One Year Shy of a Decade - No Way!

I can hardly believe that 9 sweet years ago Jaycie Ann Fowlkes entered our lives. She has been such a wonder to watch, from her early little squirms and coos to her current crazy dance moves and pre-adolescent insights. I am so proud of her, proud that she is compassionate, funny, smart, and creative. I love her sense of individual expression. I am amazed at how her humor mimics her dad's. It warms my heart when her heart softens following moments of (ahem) redirection. Watching her sing songs of praise, hearing her pray, and observing her efforts to live God's way are some of my proudest moments. Thank you, Lord, for our delightful, original, amazing Jaycie.

Valentine's Day and Yoga Moves

What a fantastic Valentine's Day we had! The Fowlkes girls are one lucky trio. Lee and Hannah surprised me at the library with a long-stemmed red rose, which I proudly displayed in a really short vase, since by the time it got to me it had lost half its stem (apparently, Hannah had wagged it and waved it all the way in). I was also treated to chocolate covered strawberries and dark chocolate M&Ms. My sweeties know the way to my heart. Jaycie and Hannah were also the recipients of lovely roses from their daddy, as well as sweet treats from Nannie and Grandaddy and Ms. Marilyn. Lee and I enjoyed a delicious date night at PF Chang's the following Saturday night thanks to Aunt Pam and Uncle Lincoln's baby-sitting service. Many thanks to / for all of our sweet Valentines!

On a totally different note: here's Hannah enjoying one of her new hobbies - yoga. It's a wonderful exercise for such a limber gal, and very relaxing, I might add. One hudred points to whoever names these particular moves:

Chinese New Year Part Two

Long overdue, here are some pics from our Chinese New Year celebration with our local FCC group. Our hosts decorated beautifully, the company was wonderful, and we had a marvelous time!

Fun T-shirt Pics and Message to Mendy

Hannah loves to dress up in our clothes, and I recently snapped this series of photos after she put on one of Lee's t-shirts. I got it for Lee at a library conference, and it has George W. saying, "The smartest thing I ever did was to marry a librarian!" I guess you could take that a few ways, but I think it's cute.

I'm totally breaking from blogger world protocol with the following message for Mendy, but humor me, please: Hey, Mendy! I know this is not the forum for personal messages, but every time I try to post a comment to your blog, I get a weird message and am unable to do so! This has happened numerous times, and I don't want you to think I've been ignoring you. E-mail me privately (my first and last name - no space- at yahoo dot com) with your e-mail address, so we can reconnect. Thanks!

OK; I feel like I was just yelling. Kind of like using all caps in an e-mail. I'm done now. Happy Valentine's Day, all.

Chinese New Year - Part One

Thursday was the beginning of Chinese New Year, so Lee and Hannah decorated with Chinese lanterns, stuffed red envelopes, and cooked a delicious Chinese meal for us and our good friend Beth, who somewhat recently returned home from another Asian culture (Japan). We had planned a small gathering of friends, but Beth ended up being the only one who was in town and not sick! We had a wonderful evening, nonetheless, and enjoyed kicking off yet another Year of the Rat (sorry, Mom). For more info about the holiday, go here.

Hannah Turned Two!

Our growing girl now proudly shows two fingers when asked her age but emphatically tells folks she's "three," followed by our pronouncing the word "two," which she then repeats perfectly (a wacky game of sorts, I guess). She loved blowing out the candles and got so excited opening presents at her family party in Nashville. Her birthday buddy, Great Aunt Mabel, joined the fun, and we all had a wonderful, low-key gathering.

Hannah's words are flowing faster and more freely these days, and she channels the spirit of Curious George daily. She is still a petite little miss, amazingly active, and delightful in every way. Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Christmas Collages & Kissing Cousins

Aunt Pam came up with a fun game for the cousins to play at our Jordan/ Hayes/Fowlkes/Coggins yuletide gathering. Here's the end result:

Also, the youngest cousins on the Cosby side of the family were caught kissing Santa Claus, who'd recently shaved his beard. Here's what was captured on film:


More shots below; ho, ho, ho!