Welcome to our World

... At least not on the first floor! So it all began with the allergy symptoms. After lots of experimentation -- of which our trip to Hawaii played a part -- we realized Kaelah only had her dry cough, sneezing, runny rose, & itchy eyes (I'm assuming they were itchy due to all the rubbing) inside OUR house. Within 2 hours of arriving home from the airport after a 2 week vacation, the symptoms were back. Our carpeting soon became the prime suspect. Here are some photos of preparation for phase 1 of getting rid of the 11-year-old carpet. Allergy symptoms: GONE. While my dad was teaching me to take baseboards off, etc., Kaelah decided to bring over her own tool to help with -- her play sword. Here Kaelah helping my dad remove carpet & helping Danny push the fridge out of the way (since the hardwood in our kitchen is getting refinished to make sure everything matches). Kaelah has taken all of this very well. She doesn't find it strange at all that we have to go to the ...

After Danny got Kaelah ready for her Saturday, Kaelah decided she should be able to do her daddy's hair too. She is actually trying to get an electrical outlet cover to stick in his hair. Last week when Grandma Karyl came to babysit she brought over a great find from the thrift store! Not only is it fun to push around, but it will also carry toys and snacks around for your convenience. Maybe now that Kaelah can play & eat at the same time she'll gain some weight. Here is Kaelah in her pajamas watching Meigou outside. I just love to see those little feet poking out from under the curtains. We love to play peek-a-boo with these curtains too.

The pediatrician thought Kaelah was doing well enough to skip her 15-month check up... but I can't resist a formal update before she turns 16-months-old tomorrow. Of course I'll put this first on the list: Kaelah said her first Chinese word last week! Bi zi for nose -- which she heard for the first time in Hawaii. Looks like I'll have to pick out word #2 soon! Kaelah is selective about the music we listen to now. She'll either say, "no" or begin dancing. We're thrilled she will now fold her arms while we pray over the food & by her crib at night. Kaelah will also say "yummmm" while eating & will give high 5's and knuckles. I think you'll pick up most of the rest from the video. (:

Kaelah's new favorite hobby is playing with bubbles. It only took her one week to learn how to request them too, "bubbas." Here my wonderful husband is taking a break from vacuuming the sofa to play. Yes, while I got to take Kaelah bike riding & buy shoes for her growing feet, my fantastic hubby took a nap and cleaned the family room. And I mean cleaned ! "Woah" is one of my favorite words to hear Kaelah say. "Bubbas!" The next two pictures are from last week. I finally caught on camera Kaelah being sneaky sneaky sneaky! Well, she's sneaky if you are deaf, blind & have no sense of touch, but oh, to hear the giggling! Kaelah also really likes to play Ring Around the Rosie now too & Meigou will even get in on it but walking under our arms. Kaelah does insist that she remain standing while Dan & I "fall down," though. It cramps her princess style. (: P.S. Below is the picture of the shoes Kaelah & I biked down...

Our Halloween pictures finally made it to the computer. I won't state the name, but let's just say we know a certain 15-month-old who likes to hide things, especially if they are small & silver like a memory card reader. (: Oh look, here she is now, dressed up as a pumpkin fairy! And check out the super neat pumpkin Danny carved. We actually had neighbors make the effort to come compliment him before trick-or-treating began! I have never experienced a Halloween where families hang out on the porch to hand out candy the entire night! I just can't get over how wonderful the weather has been this fall. If there weren't long term consequences, I could really like global warming. Here's the cute little girl helping to hand out candy. She was a huge hit with the teenage trick-or-treaters. My favorite costume of the night was a guy dressed up as a kissing booth. When Dan asked him if that was working for him he replied, "I got a kiss from a 6-year-old ...

Last Saturday (Oct. 25th) we decided to enjoy the wonderful weather and half price cupons by going to Denver for the day. I guess we got addicted to avoiding chores while we were away. We had a wonderful time at Elitch Gardens -- we should go there before every Halloween! Kaelah's favorite part was the ball factory. Her eyes just popped when she realized there were balls everywhere! Quite the dream come true when your dog has taught you that balls are the best thing ever. She also did really well on the rides, especially when another mother gave her a sucker to eat along the way (after Kaelah threatened to take her son's sucker away from him). After Elitch's we met friends at the CO Rapids game, which was a ton of fun too. Since we didn't have seats together, we were only able to talk before the game began, but it was still really nice to see them. Thank you, Justin & Lindsey! This was the last game of the regular season against the Salt Lake Real. The Ra...

In part of Leslie's last blog entry she defended the people of Islam & I completely agree. No one religion has a monopoly on the good or bad people of the earth. Since I too have received slanderous e-mail, I write the following: Stereotyping Muslims gets to me on a very personal level. My mother moved to Baghdad (Iraq) when she was 7-years-old because my grandfather was sent by the US Government to help the people of the Middle East with agriculture techniques. They also lived in Kabul (Afghanistan), Lahore (Pakistan), & Tehran (Iran)... my mother did not return to the United States until she was 18-years-old & began college. While my mother grew up "abroad" she had the opportunity to meet many individuals who were not of her Christian faith. Most of her friends were Muslims and some of the most kind people she has ever met. When she asked her minister where her Muslim peers & their families would go after they died, she was told they would be sent...