Bang the drum and Shout!

2008-04-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

BANG THE DRUM AND SHOUT isn't going to be updated any more. Why? because I can't keep up two blogs for two kids.

TWO KIDS?? What happened there? Well, Min has joined the family. You can read about her things by going to HER SPECIAL BLOG.

To read more about the adventures of Laina and Min you can visit them at:

Two Sugar Plums

2008-01-11T14:47:00.001-08:00

These are just some more pictures from her "3 year old" birthday pictures.

2008-01-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

It happened yet again--I held my breath long enough and the "Holiday Season" passed me by without too much damage. Our neighbors had a great light display, enough for all of us. I didn't put a wreath on our door or get a christmas tree or put up any lights. I think our neighborhood thinks that we're the Scrooge family. I'm pretending I'm a Jehovah's Witness. I think that this is the last year I can let the Holidays slide by, though. Laina loves the sparkley lights and the pretty ornaments. She's a true Raccoon person.

We spend the Christmas Holiday at my Grandmother's house in San Luis Obispo. She's 94 years old and said that she's not planning to do any more Christmas decorating. She's giving away all her decorations. She's given me her olive wood "Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds" manger scene that we bought for her when we were in Jerusalem. I don't know when that was--1982 or something like that?

Laina and Cousin E. had a great time visiting with each other. They managed not to do any lasting harm to each other or any of the things they came in contact with this time. Here are a few pictures of the last month:

On the 13th, Laina celebrated her 3rd Birthday. Here's a picture of what she looked like:

During our Christmas time we spent some time on the beach. Here is Christmas day on Avila Beach. This is one of the great things about California--Christmas on the beach without getting frostbite. Laina ran onto the beach and as soon as her feet hit the sand, she bucked off her clothes and started running to the waves. I'm trying to teach her a little bit about social norms around here and since we're not living in the Munich English Garden, it's more appropriate to keep bits covered. After a little negotiation, she agreed to keep her bottoms on. She and Eli had a great time on the beach.

Right now I'm listening to the 2:00 news. Everyone on KCAL is all twitterpated about the upcoming "rainstorms". It's going to be the most rain since 2003!! or is that 2005!! It's going to rain more than 2 1/2 minutes at a time and they are dedicating the whole news program to it. There was some poor reporter out in Ventura with a plastic bag in her hand and saying, "look, look at this bag waving in the wind...the wind is really blowing...look at this bag". OK she didn't say exactly that, but that was the main idea. It reminds me of the reporters who wait out on the Sylvan bridge in Portland at the first rumor of snow so that they can talk about how it's snowing. If it rains enough to get all of the ground wet at the same time in my yard then I'll be really happy. So far, since I've lived down here, it has rained maybe 4 times. I've boycotted watering my lawn and I'm reminded that humans aren't supposed be living in orange county anyways.

2007-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

I've been learning some new things with my old photoshop program. I'm not great a editing pictures, but I have fun with it. One of the things I thought would be fun would be to give some of Laina's pictures the "Andy Warhol" treatment. So I've taken one of my favorite pictures and totally went crazy with it. Here are a few examples:

I found some web site that will do this kind of thing with a photograph that you send to them and they'll print it out on canvas and then give it back to you after they charge you $450 or more. I know I'm not all that great at "Warholization" but even if someone is really great at it, I don't see how they can charge $450 for it.

Anyways, it was my artistic outlet for the day.

2007-11-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

We had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Yesterday was Halloween and Laina and I decided we would take part in some of the celebrations! First thing that we did was go to the local market and buy some pumpkins: one for me and one for her.

Laina helped me do the scooping!

Laina enjoyed washing the seeds and playing with them. I thought that we might toast them for a snack, but after so much washing and being played with, I decided just to dump them in the trash.

She was so excited to go trick or treating that she had her costume on at 6:00, she didn't actually go around the neighborhood until around 7:00.

When she went, Jorg took her and I stayed home and gave out the candy. She came back with quite a haul!

2007-10-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ode to a Conny Francis song

Last weekend Laina and I drove up with my parents to visit my Grandma (She's called Gi-gi). On Sunday we had a very nice morning. Around 10:00 or so, we drove out to Avila Beach to play on the sand and walk around the little beach. Laina and my mom and a great time hopping the little wave, digging in the sand and watching the Pelicans dive. I sat and enjoyed having my mom watch Laina for awhile.

On the ride back, Laina fell asleep and slept for about 20 minutes. After lunch, I decided to see if she would go down for a nap in the pack and play. My rule for naps is that she has to stay in the crib for an hour regardless of if she sleeps or not. Laina didn't sleep at all and spent the time talking to herself, singing, and yelling, "MOM...is naptime over?". Just before naptime was over, my mom walked by the room and peeked in the cracked door. Mom came back and reported, "Laina's standing in the crib with one leg hanging over the side". I quickly went to the room and sure enough, one leg hanging over the side and she was reaching out trying to get something that was just out of reach on the desk close by. The desk chair was knocked down on the floor and as I walked in she dropped my cosmetic bag that she had in her other hand. She'd been caught and she knew it. This is what I saw:

I started laughing and called my mom in to see. Laina had gotten into my make up bag, taken out my lipstick and had smeared the whole tube over her entire face. There was some amount of toothpaste involved, but not too much. There was lipstick everywhere: on the side of the crib, on the blankets, on her shirt, in her hair, on her hands, all over. So. I took papertowels and wiped off her hands and face, stripped her down and threw her in the shower (not literally, people, come-on!). Her shirt was dunked in hot soapy water and left to soak overnight. The blanket was an electric blanket and couldn't be washed, so I wiped it off the best I could with some rubbing alcohol. The P-N-P was scrubbed with some cleanser and got mostly clean.

