Waiting for Sophie

Moving to TN & new blog

2011-07-25T20:24:00.001-07:00

I feel so awful about not keeping up with my blogs... well we are moving to Tennessee this week, and I've started a new blog... you can now find us at Magnolias & Tea. :)

Dear Sophie (on your 6th birthday)....

2010-05-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Sophie Lu,

Last night I said goodnight to my sweet 5 year old for the last time. I kissed you on my favorite spot (right above your cute little nose), and tucked you in just the same... but somehow it felt a little different. I realized that even though you are still my baby, you are growing up. I can hardly believe my baby Lu is six years old...

We had a fairy princess party for you last weekend and invited your best friends and all the girls in your class. I was so proud as I watched you eagerly greet each girl with a hug, calling out their name with such excitement. You made each of them feel special (I could tell by their smiles)... you are so sweet, Sophie, just as you have always been. You love everyone. And everyone loves you.

Early this morning, I brought a donut with 6 candles to you in your bed. I sang happy birthday to you, and you were so happy. As you blew out your candles, you wished for a very special birthday (I wished for that too). Today, Daddy and I are going to bring snacks and drinks to school at your snack time. Your teacher is making you a crown, and you classmates will be making you a birthday book. Tonight, we're going out for spaghetti (your favorite), and we'll be having a big family celebration this weekend. I just know you will have so much fun (you always do)!

This morning before you left for school, I held you in my arms and rocked you. I reminded you that when you were very little, you'd say "Rock you" when you wanted me to rock you. (You love it when I tell you how you were as a baby.) And as I rocked you, you told me that you would always be my baby. You still look in my eyes just the way you did the first time I ever held you. There is such love between us... it's more love than I ever thought possible. I'm so grateful for the special bond and love we share, Sophie Lu. And as always, I thank God and all of his angels for you... my precious, beautiful daughter.

So on your 6th birthday, I wish for you to always be as sweet and as happy as you are today. I wish for you the most beautiful life, and I pray that we are all happy and healthy as we continue to watch you grow.

Happy 6th birthday, sweet Sophie Lu! I love you with all of my heart...

Love, Mommy
xoxo

What happened at The Mothers' Brunch at Sophie's School (so funny)!

2010-03-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sophie's Kindergarten class recently hosted a Mothers' Brunch for all the moms, and it was such a special day for me! It was so well done- just beautiful in every way. I even left Sasha at home (I rarely leave her) so that Sophie and I could share this special event together. Dads were invited to help serve, so Michael volunteered (he's so good that way)- and it was really nice to have him there too. We enjoyed a lovely brunch and watched the class perform several beautiful songs about Mommies. They also recited The Lord's Prayer & performed it in sign language! It was very impressive (and yes, I cried!)... see the video below. :) But perhaps the most memorable part of the day (for me, at least) was hearing Sophie Lu read a book that she wrote about me. There were three sets of moms/daughters at our table, and each child read their books aloud to the everyone there. You can see the first page (above) was just so sweet.... the whole table went "Awwwww"...

and the second page was so true- we do love to cook together....

But then we got to this page... "My mom likes to dance." Here is the conversation that followed:

Sophie: (reading proudly) "My mom likes to dance."
Me: "Awww, what a sweet picture, Sophie Lu! And who is this I'm dancing with? Daddy and Ollie? And what are they holding... guitars?"
Sophie: "Noooo, Mommy! That's not Daddy & Ollie! Those are the Mariachis! (insert Mexican accent.) You know how you always dance with the Mariachis at the Mexican restaurant!
Me: (blushing and noticing that the other moms were not amused) Ohhhhh.... (then I sort of whispered to her under my breath while giving her a look... "Sophie, I'm surprised you didn't draw me dancing with my margarita..."
Sophie: (loudly) Silly Mommy, you can't dance with a margarita! Margaritas don't have legs!!!

And at that point, I could have cared less what the other moms thought... I was just so happy to be Sophie's mommy and to be lucky enough to get to hear the funny, cute things she always comes up with... she makes me laugh, and she makes my heart sing.... ♥

My precious girl and me... (taken with the same 3.5mp camera I brought to China... I didn't want bother with the big camera or worrying about lighting, etc. It felt really good, too. I'm going to be taking lots more snapshots- I miss those. :)

And here we are with our waiter... ♥

The Lord's Prayer (recited & performed in sign language)... Sophie is mid 2nd row w/fur lined collar & pink bow... notice how she mouthed "I love you" and then waved to me. ♥

One of my all time faves...

2010-03-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Processed with my Florabella Actions & Textures... :)

More from the beach (summer 09)

2010-03-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Family Shots at the beach (8-09)

2010-03-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Okay- so I need to do some major catching up (what's new, right?)... but I'm really going to do it this time... :)

Sophie & Santa!

2009-12-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

A very rare successful shot of the three of them! :)

Sophie told Santa that all she wanted was a "Swimming Puppy" for Christmas... (I guess she forgot about the bow & arrow and stilts...lol).

E P I C

2009-12-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Still catching up from Florida last summer :)

What do you want for Christmas, Sophie Lu?

2009-11-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

When I asked Sophie Lu what she wanted for Christmas this year, she said, "I want to leave Christmas cookies for Santa, and I want to leave apples and carrots for the reindeer this time!" My Sophie is so sweet that way... rarely does she have a wishlist already thought out. So I asked her what gifts she wanted Santa to bring her. She responded, "Hmm.... maybe some stilts. Oh, and a Barbie who has a dress that turns into a cape... Olivia brought one like that to show and tell." So I handed her some catalogs & asked her to look for some other possibilities. After looking through all the catalogs, Sophie was so excited to finally announce that what she really wants for Christmas this year is a bow & arrow! Stilts & a bow & arrow?... she is so funny! After my surprised "A bow & arrow, Sophie, really?", she answered with great confidence, "Yes, Mommy... a real one. Big girls shoot real bow & arrows." (I should have known that!) ♥

(of course the bow & arrow kit in the Magic Cabin catalog isn't really real... but to her it will be. Now where can I find some stilts?) :)

Halloween 2009 (video)

2009-11-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

Unedited- but at least I'm posting... :)

Best Friends...

2009-11-17T21:51:00.001-08:00

Sophie Lu & her best friend Megan... :)

Blogger Block (a note to myself) :)

2009-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this just hoping it will help me get past my "Blogger Block"... I just feel so behind that everytime I think of blogging, I get too overwhelmed and can't do it! It's like I just want to avoid it and keep putting it off and off.... So instead of worrying about catching up and filling in all the blanks, I'm just going to try to post one thing, ANY thing on one or all of the kids blogs everyday for a week. A wise friend (Kim from 3Peanuts) always tells me it takes 7 days of doing something to make it a habit. :)

So this is my post for today...

Also, I'm going to try really hard to post more snapshots... things I want to remember.... without worrying about editing them, etc. I'll post the pretty photos I take too, but I have so many that just make me smile (whether they're great quality or not). And those are the photos that will make my kids smile too. I started these blogs because I don't keep photo albums and because I want my kids to have their childhoods documented. I want them to know how much I have always loved them. I want them to see just how adorable, funny & sweet they have always been.

Oh I feel better already! I think this helped me get past my block. So the next few posts may be out of order, etc. but at least I'll be posting again. Yay! :) Oh, and I just posted details on Sasha's blog, but check us out on this bottle of wine being sold to benefit breast cancer!
CharityWines.com

Florabella Featured on I Heart Faces Blog!

2009-09-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

"J E W E L S"

My Florabella Collection is featured on I ♥ Faces today! If you don't already know this amazing photography site, you just have to check it out... tons of inspiration, resources & giveaways... and weekly photography contests! There is a Florabella Textures giveaway HERE, and a texture tutorial written by Rita of Coffeeshop here. Also. there is a discount code under the tutorial. ♥

Sophie's Smile: Then and Now

2009-09-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu age 2 (I used my Florabella Textures to "revive" this photo which I took with my old point & shoot...)

Sophie Lu age 5 at the same beach... with the same beautiful smile! ♥

Magnolia (Dreamy & Nostalgic)

2009-06-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

{dreamy}

{nostalgic}

I love this photo of my sweet Sophie Lu holding the magnolia bloom... I processed it in two different ways using my Florabella Textures. I love the way textures can change the entire mood of a photo. The possibilities are endless... ♥

Sophie Lu's Pre-K Graduation!!!

2009-06-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu's official graduation portrait! I just can't believe my baby is graduating from Pre-K already!

She was so excited! (I got the honor of pinning on her graduation cap!)

And I was so proud (and yes, very emotional!)

Here we are with our soon-t0-be beautiful little graduate!!! (We only got two reserved seats, plus Ollie would have never lasted the almost 2 hour ceremony!)

There's our girl!!! She always finds us in the crowd, waves, and gives us the thumbs up (with a wink too!)... All the kids did such a fantastic job! They recited verses and sang three songs (including "Proud to be an American" which had all the parents in tears- especially me & Michael because it's extra special to hear Sophie Lu sing those words). ♥

Then the kids had to wait oh so patiently during all the speeches... Is this hysterical or what?

And her face got even scrunchier!!! We were all laughing so hard at this!

Finally the big moment!

Happy Graduation, Sophie Lu! I love the way she sticks her tongue out like this when she gets really excited!

And here she is... Graduate Sophie Lu!!!! She's such a big girl now!!!

And of course, Daddy brought her flowers!

And Baby Sasha tried to take them... :) We had such a special day. We love you and are so very proud of you Sophie Lu... many many happy graduations to come, sweetheart!!! ♥

Sophie Lu's 1st Lemonade Stand!

2009-05-28T11:15:00.001-07:00

Sophie Lu was so excited to host her very own lemonade stand! She decided that she would charge 25 cents a glass, and that her lemonade should be "cold and refreshing"! We converted her puppet theatre into a lemonade stand and set it up in the porte-cochere so her customers could enjoy their lemonade in the shade. Here she is putting the finishing touches on her sign!

She was SO proud! Everything was ready to go!

Oh, except she realized that she forgot to add the fresh mint leaves from our garden (her idea)!

Now all she needed was customers... she waited and waited....

