AnnaClaire Day!

Today is a special day. Many years ago on December 5th, my dad asked my mom to marry him. She said yes:) The next December 5th, my parents found out that they were expecting a little blessing...me! Two years ago today, Jeff, Cameron, Allie and I walked into the Civil Affairs office in Nanchang and met our very own little ray of sunshine. We didn't expect the babies to be waiting for us when we got there, but when we walked in there they were. I picked out AnnaClaire immediately. Unfortunately, Jeff had the video camera and was taping another child he thought was AnnaClaire. LOL (I can laugh about it now!) When they called our name to go and get her she was bucking back and forth and grinning ear to ear. I thought that surely there was something wrong with her. What baby would be so happy to meet strangers for the first time? That would be our AnnaClaire! Bless her sweet heart, she was the stinkiest, dirtiest little thing and didn't have any teeth or any hair. On the way back to the hotel from the CA office, she would stood on our laps and jumped (while we held her around the chest, she could barely sit unassisted-such a difference from Allie when we got her). Little ACE radiated pure joy. God has blessed us greatly with each of our children; they all have their own special gifts, talents and place in our family. AnnaClaire is our sunshine. Our road to AnnaClaire was a bumpy one but God always knows what He is doing. AnnaClaire can turn a bad day into a great day with her smile. Thank you Lord for entrusting this sweet angel to our family. We know we are blessed!

After 30+ years, my dream is finally coming true!

I am...ahem...I mean ALLIE and ANNACLAIRE are getting a Barbie Dream House for Christmas. I am drooling over it already. And it comes fully furnished! Is it Christmas yet? Truthfully though, all those years of buying boy toys when the big guys were little and wanting so badly to buy some girly stuff too...well, I am finding that I am enjoying buying for Brady more than anyone else this Christmas. Boy stuff is so COOL!

We are having some issues getting our Christmas picture. Allie fell off the couch face first a few weeks ago and had a giant goose egg on her forehead which turned into 2 black eyes. Beautiful. As that started to heal, she turned up with a big bruise on her cheek. No one knows where that came from. Then at the end of the week, it was finally faint enough to take the picture. WELL (and I know you know where this is headed), yesterday Brady and AnnaClaire were playing with some tea pitchers in the kitchen and I heard a 'bump' and Brady started to cry. Not his 'I'm a little hurt and I need some comfort' type of cry, but the 'I am in PAIN' cry. I go over to him and scoop him up and he has a goose egg on the side of his head near his eye that had already turned bright blue. Today it is even more awful looking. I was thinking we might still be able to salvage the Christmas pics and planned to take them tonight...ha ha. You think I would know better by now. Today Brady was running through the kitchen, fell face forward on the hardwoods and now has a lovely busted and swollen lip to go with his other boo boo. Did someone say Mother of the Year??? Where can I accept my award?