Final Batch of Trip Photos

I finished uploading the last batch of photos of my trip to China. You can view them by clicking here or by clicking on the link "China Trip Pics" in the sidebar at the right. There is a total of 59 pictures there, but as you probably already surmised, it's a mere sampling of the over 250 pictures that I actually took on the trip! If you really want to see the entire collection, you'll have to come visit someday!

Happy First Birthday, Lily!

We had about 40 people at the house today celebrating Lily's first birthday (her birthday was the 10th, but our party was this afternoon). Julie served the guests strawberry shortcake, but the Pinger got her own frosted cake to dig into. She was very dainty, picking small pieces of cake up with her fingers and eating them. Needless to say, the frosting got in the way of her otherwise sophisticated etiquette.

"Please tell me you're not going to make me wear this hat all day."

Here's Lily opening up her presents. I'm not sure who the fuzzy white guy is in the picture (I was talking about the bear!).

Just Another Manic (well, not entirely) Monday

Lily was extra active and vocal this evening, so I broke out the camera and snapped a few shots. Here she is in the middle of one of her recent accomplishments...standing up on her own. She first finds a suitable spot to hang on, like the coffee table. Then she gets a very serious, intent look on her face with a hint of anxiety. All of a sudden, she will lightly push off, her fingers curl up, and for the briefest of moments, she is free of her anchor. Afterwards, she either ends up with her belly back against the table or below it on her bum. (I tried to get a shot of her actually not touching the table, but I just couldn't push the button at the right time.)

For the past couple of weeks we've tried to introduce the "sippy cup" concept to Lily. For the longest time, she just wasn't getting it. The cup would hang down in front of her with no water flowing. Julie has been working with the Pinger to get her to put her head back. As you can see above, she is now throwing her head back and sipping with reckless abandon.

Why do we buy so many toys for kids, when boxes, pots, and pans seem to keep their attention a lot longer? Observe Lily's opinion of this white plastic bowl (that's really a happy look on her face, in spite of what you may think at first).

"All in all, I'd say it was a great today," said Lily, as she squealed with delight.