Luckily, we had construction going on at our house and the crew was hot and thirsty! (I set up a bowl of quarters in the back & told the guys when to line up! Shhh don't tell her! ) :)

Sophie's very first customer! I love how she puts her arms up like that when she's excited!

And nothing compares to that happy smile! She was laughing the whole time!

And when they put the coins in her jar, she would *pretend* not to be looking! lol (notice baby Sasha in the background!)

"Here's your lemonade, sir! I hope you enjoy it!

And they did... we all did! ♥

Mommy and Baby Sasha posing with Little Miss Entrepreneur!

And Daddy too!

Here's your coin jar, Sophie Lu!!!

Yay!!!!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday, Sophie Lu!!!!

2009-05-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu had several small celebrations this year, but this is the cake from her ballerina party... she wanted cherry blossoms like last year. ♥

Sophie's ballet teacher Miss Caroline came over, and Sophie got to star in her own private ballet recital at our house!!

Miss Caroline did the girls' hair and makeup (but Sophie's "Cinderella do" was courtesy of Mommy- because I do it best). :)

Ballerinas: Megan, Julia & Sophie Lu (with Miss Caroline)!

I had the video camera in one hand and the camera in my other.. so I didn't get the best photos-lol!

So cute! The ballet recital was adorable! The girls had so much fun, and I think all the parents cried (I know I did)! How is it that Sophie Lu can be FIVE already???

Sophie was so happy and proud! How I love her smile!

Later, Miss Caroline let the girls try on "big girl" toe shoes!!! Sophie was SO excited!

Happy 5th Birthday, my precious Sophie Lu! I love you too much!!! (my letter to Sophie Lu coming soon)! ♥

We're here, we're fine & exciting things are happening...

2009-05-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

First of all, my apologies for being away with no explanation for so long... I've been soooo busy (I haven't even approved comments until today)... lots of exciting things going on! For one, Sophie Lu graduated from Pre-K! It was a huge ordeal (so funny)... pics & video to come soon! Second, I just released a set of fine art textures for photographers, and I've been working really hard for the past month putting everything together. I'm happy to say that the launch was very successful, and I've received the most wonderful feedback from the most talented artists/photographers (people I admire greatly)! I've also been contacted with offers from several publishing companies who are interested in my floral images for greeting cards, canvases, and prints to be distributed in Europe and the U.S. :) My website is here: Florabella Collection, and here are a couple of sites that have featured my floral work recently: Decor8 and Secrets of a Butterfly. If anyone is interested, Secrets of a Butterfly is sponsering a giveaway (free Florabella Textures) right now... all you have to do to enter is leave a comment here. :)

Anyway, that's why I've been so busy and have been neglecting my blogs. I really need to get caught up & I feel so bad for not being active in blogland... So please know that we are all well (and don't feel obligated to comment). Thanks so much for your concern... lots of catching up photos & videos coming soon (I promise)! ♥

Eddie (Sophie's 1st Fiance)

2009-05-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, here his is... Sophie's very 1st fiance!!! I'll never forget the day she came home from pre-school and announced that she was getting married. Here's how the conversation went:

Sophie: Guess what, Mommy? I'm going to get married with Eddie!
Me: What? Who is Eddie?
Sophie: He's my boyfiriend, Mom. And we're gonna get married- just like you and Daddy!
Me: Does he know he's going to marry you?
Sophie: Yes, of course! Everyone knows!
Me: When is the wedding?
Sophie: I don't know yet, but first he has to meet me. Then he has to take me to dinner and give me a ring. I'm going to wear a princess dress and a white thing on my head, like you Mama! And I hope Eddie is a good tie wearer, because he has to wear a black tie!
Me: Wow, Sophie Lu... sounds like you have it all planned out.
Sophie: Yes, and everyoe is invited!

Me: Well you and Eddie are a little young still honey... why do you want to marry him?

Sophie: Because I love him, Mama!

Me: Well, why do you love him?

Sophie: Because he spins me on the tire swing really really fast!

So of course I insisted on meeting Eddie (and taking their photos together)! And he confirmed everything Sophie had planned...

I must admit- they do make a cute couple! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu will always be my first love, and oh how I love her. This is our 4th Mother's Day together. Our first was so painful, as she was still in China and I was here with only her photo to hold. I loved her so deeply and missed her so much even though we hadn't "met" yet. She was born in my heart- her soul was born to me, and my love for her is a love like no other. Now I am blessed to have three little beauties- the loves of my life. My heart is so full.. I am so lucky- this Mother's Day and forever! Here are some of my attempts at "all three" taken on Easter... :)

Itsy Bitsy Spider (in Spanish)

2009-04-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Holding up her fluff

2009-04-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

(Taken a while ago)... I'm busy going through my recent Sophie Lu videos & notes for the next few posts :)

Her Beautiful Face...

2009-04-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

always takes my breath away... This is part of the series that I took back in February. Unfortunately, she doesn't enjoy our photo shoots so much anymore & even turns away when I try to get candids. This makes me sad because I want to have photos of her at every age & of all the cute/sweet/funny things she does. But I know I need to respect her wishes, and I will. I will be posting some photos from Easter & a few others I've taken, and I'm going to start writing more- she says so many funny things... Oh, and she'll let me take video- so I can post little videos too. She does, however, want me to come to her school and take a photo of her with her "fiance" Eddie... lol (more on that to come)! :)

So sorry :)

2009-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

So sorry that I've been such an awful blogger (for a long time now).... I've received several comments/emails from people who had a bad feeling or were worried or thought something was wrong. My Grandpa George did pass away early last week, and my Grandpa Orville (the one I made the video for) is in the hospital and not doing very well- so there has been sadness. But all in all, everyone here is fine... just super busy. :)

I have also been spending most of my spare time on my photography hobby which has grown into much more than I ever thought it would. I've been very active on Flickr- almost consistently posting one photo a day there. So I've gotten more behind than ever on my blogs. I have folders of photos ready to post- I just seem to be so forgetful these days! I think they call that "Mommy Brain"?

Anyway, I've been having lots of fun with my new found love- photographing much more than the kids these days. Lots of flowers and still life- and then artistic touches in Photoshop. I find flowers to be much more cooperative than my kids! I have an online gallery set up for my art now and have even made a few sales (the biggest ones from my sweet husband-lol). Here are a couple of my recent pieces, and the rest can be found on my Flickr stream. :)

This hobby has been really great for my frame of mind and attitude... it's kind of therapeutic actually! And it's extra fun because some of my friends (Kim from 3 Peanuts in particular) are into photography as well.... Kim and I talk more than ever now, and I love that (she's so special to me & her talents are endless)!

Anyway, all three kids are doing great! Sophie is turning FIVE next month!!! Ollie is starting to communicate more, and Sasha Lili is as sweet and happy as ever! :)

I am promising myself right now to get all caught up & start posting more regularly... I want to get back to writing more & documenting my kids' lives & all the sweet little things they do! Thanks again to those who were concerned.
:)

That Girl!

2009-03-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out who she reminds me of here.... Does anyone else remember "That Girl"? :)

I love the little tendril of hair that curls under Sophie Lu's chin here... I'm still editing photos from several different folders. I have a hard time editing all photos from one session at once, so I tend to skip around a lot. Anyway, another shot of my beautiful girl on the day she decided she was "Ready for my close up, Mama!" :)

We Picture {This}

2009-03-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

I was honored to be asked to be a member/contributor to We Picture {this} A Mamarazzi Blog... This was one of the photos I chose for this month's theme of "Black and White". Everyone is invited to participate, and we will be choosing the winner at the end of the month! :)

Pink fur hat, necklace from Uncle Marc, flowers from Daddy & a boyfriend named Eddie???

2009-02-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Sophie said she was making a wish here.... "wishing"about a boy named Eddie!!! WHAT? She says she's going to marry him because he spins her really fast on the tire swing at school.... {sigh} I'm in trouble! :)

Her "Bookini" & Fancy Nancy Shoes!

2009-02-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Sophie Lu has always called bathing suits "kinis" (short for bikini- whether it was a bikini or not)... But recently, she asked me if she could wear her "zuchini"!!! I started chuckling, and then she quickly corrected herself and said "BOOKINI"! Oh, she cracks me up!!! :)

And, of course, she had to wear her beloved Fancy Nancy shoes to go with it.... :)

Leaf-bathing in January!

2009-01-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Sophie's Version 2 & answers to questions...

2009-01-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Typing w/ 1 hand again (baby in the other), but here are some answers to recent questions (please remind me if I forgot one)...

* Still shooting w/ my Nikon D300 with all natural light... but I really would love to learn more about lighting since the winter doesn't provide much sunlight in our house...'

* For those who want advice/tips on shooting in manual... I pretty much always shoot in Aperture Mode since I don't have the time for manual right now & can't risk messing up many shots. Sasha has limited patience, Sophie Lu can only be bribed for so many minutes, and Ollie- well I think I need to find an invisible camera to photograph him these days.. :)

* Regarding my post dates... I do back date them (under "Post Options") because I am really that behind on blogging. I'm still trying to catch up & will probably be able to this week if I post a lot!

Sophie's version #1

2009-01-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

I was so excited about the recent photo of Jordyn, that Sophie Lu actually asked me to take a photo of her like that! "I can do that, too, Mama!!!" It's a miracle considering I how I usually have to bribe her to model for me-lol. Anyway,there are 3 versions (one taken that same day), and this is #1... :)

Sophie & Jordyn Play Dress-up!

2009-01-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Sophie Lu's cousin Jordyn came for an overnight visit, and the girls had so much fun together! Here they are telling secrets or making some kind of plans I think... (they wouldn't tell me)!

and planning their getaway...

I wonder where they think they're going? They were so funny!

Miss Jordyn is a seasoned pro... she's acted, modeled, the whole bit... Here she is "striking a pose"... She had LOTS of them for me!

Well, Sophie saw how much I was enjoying Jordyn's poses and decided to strike her own pose... This cracks me up!!!

Thank you all so much & answers to photography questions

2009-01-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Click to see black & white version... not sure which I like best...

