IT SNOWED!!!!!

Yes, it snowed enough for Miss Eden to go out and enjoy it a little. Can you see the excitement in her little face. She was overjoyed!!! She kept saying, "I love winter!" I did get it on video, but still having trouble getting it on here. Will keep trying.
It was so cold we didn't stay out too long, but enough that she really enjoyed her first experience playing in the snow.

Our precious Tallie girl, as you can see on her left side, she had a tumor removed. The tests showed that it was benign. We are so thankful! Eden asked when Tallie and I returned from the vet's office from having her stitches removed, "But Mommy, why didn't the doctor put her hair back on to cover up that big spot?" Ha Ha!!

My Girls

In this picture, Eden said she was building a snowman.

Running and shouting, "Tallie, Tallie, Tallie......It snowed!".

Being silly....

I think it's time to make a snow angel Mommy.....

Here I go.....

She's doing it...... well maybe...... she would only move her arms. I have a cute video of her making a snow angel and Tallie trying to kiss her if I could only get it loaded on here.

She is our Snow Angel

And, these are probably two of my favorites!!!!!! What a beauty, if I do say so myself! Lord, we are just so amazed that you chose us to be her Mommy and Daddy! Thank You!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!!!!!!

January 26, 2009

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!!! We were able to welcome in and celebrate the New Year "the year of the Ox" today. Before going to have dinner, we stopped by Wal-Mart for a few items and SO many people stopped us to say to Eden, "Oh, what a pretty outfit you have on." She would say, "This is my Happy Chinese New Year outfit that Mommy and Daddy got in China." She was cracking me up!! I had told her (probably three weeks ago) that we had this outfit made "just" for her when we were in China. We bought several outfits, all different sizes for Eden while there for her to have as she grew but, as of today this is the first one she is able to wear. One of the dresses also fits her now, so maybe she can wear it soon.
Once at the restaurant, the waitresses, like always, were so friendly and when one of them over heard me asking Eden if she could say Happy New Year in Chinese and Eden did very softly, she came running over, hugging Eden and saying "Xin Nian Kuai Le", "Right!, Right!" "Good, Good!". I did get a video of Eden saying it, but I'm having trouble getting in uploaded, so I'll keep trying. This first picture is actually after our meal when we were getting ready to leave the restaurant.

Also, I thought this was cute when we arrived at the restaurant Eden said to us, "We have been here before, we've been to this Happy Chinese New Year restaurant before. "


Daddy & Eden

Receiving her red envelope......


with her "lucky" gold coins inside. This is her surprise, happy face. Too cute!!

Mommy & Eden

A Few Pictures

Oh, how I wish we would have one BIG snow this year (preferably on a weekend) ha. Eden is soooo wanting to play in the snow. I do remember last year it snowing enough one weekend that she would have been able to play in it, but unfortunately she was sick and wasn't able to enjoy it.
On this early morning, we were heading out to take Tallie to the vet. Eden was so excited about the snow and we were both hoping today would be the day we could play, build a snowman, make snow angels, throw snowballs............oh, how fun, but today was not the day. It was melted and gone not long after getting home. What little there was of it. Maybe next time Sweetie.


Just look at that sweet face.

Yes, our girl sometimes has an attitude and on this particular Wednesday at gymnastics she had a BIG one. She was so ready to go and she was letting me and everyone else know all about it.......O.k we all have a bad day every now and then. This was one of hers. I was joking with her, asking if her new dance outfit was giving her an attitude. She was a REAL drama queen diva this morning.

Daddy took this pic one Sunday.

This picture shows Eden wearing her ladybug necklace we gave to her on December 24, 2008 when we celebrated our 2nd anniversary of our family's Gotcha Day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDEN!!!!!!!!

Eden turned THREE on January 10th. We celebrated that evening just the three of us (Daddy, Mommy & the Birthday Girl) . A couple of days earlier that week my Mom (Eden's Meme) ask her if she, mommy and daddy were going to have a party when Daddy got home from work on her birthday. Eden first responded by saying, "yes", but then said "No Meme. Me, Mommy, Daddy and Jesus are going to have a birthday party". Just how sweet is that!!!!!!!!?????!!!!!!