Laina was scrubbed mostly clean, but I could see sparkles from the lipstick on her scalp for about 2 baths afterwards. Laina, my little monkey-girl. Gotta love her!

Lipstick on your collar
Told a tale on you!!!

2007-09-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've finally uploaded a bunch of pictures and I'm trying the new Flikr function so I've made a little slideshow and if all works out well you can see it if you follow this link:

So, let's see if it works. Oh yeah, and here's some nice music to go along.

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eSnips Social DNA

2007-09-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

To my 3 blog readers: There is big news on my parallel blog that I've been keeping. BIG news...HUGE!!
Check it out:
Hang on Little Tomato

Now I have to upload a ridiculous amount of pictures from the digi cam that I've neglected for too long.

2007-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

THE BLUE GREEN JOGSUIT!!

My friend Scott and his family gave Laina this very nice velour jog suit. It's sized as "18 months". When I first got it, I couldn't believe that Laina would EVER be big enough to wear it and I had to roll up the legs for the longest time. Have a look at it now! It's almost highwaters now and I think I'll have put it in the "wait for the next one" bag. Thanks again, Scott and Mrs. T for the jogsuit! Laina really has enjoyed wearing it and would pet her legs and say, "it's so soft!" when she had it on.

Another nice gift we've received recently came from our neighbor Anne and her sons Andrew, Brandon and Christopher. Anne had been collecting these adorable little dolls for years and she came to the time in her life where it was time to let them go. Guess who has them now!! Laina loves them and calls them her "babies" and she puts them in her tricycle and gives them rides around the block. Thanks Anne!!

2007-07-01T13:03:00.001-07:00

LAINA AND THE MONKEY

I've managed to get a picture of Laina and this Monkey about every 6 months since we came home in October 2005. Here's the series as it is now. The monkey is a little statue at the front gate of the Santa Ana Zoo.

June 2007

Novemberish 2006

Julyish 2006

December 2005

2007-06-17T21:27:00.001-07:00

So, what do you do with 3 dirty little kids after they've played in dirt all afternoon?
You toss them in the tub!! Rub a dub dub--3 kids in the tub...

2007-06-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

DIRTY KIDS!!!

Laina and E. spent a good deal of time doing what kids should be doing-playing together and getting very, very dirty. Filthy even. So, I'll let these pictures speak for themselves.

2007-06-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

SACRAMENTO!!

This weekend we went to Sacramento to visit Aunt Aimee, Uncle Ryan and Cousins Eli and Amelia. On Saturday, the highlight of the day was...THE AIRSHOW!!! The Jets and airplanes were loud and fast. The kids were great and we stayed there all day.

Ryan and Eli sat in the cockpit of a Giant Transport Plane (a Boeing C something or other (sorry Airforce...I can't remember this stuff).

Laina had some nice photo ops, too.

I took lots of photos this weekend, so check back for more tomorrow!

2007-05-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Until we have some more interesting news, and especially because we have no interesting news, I present a picture of Laina!

2007-04-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

We went to church this week because my father is preaching his last sermon at the church he's currently head pastor of. He's going to be moving on to his next project next month. My sister came down for the weekend and we got to spend some time together. Here's a picture of Laina and Eli in the kids program wearing funky sunglasses. In the program they're studying about "Jesus made me" and they're talking about the 5 senses and body parts and whatnot. There's a little song they sing about "Some people wear glasses to help them see better". During this song, all the kids get to wear funky sunglasses. Laina really thinks this is fun, so she has to take off her real glasses and put on the play sunglasses and sing a song about how some people have to wear glasses. So here' a picture of E. and Laina wearing their glasses.

2007-04-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Friday Foto Challenge

The Family Fun Foto Challenge this week is "Gotcha Clothes". "Gotcha Day" is the day that we picked up Laina from the Social Welfare Agency in China. In this case, it was October 12th, 2005. At least that's what I think it was. I'm really bad with dates in general, and I don't feel like getting up and checking the paperwork. I know it was early/mid October of 2005 though. Laina was 10 months old. She's almost 2 and a half now. She's 90 centimeters tall (I know that height so I can order my Hannah Andersson dresses for her. I have no idea how that translates into inches). She weighs about 28 pounds, now. She weighed about 19 pounds when we met her.

She was wearing a 2 piece, non-split pants outfit. The other 4 girls were wearing the same outfit, just different colors. Under the outfit, she had on some red stripy leggings which were split in the crotch, but the split was because they had been cut with scissors, not because they were made that way. Under the split pants leggings she had a diaper that was held on by an elastic band. She had red socks on. On top she had a long sleeved shirt that was white and pink stripped. I used the shirt regularly until she outgrew it. The "gotcha" outfit I never had her wear again because Jorg thought it was creepy to see her in it. So, after a year and a half, here is Laina in her "Gotcha Clothes".

When I was taking out the clothes, the little elastic band that was holding up her diaper fell out of the bag. It's just a fabric covered elastic that was tied in a knot. This little band made me wonder about what my little 2 and a half year old would be doing if she hadn't come home with us. I wonder if her strong spirit would have eventually been crushed out, or would she have become stronger? I also remembered how I felt before we went and picked her up. I know that I wanted to be a mommy and I know that I was going to be the best mom I could be. I also knew that I didn't have any idea what I was doing. Becoming a first time mom to an almost 1 year old from an institution isn't easy. They write books about adoption, and attachment, and development, and china, and babies, and babies from China. There is no book about me and there is no book about Laina. There was no manual about how can someone with the skills of Laura be a mommy to a little girl with the quirks, needs, demands, skills, requirements of Laina. I had to figure it out, Jorg had to figure it out. In the end, when all is said and done, we can only do the best we can and I hope Laina decides that, too. My standard answer when people say, "Oh...she's so lucky to have you for her parents..." is "Well, why don't you ask her about that in about 12 years". Hopefully we'll have done all right. And how I got all this psychological blah blah from her gotcha clothes is going to be the subject of psych 207 at the community college next term: Nature/nurture, Freud....GOTCHA!!!

