry so I'm going.
O.k., I'll sit here, as long as Farley is with me.
This morning we went downtown to the county courthouse to have everything finalized with the C.N.'s re-adoption. While this is technically not manditory, re-adopting her here in the US will give her an American birth certificate as well as the Chinese birth certificate we already have. As you can imagine, having a document such as a birth certificate in English makes life a whole lot easier when such paperwork is required. All in all, it was a very simple process. We had to fill out MORE paperwork, bring in the various documents we received in China, meet with the magistrate and pay the fee. When it was all said and done, it took about an hour. A secretary that works there took us up to one of the beautiful court rooms for a few photo opportunities. The Chinese Noodle sat on the witness stand, but was more interested in eating lunch than posing. Once we brought her favorite frog, Farley, into the mix, she was more cooperative.

New dress

Taa-daa!! My new dress with matching bow!
I had stumbled across this website and absolutely fell in love with the little dresses! J, ever the voice of reason, emphatically told me I could make those, no problem. So...with the help of a close family friend as well as my M-I-L, I made this dress. I'm rather proud of myself, especially because I didn't know how it would turn out. The family friend just got a monogram card for her sewing machine (waaaay more fancy than the circa 1960 one I work on) so we decided to try it out. I also made a matching bow that is orange with white polkadots. When I showed it to the C.N., she immediately wanted to try it on. I think she likes it too!

I'm going to make a few more in heavier weight material since this one is a bit summer-y. The Michael Miller fabrics are so cute as are the Amy Butler ones. Now the difficult part comes in narrowing down the selection. Do I even dare think about this dress for Easter? I know what J would say!!

Chinese New Year Part II

Our small group from church hadn't been able to get together for quite a while, so J and I suggested a Chinese New Year party. What better reason to get everyone together? One couple graciously hosted and another woman, who sister lives in China, did most of the cooking, although everyone brought something to help contribute. J decided to make his famous dumplings, or Jiaozi, which was no small feat. He spent most of Saturday making the filling, making the dough, filling each dumpling by hand and cooking them. Last we counted he had made about 125. At the end of the meal we set off firecrackers which was quite a hit with both the big and small kids alike.