Well it is almost Christmas and I am quite bogged down with work and getting ready for the holidays--retail can be brutal or at least all consuming of your free time! So no Christmas cards yet and a whole lot of other things that won't get done, but I thought I would post a few more recent fall photos of Audrey. Perhaps I will have some time in the next few days to post 1st Christmas photos too.

Our China Baby Turns Two!

When you wake up at 6 a.m. it is no fun--even if it is your birthday!

Well it is hard to believe that Audrey is two.

The time goes so quick, yet all of her language development, growth spurt and fondness for the word "no" tells us--yes, she is two. We celebrated in a low-key way as we are hoping to make her annual "birthday event" in March to coincide with her Gotcha Day on the 24th. It is hard to have a December birthday and probably would be more fun to have a celebration in the spring anyway. But we wanted to commemorate her 2nd birthday and the first one with us in some way, so friends from our neighborhood stopped by for cupcakes in the afternoon and then we visited Granny and Pops and the cousins in the evening. You can never have too much cake--so we enjoyed it several times that day and again the next day when Audrey took treats for her school friends.

She knew the day was special and can quickly answer the question--"how old are you?" with "I two" and two little fingers in the air. In the beginning she would hold out her had so one of us could fold down her thumb and fingers to leave two fingers up, but now she has mastered that as well.

Every day she still amazes us with her happy personality, good-natured attitude and sense of humor--we are truly lucky to have her with us. These milestones remind us how quickly the time goes.

Enjoy the photos!

Happy Halloween

Hello everyone--as we move into the fall we have so many "firsts" to look forward to enjoying with Audrey--her first Halloween, first birthday with us, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas and hopefully her first snowfall. Keep coming back to our blog and I will share them with you as well.

Halloween was great! I wasn't sure what to expect and when we started looking for a costume about a month ago I was worried that there would be no Halloween. She did NOT like the cute ladybug that we first got and she wasn't very interested in any dress up outfits. Every time I showed her the ladybug she would through it and yell No, No, No! But one day we were at Babies are Us and she was very interested in the costumes--finally she picked out the lion and even wanted to put it on. So it was settled--she would be a lion (or as she puts it--RRRRR).

For 3 days we celebrated--at her School/church carnival (she quickly learned that at each activity you got candy--what a deal), then at the Zoo--thousands of kids and adults--crazy but fun and finally trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. It was a great week. Every night she was bouncing off the walls. Brad called her "sugar baby", but we all conceded we liked Sugar baby Audrey.

The first photos are from a Halloween festival in the Paseo. They had a little art activity where the kids could get dressed up in paper creations--Audrey wanted to be right in the middle of this. She was so patient and loved her paper dress--she kept it on all afternoon. We should all have paper dresses!

6 Great Months!

Can you believe that Audrey has been here for 6 months already? What seemed like a lifetime (in fact it was her entire lifetime) to get her here and now she has been in our arms for 6 months! It has been great I must say. I thought I would just add a few photos today and let them speak for the great changes that she has seen since traveling to Oklahoma from Maoming, China. She is so special and so much fun every day. She says a lot of words now and a few two and three word sentences. Make no mistake, however, she communicates everything she wants perfectly--both Brad and I have had her lead us around to get more candy--to go " 'side" to see "Clara" (our dog) or go "up" (upstairs to her room). She communicates perfectly!

The first photos was just hours after she came to us in China and now look at that sweet smile!

I Love a Party!!

Audrey has been to many birthday parties this summer--her friend Allie's, Allyson's and her cousin Jack's. Here are some photos from each--

#1 All dressed up and enjoying " 'side, 'side"

#2 Audrey and Allyson at the swim party

#3 My brother Kyle and Audrey at Jack's Pirate Party

Summer's Gone

Hello Everyone

It has been a while I know. Summer has quickly ended and Brad and I just returned from our last big vacation of the year. We spent a week in Roatan, Honduras scuba diving. We had a great time and Audrey had a great time with her grandparents. You are never far from the internet so we kept regular tabs on her daily activities and it looks like she ruled the house while we were gone. She was definitely treated like a princess--but we won't argue that she is well worth the attention.

She is really talking up a storm--a lot of words that we don't understand, but then she surprises you by clearly saying: Banana; Hi Dada; I'm Fine and Seeya Later. Getting her to repeat these on demand is another story. . .

Now, you're really here for the photos so I will attempt to give you a few of the newest ones. Enjoy!

Silent Monday

Hello Everyone

I have lots of new photos to add--I just need to download them from the camera. Audrey has really been making the party circuit--she loves an event! So I have several photos from the various birthday parties she has attended. Today I will give you a few from her friend Allie--she just had her 4th birthday!

Audrey stayed a few days with my sister, Lisa and her family and had a great time!

My niece, Taylor, reinforcing the proper phone technique!!

This is Audrey's favorite toy--anything that can be used as a phone!

Hello Everyone



Just a quick update to say hello and perhaps post a few new photos. We have had a great summer. Brad and I actually went on a vacation and left our sweet one with my parents and my sisters family. She had a great time, though we missed her a lot. I will try to post a few photos from her "summer camp" and Granny and Pops. My family has been great about helping us out as Brad and I sometimes work odd hours! Today Audrey had a playdate with two other children in our neighborhood--Perri and Alex. They had fun and played as typical almost two-year-olds--pretty much by themselves with an occassional argument over the same toy. It was a nice time.



No other big news. The tubes seem to be a great thing--Audrey is talking and yelling a lot--words we are not too sure of, but I am certain she is hearing and feeling better!

