YUM

Laney loves Mama's twice baked potatoes (now we make them with soy milk & soy butter). Laney tries to help Mama make them but all she wants to do is eat them (crack me up)!

Photo Shoot (Oct 2009 - 18 months old)

These are from her 18 month photo shoot. I could not post them back in October because I knew Santa was bringing some photos as gifts. Now that Santa has come and gone I can post them. These are before edits, touch ups, crops, etc. OK so # 1 is my favorite (with the hand in corner cropped out). # 2 rocks my world. #3 love it (oh and those chubby little hands, I could just eat them up), # 4 is so cute zoomed in with the diaper cropped out. #5 is so Laney she was handed a stuffed polar bear to hold and she kissed it - Laney Love (oh and those eyes just filled with love). # 6 so proud, # 7 loves those books and look at that chunk a monkey neck, # 8 our precious gift so cute. And the last photo is how we now have some displayed at home. Not to mentioned in our wallets, in our brag books, at our work, at our home, with our family and friends. Hee hee OK so 1st photo shoot went a little crazy.

afternoon 2nd birthday party for a friend

An afternoon 2nd birthday party for a friend was great fun but wow it tired someone right out. Little miss who rarely sleeps in the car did just that as soon as we pulled out of the street leaving the party.

New Years Day 2010

Today Momma was resting back in bed for a bit (ok maybe I pushed it a bit to much trying to get better quickly). So I sat at the window and took pictures and videos of the two precious ones in my life playing in the snowy backyard. Later that day we all sat cuddling and watched some videos from China including the Great Wall of China and Gotcha Day/Family Day WOW, awesome!

New Years Eve 2009-2010

We went to a countdown to 7'o'clock party! We just love the idea (with all the sickness around our house we almost did not make it) so glad we did. The pictures show how much fun we had. Hats, noise makers, sparkling apple cider, guitars, great food and family, very cool party!

Later that night after we got home & put Laney to bed we decide to take down the tree. We worked our tails off got it all done and were sitting on the couch by 11:30 watching the New Years Eve special. We toasted at midnight, kissed, hugged and yup I cried. It was so emotional for me to have 2009 end. It was the year I had dreamt of, the year I had waited for so long for, the year I became a mother. I know 2010 will be a joy with our new family and full of new adventures but for a few moments I was overcome with emotion as I thought about 2009 and the amazing moments: Looking into our daughters eyes for the 1st time. Becoming the family of 3 we had dreamt about for so many years and the amazing awesome trip of a lifetime to China. 2009 may be over on the calendar but it will always live on near and dear to my heart & soul.

When Mama is sick she hears funny things

I have to journal this because I am cracking up. I was in bed sick for 2 days a few days back (ok that part is not funny). I got a very high fever and Mark stayed home to care for Laney as the doctor said bed ridden for me. I began to feel better and got the laptop in bed because like I said I was cracking up in there. I heard everything those 2 were up to out there. As he gets her dressed for music class:
* "I think this matches"
* "oh you don't need a bow in your hair today"
* "which coat - woo that is a lot of coats"
* "shoes, boots, holy cow this closet"
More funny things I have heard over those few days:
* "Dada's work is never done"
* "no playing near the dishwasher"
* "Are you serious, you want to eat AGAIN???"
After he came home from a run to the store with Laney:
Me: All go ok?
Him: uh, not really?
Me: What's wrong?
Him: things are just more fun when Mama is with us.
uhhhhhhhhhhhhh melt my heart. Ya know it is true the 3 of us have such a blast together. It is so simple to have fun for us as a family of 3.
A few more things:
Him: Does she always eat this many times a day?
Me: laughing - Yes.
Me: Honey are you going to put shoes on her to go out to the store?
Him: why?
me: cause she walks?
hee hee silly daddy!
Also:
I never realized how many times a day Laney says Mama. I would have guessed maybe 25 but now I think it is more like 225!! I tell you it is funny at time to listen but also so hard. I missed her so much. I missed hugging her, I missed our cuddle time, I missed playing, I missed singing and dancing, I missed being a hands on Mama. Being sick stinks but I knew I didn't want her to get what I had so I stayed in bed and listened to the funny things they said. Oh and by the way my hubby does rock because in between all of this he took really good care of me, Laney, Maui, Tiki and the house. LOVE that man!

Christmas Afternoon 2009

Christmas afternoon was fun. We had a great Christmas lunch with Mark's family. Laney made it from about 12:30 to 3:30 before she was ready for an overdue nap which she slept from 4 to 6. Than at 6 we had a nice ham and twice baked potato dinner with some of my family at our house. Laney enjoyed everything she opened. She also enjoyed everything everyone else opened. The busy ball popper was a huge hit (the look on her face in the last 3 pictures - uhhhhh melt my heart). The vacuum, the crayons, the homemade stuffed bear & duck, the college savings funds, the perfectly colored block set, the medical kit, the baby dolls, the paint kit, the jam music set w/ the guitar or as Laney says "TAR", the say please tea set (ok this toy rocks, Mama & Poppy love it too). the adorable clothes, the drawing paper, the Dustbuster/vac set (Laney love the moving fake dust in there), the slippers, the pj's, the music box, the books, the ornaments, the sheepdog puppet, the boots, the gloves, the hat, the puzzles, the panda pocketbook, the soft cuddle stuffed animals, the rocking horse, the donation to Half The Sky (ok this one brought mama to tears) WOW! The card said "in celebration of Laney Yan Ge. For other Laney's still waiting for their families". WOW, Thank you). Ok so that is to just name some of her things, wow this girl is loved (ok and fun to shop for). Despite being sick she really did have a fun Christmas.

Phots taken 12/25/09

Christmas Morning 2009

Wow what a amazing way to spend Christmas morning. Something we have never had the joy of experiencing before. Waking up to see a gorgeous, excited, innocent face that we are lucky enough to call our precious daughter on Christmas morning. To stay home as a family of 3 (well 5 counting Maui & Tiki) on Christmas morning and just be that A FAMILY!!! So many Christmas mornings had a twinge of sad. Knowing for over 10 years that we wanted to create a family, knowing Christmas morning would be filled with love, joy and children someday. We finally got it!!! OUR FIRST FAMILY CHRISTMAS MORNING!

I have not been journaling in my paper journal much this month (which I plan to start up again in 2010) so I am going to journal here a bit more than usual just to be sure I have it down somewhere. Laney woke up about 8:15 and Poppy was waiting by her door with the video camera (he was so excited). She walked out to the living room where the night before the tree had no presents under it. Now Christmas morning it was loaded with piles and piles of presents. She looked we said "Laney Santa came" she said "Ho Ho". It is funny she always stops at 2 ho ho's. We started with stockings. She enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and called her stocking a sock. Great Grandma made her stocking to match one she made for Ma Ma when I was just a baby (she also made one for Poppy when we were married). It is so awesome to look at the mantel and see that. Laney opens here stocking and two presents than she stops and says MAMA and does sign language for eat. Crack us up! She is like ok I am done with this present thing let's eat! That's our little chunk a monkey. After 2 scrambled eggs and potatoes we opened more presents and she loved them all. Often she also loved the box tops, bags and tissue paper too (hee hee).

photos taken 12/25/09