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)!

Easter 2007

Annierae had another great Easter this year. After an early morning visit from the phantom Easter Bunny, family & friends came over to share in a wonderful dinner, and afterwards an exciting Easter egg hunt ensued. After all was said and done there were enough chocolate bunnies and jelly beans to feed an army (although I don't think they will last all that long - I hope Annierae gets some of them)!

Here are a few pictures commemorating the day...

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.

Annierae in Cabo San Lucas 2007

Hi All,

Well Annierae (and family) made the annual trek to Cabo San Lucas Mexico to enjoy some fun & sun in the middle of Winter. Our little girl had a great time hanging out with everyone, swimming, watching (and talking non-stop) to all the people, swimming, eating, shopping, swimming, playing on the beach and oh- did I mention swimming?

She did great on the flights to and from Cabo, even though we left really, really early on the way there and didn't get home until really, really late on the way back (thanks to bad weather near Chicago).

All in all it was an enjoyable time for everyone and she's already talking about wanting to go back (especially to be with Grandma and Grandpa).

Here are a few pictures of her adventure this year:

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...

Annierae's Christmas 2006

Well Annierae enjoyed a wonderful Christmas this year! Along with Mom & Dad, she was able to spend time with family & friends, and Annierae had a great time with all of her presents. We went to an early Christmas Eve service at our church, then off to Aunt Judy & Uncle Bob's for our traditional pizza dinner. Christmas day found us at our house hosting the whole family and everyone had a great time, especially with the white elephant gift exchange (sure to become a new tradition).

Here are a few pictures that better capture the fun!
(click on any of the images to view a larger version)

Annierae's 2nd Birthday

Hello friends and family!

Sorry we haven't posted lately but we thought you might all enjoy a few photos from Annierae's birthday party today.

Enjoy!!

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...

Bethany 2006 Multicultural Festival

Annierae had all kinds of fun today at Bethany Christian Services' 2006 Multicultural Festival. She was able to reunite with several of her orphanage sisters who made the pilgrimage to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the event.

There were numerous activities including a petting zoo, cultural dances and plenty of good authentic international and domestic cuisine.

Below are several pictures of the day's festivities: