Tap Tap Tap...

...is this thing still on? Hello there! It's been a while. It seems I've got some catching up to do, and seeing as I have a few people curious about my whereabouts, I figure I'd better get on the ball. Lily is doing incredibly well and growing like a weed. I can't believe how big she is and how much she is talking...we have full-on converstaions now. The rate at which she is learning just blows me away and makes me all the more excited about homeschooling her...although a little nervous at the same time.:o)

She is now in the middle of her second relapse with her Nephrotic Syndrome. She relapsed back in October and the doctor recommended weaning her off of the prednisone at a much slower rate this time so as to avoid another relapse. She will probably be on it through the end of April, but we are praying that this will do the trick and no more relapses!

So of course I've got some pictures for you! These are from back in the fall, and I'll update with more recent pictures again soon...I promise!


On Halloween we took Lily to the "Pumpkin Park". It was a pumpkin patch here in town and she called it the Pumpkin Park because of all the fun things they had to do there. She had a blast! I wasn't sure how she would do on this big slide...it was sooooo high and I was sooooo nervous! She had no problem at all. She climbed right up and slid right back down...3 times!

Way up there ready for the big slide down!

Lily and her best friend Rachel had a play date and we took a walk to the park. They are so very cute together. Rachel even picked out this little panda and purse from the zoo for Lily. I hope they will be best friends forever!

The sweetest thing...

Cooking with Chef Lily. She LOVES to help me bake. Of course she needs to put on her apron and chef's hat also. She is such a good helper!

Carefully pouring...she is quite meticulous.

Lily's First Hair Cut

Ok, it was her second really, but the first one was done by me and it was only her bangs.:o) She did really well. There was definate concern, but no tears...such a brave girl! (And these are not exactly recent...this was back in July!)

Hello There...

...to anyone out there who may actually still be checking in from time to time.:o) We are still around, though our old computers are not. Note I say computers...plural. My laptop died quite a while back and Robert's computer finally took a dive a few weeks ago. But we are now up and running again and Robert is loving his new MAC! Several of his friends convinced him it was the way to go and he seems to be very happy with it...I love the 24" monitor.:o) Anyway, now that I also have a new computer (not a mac though), it has some features on it that make it very easy to get pictures uploaded and organized which in turn will make it much easier for me to get them up on my blog.:o) Here are a few and I hope to update with more very soon.

These were taken at a park while we were on vacation in Oregon. Robert was doing a photo shoot with my cousin Lisa so I took a few shots of Lily while she was being somewhat cooperative.:o)

That smile just lights up my world.

Back on August 12th Lily went from a crib to a big girl bed! We had been talking about it for weeks and she was so excited. She has done so well with it. She only fell out one time on the first night and not once since then. It took her a while to figure out that she could get up on her own in the morning...now she has no problem with that.:o)

Look Who's 3!

On Saturday, August 15th, we celebrated Lily's 3rd birthday. I can't believe it. Didn't we just come home from China and celebrate her 1st birthday? I don't know what is going on with time, but it's just going by ridiculously fast. We had our friends and family over for the celebration and we all had a fun time. Lily got a little overwhelmed with all of the people and presents, but for the most part, she did pretty well.

This was her present from mommy and daddy...a ladybug car. How could we pass up a ladybug car?? During her party she was so sweet and showed her best friend Rachel how to use it too.

Great-Grandma, Grandma (Lao-Lao) and Auntie Jenny with baby Sara.

Lily wondering what to do with all of these presents!

Aunt Paula, Larry and Auntie Ellen watching the fun.

Mommy helping Lily open her presents. After the first one, she was so excited she ran right into the living room to play with it. I guess it is kind of mean to have a child open a present and then take it away from them to make them open the next one! Anyway, I ended up finishing the gift-opening for her.:o)

Kitchen Littles! She LOVES these. Every time we go over to our friend Mantha's house, she makes a bee-line right for these toys and plays with them for hours. She was so excited when she saw these!

A girl can never have too many clothes!

A brand new tea set from Lao-Lao. She loves to make us tea and coffee.

This is Kai-lan from the show Nihao Kai-lan. It's kind of like Dora the Explorer, except kids learn Mandarin, Chinese instead of Spanish. She is so cute!

3-D sidewalk chalk! I can't wait to try this. I'm not sure what my nervous expression is about...hmmmm.

Lily sharing her new toys with her friends.

I think someone is ready for cake!

As per Lily's request...a flower cake with M&M's.

She started trying to blow out her candles before we even finished singing!

Blowing out her 3 candles.

Mantha and Rachel.

Mike and Jenny.

Mmmm....I think she likes it!

Sean and Marley...Rachel's' daddy and baby sister.

Flowers, bugs and M&M's were the theme of the day. I had so much fun making these party favors for her friends.

These dirt cups were another special treat. They were so easy to make and came out so cute. Almost too cute to eat....almost.:o)

Mommy and daddy love you sooooooo big baby girl. You are a blessing to us each and every day and we are continuously thankful to God who in His infinite wisdom decided we were worthy to be your parents. I don't know what we did to deserve you, but we will cherish and treasure you always. Happy birthday to the sweetest girl I know.