First of all, I want to thank everyone who responded to my previous post... Thank you so very very much from the bottom of my heart. This community always amazes me- everyone is so generous and wise.... Your advice is sound, and your words are so inspiring. I am just in awe of your heartfelt comments. I know I will come back and read them again and again... Thank you!!!

Next I want to answer some frequent questions regarding photography...

Currently, I am using a Nikon D300 SLR camera, and I love it! I have several lenses, but the new one I've been using lately is a Nikkor 17-55mm 2.8. Michael surprised me at Christmas with it, and it's amazing. Still though, I highly recommend the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 (especially for lower light indoor photos). Also, the 50mm 1.8 is great (and cheap). I have more info on my Flickr profile and always update when I add new equipment, etc. Click on the photo above to get to my Flickr page. (I highly recommend Flickr to anyone interested in photography- I've learned so much there). I'm actually considering starting a Flickr group where we aspiring amateur photographers in adoption/parenting blogger land can share photos (for corrective criticism, advice, etc...), discuss, and learn from each other. Would anyone be interested? I think we could help each other a lot! :)

Please be careful with her... she's sensitive, and I'd like her to stay that way*

2009-01-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to write about this for some time now... but I've been avoiding it. It's just so hard for me to write about, talk about, or even think about Sophie Lu feeling sad. Sadness is just something that I never want my children to feel, but of course I know that life does have it's sad moments. Still, I've managed to shelter her from so much... I skip the sad parts when reading stories, and I censor what she watches and listens to. I've been especially careful to avoid certain movies- particularly Bambi, The Lion King, and any other movie involving the loss of a parent. Perhaps I'm over sensitive to those story lines because of what Sophie has endured in her short life, but it's my prerogative as her mother; and personally, I can't even watch those movies without crying. I know she'll see them some day, but I've wanted to put that day off as long as I possibly could...

So after Thanksgiving, I bought the entire set of Christmas classics- you know those clamation movies... Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and, of course, Frosty the Snowman. I guess I was too preoccupied with wondering about the scary parts, and I forgot about the part in Frosty where he melts. And honestly, I haven't seen it since I quit teaching five years ago, so I had forgotten how sad it is when Frosty melts and his little friend Karen kneels crying by the puddle of melted snow. Well, Sophie loved Frosty up until that point. But when Frosty melted, Sophie's lip started quivering, and her eyes welled up with tears. I could tell she was trying so suppress it, but soon she was sobbing heavily. I held her and tried to explain that Frosty was coming back, but it was no use. What happened to Frosty affected her so deeply that she cried until the movie as over. And she cried every time she watched the movie from then on. I put the movie away, but she kept requesting it. And I explained that maybe she shouldn't watch it because it made her so sad... But she kept requesting it- each time telling me that she wasn't going to cry because it had a happy ending. But sure enough, she cried every time. Poor baby.... and it completely broke my heart every time too.

Thinking about it, I'm not sure that it was what happened to Frosty that upset her so much. I think it was the sight of the little girl crying at the lost of her beloved friend. Sophie is so empathetic that way... she really is always concerned about others' feelings. Even Sophie's teachers tell me that she is always sweet and considerate with her classmates- and that she gets upset when kids are mean to each other. I just wish all kids were that way... particularly three little girls at a Christmas party we went to last month. This is what happened... When we arrived at the party, there were lots of kids running around playing (most of them were a little older than Sophie and the boys were playing sort of rough). Sophie was so excited to see all the kids (none of whom she knew), that she put her arms up and ran out into the crowd of kids happily screaming, "Let's play everyone!" But none of the kids paid any attention to her. So I looked around and found a little girl sitting alone with her parents. I approached her and asked her if she'd like to make a new friend. The girl's mother asked the girl to please take Sophie's hand and take her out to play. The little girl reluctantly did so and led Sophie into the crowd of kids. Watching closely from afar, I saw the little girl check back to see that her mom had stopped watching. The girl dropped Sophie's hand and joined two other little girls who pointed to Sophie, laughed at her, and then left her alone in the crowd. Sophie (who is not a baby by any means and rarely cries) ran into my arms and cried, "Mommy, they laughed at me. The girls don't want to be my friend... They laughed at me..." I was SO upset. Sophie is so innocent and vulnerable... I can't even tell you how broken hearted and MAD I was feeling. How dare they treat my sweet Sophie that way.... So I calmly walked over to the girl who who was asked to play with Sophie and politely asked her if anyone had laughed at Sophie. Her reply was, "Yes, she was bugging us." And the girl walked away. The little girls saw Sophie crying, too. They didn't care. I can't believe that they didn't care. Seeing Sophie so hurt was so painful to me. I'm frightened that this is all starting already... time has gone by so quickly. Too quickly. And I know that this is minor compared to what she will undoubtedly endure in the next years to come. How will my heart withstand her pain? I guess all I can do is pray and be there for her. I will comfort her and love her through these times, but how will I help her to stay sweet- to never ever be the girl who starts clicks, excludes others, and thinks it's okay to be mean?

Sophie is sensitive. When someone looks sad, she wonders why. She still asks about Alex and mourns the fact that she cannot visit him in "Kitty Heaven"... And sweetest of all, she cries when Baby Sasha cries... Sophie is sensitive (with her own and others' feelings), but how will I make sure that she stays that way? I just want her to stay that way...

*lyrics in post title by Jewel

My girl...

2008-12-20T05:24:00.000-08:00

My happy happy girl... I love her so much~

A Special Video to ALL (from the kids) :)

2008-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

It's a little late, but here is a video Christmas card to all from Sophie Lu- including guest appearaces from Ollie & Sasha! I think this is the first video I have of them together (all awake)! And as usual, Ollie cracks me up!

Sophie Lu's Christmas Portraits (2008)!

2008-12-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

At the Christmas Tree Lot

2008-12-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Once again, Sophie Lu picked out the perfect Christmas tree!

Fluffy White Coat & Shiny Red Shoes (insert British accent)!

2008-12-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

My Sophie Lu is obsessed with this British cartoon called "Charlie & Lola"... she loves it so much that she often speaks with a British accent and has to have everything that Lola and Lotta have. Here is Sophie modeling her "fluffy white coat and shiny red shoes" Lola style! Unfortunately, the photo looked awful in color, so I made the conversion and added a vintage-like texture. Sophie really cracks me up when she calls me "Mum" and ever so politely asks me for a glass of pink milk (Lola's drink of choice)... :)

Sophie Lu's Baptism!

2008-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

"I Baptize you in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit..." And two seconds later, Sophie Lu proudly proclaimed... "That wasn't so bad after all!" The whole church laughed... :)

Here we are with our wonderful friends Steve and Teri who graciously agreed to be the kids' Godparents! They love our kids very much (and Teri spoils them like crazy), and Sophie, Ollie, and Sasha absolutely adore their Aunt Teri and Uncle Steve! The baptism ceremony was very beautiful, and it was extra special because they were all baptized on the same day!

Here we are with my Dad (aka Pappy / Grandpa Elliot) who lives close and was able to attend. Thank goodness he did, or we would have no photos! We all love you, Pappy! :)

And here we are with our beautiful babies... they came to us in different ways, but as Sophie always says, they all came from God. They are children of God- true miracles, and we are so very lucky they are also ours. :)

Sophie's Christmas Songs, 2008!

2008-11-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

Here's Sophie Lu practicing for her pre-school's Holiday show (she's so funny)! I was actually able to catch all three kids in the same screen at the very end, too! We had just put the lights on our Christmas tree, but hadn't yet decorated... still Sophie Lu just had to perform her songs on her new "stage" aka in front of the tree! :)

Tiger Eyes

2008-11-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

Click on photo to see other photos from this series...

I didn't plan these photos... Sophie Lu (the fashionista she is-lol) chose this hat to go with her Ariel bikini (which looks like a Wonder Woman costume) and her pink patent leather kitty rainboots one recent hot day to go out in the yard for some water fun. When she was done playing, she took off her bathing suit and sat on a porch chair to dry off. There happened to be a black blanket draped over the chair from some photos I took of baby Sasha- and voila. I was so happy with these photos because for the first time I was able to really capture the catchlights in Sophie's beautiful eyes. (to see the other photos, click the photo above)

All three!

2008-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Ollie, Sophie Lu, & Sasha Lili- more on Sasha's blog...

(New Video) Sophie sings Halloween songs!

2008-11-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu had so much fun learning Halloween songs this year, so here she is singing her favorites! I was wearing Sasha in a baby carrier, so you can hear her sneezing and cooing in the beginning... And I think it's so sweet the way Sophie was conscientious about the 'loud part' of her song and whether Sasha would like it. You'll also notice that Sophie is messy- hair and all (for those who always ask me if my kids ever get messy)... lol.:)

Sophie's Halloween Tutu & "Scott"

2008-10-31T23:08:00.000-07:00

This adorable Halloween ballet tutu ensemble was a gift from our dear friend Teri (aka Auntie Teri). The tutu and headpiece say "Boo!" and are adorned with cute little ghosts! Sophie loved showing off at ballet class during the week of Halloween, and she loves you, Teri!!! (Teri loves and completely spoils our kids! She will be their Godmother at their upcoming triple baptism!)

I'll have to post separately about the shoes... ;)

Again, here is Sophie Lu in her daytime costume she chose for her school parade. She and best friend Megan were both ballerinas (Sophie was the kitty variety)! The deal is, she got to choose one costume (this one), and I got to choose one (the "Peacock Princess" below). Of course, she loved that costume too!

Okay, now for the story of "Scott"... lol. I WISH I had photos, but since I only saw the scene once (since Michael is mostly still doing school drops/pickups), I'll just have to describe it...

So, all the students in Sophie's class were asked to bring a small/medium sized pumpkin to school to decorate the week before Halloween. When I took Sophie to ballet, I had a chance to see hers and her classmates' decorated pumpkins on display. I saw the beautifully decorated pumpkins of her classmates: a cute kitty, a scary bat, a ghost, and even a witch- all elaborately decorated with black felt, paper, pipecleaners, etc. When I asked Sophie Lu where her pumpkin was (fully expecting a black kitty pumpkin), she directed me over to the end of the display and pointed to her pumpkin which had been painted bright purple and sprinkled with silver glitter. It was so different than the others (not sure why I was surprised).... anyhow, Sophie proudly pointed to her pumpkin and said, "Mom, this is Scott!!!" I asked her why she named him "Scott", to which she answered, "Because that's his name, Mama!"