A New Post and Photos

Well I remembered my password and I am finally posting as ME. Audrey is great and growing up--much to our dismay. She is starting to say a few words and uses a lot of sign language. Much of her sign language refers to eating or sea creatures--Brad likes to teach her all the animals of the ocean in anticipation of the many trips to the beaches, oceans and dive sites of the world that we hope to share with her someday. Our favorite is Shark and she will do this on command. Like most people we ask her to perform anytime there is an audience! Today--we had tubes placed in her ears. We hope this will open up a whole new world for her and stop all the antibiotics and ear infections!





The photos are from her Baptism on Father's Day--we had our immediate family there for the big day. Audrey loves attention--but the moment of baptism she burst into tears, a classic photo opportunity.





More later. . .



The last photo is Audrey making a quick call, letting everyone know about the big day.

Shower Photos

Hi Everyone--We just celebrated Father's Day and also Audrey's Baptism--we have some great photos to share from that day, but I am hoping to get Brad to write a little since it was his big day and 1st time to celebrate as a Dad himself. . .

So instead I will share a few photos from one of my showers that happened about 4 weeks after we returned from China. Audrey looks a little smaller, but quite the cutie and truly enjoying her day. It was a great event hosted by my dearest friends--a.k.a the Bunco Girls! Thanks to all and enjoy these photos.

The first is Kim, Michelle, Dana, Debbie, Lisa, Audrey and me--"the hostesses with the mostesses". The second photo is Brenda, Audrey and me. Then a couple of Audrey enjoying all the attention--she loves a party!

Audrey is 18 months old!

Hi Everyone

Audrey is growing everyday--an inch since her last Dr. appointment and several pounds as well. Finally, her hair is growing enough to style it just a bit! We still haven't cut is, that may be a while longer. Sometimes we will still hear "what a cute boy", but that is okay because we know she is a sweet little girl. She loves books and we read a lot every day--this shot is of her and Daddy reading. She is starting to get pretty smart at bedtime --she keeps picking up more books, and then she does the sign for hungry and then she points at the light and says Da Da--anything to prolong actually going to sleep. The good news is that once she is asleep she will stay that way all night. When she wakes in the morning she is very happy and she is loving her school. Now she walks in and sits right down at the little table and doesn't even cry as I leave. She is starting to say a few words, but mainly she communicates with Baby sign language--and we definitely get the message. Her favorites are: hungry, more, please, thank you and all done. We have made up a few like--down, turtle, shark, and fish--these are great for our own entertainment. I will try to post photos of these soon. Here are a few photos--though a few weeks old. . .

Hi All

Audrey is changing every day! She has two front teeth now that really gives her a whole new look. For those who worry that my sweet tooth will rub off on her (and a valid concern I know) I thought I would show you this photo as proof that she really does brush her few little teeth every night--Dr. Ed would be proud!

I am also showing a side-by-side shot of Audrey in China almost two months ago now and then a couple of shots in the last week or so. See for yourself how quickly they grow and change.

Soon I will post some of the great professional photos that Brenda shot--they are great. Also I hope to have some new shots of our fellow China travelers and their daughter, Harper Lee, we will see them this weekend when we travel to Texas for her first birthday. So stay tuned!

Okay, somehow the photos didn't make it, so I will try again:

Hello Everyone--it is Lori again, time for a little update. Well I had my first Mother's Day and it was nice to have a reason to celebrate--the day has a whole new meaning for me now. Audrey sent me orchids (at least that's what the card said--and I do love orchids) and we had a great day together, we all went to church, had lunch, napped and just hung out--perfect!

Everyday is a better day at school--she cries a little then has a great day and then Brad picks her up and she is quite happy. So far she has learned--numbers, up/down, letters and hopping. Well, we are still working on the numbers--but I think she has mastered down. As in I am tired of the high chair and want down now; or please do not hold me anymore I want down to run around. So I will again say she is a clever girl and as a friend told me "a very hard worker."

So here are a few photos: Nutella--a favorite treat of mine, and now Audrey's too! Naptime with a sweet bear from her Aunt Aimee, and a few others. Enjoy!

First Week At School and Work

Hello everyone--this is Lori. All is well with dear Audrey and she is now in school at St. Lukes and I am back at work. Her first few days were a test for me and her--she is doing fine ! I do the drop off and the crying and Brad does the pick-up--lots of smiling and laughing. Every day they say she does better, cries less and really enjoys playing with the kids. To be specific--she loves the slide, likes to color and do art and likes music. Everyday she brings home an "art project"--so if I begin saving it all now, I will need another foom just to house it all. Of course, how do you part with any of it?

The photos today are the best--but I will post them anyway. I have a few really good ones, but couldn't get them to download. So these are taken with my phone.

The first is breakfast before school (and before a bath too!) cottage cheese is delicious and messy. The second, after school taking a ride with Allie. And then a little OSU spirit--go Pokes!

Hi Again--it is Lori, even though it says that Brad is posting. I thought I would add a few more photos and try to keep them in the theme of eating. Eating is one thing that we have had no trouble with! She loves everything we have given her and she tries hard to feed herself too. She is a big "dipper" once Brad showed her how and now what ever she has is worthy of dipping in whatever soupy item she is consuming. Meat sticks can be dipped in ketchup, yogurt, applesauce and even creamed green beans--yumm-0.





So enjoy these photos. Oh, and tonight we celebrate "sleeping in your own bed" we will see how long before she realizes she is there--we'll let you know.

The first two photos are of our friends Tony and Margaret and Allie. They were on the first part of this trip with us and were there for Gotcha Day and a few days after. These were early photos of them with Allie--just a couple of months after getting her in 2006 and then on vacation with us about 10 months after getting her. We had forgotten how small she was and that she too was a chubby cheeked baby--I just wanted everyone else to see as well. The other photos are the first time Audrey really was successful with a spoon, then eating her favorite food at the White Swan--noodles (I haven't been able to duplicate those yet) and then contemplating the cat's food--I don't think she tried any of that . . .