2007-04-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

SPRINGTIME PORTRAITS

Here are some photos of Laina that we took to send to her Oma and Opa. She loves this dress and calls it her "Princess Dress".

2007-04-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

LAINA FUYING. ARTIST.

It happens that the Friday Family Fun Foto challenge is about Toddler Art. Isn't it funny that my last post was about Laina and her painting? So, I'll post the picture of the painting here for the FFFF challenge. If you want to see what she looked like after she finished this painting you can scroll down to the next post and see the picture.

So, without further ado--Laina's first painting.

Notice the vibrancy of colors and the use of a limited palette. This has nothing to do with the mother dictating to the artist that she can only use 4 colors because we don't want all the other colors dumped all over the back patio. Notice the abundant shading and blending of colors from one corner to the next. The artist also used a variety of tools to create the various textures: skin, hair, fingers, fingernails, paintbrushes, paper and diapers. You can see 2 very distinct hand prints and fingernail scratches.

THE ARTIST HERSELF posing with her artwork.

This painting is not for sale, but if you'd like one like it for a price, I can probably arrange that. I have an in with the artist and can pull some strings. Just let me know.

2007-04-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

MILESTONE BLOG!!!
Tonight's blog is one for the baby book. Before Laina went in for her bath that she badly needed because she had streaming drips of ice-cream making their way down her belly, I asked her if she wanted to sit on the big potty. She said she did. I put her on the big potty. She peed!!! AND she made poo-poo IN THE BIG POTTY!!! Is the quest for cheaper better diaper finally over because they are now obsolete? Let's see how she does when I do the "potty training in earnest". I think I'll start that next week...or month...or sometime.

And now...a picture that has nothing to do with the above. Recently, Laina and I did a collaborative artwork. It's our first museum quality painting that you can have for the amazing price of $49.99. Original artwork signed by the artists. Seriously, this painting is not for sale at any price and if you steal it, we will track you down and staple your lips to the Grand Coulee dam. So, just so you know, don't steal our artwork. Anyways...after it was completed, Laina needed to be cleaned up a bit because she obviously put her body mind and soul into her self expression. I had to tuck her under my arm and carefully tote her to the tub so she didn't get paint all over the universe. She thought this was somewhat undignified for an artist of her stature and thus the sour face. Feel sorry for her.

2007-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN A FUNNY LITTLE KID LOOKS THROUGH THE NECK HOLE OF HER PINK T-SHIRT.
I want to make a pattern of this, sew it, stuff it, and sell it on Ebay. I think we've got a best seller.

2007-04-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

A BABY, A BEAR, AND A BASKET!
Laina was "helping" me with the laundry today. By "helping" I mean that after I carefully separated the lights from the darks, Laina very helpfully emptied the basket on the floor, pushed it to the other room and loaded the basket up with toys. I was made aware of the situation when Laina started yelling, "Momma...push me...MOMMA...HEY MOM!!! Push Me!!!".
I had to take some pictures. So here's Laina and Purple Bear going on a Laundry Basket Safari.

2007-04-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pixx:

My lovely niece, Amelia.

And from Portland here's a Family Picture with Jen, Ward, and Laina!

And just Jen and Laina on the Goat.

2007-04-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today I was in the kitchen wondering what I was going to fix myself for breakfast. I was teetering between toast or cereal. I was looking at the toaster and resting my hand on my cheek. Laina walks in the kitchen and says, "Whatcha thinkin' 'bout Momma?".
"I'm thinking about toast." I answered.
Laina thought about that for a second then she answered, "How 'bout thinkin' 'bout cookies?".

Yep...she's a thinker!

When was this picture taken?? I'm not really sure. A long time ago when we still lived in Portland.

2007-03-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from not too long ago.

Laina with her Daddy

Laina and Gisi on the beach

E. and Laina playing in a Salmon in Folsom

Laina pretends to be a Salmon Baby

2007-03-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture that my mom took of us on a hike around the local area. I'm going to use it for our "family picture" that we have to send to China for our next adoption. I have to point out that the Blue sweater that I'm wearing was one that I bought my Sophomore year in Highschool. Yes, that would make it about...umm....21 years old. My vintage Gap cardigan is finally of drinking age.

Here's a picture of Laina with our dear friend Annie. Annie was adopted from China when she was a little baby and now she's 12. We like Annie and love to see her in Church. Annie is very sweet with Laina and likes to sit next to us and help entertain Laina. Last week Laina went to Church with my parents and Jorg and I stayed home for a break. That was nice.

2007-02-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Busy days ahead!

We've got some fun things up ahead of us in the next weeks. Coming up we're going to Sacramento and the Napa Valley. That will be fun to see the cousins and aunts and uncles! I'll also get to bite a Guigni's sammich. I know everyone is jealous of that. Wanna bite?? GET YOUR OWN GUIGNI'S!!! Soon after that we head up to Bridgetown to visit friends. Can't wait for that!! A week seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by. After that, Jorg heads out for some trips to far away places. Laina and I will probably go visit Grandma. Then we'll go as a family to China for a visit. That will be fun! So...the next couple of months will be busy and fun! Hang on for the ride...

Here's a picture of Laina with her current favorite thing: Curly Blue Blanket AKA "Curry Bang Kott".

2007-02-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we went to the beach. It was windy and just a little warm, but the kids had fun playing. Here's a few pictures of what Laina looked like on that day.

2007-02-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late on the Foto Challenge this week, but I'm going to join in anyways. Here are some bad photos that I think are still pretty funny. I've got lots of cute photos and lots and LOTS of not so great ones.