She really cracks me up!

Sophie Lu, the Peacock Princess (and one of The Kitten)

2008-10-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

1 The prettiest peacock ever! (click on any photo to see it larger)

2 My beautiful girls' first Halloween together! More photos of baby sister Sasha on her site soon, and photos of Ollie and all three together coming to his soon..

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This is SOOC (straight out of the camera)... no post-processing. I like the way the light illuminates her...

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5 Sophie's smile is so beautiful, but I love her pouty look too!

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Experimenting with a little texture here...

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12 There's that smile I love so much! Happy Halloween my sweet Sophie Lu!!!

I'm SO behind!!!

2008-10-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sweet, silly Sophie Lu is always coming up with the craziest outfits! When she wears sunglasses, she calls herself "Movie-star Fi" (one of her nicknames is Fifi Lu) :)

I apologize to those whose answers I still need to respond to below (I promise I will this week)... I am SO behind on everything! Not just being busy with three kids now, but also we have just started a big construction project at our house and I've had to relocate my computers, etc. and have barely had any chance to get online. It's been crazy around here- lots of jack-hammering noises, etc... and I'm soooo tired! I haven't even gone through my Halloween photos yet! But I did manage to get a few of all three kids together, so that's good! We'll be relocating my computer to my new temporary room, so hopefully I'll be catching up with everything and everyone this week- :)

Answers to photography/camera questions...

2008-10-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

First off, I apologize to everyone who has emailed or commented with questions... I'm SO behind on emails, etc. and have been very busy. So I will try to answer some in this post. If I don't get to your question, please leave it in a comment on this post- and I will answer with another comment. :)

1. "What kind of camera do you use?" Well, this is a tough one, since I have many cameras. My newest camera is a Nikon D300, and I love it! But I still use my other cameras, too. The photo above was taken months ago with my older camera- the Nikon D40X... this camera does a nice job but can't auto-focus with many lenses. So, if you are into more sophisticated lenses, I don't recommend it. I would go for the D80 or D300 in that case- or the D90 which just came out and does video too.

2. What lenses do you use? I have several lenses (all Nikkor), but those I use most are the 50mm 1.4, 50mm1.8, and 85mm 1.8. My favorite is the 50mm1.4... it lets in a lot of light, so I use it for my inside photos. I am very proud to say that I do NOT use flash any more! (except when necessary at night or for a snapshot) Otherwise, I'm totally into natural light photography (every photo of Sasha was taken with natural light from the window).

3. How do you get the blurry background? I am not an expert, but I get it in one of two ways. #1 Zoom way in on your subject, and the background should blur. #2 Use a lens with a lower aperature number (my 50mm 1.4 lens gives me the blurriest background). I'm sure some photographers who understand this better can give a more accurate explanation. :)

4. What program do you use to edit your photos? I use Photoshop CS2, and I really like it. There is soooo much to learn, and I learn something new all the time. I've heard that the simpler, less expensive version (Photoshop Elements) is great too.

5. How do you manage to take all these photos, blog, etc. with three kids? It's SO hard. But FYI, everything I've posted to Sophie and Ollie's blogs was taken way before Sasha was born. I had the posts all ready to go, knowing I'd be very busy! Also, I do have Edilia 5 days a week to help with cleaning the house (I rarely have her help with the kids). And Michael, of course, is such a helpful husband and awesome daddy! He's been taking Sophie and Ollie to school for me and so much more!

6. Can your kids take a bad picture? Ohhhhh, YES! One day, I should post what most of their photos look like- lol. I have to take LOTS of photos to get a few good ones! That's the secret!

7. You should become a professional photographer... Thank you so much for this and other compliments about my photography. I'm so flattered, but you should see some of the work the professional photographers that I admire do! Then, you'd see what an amateur I am! If you click on any of Sasha's photos, you will be taken to my Flickr page. If you go to my profile, you can check out my contacts- many of whom are amazing photographers (I drool over their photos, and so will you)! But I do realize that my photography has come a long way (I didn't even own a camera before going to China), and I appreciate the kind words!

Okay, if there are any other questions, please leave a comment- and I'll answer asap!

Hugs, Shana :)

In my faux fur hat...

2008-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like her smile... I think this photo really captures the essence of my sweet Sophie Lu (and it may be one of my all time favorites of her)! Click here to really see it...

Precious, perfect little face- I still can't get enough kisses each day...

Silly girl!

One day last month, Sophie grabbed this faux fur hat (I used to wear it on the slopes back in the day-lol) so she could play dress-up again. I can't decide whether she reminds me of a Russian snow princess or a little Eskimo girl- but either way, it seems to frame her beautiful face just perfectly~ :)

Silly Pirate Girl!

2008-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

I am still sooo behind on both Sophie & Ollie's blogs (and I'm trying really hard to stay within a week of being current w/ Sasha's before I get behind there too)! I took these photos way back in July! Sophie Lu is constantly coming up with the silliest outfits. She love to play dress-up and just cracks me up with her fashion choices. I thought this pirate get-up was particularly funny! She really knows how to make me laugh! :)

My Pettiskirt Princess!

2008-08-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

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New Camera & practice B&W w/ Sophie Lu

2008-08-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Michael surprised me with the Nikon D300 for our anniversary last month. It's much more sophisticated than my other cameras and doesn't even have an automatic setting, so it's forcing me to learn more about photography. These are a few of the first photos I took with it. I'm still learning & need lots of practice, but I think there's something so different and special about Sophie Lu's little face in these (my favorite is the 1st one). She's such an angel- I just love her so much and pray that she'll be patient and understanding when the reality of having a newborn baby sister sets it. I probably shouldn't worry too much, though. My precious girl always has a way of exceeding my expectations. :)

Sophie Lu's 1st Ballet Recital (w/ video)!

2008-07-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu and her best friend Megan both got to be kitty cats in their first ballet recital (held in a classroom at their preschool)! They were both sooo serious!

This shot cracks me up- it doesn't even look like ballet- more like she was boogying down!

And this is the shot of the day. I like to call it, "Sitting like a proper little lady"!!!

So here is some video footage of the recital. I edited it and cut out about half of the performance so it wouldn't be too long. The video was shaky because I was holding that camera in my left hand while taking photos with my right hand. Oh, and of course I could barely see through my tears! I'm so proud of my little "Rina". :)

Slip & Sliding Sophie Lu

2008-07-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

My Sophie Lu is so joyful, and it's so easy to get lost in her joy... Her smile always lifts my spirit and warms my heart~

Sophie Takes Ballet!

2008-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here Sophie Lu is at home just minutes before leaving for her very first ballet class. With a little help from Mommy, this is her first plie! She was sooooo excited!

Sophie & her best friend Megan (so sweet together)! Until she goes to Kindergarten (in a year), Sophie will take ballet at her pre-school in an informal setting. After that she will take proper ballet classes at the ballet academy (same teacher, though). She's enjoys her ballet classes so much- she really seems to take ballet seriously! She also loves classical music and starts dancing whenever she hears it. Sophie Lu is very excited because she recently got a piano and should be starting piano lessons soon as well! :)

Happy 3 Year Anniversary, Sophie Lu!!!

2008-06-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

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My Darling Sophie Lu,

It's been three whole years since the most magical, wonderful day of my life- the day you were finally placed in my arms. You had been living and growing in my heart for quite some time, but actually having you in my arms and knowing that it was forever felt so perfect and so very amazing. You were so calm and snuggly and loving with me from the very start. Just as I had already known your precious soul, you somehow knew mine and you knew I was your Mommy. Though I had loved you from afar, I had missed holding you and kissing you for your first 13 months; so I held you close, and I never let you go. I carried you everywhere and didn't let anyone else ever hold you (except Daddy after a few days & even then, not for very long). You slept right between us, and I remember Daddy and I looking at your sweet angel face, listening to you breathe, and watching you sleep. We still do that, you know... and we still smile at each other the same way we did those first few nights with you. We realize that you are such a miracle- our beautiful gift- our very first child together. You have brought so much love and laughter to our lives. We love you so much, sweet Sophie Lu; and we thank God and all of the angels in heaven for the blessing of your love.

You have grown and experienced so much in our third year together! And you've managed to make us laugh every step of the way. Here are just a few special memories that come to mind:

* You still wake me up with kisses, but this year you added your "sunshine face" (the biggest sweet morning smile ever). You greet each day with such wonder and excitement, and you love it when I say, "Good morning, Sunshine!" Sometimes I have to try to coax you to go back to sleep though- because it's too early. To that, you always reply, "But Mommy, listen... the birdies are awake, so it's time to wake up!"

* Sometimes after we wake up and shnug shnug (snuggle) in bed for a while, we play the "favorites game". You always start with, "Mommy, what was your favorite float in the New Year's Parade? And then you proceed to tell me your favorite, Daddy's favorite, and even Ollie's favorite. Then we move on to other kinds of favorites- I think you could play that game all day long!

* Every night, you are still the first to find the moon. You love looking at the moon, and Daddy and I tell you how we longingly looked at the moon each night while we waited for you. We always felt you were looking at the same moon, and now we are sure that you were...

* One night, none of us could find the moon. It was very dark and cloudy, but we did manage to find one star. You were so sad you couldn't say goodnight to the moon, so we showed you how to wish upon a star. This was your wish... "I wish my moon would come back." And the next night it did.

* You started pre-school, and you love it! You learned how to write your name many months ago, and now you can spell and read several words. You only go two mornings a week, but I miss you like crazy when we are apart. You tell me that you missed me each school day too. Picking you up is so exciting though- because when you first see me, your face lights up, you say, "Mommyyyyy!!!!!" and you run into my arms. That's the best feeling ever!

* You also started ballet! You love to dance, and we all love watching you! Your favorite part of ballet class is when you get to dance "Madame Butterfly". You flutter all around the room with a huge smile on your face (I always peek through the glass door to watch you)!

