"Aunt Bepee" was here!

We had a wonderful visit from my sister in July. Becky is officially known as "BEPEE" by Georgea these days. And when Georgea says Bepee, she says it with lots of enthusiasm, which is really quite sweet. We enjoyed our time together and as always it went way too fast.

Dinner at Harold's!

A sweet moment. Becky is so good with Georgea & Georgea just adores her Aunt.

Pool time, Georgea's fave.

Vida getting in on the action as always.

Our girl loves sweet kisses. She goes back & forth between James & me saying "Mama", kissing me, "Dada", kissing James. Back & forth, back & forth, sometimges kissing each of us 6 or 7 times. Love!

James is Georgea's playmate. He keeps her entertained and giggling.

She's getting so big. I can't believe the way her legs hang down...where did my baby go?

Ahh Arizona.....

Becky is a kindergarten teacher & she is just a natural with engaging Georgea in all kinds of fun and creative activities. There was a lot of coloring, play doh, and finger painting going on in our house this week.

Georgea loves the kitchen she got from Mama & Dada for her birthday. And as a side note....look at that darling belly!

On her tippy toes putting her "Orioles" bear in a spot that is safe from Vida's reach.

This photo marks a special night, Mama & Dada's first date night in a very long time. We haven't felt comfortable getting a sitter & leaving Georgea at home. So, Becky volunteered to give James & me a night out while she was visiting. This was during Georgea & Becky's playful evening together. Georgea had a great time and she even went down well for Becky. Come back Beck' we miss you!!!

WONDERFUL news!!!

Olivia's family got the news we were all praying for yesterday. The biopsy of Olivia's tonsils came back and showed no signs of cancer. Praise God! He is good, good, good all the time!! Thank you so very much for your prayers!

Prayers needed....

This is our sweet friend Olivia. Olivia is adopted from China just like Georgea. She and her family have been friends of ours for many years. They live in Cincinnati. Olivia has had symptoms similar to those related to tonsillitis, discomfort, swelling, difficulty breathing & swallowing. She had a school physical and as a result her Dr. recommended Olivia have her tonsils removed. Upon further investigation her Dr. shared a concern that Olivia may have Lymphoma in her tonsils. Olivia will have the tonsillectomy on July 29 and then a definitive diagnosis can be made. We are asking for your prayers during this difficult time. We are praying specifically that the diagnosis would not be lymphoma and that Olivia would be completely free of cancer of any type. Thank you so much for your support!

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

In January we were told that Georgea has a genetic abnormality, that she had a "mosaic" genetic composition in some of her cells. This was discovered via some bloodwork that G's developmental pediatrician had run. As a result of this news we met with a geneticist and had a full chromosomal microarray genetic test run. The results of this test would reveal to us how the genetic abnormality was affecting Georgea. Last week we received amazing, miraculous and totally unexpected news! The results of the CM test showed that the 5% of abnormal cells were GONE! Georgea does not have a genetic disorder after all. What an amazing blessing for our family to receive this news! Georgea is progressing so well that this news really does make sense, however we never expected that this was even possible. God is good and we are so thankful!!

Some photos of our smiley girl at her geneticist's office.

The Graduate

Our beautiful niece Allison graduated from Clearwater High School (with honors!) in early June and we were able to attend her graduation festivities and cheer her on. It was an awesome time with family and a special experience celebrating Alli and all of her many accomplishments. Here she is with "big" sis Caitlynn and "little" sis Meghann. LOVE these girls!

Smiley grad!

Alli and her Daddy, my brother-in-law, John.

We traveled from Arizona, Indiana and Tennessee. It was great to have everyone together.

Georgea with her cousin Meghann. She loves hanging out with her cousins.

Alli with Grandma and Papa.

Aunt Bea-Bea and Grandma.

Mama & Dada (and G in her ergo with sippy cup pressed against my neck...oh well!)

Our nephew Jonathan with Meg and Cait.

The fireworks were beautiful, but Georgea really was not sure about them. Thus, I plunked her into her Ergo for some close comfort and snuggle time.

Ergo baby, working the crowd.

The day after graduation, hanging out at the pool with the family and more celebrating!!

Huggy-huggy Cait & Georgea.

Alexis gets a good giggle out of Georgea via some toe smooches.

Walking with Eva and Alexis. Georgea was the only baby in the bunch which meant lots of attention for a pretty little 2 year old.

A few moments of beach time was all we had, and Georgea loved it!

Bye-bye beautiful sand and surf.....we'll be back soon.

Pretty in Pink

We attended my childhood best friend's wedding on Memorial Day evening. It was a beautiful day, a lovely ceremony and Georgea was as sweet as could be. She really enjoyed the reception, snacking, giggling, playing with her Haba, Aunt & Uncle....and dancing with Dada.

"How do you like my new handbag Uncle Bob??"

OK, so there was one tantrum, early in the ceremony that led to a "walk" with Dada and some really discombobled hair. :-)

The happy couple, Carla and Mitch!! I love Carla so much. We've been through a lot together, especially in our early years & she really showed up for me when my Mom was sick. Seeing my special friend so happy is good for my soul.

Ready for her filet! They brought Georgea a special dinner of grilled cheese and fries, but she preferred my steak. Georgea's palette never ceases to amaze me. I'm not a meat eater, so I was happy to enjoy my crabcake & share the beautiful filet with the princess.

Georgea was very giggly during the reception. She loves music and food, so what could be better?!

Daddy's girl.

With the beautiful bride and my beautiful sister. Friends for 30 years.

Aunt Becky and her girl. True love.

Memorial Day Parade

Enjoying the Memorial Day parade in the town where I grew up. Georgea really enjoyed the festivities as well as time with family and good friends.


One of Georgea's good friends Georgi stepping away from the parade for a moment to say hello!

Waving her flag while hanging out with Kelly and Dada.

Haba!!

Georgea reached out for Luca's hand on the walk back to the car. My sweet, sweet girl.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

Georgea turned 2 on May 26! Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating her first birthday in China. Where did the year go?? We had a wonderful little party, just family, in Maryland a few days after Georgea's actual birthday. In fact we celebrated over a period of several days, with gifts, cake, presents and lots of hugs kisses. She's growing up fast and we're savoring every sweet moment.

One of my sister's very talented friends made this beautiful and DELICIOUS Kai Lan cake.