Just a few more Christmas pictures

These are from Friday's picture day when I tried (diligently) to get some good photos for the card. Cards will be mailed Monday -- yay. These are a few of the "better" ones since I shared the "less than desirable" ones on Friday.

Just cute ... what else can you say?

Pondering ... The only one where I think she is remotely looking at the camera.

Note the dog to her right.

He barks and pulls on the sleigh and moves himself around the floor. She loves him!

Really cute one of Josh. Green is a great color on him.

Playing with the yurt from her Kyrygyzstan Nativity.

Praise the Lord, are we almost done??

Josh puts her on his shoulders

The best one of the two of them together.

This is the reaction she gives to Joshua all the time. She thinks he is a RIOT!!

"Talk to the hand, brother!"



Exploring Santa. This is the Santa from "The Polar Express" and he "talks".
Ellie just laughs and hugs him everytime he talks.

Cheetahlicious Ellie

When we were in Kyrgyzstan, Jennifer took photos of Ellie in this outfit, but it was WAY too big for her (3-6 months). It now fits lovely and I must say, she was a cutie in this outfit. She wore it to Nana's house for Christmas festivities last night and was the hit of the aunts and uncles.

Excuse our crusty nose as we continue to battle a cold. While we were at the doctor's office on Friday, they weighed her again, and she is up to 15 pounds (yay!), so she continues to gain weight at a steady pace. Her hair is growing pretty rapidly as well and is now sticking up all over her head (no matter what I do). I comb it down after her bath and a little while later, when it drys, straight up. It's too funny.

Happy Photos

While I was working in Kentucky this past week, I saw several things that made me go, "Hmmm..." and I wanted to share some of my happy photos that I took of these things so maybe you can get some "happy" out of them too. You'll understand my warped sense of humor as you scroll through them.


For some reason, this just made me giggle while I stood on someone's front porch. It reminds me of the "Eat More Chicken" campaign by Chik*Fila (spelled right?).

As I rang the bell of this house, I looked down and saw this. It's not surprising that the owner had two big chunky labs living in their house. I'd like one of these doormats.

Since this was out front the week before Christmas I thought it was pretty funy.

People, people, people ... can you say moderation???

Same house - different angle. Holy smokes.

And last, but probably the thing that got me downright giddy with excitement was the Big Boy. When I was little Shoney*s was the Big Boy and then there was some lawsuit or something and they couldn't be the "Big Boy" anymore. I remember when they (Shoney*s) had a drive-in that my mom and I would go to. I had a Big Boy rubber bank that I played with all the time in the tub. It's one of my earlier memories. I stopped and turned around to go back to see this. The "Big Boys" were a LOT like Mc*Donald's Big*Mac sandwiches, as I recollect. Ahhh... good memories.

Christmas Pictures

I had this great (read the irony here, ok?) idea to take photos today of Josh and Ellie for our very late Christmas card. I picked Josh up from school and had planned to go out and inspect three houses, but it was misting and I decided to just "knock those Christmas cards out". Everything in my life seems like a good idea and a simple process when I think of it. You'd think I'd learn by now.

Ellie had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 2:30 because I thought she had an ear infection. That alone should have been enough to make me realize she was not going to be a smiling, charming princess. By the way, she has a cold, not an ear infection, but she is one pitiful acting little girl (until the doctor came in and she acted like a smiling, happy princess so I looked like a crazy mama).

Josh, on the other hand, was a very cooperative, helpful big brother and good example for her, but, true to form, she was much more interested in Joshua, crawling on the table, pulling on the tree, petting the dog, throwing things off the table, standing up, and, toward the end, alternately crying and yawning.

I did manage to get the cards printed today, but when Kevin picked them up and brought them home, there were no envelopes. ARGH. How I even managed to get three photos that were usable for a card I'm not sure, but here are some of the, um, more interesting ones.

She sees Josh over to the side (she NEVER looked at the camera) and lights up like the tree.

Checking out a very large ornament.

Trying to eat Joshua's face.

OOOooohhh... I need to pet the dog.

WHAT is this look?

Quickly tiring of all the "work" involved in this process. Meltdown in process.

EXHAUSTED -- being a Princess is hard work.

There are TONS more that aren't even worth putting on the blog they are so silly. Oh well, we had fun!!

For Fun

While I was working today I heard a song on the radio and it got me to thinking about what the first music I purchased was. And then I began to wonder if others remember the very first music you bought and what format it was in (CD, tape, record, 8 track, etc.).

So, for fun, leave a comment on what yours was.

Oh, and mine: Does Your Mother Know, by ABBA. And, it was a 45 record. I bought it at JCPenney. Can you believe that they used to sell music?

Bulgarian Orphanage Special on TV

I was wondering if anyone had seen the special on TV last night called Love Knows No Borders regarding adoption reform in Bulgaria?

It was VERY, VERY ineresting and if you haven't seen it, try to catch it. There were interviews with orphans who were adopted to the US as well as interviews with APs and officials in Bulgaria.
The stories of orphans in orphanages and the difficulty in bringing them home always makes me so sad.

However, the success stories shown in this story is so refreshing and the progress hopefully being made in Bulgaria to get special needs children home more quickly and to allow adoption again in this country warms my heart.