* While your sentence structure can still be a little baby-like (so cute), you started using very sophisticated words for a 3 year old, and your vocabulary seems to grow each day. When you finish eating a popsicle, you will say how "refreshing" it was. And when you are reading a book or working on an art project, you will insist that we all quiet down because you are busy "concentrating". When you get a new toy, you politely ask Daddy to "assemble" it for you, and when you hear thunder, you will tell us how the clouds are making a lot of "commotion". You love to use the word "distinguished", and you make me laugh when you use the phrase "I think not"! You are always trying to learn the meanings of new words- you recently asked me to explain the definitions for "sentimental" and "intuition". But you still have your own cute names for certain things, and I love that. Some of my favorites are "frigifrador" for refrigerator and "soaped" for soaked, "TD" for TV, and "DDD" for DVD. Oh, and I love how you call hula hoops "hooly hoops"!

* You've inspired me with your positive outlook on life. When presented with a broken popsicle, you said, "Look, Mama! Two popsicles!" And once you made a drawing of lots of tiny sad faces. When I asked you why you made all the faces frowning, you said, "It's upside-down day, Mommy... turn the paper around and you will see all the faces smiling at you!"

* You love putting coins in your piggy bank and your kitty bank. Recently, you were presented with a handful of coins and asked to choose some for your piggy bank. You kept choosing pennies. I tried to explain that the nickels and dimes were worth more, but you looked up at me and said, "Yes, Mommy, but pennies are lucky!"

* You have developed an appreciation for magic, and you love doing magic tricks. You use a magic wand sometimes, but you never say "Abra Cadabra". You say, "Moonakiss Joonakiss!"

* You have become very thoughtful- always asking, "How was your shower, Mama?", "How was your meeting, Daddy?", or "How was your nap, Ollie?" You are so sweet that way.

*You have also become a bit mischievous! I sometimes catch you sneaking out of the pantry with something hidden behind your back. When I catch you with the bag of marshmallows at breakfast time, you always explain, "But, Mommy, I had to follow my heart!" It's funny how your heart always leads you to marshmallows! lol

* When I talk to you about going to the dentist, you sweetly say, "Mommy, I like to go to the beauty salon better, okay?"

* You love to find dandelions to blow the seeds from and make wishes on. You almost always wish to make a chocolate cake or bake cookies with Mommy. Recently, though, you wished that you could go trick-or-treating with your baby sister. Then you told us how she would be too little to eat her candy, but that you would kindly eat it for her.

* You love to cook with Mommy or Daddy. You call yourself a "good cooker" or a "helper chef" or sometimes a "good cheffer". :) You are very good at helping Daddy make omelettes. You crack the eggs perfectly and you love to sample all the other ingredients. And when you bake goodies or make dinner with Mommy, you can always recall and recite every single ingredient.

* Somehow you learned the tune to "Here Comes the Bride". You take a pail of rocks and dirt and skip through the yard sprinkling it like a flower girl would. The interesting part is the words you sing... "Here comes the bride... big, fat, and wide. Here comes the groom, dirty as a broom!" Now how did you ever come up with that? Funny girl!

* Unlike most other children, when presented with choices A and B, you always choose your own C. You are quite the negotiator!

* You are also very good at sharing- especially with your brother Ollie. After you finish your popsicle, you always insist on sharing the rest of Ollie's popsicle with him!

* Daddy was in the yard hedging one day, and you asked him what he was doing. He told you he was "giving the bushes a trim", and you said, "Lucky bushes!" We curiously asked why you would say they were lucky, and you said, "Because now they are going to get a balloon!"

* You love holidays and are always asking me which holiday comes next and which one comes after that. You are already planning your Halloween costume and looking forward to baking heart-shaped pink frosted cookies for Valentine's day.

* You frequently tell me how you love me because I give you "soft love". When I ask you what that means, you say, "Soft love- not like hard love". When I ask what "hard love" is, you say "Hard like rocks, Mommy. Hard and soft are opposites- you know!"

* When I say, "Hi Baby-love", you say, "Hi Mama-love!" Then I say, "Hi Baby-Lu," and you say, "Hi Mama-Lu!" And we go on and on- both of us giggling the whole time.

I could go on and on with examples of how sweet, funny, and enchanting you are, Sophie Lu! I just never want to forget a single moment of our precious time together. You are growing up so quickly- too quickly. But just like you always remind me, you will always be Mommy's baby girl- my very first baby. And very soon, you will have a baby sister of your own. You can't wait to help me take care of her, and I know that she will look up to you and love you very much.

Happy three glorious years together, my beautiful beautiful child~

I love you always and forever...

Love, Mommy
xoxoxo

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Sophie in Love's Journey Book #2 & An Auction for Starfish Babies

2008-06-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Love Without Boundaries Foundation has published their 2nd beautiful coffee table book, "Love's Journey 2: The Red Thread"! This photo of Sophie Lu at age 21 months and the poem I wrote (Beyond Your Tears) for Sophie's Birthmother are both featured on pages 184 and 185! I feel honored to be part of this project, as their first book, "Love's Journey: A Collage of the China Adoption Experience" raised over $100,000 to help orphaned children of China; and all of the proceeds of the 2nd book will be used to help Chinese orphans as well.

Another great way to help the sweet, beautiful children who remain in China is to participate in my dear friend Daleea's ongoing auction at http://justonechildatatime.blogspot.com/. The proceeds help pay for the surgery of one child at a time through Starfish Children's Services. I am continually amazed by the generosity of my blogger friends who organize and participate in such wonderful programs... Thanks, Daleea! :)

Little Miss Dress-up!

2008-06-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

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I took these photos of Sophie Lu back in late April on a day I wasn't planning on taking any photos... Sophie Lu was playing quietly while I was getting ready one morning, and then she showed up in my bathroom looking like this! I didn't even brush her hair before grabbing my camera! She's so funny- she looked in the mirror and proudly exclaimed, "Mommy, I look distinguished!"

(I must say that I am disappointed with the lack of sharpness of these photos, and I blame it entirely on my camera (Nikon D40X) which I no longer recommend. I used a 50mm lens (that I love) for these shots, but unfortunately, it doesn't automatically focus with this particular camera- so I had to try to manually focus each shot (which is hard with a moving subject). I am now recommending the Nikon D80, which unlike the D40X, has an on-board auto-focus mechanism and will work with all the lenses I like.)

Sophie's Cinderella Party!

2008-05-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here's Sophie Lu's official 4th birthday cake! She actually told me she wanted a cherry blossom cake, so I worked with the bakery to help design one for her. I think it turned out just beautiful!

After canceling Sophie's little Cinderella party due to rain weeks ago, we were finally able to have it in the 105 degree heat. Poor Cinderella was melting, and the kids were so hot; but everyone had a really nice time! Cinderella was so sweet with the girls... she made tiaras with them, painted flowers on their hands, helped Sophie Lu perform a magic show, did parachute activities, played follow the leader, and had lots of fun dancing around to princess music. After that, the girls changed into their bathing suits and went back and forth from the slip n' slide to the Disney Princess bouncer. We had lunch, and at last the wet girls enjoyed Sophie Lu's beautiful birthday cake! Sophie keeps telling me, "Mommy, that was the best party ever!"

On Your 4th Birthday!

2008-05-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Look at you, my sweet birthday girl! Mommy baked you a lop-sided cake, and you were so happy! You said it was the prettiest cake you had ever seen! I love how appreciative you are!

Daddy lit your #4 candle, and you couldn't wait to make your wish. Sometimes you wish you could bake cookies with Mommy, but today instead of wishing for something, you said, "I love you" (you do that sometimes, and it's so sweet)!

And there are those beautiful kissy-face lips that we love so much. How can you get more precious with each year?
And this is you at preschool... Ms. Lily made you this beautiful birthday crown, and Mommy brought you a birthday balloon and chocolate cupcakes for your whole class. I love how the "P" goes right in between your eyes, and I love how happy you are!

And when you got home from school, we surprised you with your very first big girl bike! You were excited that it was a Hello Kitty bike, but even more excited about the training wheels! You were a little shaky at first, but like everything you do, you gave it your all and mastered riding your big girl bike within minutes! I love how you just had to wear your birthday ballerina tutu on your bike!

You were so proud! Mommy and Daddy were proud too- we always are! You are such sunshine in our lives, Sophie Lu... We love you so very very much! Happy 4th Birthday!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Sophie Lu!!!

2008-05-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

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Today is my sweet Sophie Lu's 4th birthday! She was supposed to have just a few of her friends over for a princess party on Saturday, but it rained so we had to reschedule (so photos in a couple weeks). Knowing that Cinderella would be coming to her party, Sophie Lu wanted to wear a "real princess suit"... and what a princess she is! She wants to send one of these photos to Cinderella at her castle so she will know what Sophie looks like before the party. But we can't decide which one to send! Any suggestions?

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Sophie Lu,

Happy 4th Birthday, my sweet, beautiful amazing daughter! You have brought so much joy and meaning to my life. You are my sweet angel, and I love you more than all the stars in the sky~

Love, Mommy xoxo

Coming home to spring...

2008-05-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

After a almost a month at the beach in Florida, Sophie Lu was very homesick and so glad to come home! And we came home to such beautiful springtime colors in our yard- roses, hydrangea, and bouganvilla all in full bloom! Sophie couldn't wait to put on her "kini" and play in the sprinklers! (The first photo is my favorite, followed by the third.)

Sophie & Mommy (19 weeks pregnant)

2008-04-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Three years since Sophie's Referral!

2008-04-22T02:44:00.000-07:00

I truly cannot believe it has been 3 whole years since the first most amazing moment of my life- the moment I slipped these photos out of the envelope and saw my baby girl's beautiful face for the very first time. I will never ever forget that moment- how I fell totally in love in one instant- how I recognized her face from my dreams- and how I laughed and cried at the same time. Here is a link to April, 2005 (I had just started this blog)...

http://waitingforsophie.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html

And for all of the families enduring the long long wait to experience this moment (and all the beautiful moments that will follow), I wish you peace in your wait... And even though the time passes so slowly as you miss the child you've never even seen, but whose soul lives in your heart, you are so so lucky- because you will experience a great miracle and the most wonderful love you could ever imagine~

Explanation of my Post Dates

2008-04-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me what's going on with my blog post dates- here's the explanation:

I am way behind with my posts, so I decided to back date them to they reflect the actual dates of photos & posts. I'll be posting much more often to catch up!