2007-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

We got to choose our own theme for the Friday Family Fun Foto Challenge this week. I chose one of Laina's favorite themes and that is "messy faces". Here's a collage of Laina and just a few of her messy face fotos.

2007-02-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

This last weekend we went to the LA/SoCal FCC regional Chinese New Year banquet. What a riot! The kids were absolutely adorable. One woman and I were talking about how amazing it was to have all the kids in one place. There were acrobats, a juggler, dancing, and we had some Chinese food that could best be described as Mamahuhu. BUT I had a good time. I talked to a few new people, I met Gwen, Meg and Christi. Here's a picture of Laina with the Chinatown Princesses. She fits right in, doesn't she?

I cropped this next picture because I want you to notice this little adorable curly headed girl. I'm not sure how to spell her name, but her parents and friends call her something that sounds like "Chaiya" so that's what I'll call her. Notice Chaiya's doll? Laina also noticed her doll and spent a lot of her time trying to figure out how she could get this doll away from Chaiya. Once, Chaiya was sitting down in the middle of the dance floor and Laina siddled up next to her, but just a little bit behind so Chaiya couldn't really see her, and tried to reach around the side and grap the dolls head and yank it out of Chaiya's arms. I had to watch Laina like a hawk, because Laina would hunt Chaiya down and try to find that doll. Another time, Chaiya's mom was holding the doll in her arms and Laina saw that Chaiya didn't have the doll and turned to me and said, "Mom, Laina turn, doll?". Sorry kiddo...not your doll.

This is a picture that Jorg took at the exact moment that Laina decided that the Lion dancing was terrifying. We left soon after this picture was taken.

2007-02-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well, Trevor, your birthday post is getting bumped down the blog. I see you haven't logged into your myspace account, so I don't even know if you've seen it or not! Anyways...it's time for Friday Family Foto Fun Challenge...or whatever. You can see the other entries HERE.

The theme is sleep. I've made this collage of several pictures of Laina sleeping. Mostly I don't like sleeping pictures, because so many times, after I take a picture of my sleeping angel, she doesn't look like she's sleeping. She looks...well...OK I'll just say it...She looks dead. Quite frankly it creeps me out. But I like these pictures. My favorite is the one where she's got her forehead on the floor. This was taken about 3 days after we got home and Laina was getting over jet lag. We were letting her explore her environment and trying to keep her awake. I turned my back for a sec and this is what I saw when I looked back...this baby had just crapped out and couldn't for the life of her, stay awake any more.

So--the sleep collage (click for a larger picture!!)

2007-01-26T22:31:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREVOR!!
It's our friend Trevor's Birthday on the 29th. Happy Birthday, Trevor. It's going to be a big and interesting year for you and we wish you the very best good fortune,
Love,
Laina and Laura

2007-01-26T22:17:00.000-08:00

PROFILES!

The FFF challenge this week is Profiles. Here's a couple of shots I took of Laina today. I don't usually try for a profile shot, because frankly, I'd rather photograph her smiley face, but I thought these two looked OK.

2007-01-24T20:33:00.001-08:00

Here's what we looked like today. We put our make up on and did our hair and then took some self portraits.

Laina wanted to have her picture taken with Purple Bear. Purple may (or may not) be needing to be retired as number one bear pretty soon. We're looking for a suitable replacement. Purple Bears are harder to come by than I thought!

2007-01-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

I'm just playing with my photo editor:

2007-01-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm working on getting an online video program started which will be taking place in the local parks. Laina is my model and demonstrated her sliding skills this last week.

2007-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

SHOES!!

I don't have a large collection of shoes for either me or Laina. We have basic, utilitarian type shoes. Laina has one pair of boots and one pair of sneakers and one pair of pink Mary Janes. I don't know if this is a reflection on me or her, but that's the way it is. Today Laina was out, playing in the dirt again. She had put on her boots on the wrong feet without socks. Here's what she looked like:

2007-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

....And here's another comparison. The first on was taken in the middle of June, 2006. The second one, January 17th, 2007.

2007-01-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

The Previous post reminded me of a couple pictures earlier in Laina's life. Here's one from April 22, 2006, just before we moved to California. She had only been walking a couple of weeks and it was one of the first sunny days when it was dry enough to play outside. I love the way little babies walk. The dress is the same one she was wearing in the pictures I took on January 17, 2007.

2007-01-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today Laina was outside playing in the pot that held the dirt that I used to try and grow a tomato. She has so much fun scooping and pouring and getting all kinds of dirty. Check it out.

2007-01-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

Over the Christmas Season it was decided that I should have the kidney stone that has been living in my Kidney for a while, smashed to little bits so that it will come out relatively easy rather than getting stuck and making me sick for a very long time. So, that's what I got to do on January 5th. One of the things they gave me after the procedure was a special pee catcher that I could pee in and then fish out the particles of stone for analysis. I never used it, though. I used a different method and the special pee catcher was never used...by me...to pee in. Laina decided that she would use it for her own purpose. Pilgrim Hat.

2007-01-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

So, we survived the holidays. I'm not a holiday person. I cringe until they go away. Then the kidney stones...then the realization that I'm an idiot. Well...that's not a new realization, so what do you do, get up and brush yourself off and start again. That's what the new year is for. And without further ado, some pictures of Laina that we took on her birthday.

2006-12-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

FUN WITH PAPER

For her birthday, I decided to let Laina play as much as she wanted with something that I'm constantly trying to get her to stop playing with...the toilet paper and the Tissue box. I wrapped up 2 rolls of Toilet Paper and a great big box of pop up Tissue. After she got over the shock that she wasn't going to get in trouble, here are the results of our playing.

