Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas. Each year since having a child celebrating Christmas has become more and more fun. We are VERY excited to announce that next year we will have TWO children to celebrate with! We are expecting our second child in late June! For those of you who knew us before Vera was born, you may remember that she had a nickname--Spike! Well, one night while on a date, we named this baby as well--Baby Bo! Gotta love it!

Here are a few pictures from Christmas.

We invited some friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve. I'm a little disappointed that the leftovers are almost gone, because it sure was a yummy meal!


















Vera just before she got to dump the contents of her stocking and start tearing into them!























Our family pic before opening presents.


















"Oh, yeah! A new stroller and doll! Now I can get practice for taking care of Baby Bo!"























Coloring with new crayons and coloring book. It looks like V's going to be a lefty like her daddy!


















Family picture after opening presents. A little people barn and school bus, some games for Vera and us, several new books, new dresses, and more.


















After taking afternoon naps, we went bowling.


















"Oh, no. Not another gutter ball!"


















And finally, Vera ended the day with her first bubble bath. She got really mad when we told her it was time to get out!


















We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!

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She really is growing up!

I can't believe it! TRULY! Last night when it was time for Vera to go to bed, she asked for her nuk-nuk (pacifier). I told her she was a big girl and didn't need her nuk-nuk anymore. I hadn't even really planned to do that. I just figured I'd say it and see what her response was. She cried for about two seconds and then slept through the night. She just asked for it before her nap. I told her the same thing. She didn't even seem disappointed, much less cry. For the last two years and two months I've been trying to figure out how I was going to end her relationship with her pacifier. I never EVER though it could possibly be so easy.

I don't know if anyone else will think these pictures are as funny as I do, but I sure cracked up when Vera walked out of the playroom looking like this! She has been very hard at play all morning long!

Dear Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles,

Mommy and I have been making salt dough Christmas ornaments for you. First, we made the dough, then we cut them out with cookie cutters, cooked them in the oven, and finally painted them. Painting them was definitely the most fun part! Uncle Kirk is here and was going to take them back to America and mail them to you. Mommy says there's a problem though. She isn't sure what caused the problem. She thinks that maybe she didn't cook the ornaments long enough, because they aren't as hard as they should be. Actually, now that they are painted they are quite soft. They also got some big air bubbles in them that REALLY softened after they were painted. She says we aren't going to send them because she thinks they will fall apart during shipping. She also says that we'll try again next year. I love you and wish that we had more time to try again, but we don't. So for this year, all you get is a few pictures of my trying to make something special for you. At least I had fun!

Love,
Vera

It's been fun to read other friends blogs and see pics of them going to tree farms, cutting down or picking out real trees, and getting them home to take a prominent place in their homes. A couple of weeks ago we put up our tree. We went to the storage room, took out the small box, and five minutes later the tree was assembled. Some call it a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It's been our tree for three years now. We are just thankful that we are able to find fake trees here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we had our first turkey in the three years that we have been here. It was a 15 pounder, the smallest available. Turkeys are not regularly available here, but some foreign grocery stores will sell them at a high price for the holidays. We decided to splurge and get one to share with friends here. I was VERY nervous when we got it home and thought that it was too big to fit in the oven! It JUST fit! There were actually two small parts that were touching the walls of the oven. We know not to get a bigger bird next year! It was the first time I had ever cooked a whole turkey and was thankful that it wasn't undercooked, overcooked, or burned!

















Yes, I was proud of this bird!

















Emily kept Vera busy while I finished cooking.
















The whole spread. Not bad for one tiny oven! Mom, you'd be proud!

















The whole crew! Everyone that came was "single"--either not married or had a spouse out of the country. It was great to be able to cook for them and enjoy some time together.

Crazy Hair!

The result of pigtails!

Brides and Grooms

We went for a walk along the beach this past weekend. Everywhere we looked there were couples having their wedding pictures taken. This is a very popular thing to do here. The brides and grooms wear clothes provided by the photo agency and spend the whole day with a photographer.

Hmm... What's been going on here lately? Not too much. Matt has stayed busy with work. He's going to be out of town during the next two days on a trip with half of the orphanage nannies. In two weeks, he goes with the other half. I was going to go...until they decide to climb a mountain. The idea of climbing a mountain with a two year old just doesn't sound fun. Vera and I will stay behind and enjoy some girl time. My time at the orphanage has been great. I can't believe the progress the club feet babies are making. They can all put their feet flat on the ground now, and I know it's only a matter of time before they are all walking! Next month, all three will turn one year old! I know that one will need surgery at some point, but with ongoing therapy the other two should be fully corrected within a few months. It has been so exciting for me to watch their progress and know that I had something to do with it! The difficult thing about going in every afternoon is leaving Vera. I'm definitely struggling with having someone stay with her... Well, actually I just struggle with having someone in our house each day. I definitely like having the house to myself. I like the way I do laundry (so I still do it myself), and I like the way I clean (I let her do that). I like knowing that Vera's not learning someone else's bad habits. I know that I've been given this great opportunity at the orphanage, but when the time comes, I'll be happy to be home with my little girl!

We took Vera to the beach this past weekend. I don't know why we haven't done it more often! The weather was perfect and Vera absolutely loved walking and playing in the sand. The government here has put lots of work into beautifying the beaches and it's really starting to show. There is such a huge difference now than when we were here in 2003. Here are some of the picture we took while out playing with Vera.

Vera's Birthday Pictures

Vera still thinks it's her birthday! Numerous times a day she is hear singing, "Happy Birthday to Vera!" Nana and Poppi came so V's birthday lasted for DAYS! She got at least two presents a day while they were here. I'm surprise she isn't asking us for more presents to open! Here are a ton of pictures from their week here.

















Reading with Poppi before the party. We had her party a few days before her actually birthday.


















Family picture.






















Eating pizza!

















Playing with one of her presents.






















Blowing out the candles.

















Eating the cake and posing with her good buddy Guo Guo! She even got seconds!





















Vera, how old are you?

















In the cabinet...again! No, she's not really sleeping.
















Playing with her bath letters.

















Another present...finger paints!

















Eating out at our favorite "roadside diner". We would have never found this place had a friend not recommended it, but it's got the best Chinese food in town!






















Playing on Gulangyu island. I love this pic!






















Hanging out with Poppi. If you ever wondered what the area was like that we live in, just look at this pic. We live right in the middle of downtown!

















Dinner buffet at the Sheraton! YUMMY! Thank you Nana and Poppi!

















On Vera's actual birthday we made cookies...

















...little bear cookies!

















Whatcha doin' mommy?

















Giving the bear some "fur".
















After Vera's birthday nap we took her to the library. Yes! The books are in English!
















Bill took us out to dinner for Vera's birthday dinner.
















Pooped out after getting home! One last birthday wish from Aunt Melinda.
















Goodnight, birthday! Sleeping in her favorite spot...just inside her bedroom door!