Eden did choose her "birthday theme" ------Princesses------(even a small family celebration has to have a theme). It was between Princesses & Disney Cars, but the Princesses won out this time. We are waiting on getting a pinata, since it was just the three of us. I told her she could pick out one to take to the pancake supper that we, with a group of our friends are having in February. She was o.k. with that, so I'm wondering at that time which one she will choose. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES, the Disney Cars movie!!!! She already had a set of Disney Cars books that she picked out after her trip to the dentist and she received a BIG Look & Find Disney Cars Book at Christmas from us. Santa even brought her a Handy Manny tool box and "the tools" along with her baby doll, doll house, etc., that was what she had asked for, so he had to deliver. Ha! She has gotten her own Cars movie from Meme & Pappy along with a little Lightin' McQueen car. What can I say???? She is very well rounded, ha ha and we couldn't feel more blessed to say that this Little Tomboy Princess is OUR Daughter!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!! WE LOVE YOU, OH SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!

A Very Long Post & Happy New Year

At the end of this LONG POST you will see a picture of our Sweet Eden sleeping. Why, you ask?

Truth be told and I think I've told it before, she never slept in her crib very well, but at least she would start out in her crib after I would rock her to sleep and she had to be in a really good deep sleep or she would open those big beautiful almond shape eyes the minute she touched her mattress and then would start crying and grabbing me sooooo tight. If she did stay asleep once in her crib she would sleep until 1am - 2am and then start crying (screaming mostly) for us. I would rock her back to sleep (and a lot of times fall asleep myself in the rocker while holding her) and try again and sometimes again and again before she would lay back in her crib. This lasted for about six months then I just started taking her back to our bed so we both could get a little better rest. The same thing happened during nap time and when she would stay asleep when placing her in her crib her average nap time was 1 hour. She would go back to sleep and nap longer only if I held her. So I did do that a lot. I felt she needed that extra rest time since she wasn't resting well straight through the night and even getting her in her crib at night could take 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, you just didn't know what the night was going to bring. I will say this again, but this I feel was Eden's only real adjustment issue that was difficult for her.

So that takes us up to 2008 and once she got sick last January , I put her in our bed. That is where I (we) wanted her and where she needed to be. Our little girl was so ill. Of course once she was feeling well again that is where she wanted to "go" when it was bed time. That started another new routine. At (her) bed time she would lay down in (our) bed but the catch was---I had to go too. She would have "meltdowns" if I didn't. So, this is what I did because it worked. Down deep I was afraid by doing this, it was just going to be harder on her later, but I also knew what a strong, smart and determined little girl we have and she had (and still does) take all new situation head on and bulldozes through them. She is a very tough cookie! At this same time, I told her(in a very calm, upbeat and positive voice) I couldn't lay down with her during her nap time,( I wasn't even going to start this) so I would give her two options to choose from, "You lay in Mommy & Daddy's bed by yourself or on the couch." (and yes, I would always say something about her bed, but she didn't even consider that being an option. Even after we turned her crib into her day bed in the Spring of 2008.) She chose the couch and this is where she napped for the next six months or so. Changing the routine again, I told her we were starting something new and she needed to start taking her naps in Mommy's bed while I worked in the living room. She went with it and done really well. Of course she did need to have one of her movies playing. Eddie and I both would make a comment from time to time to her about sleeping in her big girl bed, but she wasn't having any part of it not even at nap time........UNTIL DECEMBER 22, 2008.

Eden had overheard us (Daddy and Mommy) talking months earlier that when "Eden did decide to sleep in her big girl bed that we might need to place a small TV in her room so she would be able to play one of her movies while falling asleep since this was the habit she was use too already." We know that our girl has a outstanding memory ( as her Daddy puts it) "like a steel trap", but were we surprised when on Monday, December 22, 2008 our princess announced, "I would sleep in my big girl bed in MY ROOM today if I had a TV in there to watch a movie". So what did her Daddy do?????? Yes, you got it, he fixed her right up and within 15 -20 minutes she was fast asleep. I just had to take a picture of her BIG accomplishment. Everyday since, she has taken her nap in her room and the past couple of weeks she has slept in her bed ALL night LONG. We are soooo very proud of her!!!!! Eddie has always said that she would just up and say " I'm going to my room to sleep tonight" and that would be it. That is pretty much how it happened.

SWEET DREAMS BABY GIRL!!!! (or should I say, "Sweet dreams BIG girl")


Oh, Hope everyone is having a good start to the New Year!!! Check back soon for more updates and pictures from our start of 2009. Blessings to everyone for a very Happy & Healthy New Year!!!