Even Purple Bear had to get in the Paper Action:

2006-12-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

I lurk on a lot of blogs. I like to read stories of people who are adopting from China and I especially LOVE to watch the families go and pick of their new babies. I have often read the blog "Double Happiness" and have enjoyed the Friday Foto Challenge. I have been too distracted to participate, but I want to play along this week.

This week's topic is PIGTAILS!! Laina has never had REAL pigtails in, so last night, I tackled her and managed to get these pictures before she ripped them out.

My secret was that I also had pigtails in my hair. I took pictures of us together to preserve the moment...scary...

2006-12-21T13:26:00.000-08:00

CHINESE RADICALS!

Today, after breakfast, Laina joined me in the "media room" and started reading a book while I was checking the emails. She was reading from her favorite section of books from our library, the Chinese language section. Today she was reading about Chinese Radicals. Now, I think this is funny, because my first thing I think of when I hear "Chinese Radical" is someone who is Chinese who might have extreme ideas or thoughts on something. Actually a "radical" in this context is a part of a written Character that provides the character with meaning. But I think it's funny to think of a Chinese person who is a "radical". So, here's Laina...My little Chinese Radical.

2006-12-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

LOOK MA, NO HANDS!!

2006-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

BIRTHDAY FUN!!
Last Sunday we celebrated Laina's 2nd birthday. It wasn't on her exact birthday day because Jorg was out of town until then.

Laina decorated her cake!

Check out the spread...

Let's just sneak a little bite.

Oh...so THAT's what we do with these pretty boxes. Do you see my new little bike?

2006-12-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

MONKEYS AND TURTLES!!

Here's a picture from December 2005

And here's some from August 2006

And now December 2006.

What a difference a year makes...

2006-12-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

THE PROCESS STARTS AGAIN...

Today, in China, there is a woman. This woman doesn't know this yet, but sometime, in the next year, she will get pregnant. She will carry this baby to term, and she will give birth. Maybe she's poor. Perhaps she was raped. Maybe she's a college kid who was fooling around with her boyfriend and didn't know what else to do. Maybe this woman will suffer horible post-partum depression. Maybe this woman has an evil mother-in-law who will give an ultimatum. Maybe this woman has an abusive husband. Maybe this baby will be born a girl. Maybe we can't even guess the circumstances. Regardless of the circumstances, this woman will find it necessary to leave her child in a place that it will be found. Perhaps in a park, perhaps in a marketplace, perhaps in a train station, it doesn't really matter, but the baby will be found. The baby will then go to the orphanage and be fed, clothed, and provided with basic needs until it is about a year old. Then, through the process of paperwork and time, the baby will be placed in my arms and I will become it's mother. Jorg will become it's father and Laina will become it's sister.
So now, as I will for every night for the rest of my life, I will say a prayer for this woman.
Sometime in 2008, we will bring our new baby home. Until then, I can only pray.

2006-11-05T20:57:00.001-08:00

You call it corn.
We call it Maize.
Laina has fun at the CORN MAZE!!!
This is from Sauvie Island Corn Maze a few days before Halloween on our trip to Portland.

2006-11-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

LAINA WANTS YOU TO SEE HER NEW SHIRT!

She's pretty sure it makes her look very cool and sassy.

Earlier this morning, Laina discovered the "cobwebs" that were used for Halloween decorations. She declared it to be "soft" at which time she wrapped herself all up in the cobwebs. I'm going to have polywhateverlene threads all over the house for the next 5 months. GAH!!

2006-11-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

LAINA IS AN ANGEL FAIRY PRINCESS!!

2006-10-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

LAINA MADE A PIE!

2006-10-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

LAINA LIKES TO DANCE!!!

2006-10-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Laina made a batch of Popcorn. Get some for yourself and pull up a chair and watch her first feature film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QSjlBXizoc

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Enjoy!!

2006-09-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Way back in 1990 I lived in China and I was teaching English there. My boss had a young daughter who was 9 years old at the time. The daughter's name is Sharon and she's all grown up now and as it happens, she lives in Long Beach. Sharon came over to dinner the other night and we at Berries. Laina REALLY loves berries and has to make sure that she gets the full sensory experience from them. Isn't this lovely??

When we went to the zoo the other it was adoption day. Laina was born in the year of the Monkey and I frequently call her my Monkey Girl. I think the sign that says "Adopt an Animal...adopt your favorite wild child". is really funny in a very twisted way. HEY!! If you have a problem with what I find funny and twisted...don't read my blog.

Laina wants to go incognito for awhile.

On the Merry-go-Round at the Mall. She thought this was FABULOUS!! If you look close, you can see Grandma and Grandpa in the background.

2006-09-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

FUN AT THE ZOO!!!

Recently we went to the zoo! I took the opportunity to get another picture with the monkey. Check back in the August archives to see what Laina looked like back then and compare!

Here's Laina and Cousin Eli in the gigantic chicken egg. I find the gigantic chicken egg to be strange and somewhat creepy. But the kids look cute, don't they?

Laina loves to swing.

2006-08-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

LAINA AND HER DADDY!
Isn't this cute of Daddy and Laina?? Notice Daddy's glasses. Laina found them today and decided that they would be fun to pull and bend. Daddy was not happy! But luckily they were fixable and they got bent back to the right shape.

2006-08-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

HOOORAY IT'S FUNSHINE DAY!!!!
Congratulations to Rod, Mary-Mia and Funshine!!! (Who would have guessed that Funshine would be plural! 2 Girls, WOW!!!
http://www.salsainchina.blogspot.com/

2006-08-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

Laina has decided that her first help around the house chore will be unloading the dishwasher. Since she joined our family, she has had an attraction towards the dishwasher and now she's old enough and has the skills to help. She takes the dish out of the dishwasher, and hands it to Mom or Dad. She gets really mad if she doesn't get to help out. I'm hoping that her love for the vaccuuuuuume cleaner will continue to grow. I've also started writing a children's book called, "When I grow up, I want to clean the bathroom". I'm hoping that some early brainwashing will help out during the teenage years. Now, I have to go to the doctor and get my tongue removed from my cheek.