Earthquake in Sophie's Province...

2008-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

As many may know, Sophie Lu is from Sichuan (the province affected by this week's terrible earthquake). While we received Sophie in Chengdu, she is actually from a little village a couple hours away- and I'm not sure yet how much her SWI or village has been devastated by this disaster. I can't tell you how sad and worried I am- for all of the people affected, and especially for the orphans in this area and for Sophie Lu's birth family...

Please join me in praying for the beautiful people of Sichuan, and if you'd like- here are links to Half the Sky & Love Without Boundaries where direct donations can be made (please make a note that your donation is for earthquake relief)...

http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Direct+Contributions

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/earthquake.cfm

Also, here is a link to an article about the Panda Preserve (where Michael & my mom visited while we were there). The fate of the giant pandas in this famous preserve is still unknown...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake_pandas

If anyone finds more information on the condition of the SWI's (orphanages) in Sichuan or on the Panda Preserve, please leave a comment for me- I'd really appreciate it~

Special Friends, Bubbles & Boogie Boarding!

2008-04-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Caroline & Sophie Lu finally meet for the first time, and I can't express how meaningful and special this moment was for me... Shortly before we sent in our paperwork for Sophie's adoption, I met Caroline and her sweet mom Wendy on the beach in Florida (Caroline was only 22 months old). As I always knew my first daughter would be born in China, I approached Wendy and asked excitedly if Caroline was from China... Wendy was so very gracious- with her response, her time, and her precious baby girl (she even let me hold her). Caroline was (and still is) so very beautiful, and I could almost see my own daughter in her deep, dark eyes. I was so motivated to get things moving after meeting Caroline that once we got home, we completed our dossier in a matter of weeks. Little did I know when I met this precious girl (or did I), that my precious Sophie Lu had been born only a couple of weeks earlier...

Last year, Wendy's family traveled to China to adopt their darling son Carlton- he and Caroline are less than a month apart in age, and both are so adorable!

..................................... Sweet Caroline & my Sophie Lu

I don't know what it is, but there is something so cute about Sophie Lu when she blows bubbles- here are a few shots...

.................And here she is posing on a boogie- board...

...........................................................and again...

........................................................... and again...

................................. and here she is actually "riding" it! lol :)

Beach fun with Kate & Lucy!

2008-04-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

My Beach Girl!

2008-04-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

A Birthday Tribute to my Mom (video)

2008-04-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here is the video I made as a surprise for my Mom's 60th birthday. Since, she is only 60, I only covered her life through 1971 (she'll get a new segment every decade). It starts with photos of her mom (my sweet Grandma Lee) and ends with my birth and photos with me until I was almost 3. Here is a rundown of the minutes if you want to go straight to the good part (me- lol)! :)

0:00 My mom's mom (very old photos)
4:00 My mom was born (photos of my mom as a baby & small girl)
4:58 My mom's siblings & her childhood until age 13
7:35 At the young age of 14, my mom fell in love w/ my dad (this part is cute!)***
11:40 Shana was born (& photos until I was almost 3 yrs old)***

As usual, I tried to use music from the proper time periods & I tried to make it entertaining. Sophie Lu loved watching it over and over as I was making it. It's so funny hearing her sing all the words to the Shirelle's "I Will Follow Him" and "Going to the Chapel"! Anyway, I'm happy with how it turned out, and my mom loved it!

Family Fun in Florida!

2008-04-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Grandma Rae (my mom) turned 60 last month, so we flew her two sisters (Terry & Dana) to Florida to surprise her! It was a great surprise for my mom who hadn't seen her sisters in years, and Sophie just loved getting to know her Aunties!

................Sophie Lu had fun helping Grandma with her cake!

Becca also flew out and joined us for a week. Sophie and Ollie always have so much fun with their big sister! (Amy also visited us for a few days later in our trip- and I can't believe we got no photos!)

.............Sophie Lu & "Beach Gra" as she calls her Grandma!

Beach Gra is so much fun- always willing to get wet when Sophie wants to go in the ocean (Be careful, Grandma- don't spill that glass of wine)!

Uncle Bryce (my youngest brother) gave Sophie Lu swimming lessons!

................Sophie enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks Uncle Bryce!!!

Tickles or Kisses (a Mommy & Sophie ritual)

2008-04-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sophie and I have many special rituals, and this is one of my favorites (nothing warms my heart like her laughter). We call it "Tickles or Kisses"... (it starts after the first round of tickling)...

Sophie Lu & Grandma Loretta

2008-04-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

We recently had a visit from Grandma Loretta & Grandpa Felix. Here Sophie Lu is sitting in a tiny rocking chair that belonged to her Daddy when he was a little boy. Thanks for the special gift, Grandma & Grandpa! :)

Sophie & her school friends

2008-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Megan, Sophie Lu & Jessica at their school's Open House (Sophie loves her "school friends")!

Sophie Lu and Cousins Ethan & Alicia

2008-04-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sophie & her big cousin Ethan (my brother's son)...

Sophie and another big cousin, Alicia (Michael's brother's daughter). :)

Sophie Rides a Scooter

2008-04-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Cousin Alicia taught Sophie Lu to ride a scooter (a little bit)! Unlike Mommy, Sophie is fearless and wants to do everything her big cousins do!
.

A surprise for Sophie (video from January)

2008-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu loves Angelina Ballerina and performs along with her on this and other Angelina DVDs while she watches- it's so cute! Sophie LOVES ballet* and when she dances, she calls herself a "Rina" (how she used to say ballerina when she was a baby). *Sophie will be starting ballet classes next week!

I know I probably do it too often, but I can't resist buying little meaningful gifts for Sophie... she gets so excited and is so very appreciative of every little thing. It's so fun for me to watch her face light up when I surprise her. I've been really bad about posting little videos I take of special moments, so I have some catching up to do! Back in January, I couldn't resist giving Sophie Lu one of her Valentine's Day gifts a little early. I was so excited, in fact, that I couldn't even wait long enough to wrap it!

She takes my breath away...

2008-04-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am forever in awe of Sophie Lu's beauty (both inside and out). I took these photos one day while & after Sophie was having sprinkler fun in the backyard (she doesn't like to wear her glasses when she gets wet). I took the first three w/ my new lower end camera- the Kodak Z712IS, and I took the rest with the Nikon D40X. Sophie has so many different smiles and facial expressions, but I think my favorite photo is the very first one... :)

New Blog

2008-04-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

I'll be keeping my pregnancy journal at http://www.thekittenwithin.blogspot.com/. I put a link in the sidebar...

Baby News!!!

2008-04-03T11:46:00.001-07:00

It's a girl!!! I can't believe it! I'm so excited and overwhelmed with happiness! But I'm in such disbelief! I really really really wanted a girl, but I was totally convinced it was a boy (even though almost everyone else thought it was a girl). Sophie Lu is beyond excited! We had tried to explain to her that it may be a baby sister or a baby brother, but she kept insisting on a baby sister! She kept telling us, "Noooo... I already have a baby brother! Now I need a baby sister- I want both, just like Dora!" We are all so happy about this news! Now, let the shopping and baby naming begin!!!

Ollie's Blog is open...

2008-03-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

I'll be posting more soon!

No news (again)!

2008-03-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I didn't post sooner- but I've been in bed all day with a very terrible headache. I've been suffering from awful head/neck aches for the last couple of weeks- it's awful. I don't know if it's the change in hormones or if it's due to one of two falls I had a couple weeks ago (once pushing Ollie on the big wheel & once I stumbled down the stairs a little).

Anyway, the baby's legs were crossed the whole time again! I'm so disappointed! But having a healthy baby is really what matters most. I may know next week, though- we'll see!

Thanks for all the good wishes & compliments! :)

Sophie Lu's Easter 2008!

2008-03-26T09:21:00.001-07:00

This was Ollie's first Easter with us, and it's so hard to believe that it was Sophie Lu's third Easter! Both Sophie and Ollie enjoyed a long weekend visit from their cousins, but poor Ollie was sick and not too smiley. I'll post more photos to his blog as soon as I can find the time to reopen it. (And I think this is the first photo of me with my pregnant belly!)

I love my girl so very much! The photo above was taken with my Nikon D40x and the one below was taken with my new smaller/lower end camera- Kodak Easyshare Z712IS (fast for a point/click AND with 10x zoom so you can get the blurry background if you zoom in close- but the photo quality isn't as good so I really had to adjust the brightness, contrast, etc. in the photo below a lot.)

................. Sophie Lu and her cousin Alicia (almost 5)...

This photo cracks me up! I raised my hand up (trying to get their attention) and they both thought they were supposed to raise their hands up too! (oops, I guess Sophie's basket was a little too big, huh?) lol

We hid almost 400 candy filled plastic eggs in our yard, and we thought we had found them all... until we saw Sammy the squirrel running across the grass and up a tree with a bright pink egg in his mouth! We couldn't believe it! :)

Fun w/ Photoshop (CS2) Actions (no baby news yet)

2008-03-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu's glasses broke yesterday(her 1st pair was already broken- they break a lot- the one lens is very thick and pops out of the frames often), so while waiting for her appointment, I took her outside for a little St. Patrick's Day photo shoot! Then I did some fun experimenting with Photoshop CS2 photo actions. In most cases, I prefer the originals- but experimenting is so much fun!

............................................Original photo

I used a Photoshop Action called Editorial for the photo above. I did make slight adjustments to it though.

For this photo (above) I used an action called "Just a Little Wash" by NinaScraps Design.

.............................................Original Photo

Again, I used Nina's "Just a Little Wash" for this one.

Orignial photo

Photo w/ "Just a Little Wash"... This is one of my favorites and a good example of how this particular action produces different results on each photo (I found most to be too washed out).

..........................................Orignial photo

I used "Tracy's Fill Flash" for this one. This action uses a mask so you can paint where you want to lighten the photo- very useful (but I forgot where I got it)...

