When you don't want your fingers to get sticky...

... Pick up your popsicle stick with your toes! :)

I need an opinion :)

Which do you like better- this photo or the one right below this? It's the same photo, but I added a "scenic" effect to this one (not that I know what that means)! I appreciate any opinions!

My Favorite Shot (from Valentine's Day)

Black & Whites (Valentine's Day)

My Pirate wears Pearls (the evolution of a photo shoot)

Sophie Lu keeps lots of fun dress-up clothes in this hatbox...

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Here, she contemplates some new accessories (and shows off her new hair do)!
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.............................. She finally decides on a new hat!

...... And takes a little time for a tea party with Mommy...

Then, she decides to slip on some sparkly princess shoes!

And before I knew it, she was out of her dress and into a pink "babing suit" with butterfly sandals and "minoculars"!
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...........This outfit works, Mommy! I think I love it!

.........Wait a minute, I think I'm still missing something...

Yes, my pirate hat... of course! Now, back to my "minoculars".... Arggghhhh!

My Mommy says I'm silly! So, what do you think of my outfit? ;)

Answers to some recent questions

Oliver
Just to let you know, Ollie's blog is back up for now. I'm planning on going through the photos and video from Guatemala, so there should be some new posts there soon. We love and miss baby Oliver so much- especially Sophie Lu. She talks about him (and Dr. Juarez aka Dr. Wowez) every day. Things seem to be going very well with his case, and we are hopeful to have him home soon! :)

Photos/Camera
I continue to get emails asking about my camera (and thanks so much for the photography compliments)... I am a very very amateur photographer (with a very lovely subject)! I use the easiest, least expensive camera around. It's a Kodak EasyShare CX7530 with 5 mega pixels. I know there must be a new version out by now- probably for less than $200! We have a big fancy camera- but I have no idea what to do with it. If you are interested in high-end photography, you should ask Donna from Double Happiness (of course, her subjects are beautiful too)! Otherwise, I can share a couple of my amateur secrets: I take photos with the light behind my subject (I think professionals say that's a no no); also I take LOTS of photos- that way at least a few are bound to be great!

Valentine & Video Editing
I made Sophie's valentine on Shutterfly.com! It was very easy & the service was great! I have also received questions about my video editing software... I use Power Directer 4 by Cyberlink. :)

Blogs going private / & my never-ending e-mail saga
Since I mentioned in the comments section that we may take Sophie's blog private, I have received hundreds of requests for invitations including many heartfelt letters with photographs of some of the most beautiful families (inside & out) I've ever seen. I apologize for not having the time to respond to all of them yet, but please know that if/when we go private, you will all be included. Also, thank you for inviting me to view your blogs & websites! I can't wait to check them all out! For now, though, since I am almost 4,000 emails behind- both Sophie & Oliver's blogs will remain open. I am still working on responding to all emails- it's just going to take some time. Again, my apologies and gratitude! :)

Cooking with Sophie Lu
Thanks again to everyone who submitted ideas for Sophie's cooking show. Such great recipes and project ideas! We've been so busy with lots of houseguests, but I'll be posting some new episodes very soon. Like my emails, I realize I am very behind with my blog posts (including Chinese New Year, Sophie's reunion with Pookie, etc.) I need to get back on track!

Happy New Year & Much Love,
Shana xoxoxo

Valentine (sorry it's late)!

(click to enlarge)

The Disney Princesses meet Sophie Lu!

Here is Sophie Lu catching her first glimpse of a real live princess! Though she really didn't know who Snow White, Pocahontas or Belle were- she was SO excited to meet them!

First was Snow White. It was cute the way Sophie was so shy and nervous to meet her!

And Snow White was very excited to be the very first princess Sophie Lu had ever met!
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Pocahontas was excited to meet Sophie too, but Sophie had no interest in her whatsoever! As Pocahontas tried to engage her, Sophie kept staring across the room to someone else... someone with a BIG beautiful yellow dress...

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And when Sophie Lu finally got to meet Belle, she was just bursting with joy!!!
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And though he isn't a princess, Sophie had a lot of fun meeting Chip (or was it Dale?)!

I can see why they call it the Happiest Place on Earth... Even going tee tee on the big girl potty was lots fun..."Look Mama! Tee tee at Disneyland!!!"

And within 30 seconds, she was out... dreaming of princesses, I'm sure! :)

Sophie Lu Goes to Disneyland: Part 1 (the rides)

We took Sophie Lu to Disneyland for the very first time last week!
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I was so excited to take her on "It's a Small World" since it's always been my favorite (and she loves the song)!

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But, Sophie Lu didn't like it at ALL! She cried and cried the entire time..... "No like it Disneyland!!! Go home, go home.... Too scary!!!" It broke my heart! :(
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After that, we immediately headed over to Mickey Mouse's house... we thought if anyone at Disneyland could cheer her up, it would be him! Sophie was very bashful when she finally met him- it was so cute!
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And here it is, the kiss that brought a smile back to Sophie Lu's tearful face!

/ Then we walked around for a little while until we found a ride that Sophie would try: Casey's Circus Train!
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She was so funny... putting her arms up like she was on a big rollercoaster! /

And then, we were able to talk her into the flying Dumbo ride! We got the very last Dumbo- and look... it was the pink one!

She was a little apprehensive at first...

But then Daddy showed her how to drive Dumbo, and she had lots of fun going up and down (and making Mommy a little bit sick)!

Next, it was time for the Jungle Cruise. Sophie Lu and the little boy she met in line watched as the big boat and our turn approached...

/This is Sophie with Steve, the skipper. See Steve's face? Well right before this photo, Sophie Lu got busted turning his steering wheel. I think Steve was a little frightened, so he made Sophie sit on the box right in front of him where she wouldn't get into any more trouble... (for the time being)...

But as soon as Sophie was back in her seat (at the very front of the boat), she grabbed the throttle and revved the engine really high. It all happened so fast, it took all of us by surprise (especially Steve). Poor Steve... flustered and outwitted by a 2 yr old!
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After the cruise, Sophie planted a big hug on her new friend (yes, he was trying to get away)! :)

Here we are in a non-spinning tea cup (maybe we'll ride the real ones next trip). Now it's off to meet some Disney Princesses!

Ollie video

I just posted a video clip of Daddy getting Ollie Bear to sleep on Oliver's Blog~ check out Michael's moves (so cute)!

Upcoming episodes of "Cooking with Sophie Lu"

This week (in addition to trying to catch up with my emails), we will be working on a couple episodes of Sophie's cooking show. I still haven't had the chance to edit and produce the pilot episode where she makes (or attempts to make) Bow Tie Pasta with Pesto, Feta, and Cherry Tomatoes. Let's just say that this is one of the recipes we will be re-shooting this week; but the pilot is pretty funny... :) She will also be making pizza and the yummiest smoothie in the world.

Sophie's goal is to make kid-friendly recipes... dishes that are fun and easy for kids to make (with a little prep-work from Mom), and of course, they have to be yummy! So, if your little one has any ideas (maybe their favorite meal), Sophie will be taking recipe/idea submissions for future episodes (just leave your ideas in the comment section below).

So be on the lookout for Sophie's pilot & first episode... Also, I will be posting video of Ollie Bear & Daddy doing the "Oompa Dance" on Oliver's blog this week & you don't want to miss it!