2006-08-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have never wanted to be a gardener. I really don't do well with plants. I've killed many MANY plants over the course of my life time, but I want to try again for a good reason. Tomatoes. There are few things which I love more than garden grown tomatoes, fresh picked and warmed by the sun. I LOVE home grown tomatoes. And Laina also loves tomatoes. So, the other day we were at the local Organic Farmer's market and I bought a single, scrawny, tomato plant. I put it in a big pot and Laina helped me pour new dirt in. Now, every day (or so) I remember to dump some water on it and I watch it and wave my hands in some magic ju-ju way and tell it to grow tomatoes. Last week I noticed a little tiny tomato on the stalk. It's barely there, but it's there. All I've got to say to this plant is that if it doesn't pay for it's way around here, it is COMPOST.

2006-08-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

LAINA SAYS, "SAFETY FIRST!!".

2006-08-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Princess Laina!
Anna brought Laina a present of some great Disney books. There was also the "princess" things! We got a magic wand and a Princess "crown". Laina was showing Anna how her dojo uniform shirt (dress?) was fitting and she was also wearing her princess crown...and waving at the crowd like a beauty pagent contestant.

Ladies and Gentlemen...May I present...

PRINCESS LAINA!

2006-08-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today's entry is actually about my friends Will and Anna who visited us this weekend. They drove down from Oregon and weren't even here 48 hours, but we packed in as much as we could!

First we went to Venice Beach. We saw this fun stunt show, walked around, ate pizza and watched people.

BEAUTIFUL ANNA AND HANDSOME WILL

THE SHOW WE SAW

After Venice we went to walk around Rodeo Drive. I had never been there before, and I thought it was rediculous! So much pretention is such a small space! I had never been there before, so I had a really good time going there. Just outside the main shopping area was a giant tree that made for some good photo ops.

After Rodeo Drive we cruised up to Hollywood to step on the stars and try on some handprints.
We also took some pictures with the Hollywood sign. It's small, but it's there!

ANNA WITH JACK NICKELSON

AND JULIE ANDREWS

ANNA AND LAURA

WITH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN

ANNA AT THE KODAK THEATER WHERE THEY HOLD THE OSCARS

Aside from the touristy things, I had a great time hanging out and talking. I was SOOO glad Will brought down his gear and we could spar a bit in the back yard. One day...one day...I will know how to deal with that damned side thrust kick! I had a blast with them and I hope they had a good time, too!

2006-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

JUST ME AND LAINA TAKING PICTURES!!

These were all taken yesterday 8/2/06.

A genuine smile!

This is the face Laina made when I told her to "smile".

Laura and Laina

I just like this picture

2006-08-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

OLD WARRIOR WAY

Yesterday Laina saw me working on my Kobudo Skills, and after I was done, picked up my bo and started trying to do some "skillz" of her own. AWESOME, Laina! You'll have your first bo kata down before you're 3. Seriously, I went out and bought a length of 1 inch pine dowling for her very first bo. It's so cute! I'll post some cheezy posed out "Laina the Martial Artist" shots when I take some tomorrow.

2006-08-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG time since I've updated our blog, so I've got a SLEW of pictures for you!

LAST WEEKEND, Jorg was cleaning up the garage. We have to clean the garage, because we're expecting some friends to come over and we need to move the glass table in the garage, the futon where the table was, and then set up the keyboards where the futon was. SO Jorg did that on Saturday and Sunday. He did a good job. He had to use the ladder to climb up to the attic space and guess what Laina decided to do?? Yes! She wanted to climb the ladder, too!

On Monday, my dad "Grandpa" took us to the zoo! Here are a couple of pictures of Laina posing with the Monkey statue.

And here's what she looked like when we went to the zoo in December 2005 at Christmas time.

Here's a picture of Laura and Laina on the Turtle!

This is just a funny picture of Laina. Notice the runny nose and the clip in her hair that I had to put her in a full Nelson with a leg lock to get in her hair.

2006-07-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

TODAY WE WENT SWIMMING at Alessandro's house. Here is a picture of Alessandro and Laina after swimming. Alessandro's mom is one my oldest and best friends. They live in Washington DC but his grandma lives nearby and so when they were here for a visit we went over to swim. We'll see them tomorrow, too!

2006-07-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I spent in San Luis Obispo with my Grandma, sister and Nephew. We did all kinds of fun things like play in the park, swim at aunt Linda's house, and hang around the house. Unfortunately I didn't take very many pictures. But I did take a few.

LAINA GETS A NEW HAT in preparation for the day at the pool.

GRANDMA READS A BOOK to Laina. Grandma is 93 years old and we love her very much.

LAINA HANGS OUT ON THE BED with Purple Fuzzy Bear and Ceasar. Ceasar isn't mommy's bear that she still sleeps with every night and takes on trips. Don't think that it is, because you'd be wrong. Nope, Ceasar isn't that bear at all. No such bear exists.

2006-07-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Laina was wearing her new purple dress and I thought it would be cute to have a photo shoot of her in her purple dress with Purple Fuzzy Bear. This is the only picture I got of them together in the "formal set up" that I had envisioned. Yeah, a plastic deck chair is really formal, isn't it?

After one shot, this is the next one that I got.

Before I knew it, this is the next thing that happens.

Do you see that poor Purple Fuzzy Bear is learning how to float on his back?
After I squeezed him out a bit I wanted to see what Laina would do. She carries him and loves on him a little bit.

Then she gives him a drink of water.

I rescued him not long after that, wrung him out and hung him up to dry.

