Summer Flowers and a Cute Girl!

Annierae was playing outside tonight and was exploring the Tiger Lilies in our front yard. The light was softening as it was an hour or so before sunset. So, with a little prompting I got her to pose for a couple pictures by the flowers...

(click on the images for a hi-res version)




If you want to see more pictures of the Tiger Lilies, check out our other blog.

A Day at the Park

Just a quick picture from our day at the township park today. Caught Annierae at the top of the slide - just long enough for her to flash a cute little smile then bound down the incline. Grandma and Grandpa joined us to make it an extra special day!

Flower Girl Dress

Just a quick grouping of pictures showing Annierae's flower girl dress for cousin Monique & Kevin's wedding in a few weeks. It needs a couple of minor alterations, but the little one seems very happy with it!

(click on the image for a larger version, then click the back button to return to the blog)

Easter 2008

Annierae had a wonderful Easter this year. It started with an early morning visit from the Easter bunny, leaving her a mystery Easter basket which included a big, cuddly stuffed bunny this year along with a plethora of confectionery delights. After a few samples it was time to get ready and head to the Easter service at church. Upon returning home around noon Annierae prepared to greet family and friends coming around 1:00pm. As everyone showed up Annierae and her friend Bryson headed off for a quick egg hunt before we all sat down to a delicious dinner. Everyone stayed until late afternoon, and as the sugar buzz wore off Annierae, she was ready to head to sleep for the day, tired out after a fun and busy Easter celebration. Here are a few photos of the days highlights...

(click on an image for a larger view, then use the back button to return to the blog)


The mystery Easter Bunny delivers a huge basket and stuffed bunny rabbit


All ready for church


Toasting to the scrumptious dinner about to be eaten


Sampling some of the spoils from the Easter egg hunt


A couple more Easter baskets found behind the curtains


Playing ball with Aunt Judy (who's having more fun here???)


And the fun continues with Aunt Pat getting in on the action


A few ink stamps all over to round out the day


A picture from the night before Easter as Annierae gets ready to help mommy decorate cookies


A cute little smile to close the this post

Annierae's Second Professional Photo Shoot

Annierae went to her second professional photo session with our friend Dawn Wiltzer of Dawn Wiltzer Photography today. This was almost two years since her first session. It's amazing how she has changed in that short time. Dawn did another great job of capturing the many faces of our little one. She took a lot of pictures and it was difficult to narrow down to the best of the best. A few of our favorite pictures are below (click on any image to enlarge it)

(Note - all photographs are posted with the permission of the copyright holder, Dawn Wiltzer Photography)















If you're interested in a photo session with Dawn, check out the contact page on her website.

Ben & Jerry's

Day 4 of our trip to Grandma & Grandpa's included a tour of the Ben & Jerry's Ice cream factory in Waterbury, VT. Annierae had a great time taking in all the sights & sounds, but by far her favorite part of the tour was the tasting area. The flavor of the day was Mint Chocolate Chunk (Mint Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks) - and that is now one of Annierae's new favorite flavors.

Below are a few pictures taken on the tour (click on each picture to see a larger version)...

More pictures tomorrow from our Thanksgiving day celebration!

Playground Fun (and a Favorite Photo)

Hi All,

Just wanted to share a few photos of Annierae having fun at a local playground. The first photo is one of my all time favorites! I took it shortly after I got my new Nikon D40x camera a couple of weeks ago. I liked the way it turned out so much that it's the photo I keep of her on my desk at work. It's had to believe she is just a little over 2 1/2 years old in these shots. She had a ball at the park this afternoon, and certainly did not want to stop playing to go home and take a nap! I eventually got her off the swing with a promise to come back again soon.

(Click on any photo to see a larger version, then use the "back" button to return to the blog)

My favorite shot of Annierae!


This was the original photo that I used to crop and create the close-up in the first picture


Swinging away - happy as can be


Selling me some beautiful bark chips :)


Taking time to pose for a picture on the slide

Fabulous Photos!

Some dear friends of ours, Louann & Benny, came to visit this weekend and we were fortunate that Benny brought his very cool Nikon digital camera with him. As we enjoyed each other's company, Benny was on the lookout for great photo opportunities. He found many! Here are just a few of my favorites:

















Thank you to our friends for the wonderful photos (and getting me hooked on photography)!

Curly Hair!!!

On Tuesday Annierae's orphanage sister Isabel came for a visit and had the cutest hairdo of curly pony tails. When I asked Julie (Isabel's Mom) how she made the curls she told me she used foam curlers. So I bought some small foam curlers and last night after Annierae's bath I put the curlers in while her hair was still damp. Greg didn't think her hair was wet enough but I told him no big deal if they don't set and her hair isn't that curly. So this morning When she woke up I took the curlers out and was amazed at the results. I called Greg and was laughing so hard he could barely understand what I was saying. I told him to come home at lunch to meet his new African-Chinese daughter because Annierae was now sporting an Afro. I have to say it made me want to adopt a little African-American girl because the hair was too cute. Enjoy the photo's below of our sweet little princess. Later I spoke with Julie and asked what went wrong, she then informed me to use larger curlers and to only put in a few at the bottom her hair. Oops better luck next time.

Winter Fun!

Hi All!

It's hard to believe that we'll be leaving for Mexico in just a few days - we can't wait!

In the meantime - we took a few minutes to enjoy the cold, crisp winter weather around here. Annierae went sledding today and had a great time! She'll be in for a pleasant surprise when we get to the 80 degree weather in Cabo.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of her outdoor adventure...

Michigan Won!

Yeah - the University of Michigan beat Michigan State today 31 to 13.

We're sure it's due to the latest addition to the U of M cheerleading squad...