Were I looking for another adoption, I would most certainly consider this country. There is such a need and the children are so beautiful.

Second Tooth

Ellie's second tooth is coming in right beside the other one on the bottom. Still can't "see" them well enough for a photo, but as soon as you can, know that you'll see one! In the meantime, here's a photo of Ellie being reunited with "Aunt" Jennifer yesterday.

Power Blogging

It is now time for some serious power blogging to catch up. So buckle your seatbelts and prepared to be tired (just like me) after reading through my last four days.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday night we took Joshua and Ellie to get photos made with Santa here. They give you a free photo with Santa and you just can't beat that deal.

Josh informed me, upon arrival that this will be his LAST photo with Santa because he is "too old". I explained to him that I would not ask him again, but that I really wanted him to be in Ellie's first photo. He agreed, reluctantly and had one photo made. I am a very sad mama about this, but I understand. Here are their two photos from Ellie's first time with Santa and Joshua's last.

Ellie didn't cry at all. She leaned back, settled in and then promptly began to rub his beard while he asked me where she was from. We talked shortly and she stared at him and touched his suit and beard (which was real!!).

THURSDAY

Ellie is eating more "table food". She has also learned a new trick. She can now eat her foot -- for those times we don't feed her quickly enough.

FRIDAY

We had a WONDERFUL play date at our friend Kat's house. They brought Charlie home from Kyrgyzstan back in the summer and were there on their pick up trip while we were there on Trip 1. Kat made this incredible home cooked meal of meatloaf, new and sweet potatoes, green beans, and a yummy luscious chocolate pecan tipsy cake with ice cream. YUM again.

Charlie and Jia were dressed at pixie fairies when we arrived and I swear they were adorable. All three kids played so well together. I can't get over the difference in Charlie from the time he came home until now. He looks fantastic and is running around playing like a madman. His masculinity is not at all offended by wearing this fairy costume either. He and Ellie had a nice time "reuniting". Anybody know where I can get my hands on some of these Lego Primo Duplo blocks? Ellie loved them. We are so lucky to live in an area where there are currently three Kyrgyz children and hopefully more coming home soon!!

When I got to school to pick up Josh, I thought it odd that he had the "DARE" lion. In fifth grade at our school, the kids all go through the Drug Awareness Resistance Education program. As part of their "graduation", they have to write a one page paper on what they learned in DARE. Apparently, one member of each class graduated "with honors" and Josh was the one from his class. He got a DARE Lion, a medal, a pen, T-shirt, certificate and button. He was most proud of himself. His friend Braiden one in his class so I had two lions to bring home. When I went in to kiss Josh goodnight, he had "decorated" his room with his things and even had slept in his DARE t-shirt. Too sweet.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning we went to Grandmother's nursing home for their Christmas

breakfast. Now, we don't move really fast or well early in the mornings -- especially if we all have to be somewhere. Imagine, then, needing to take sausage and biscuits (cooked fresh, of course), muffins, Christmas presents, a camera, two adults and a baby and leaving the house by 8 a.m. HA!!! We did manage to get there just in time for the start at 9 a.m.

Grandmother said at the end of the morning that it was the best Christmas she had had since her husband (my grandfather) died some 30+ years ago. I'm glad it was nice for her.

The nursing home had "The Grin*ch" and Santa with Mrs. Claus so Ellie had her photo made with them. Josh had fun hamming around with the camera as well. Here are photos from all that fun.

After our time at the nursing home, we came home to begin putting up the Christmas tree -- a task always done the weekend after Thanksgiving but because we were in Florida has been pushed a bit too far back for my liking. We got the tree up Saturday afternoon; Kevin and Josh got all the lights on Saturday night and it took until late Sunday night to get all the ornaments on. Ellie seemed to enjoy taking it all in. As normal, there was a cat under the tree before we finished putting it up. They love the tree.

After starting the Christmas decorations, it was off to a basketball game for Joshua, home and then out to make a photo memory book for my friend Dianne who was having a SURPRISE birthday party on Sunday afternoon. That took several hours to complete and I managed to purchase the "Death Ornament" (a separate post coming soon about that -- you are sure to enjoy that one!), get a few more Christmas presents while I waited for it to get finished.

SUNDAY

Today was the surprise birthday party for my friend Dianne's 40th birthday. I spent the morning making mini brownies for the party and then went over to help set up. We had such a great time and she really was surprised. I took tons of photos for her and I can't wait to give them to her. We had a great time, and Ellie was a great hit since we got to see lots of people who haven't gotten to see her yet. I didn't get back home until around 6 this evening. We finished putting up Christmas decorations; terrorized the dogs with the reindeer antlers; Josh finished a States project that is due tomorrow (why not wait until the last minute -- wonder WHO he gets that from??), and then I have "power blogged" for the last hour. It is now time to GO TO BED as I'm tired.

I feel CERTAIN she was surprised.

Ellie trying to steal the show at the birthday party.

Kevin and Ellie filling the Advent calendar with goodies.

Bear with his reindeer hat on

Sunshine sporting her reindeer look.

So, as you can imagine, we are tired cookies around our house this week. I'm hopeful next week will be better.