This is my other favorite! I used Editorial Lomo by Addicted to Design for this photo.

This action is Sheri's Color Sketch. Kind of interesting...

....................This action is called Aly's Vintage Canvas.

This action is also by Addicted to Design- it's called "Infrared".

Orignial photo (above)

.......................... With Tracy's Fill Flash action

........................................ Original photo

................""Editorial Lomo" (Saturation adjusted a lot)

For this photo, I played one step of Nina's "Just a Little Wash" action at a time- adjusting as I went. On one of the layers, I was able to paint to erase some of the effect to bring out the color of the flowers and lips. And below are some of my other favorites from yesterday! :)

I'm having fun with Photoshop Actions- especially when I figure out how to make adjustments to them! I have actions from AddictedtoDesign.com and atncentral.com, but does anyone else know of any other great places to find actions?

(Today's OB appointment went well, but since I have a high-level ultrasound scheduled with my perinatologist on the 28th- he didn't do the ultrasound today! So I guess I'll have to wait another week and 1/2 to find out if it's a boy or a girl! )

Thank you, Sophie's new "do", and answers to questions

2008-03-12T07:28:00.001-07:00

Sophie Lu's beauty always takes my breath away- I love this photo because you can really see how deep and pretty her eyes are...

This is Sophie Lu's new hairdo of choice (we call it the "Palm Tree")! I can never get enough of her cuteness!

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your sweet comments and emails of congratulations on my pregnancy! I know some people probably wondered why I put myself out there and shared so much personal information. I guess I've had so many people ask about my story, and for some reason I've never been bashful about discussing my miscarriages, etc. Also, I was getting very tired of hearing, "See... it always happens this way- as soon as you decide to adopt, you get pregnant!" I even heard this from people who know me and KNOW adopting from China was my first choice and that getting pregnant was never the problem (keeping the pregnancy was.) I just don't know why people always want to say that... I suppose I just don't like it when people generalize or make assumptions about my choices or how my children are brought into my life. Anyway, I feel better now, and I'm so glad to "meet" so many other families who have children both through adoption and biology- especially those who went "bio" after adopting, as I know there must certainly be issues that will arise specific to this scenerio.

So here are some answers to the questions I saw most often in the comments (let me know if I forgot any):

1. Have you told Sophie? Yes, we have recently told Sophie Lu that she will have a new baby brother or sister. She says she wants a baby sister because she already has a baby brother! We haven't, however, explained to her that the baby is in Mommy's tummy. It makes my cry just thinking of this conversation. I know my daughter very well, and I know what her response would sound like. Every time she sees a baby doing something, she says, "Mommy, when I was a baby, I did that too!" (example- when she sees a baby w/ a pacifier, she says, "Mommy, when I was a baby, I used a pacifier too." Even though she never used a pacifier.) So, I know Sophie would probably say, "Mommy, when I was a baby, I was in your tummy too!" That's why when I'm bigger and need to explain it to her, I will explain to her that she was special- that she didn't grow in my tummy, but she grew in my heart. Does anyone have any other ideas about this?

2. Will you find out if it's a boy or a girl? YES! And I can't wait! There is so much shopping and name choosing to do! My next ultrasound is in 6 days (Tues the 18th), and if the baby doesn't have his/her legs crossed like last time, we should find out then! I will post the result right away. I'm so excited for that moment (and no, I can't be talked out of it)!

3. Do you have any names picked out? Yes, although the boy names are harder for me. Maybe I will post our list to get some more input! Choosing names is SO much fun!

Again, thank you so much for all your kind wishes and for sharing your stories as well! I'm going to take a little time each day to visit everyone's blogs, and I'll also be posting here much more often and starting a pregnancy blog soon. Also, I may reopen Ollie's blog soon- because things in Guatemala seem to be settling down, and some recent photos I took of him are too cute not to share!

Hugs to all, Shana :)

So happy to announce (a little miracle)...

2008-03-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

We are expecting a baby! Now that I am almost 13 weeks pregnant, I finally feel safe enough to make the announcement. :)

A little history...

I'll never forget the moment I knew I wanted to adopt from China... I was sitting in my highschool world history class feeling shocked and so saddened to learn of China's one-child policy, and especially sickened to see a slideshow including a magazine photo of seemingly unaffected business men walking by a fetus in one of China's crowded streets. That image still haunts me today, but I'm so thankful to have seen it; because that was the day I decided that no matter what, I would mother a baby girl born to another in China...

Almost 20 years later, the time had come to have my first child; and I found myself discussing my dream of China adoption with my husband, family, and friends. I also wanted to have a biological child, but I just knew in my heart that my first child would be my daughter from China. But because of I was nearing 35, everyone convinced me to try for a biological child first. I went off the pill and immediately got pregnant. It was so easy! I had not a care in the world and was over the moon excited; and of course, I was still planning to adopt from China for baby number #2. But much to my surprise, no heartbeat was to be found; and soonafter, I miscarried.
. .
Like anyone who experiences a miscarriage, I was devastated. But unlike the other women on my BabyCenter pregnancy board who had miscarried, I did NOT want to turn around and get pregnant again right away. Instead, the very day after I had my D&C, I drove to my homestudy agency and filled out the paperwork needed to begin our China adoption. It was just so obvious to me that I had been right all along- my first baby was being born China. And she would be waiting for me. Little did I know then that my precious Sophie Lu, the baby girl I had dreamt of, would be born just weeks after our loss.

After two years with our perfect and precious Sophie Lu, we decided to try for baby #2. (Although I did wonder how I could ever possibly love another child as much as I loved Sophie Lu- and I doubted that childbirth could be as magical as the moment Sophie was placed in my arms.) Again, pregancy came very quickly; and I was filled with hope knowing that the odds were that I would experience a normal, healthy 2nd pregancy. Sadly, I miscarried again. Another story for another time, but God then led us to our sweet Ollie. Soonafter we accepted his referral, I had my third miscarriage. It seemed clear to me then that I did in fact have a problem, so I went to a specialist. During our intake meeting, I noticed photos of my blond doctor with her Chinese daughter. Sure enough, she had adopted from China as well (and she used our same wonderful agency, USAA). When she learned of Sophie Lu and our impending adoption of Ollie, she seemed very confused as to why I would want a biological baby. I explained to her that biology means nothing to me, but that I wanted to experience pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and being a mom to a newborn. I couldn't believe what she said next, "Babies are over-rated!" Can you imagine? A fertility doctor saying such a thing... And after learning about her plans to biopsy my uterus, fill me with dye, and other such procedures, I decided to never see her again. I went back on the pill and focused on the Guatemalan process (which as many know was a very sad and discouraging time in our lives... but with a very positive outcome- our sweet Ollie Baby).

We didn't have plans for another child, so we were surprised to learn in January that I was pregnant for the 4th time. There were so many mixed emotions- excitement, disbelief, happiness, but most of all- fear. I had had 3 miscarriages, so what would or could be possibly different this time? Just like the other times, my first ultrasound was fine- everything seemed normal, but my blood tests revealed low progesterone. I had been on 100mg of progesterone with the last two pregnancies; but this time, my OB put me on 400mg daily. (Needless to say, I have been very very tired!) Also, I had been seeing an accupuncturist for quite some time. Believe it or not, I followed her advice and swore off alcohol and caffeine 3 months before I got pregnant (she also made me go off the pill as it was affecting my kidneys.) When she learned of my pregnancy, she said, "Don't worry- I'll take care of your baby. This time will be different- you will see." (Thank you, Dr. Kim!) Still, when it came time for my 6 week ultrasound, I was terrified as this was the ultrasound that "should" reveal a heartbeat. To my shock, there WAS a heartbeat! I was so excited, but still scared as I had seen a heartbeat during my 2nd pregnancy- only to find no heartbeat a week later. But now at 12 1/2 weeks, my little baby's heart is still beating strong... And I got to see hands and feet- even fingers and toes! I'm just so shocked- I can barely even believe it!

The perinatologist says there is only a 1% chance of miscarriage now, and my prior history no longer affects my odds. The bitterness I've felt over my miscarriages is finally starting to fade. I feel so blessed and so lucky. So very very lucky. After all, I got to experience the miracle of adoption; and soon, I will get to experience the miracle of birth. I am so thankful to God for giving me the clarity to know that my first-born was waiting in China, for making it possible for me to experience the miracle that is adoption, and for giving me this 4th chance and a healthy pregnancy. And I am very thankful to my wonderful husband Michael for believing in my dreams and for giving me the most beautiful family I could ever hope for.

Our baby is due on September 8, 2008 (Michael's 50th birthday)!

Ollie's blog...

2008-03-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

As I recently explained on Ollie's blog, we have decided to close his blog- at least temporarily. This is due to a need for his privacy in light of the current situation in Guatemala involving our agency and Guatemalan facilitators. Thanks for the requests for invitations; however, we are not posting or issuing invitations at this time. I am currently trying to figure out a way to have a somewhat private blog or blogs without having to spend time I don't have managing invitations, etc. I wish I had the answers, but I will post when I do.

I also want to take this opportunity to share some wonderful news... the two "stolen girls" as described in the Prensa Libre newspaper articles have been found and reunited with their birthmother! This is thanks to my close friend Betsy's undying love for the girls (who were once referred to her) and to a wonderful organization in Guatemala that is now trying to find the stolen daughters (offered for international adoption) of 9 other mothers...

And on a very exciting side-note, our agency did NOT get Hague approved! Awww, justice is sweet! :)

My Little Valentine!

2008-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sophie's Valentines and goody-bags all ready to go!

Yet another "Family Project" required by Sophie Lu's preschool teacher- a Valentine w/ a family photo...

Sophie Lu with her Valentine's Day Box at school! When I picked her up, she was SO excited to show me every single one of her Valentines- carefully reading whom each was from. She can read each child's name (first and last) because the teacher calls roll by holding up a card with the child's full name on it. I was impressed! Happy (late) Valentine's Day!!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2008-02-13T12:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! Sophie had an exciting day starting with Mommy taking photos of her in her pretty "Chinese Princess Dress" as she called it! This is one of many many traditional dresses we bought for her while we were in China. Just look at that smile- it melts my heart every time!