This distressed Laina greatly.

She cried when I made her come in the house without Bear. She went to sleep without him, too. I tried to substitute another bear, but she didn't want any other bear. She didn't cry, though. She still had Pan-Pan and I guess that was enough.

2006-07-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

PORTRAITS
JULY 9, 2006

2006-07-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

FUN AT THE BEACH

Last weekend, before we watched the World Cup finals, we went to the beach with our friends Gisi and Moni. Moni and I walked along the beach for a while while Laina was in the stroller. Then we went and played in the sand. Gisi and Jorg were running.

LAINA EATS STRAWBERRIES WITH MONI

PLAYING IN THE SAND, MOUTH FULL OF BERRIES

WHATCHU TALKIN' 'BOUT, WILLIS?

FAMILY PORTRAIT

2006-07-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP....

Every good baby blog needs pictures of the baby sleeping soundly in the crib. Here are Laina's obligatory snoozer snapshots. These were taken last Friday night about 11:00 PM just before I went to bed. I snuck in her room and snip-snap I took the pics. She turned over in bed and said "Whaaaaah" once without waking up and fell soundly asleep again. Notice the stranglehold she has on dear sweet Purple Fuzzy Bear.

2006-07-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

THIS JULY 4TH HOLIDAY!!

Well, it was actually on the 3rd that we went Rafting on the American River! We went through and AWESOME class 1 rapid and got all wet and Laina thought it was great fun. We don't have an actual picture of the the raft trip, but here's Laina helping Uncle Ryan and Aunt Aimee getting the raft ready.

The kids also got to ride in the bicycle wagon to go hear a party band play at the community fair. They were called "Funkengruven" and they were very fun to dance to.

Laina at first was not so happy about the wagon.

Then she decided that she would have to just see what was going on. Cousin Eli is not so sure he likes being in the wagon with Laina.

By the time we got to the fair, this is what they looked like. Sweet sleeping angels.

2006-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've been asked why I call this blog "Bang the Drum and Shout". So, I'll explain that now.
When we were looking for names for Laina, we wondered if the syllables "Lai Na" would mean anything in Mandarin. As it turns out they don't mean anything special, but if you have 3 characters, that sound like "Lai Na Han" it means, 'bang the drum and shout'. When I read that in our Chinese dictionary, I was pretty well convinced that "Laina" should be the name for our daughter. Jorg also liked the name and it worked well for German speakers and also English speakers.

Laina is a Finnish name which means "a Loan". Laina's given Chinese name is "Fu Ying" which means "welcome blessings". I think that Laina Fu Ying means "A welcome blessing on loan". Which I think is a fitting name for her.

Together we can "Lai Na Han"--Bang the Drum and Shout-- all day long!

This is a picture of me and baby Laina, the week she joined the family in late October 2005.

2006-06-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

LAINA'S NEW GLASSES

THIS IS WHAT SHE DID WHEN I TOLD HER TO "SMILE".

LAINA AND DAD READ THE MAIL

2006-06-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

LAINA DEMONSTRATES HOW TO EAT CHOCOLATE PUDDING

START BY DOING YOUR BEST TO USE THE SPOON

FORGET THE SPOON. TRY DRINKING IT.

Umm...ok...HOW ABOUT JUST USING THE HANDS

WELL, OK-THEN WE'LL TRY PAINTING

OK SO, SCRAP ALL THAT AND START GIVING YOURSELF THE SPA TREATMENTS

AFTER THE SPA TREATMENTS, YOU'LL NEED A SPA LUNCH. BROCCOLI WORKS QUITE WELL.

ANY QUESTIONS?

2006-06-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

WHERE'S THE BABY? CAN ANYONE SEE HER?

LAINA THINKS THE NEW POOL IS FABOOO!

2006-06-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

I made this photo collage for a friend of mine. It was her birthday on the 22nd and we are sending her a late birthday card in the mail. I thought I would post this here since I think it turned out really cute.
Happy Birthday, ANNA!!!

2006-06-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Laina has discovered a new game! It's called, "Throw the 5 gallon water bottles down the stairs! Here's how it works:

PICK UP ONE OF THE EMPTY WATER BOTTLES

TOSS IT DOWN THE STAIRS

LISTEN TO THE WONDERFUL BANGING NOISE IT MAKES

REPEAT

YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?

2006-06-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

BOY! It's been a busy couple of days. Saturday we went to Church (it was OK. Laina had fun). Then in the afternoon we went to a Chinese Food festival and got to see Lion Dancing, Shaolin Monks and some guy balancing bowls on his head while riding a Unicycle!

Sunday afternoon my mom and dad watched Laina so Jorg and I could get some things done like shopping, stuff around the house and going out to eat. I also got my hair cut. My once every sometimes hair cut. Now I have "Mom Hair". Oh well...it will grow out. I didn't cut bangs this time, because the last time I cut bangs I looked like a COMPLETE idiot. Now I look like only a sort of idiot.

Yesterday we went to the Science center to learn about Sciency stuff. Laina's so smart now that she's learned all about the Doppler Effect and Bernouli's Law.

This morning we went and picked out some frames for Laina's first pair of glasses. Laina has intermittent strabismus--in layman's terms--she's Wall Eyed. That doesn't sound very nice at all, does it? Her right eye doesn't point in the same direction as the left eye all the time. If the glasses don't work, she may need surgery later on. We'll see.

THIS WEEK'S PORTRAIT

2006-06-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

RUN RUN RUN...

Today we went to the Newport Back Bay. Laina went in the water with me keeping very close watch over her. Then we went out and played on some of the play equipment on the shore. She had a great time playing with the other kids on the beach with the sand and everything. Then, after a while she decided that she wanted to head back into the water. She just started running right in without looking back or stopping. Luckily, I was right behind her. She got up to her waist before she fell down and got a lung full of salt water. I pulled her up and she choked and sputtered a bit and then wanted to get back in the water.

