Two Years Ago Today . . .

Two years ago today, our sweet Maddie was placed in our arms for the very first time. She tried to remain so very brave as one little tear rolled slowly down her cheek. Her big sisters immediately fell in love with her. She was such a calm, sweet and snuggly baby and remains so to this day. We love you dear Maddie and we are truly blessed to be able to call you our daughter and sister.

New sisters meet for the very first time

We all instantly fell in love with those cheeks

Our baby is starting to growing up!

Our beautiful Maddie

Short Hair for Annie

Annie got her hair cut -- SHORT! Really short! We had a couple of incidents where she got creative with her own scissors (did you know that kid's safety scissors can cut hair?). Also, the bottom two-thirds of her hair was very unhealthy. It was dry and brittle like straw and very light brown, probably due to a lack of proper nutrients, vitamins, clean air and water, and good shampoo for the first three years of her life. Now that she has been home for over seven months, the change in the health of her entire little body is quite obvious. She was such a good girl during the cut and I have instructed big sisters that they are never to tease her and say that she looks like a boy!! I'm sure it will grow quickly again and she will once more be a beautiful long-haired princess like her sisters.

Before - on her third birthday in China

Our little pixie

At least a little clip still hangs on!

Keeping the Tooth Fairy Busy

Last week Abby lost her right upper front tooth and today the left upper one also fell out. She is pleased as punch and hoping that the Tooth Fairy will remember to come to our house tonight. I hope the Tooth Fairy will remember too!!

Gotta love those toothless grins!

More Sparkle in Ladybug Princess Land

Maddie and Annie had their ears pierced today. They were both so excited to be getting earrings like their big sisters. And their big sisters were very excited for them too! Both girls were so brave and only cried for a few moments. Now they are grins from ear to ear and there is just a bit more sparkle in Ladybug Princess Land tonight.

Maddie chose the "diamonds"

Annie checking out her goodie bag

All smiles

The happy big little sister and little big sister!

Christmas!

The long awaited day finally arrived! Amazingly the girls slept in until almost 8:30. But they were on non-stop hyper energy mode from then on. All three boys made it home and the girls were so excited to get presents and see their big brothers all in the same day.

Abby

Ellie

Annie's first Christmas

Maddie

Ladybug princess ballerinas

All seven kids: Ellie (5), Jason (26), Abby (6), Eric (24), Annie (3), Rob (30), and Maddie (3). OK, I sort of cheated here -- this is actually from Thanksgiving. I was so busy with everything else that I didn't get a photo of all the kids together on Christmas day!

Counting the days

Q. How many times a day can you check the calendar and count the days to see if Christmas is here yet?

A. Oh, at least a dozen times -- each girl!

So that makes four dozen (and I NEVER exaggerate) times a day that we stand at the kitchen calendar and count and recount just to make sure that we know how many days are left until Christmas.

It brings back all those fond (?) memories of our waits for PA/DTC/LID/LOA/TA/CA/FFD.

Do you think there is any excitement at our house these days??

Ginger Snaps and Butterscotch Sugar Drops

This morning the girls and I baked cookies to take to the Christmas party at pre-school tomorrow. Since I was using this as a homeschooling opportunity, we read through part of an Old-Fashioned Cookies cookbook and decided on two recipies that had "unusual" ingredients. First we made a batch of Ginger Snaps and then we made Butterscotch Sugar Drops with Dried Cranberries. A flurry of sifting, mixing, whisking, stirring, pouring, smelling and licking was followed by (im)patient waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven. Finally, we all got to taste our creations which were pronounced yummy and delicious!

Ellie's turn to use the mixer while Maddie and Annie carefully study her technique.

Hmmm . . . what does molasses smell like?

Abby has an attentive audience

Maddie and the "ooey, gooey" molasses

Yup, we are already teaching Annie to sample the cookie dough

Annie was supposedly smelling the fresh out of the oven Ginger Snaps -- but I have a feeling she was sneaking a nibble!