Sophie didn't have school this day, but her teacher invited her to attend the special Chinese New Year celebration- including a dragon dance! When we pulled into the parking lot, the team of dancers was unloading their van. All of a sudden I heard someone scream, "Shana?" It was my friend Irene who is a black belt in Kung Fu. I know her from the nail salon- we used to get our nails done at the same time and became friends during the wait for Sophie. I remember the day I finally brought Sophie's referral picture to the salon- Irene was very emotional, as China is her homeland; and the orphaned girls of China have a very special place in her heart. I haven't seen Irene in a couple of years, so this was a very nice surprise for both of us. And of course, she was very charmed by Sophie Lu!

During the first dragon dance, Sophie Lu turned around and exclaimed, "I LOVE dragons!"

I loved the performance too and was yet again so appreciative to Sophie's preschool for all they do for their students.

Sophie Lu had the great honour of being chosen to play the big drum for one of the dances! She did a wonderful job, but afterwards she ran to me with eyes full of tears... "I want to go home, Mama! I don't like the dragons' masks! Please take me home..." So we had to leave about 5 minutes before the show ended and the special lunch began.

But I didn't take her home... Instead, I took her to a new gourmet cupcake shop for some not-so-traditional strawberry cupcakes! They were SO delicious- much better than the mooncakes I tried to bake last year!

Sophie Lu was so inspired, that she made her own "cupcakes" with twigs, leaves, and berries she collected from our backyard (so sweet)!

This is the beautiful Chinese lantern I helped Sophie Lu make!

And this is a project Sophie Lu did at school! Gung Hay Fat Choy, everyone!

A Very Special Reunion (Sophie & Jenna)!

2008-02-01T08:43:00.001-08:00

Sophie Lu & Jenna

January, 2008 (California, USA)

Sophie Lu & Jenna

July, 2005 (Guangzhou, China)

............. Proud Mommies & their beautiful 3 year olds now...

...........Proud Mommies & their beautiful babies then!

Jenna's Mommy Nicole and I became friends during the wait for our precious baby girls and have remained close friends ever since! Unfortunately, they live in Tennessee- so we haven't been able to get together until now! Jenna and Sophie Lu were instant best friends! It was so wonderful (and very emotional) to see them together- having fun, laughing, and just being adorable! We are so blessed to be friends with such a wonderful family and even more blessed to have had the opportunity to reunite with them. Sophie Lu loves you Jenna! :)

Sophie Lu & the Bouganvilla (practicing w/ my new camera)

2008-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

Sophie's 1st SNOW!!!

2008-01-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sophie Lu has always wanted to see snow- especially this Christmas Season, she has been talking about it non-stop. She talks about throwing snowballs, sledding, and what she wants to do in the snow the very most: make Snow Angels! Well, she is lucky enough to go to an amazing preschool that has an annual "Snow Day"! They actually brought in tons and tons of snow by the truckload so the kids could experience real snow!

Needless to say, Sophie Lu was VERY excited! This is her, "I'm soooo happy and excited laugh"! I just love it when she laughs this way (it makes me cry!!!)...

But what really made me emotional was seeing my sweet girl making her very first Snow Angels! She's been making imaginary Snow Angels in the grass at home for so long- and she even makes Sand Angels on the beach in Florida. I was so thankful that she got to experience this right in her school playground!

.............Me and my very happy sweet Sophie Lul!

So the second thing she did was make and throw snowballs... at ME! :)

..................And here she is in line for the sled...

I was so nervous, but look at her smiling way up there!

.............................................Weeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

................................I love this picture-

I think Sophie rode the sled more times than any other kid in her class! Here she is with her best friend Annabelle...

.............And again with her friend Matthew!

And after Sophie's class was done playing in the snow, her teacher served hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream. Sophie was so reflective while she sipped... I just love how much she loves and appreciates every new experience-

............................ "Cheers to Snow Day!!!!"

Sophie's Christmas House (my 1st parent-project)

2008-01-06T07:38:00.001-08:00

A few weeks before Christmas, Sophie's teacher assigned a "Parent Project". I really didn't think I would get homework when Sophie started school, but apparently I was wrong! lol Her teacher wanted each child's parents to make a house for the Christmas Village she was creating in her classroom. Easy, I thought... I'll just glue some cotton balls on a shoe box and call it a day. Wrong!!! When some of the other parents started bringing their houses in, I knew I would need more than cotton balls (I'm a tad bit competitive)...

So I bought tons of materials and tried lots of different things... and this is what we ended up with! Michael used masking tape and shoe boxes for the main structure, roof, and chimney. Then, I used wafer cookies for the shutters, lace doilies for window accents, colored sugar crystals and candy sprinkles for the "stucco", opalescent snowflakes for the roof, and dried hydrangea petals from my garden for the wreath and ivy accents...

I must say, my house was a hit (and the prettiest one in the village if I don't say so myself)! Next time, though, I will remember to paint the inside of the house, and I plan to use dollhouse lights to illuminate it from within.

Okay... I confess... I cheated! I had the masterful Sophie Lu help me with my project (shhhh... don't tell the teacher)!!!

And she was so proud, too! We had so much fun working on this project together- I'm sure that soon enough, I will be the one helping her on her projects... and I can't wait!

Sophie Lu in her Christmas Dress

2007-12-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

(licking the dew drops from the flowers off of her arm :)

Sophie Lu's Holiday Show (video)!!!

2007-12-24T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here is Sophie Lu right before her very 1st performance in a school Holiday program!

Attempt #1 at a photo of Sophie and Ollie together...

......................................Attempt #2... lol

So here it is... the video of Sophie Lu & her class singing and dancing in their Holiday Show! My favorite part was in the very beginning... Sophie seemed to have a little stage-fright and was nervously scanning the audience looking for us... and when she finally spotted me, she screamed, "Mama!!!" right after they started the first song! (So cute!) Okay, that's when the tears started! Then in the last song (after some very interpretive & unique dance moves) she spotted her Daddy who was sitting in the back with Ollie, and she said, "Hi Daddy!" We both felt so special and so very very proud of our baby girl! Enjoy!

ff

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Flowers for our star! :)

Christmas Baking!

2007-12-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sophie Lu and I baked Christmas cookies yesterday! I always baked these cookies with my mom, so it's extra special for me to be able to bake them with my own daughter. The cookie above is Sophie Lu's very first masterpiece!

Here are some of the cookies I decorated (nothing fancy but very yummy) while Sophie worked on her masterpiece...

And as you can see, Sophie Lu's first cookie was the prettiest of them all!

Isn't this gorgeous? Sophie's China sister (soon to be pen pal) Kate and her Mommy Kim sent this to Sophie! Thank you so much again Kate and Kim- you are the sweetest!

And here Sophie is modeling her beautiful new apron before it got dirty in the kitchen!

And last week we baked gingerbread people! I think Sophie ate more sprinkles than she used to decorate with!

Here is the plate of gingerbread people Sophie made for her Daddy- he ate them all, too!

This isn't a photography blog, but...

2007-12-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

I think I'm starting to figure things out thanks to ALL the wonderful, amazing help from everyone (thanks so much)! I've always loved photos with blurry backgrounds like above, and I was so happy when I figured out how to do it! (Not that it's the best photo, but I had to include Baby Pumpkin b/c he is just so cute.) This is what I've done:

1. Changed my ISO from auto to 200 (thanks for the tip)!
2. In these shots I used a 50mm prime AF Nikon Lens which I had to manually focus b/c it doesn't auto focus with the D40 but does with the D40X (Thanks, Eric)...
3. Based on my friend Kim & others' recommendations, I ordered a D40X a few days ago (Isn't that funny, Jenny V?) I didn't opt for the Canon b/c I already have other Nikon lenses & stuff... The D40X has 10.2 mp as opposed to only 6.1mp (D40). It is also better in a few other ways- but I don't know what. lol

So... since these are just a couple (unedited) of my very first photos, I should be getting some good ones soon. If I could just get my kids to cooperate like the flowers do... :)

Thanks again for all the help everyone! I really appreciate it- especially since the photos I saw on your blogs & websites were so amazing! xoxo

Truly camera-challenged (my new camera confusion)

2007-12-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

I finally decided that my beloved Kodak Easy-Share point & click cameras were just too slow- so after reading reviews and consulting friends, I bought a Nikon D40 DSLR camera. I chose this camera because it seems to be the easiest, most basic DSLR out there; and the people I know who have it love it. I love it so far too- only because it is FAST- I can click click click without waiting for the photos to process- it feels great! But... I don't really see the image quality difference (am I supposed to?)! If anything, I think my old camera's photos were brighter- and more clear. As you can see in the last photo- when I cropped it, I lost the quality (it's so fuzzy). With my old camera, I cropped to my heart's content and never saw this fuzziness. I don't think it's the new camera's fault- I'm sure it's mine because I am seriously camera-challenged! I see photos on the internet shot with the D40 that are gorgeous- how do they do that? Anyone have any advice for me (keep in mind that I don't know anything about cameras/photography)... I just know what looks good- lol! I checked my camera settings... the image quality and size are at the highest level- and the camera is set to Automatic (not manual)... Thanks!!! :)

Sophie's Official Letter to Santa (dictated to Mommy)

2007-12-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

I'm a good girl! I'm gonna give you a present because I love you so much. This heart is for you (she drew a heart).

I love a macamotower game (Whac-a-Mole tower game), a Baby Born, and a pretend kitty. I like dolls, a Rose Petal Cottage, and some Angelina Ballerina movies. Maybe an Angelina doll too.

I'm a good girl because I'm a big sister now. I'm a good girl at school. I'm a good cooker girl too. I help my Mommy.

I hope you are having fun at Santa's Workshop! But, Santa, your sleigh won't fly... only planes. And your sleigh isn't fast enough. So you can take a sled in the snow.

Please bring Ollie Baby some presents too. Ollie is a good boy. I think he likes baby dolls. And little planes and little horsies- toys not real ones. Oh, and maybe a little pretend flower so he can chew on it.

I like to see snow, Santa. I want to make snow angels! And snowmen and snowballs. I love snowballs!

Merry Christmas, Santa!

Love, Sophie Lu