She spend the early evening with my parents while I was in Karate class and she had a great time reading magazines and eating with them.

2006-06-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

BACK YARD PUNK

WOODEN SPOON IN DRIER VENT

LEAF IN TUPPERWARE

Today I was made aware of one of my dojo precepts in a very harsh and hard way. We are taught to "Respect all life". ALL LIFE, even those of small animals and insects. I have always tried to make Laina realize that bugs are just bugs, and not to be afraid of them or kill them, or torture them for no reason. I show her the spiders and armadillo beetles and bees. I teach her not to touch them, but to look at them.
But yesterday, I was watering the lawn and scared up a whole nest of ants. They started to go into panic mode and grab their eggs and prepare for evacuation. I felt bad for them, but I also had to water my lawn.
Today I killed a nest of hornets that had set up house in the soffits of the roof. I had tried to ignore them, but every time we turned on the hose to play in the sprinkler, they came out looking for a drink. I was afraid that one day they would sting either me or Laina. So today, I poisoned their nest. They all dropped dead and even the grubs, the babies that they worked so hard to tend to, dropped out of the nest. I really felt bad for them and I even shed a tear for the poor damned hornets.
I guess I respect the lives of these little insects in that they are just trying to make it in this world along with me. But I also look at the order of life. They don't worry about killing something that is interfering with their nests. They were interfering in MY nest!
Then, the worst thing. Laina and I were walking around the block. I heard a commotion of birds in a tree we were walking under. Just then, a small hawk, perhaps a kestrel, swooped from under the tree with a baby bird in it's talons with the mother sparrow following as close as she could, crying and squawking for her baby. I felt so bad for her, and she couldn't do anything other than follow and cry. Poor momma bird. I wonder what I would do in the event that I would have to protect my child with my life. I hope I never have to, but I know I would do whatever I had to. I hope that I never feel like that poor mother bird. I think of her tonight.

2006-06-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

PLAYING PEEK A BOO!

2006-06-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEK'S PORTRAITS

Laina and Dad

Laina and Mom x 2 I couldn't pick which one I liked best

Laina by herself at age 18 months and 4 days.

2006-06-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

MORE BABY IN A BUCKET!!
She is so cute when she plays in her bucket, and she loves it so much! The water was very warm today and she just sat in the bucket and played and played. I gave her a bunch of "credit cards", you know, those blanks they send you in the mail, and also expired library cards, and AAA cards and stuff. She thought that was great.

BABY IN A BASKET!
Laina discovered that Pan-Pan fit quite nicely in the wastebasket, so she decided to have a try herself. She crouched down in the wastebasket and watched Blue's Clues for a while. Then she made Pan-Pan get back in. She waved "hi" and laughed when I asked her what she was doing in the wastebasket.

ON YOUR MARK...GET SET...
This is how Laina ran around the house after she was done playing in the bucket. I think it looks so funny to see her run around with shoes, socks, and a diaper. It reminds me of the time I went skinny dipping in a river but wore my boots since the rocks were so sharp at the rivers edge. I remember how funny I felt walking around the wilderness with nothing but my boots on. In this picture, Laina is playing with a plastic container, cereal pieces, and a chop stick. I don't know exactly what her game was, be she had fun doing it.

2006-06-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this post by showing you a few pictures of people from China. These particular examples of people in China were taken by someone in Shanghai. I found them on the internet after a did a photo search using "Chinese Squat". I knew I would find some of these pictures. My point in posting them is that this position is very common. Any time there is a need to wait for some time, you will find at least one person, but more likely several in the "Chinese Squat" position. It's something that they start from babyhood and then continue to do over the course of their life. Yes, they do squat to go potty, but it's very prevalent in day to day life; waiting for the bus, smoking, chatting with a friend, buying eggs...whatever.

AND NOW, LAINA.
You can see, she is well on her way to perfecting the Chinese squat. It's very funny, she would rather play in the squat position than plop down on her rear end the way I've seen other kids do. I wonder, very tongue in cheek, if there's a "Squat" gene.

2006-06-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEK'S PORTRAIT:

2006-06-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

LAINA MODELS THE LATEST IN CLOTHES PIN FASHION

2006-06-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

MY SILENT PARTNERS
Meet Pan-Pan and Purple Fuzzy Bear. They are the boys that help me get my little monkey girl to sleep every night. They are long-suffering, patient, tough, gentle and sweet. Pan-Pan was also "born" in China, although he was purchased in Germany. He is a Stieff bear, but since he was made in China and not Germany, he was only $75 Euros. Laina absolutely adores him.

Purple Fuzzy Bear gets his own special portrait. This lovely bear was brand spanking new in November of 2005. He's only 8 months old, but as you can see, he's endured a lot. He used to have a dashing ribbon around his neck which has since been chewed on, and ripped to bits. Laina likes to pull his fur out with her teeth, one strand at a time, and chew on his ears. He his a dear and precious bear, and I will miss him a lot when he reaches his eventual demise.

Laina as you can see loves her bears and will not sleep without them. Purple Fuzzy Bear is the elected one to go on overnight trips with her, since he's small and crunches up well. So, special thanks to my little stuffed helpers.

2006-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did various chores around the house. Jorg washed his car, I went to Grocery Outlet (hooray, Grocery Outlet!!). Laina just 'helped'. The T-Shirt dress is my attempt to keep the sun off of Laina's arms. She got a bit burned the last days, even though I was constantly smearing her with lotion. I think her sensitive skin is also reacting to the stuff in the sun cream. I'm going to ask the pediatrician about it next week.

Anyways:
Laina helping Daddy to wash the VW

2006-06-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a very hot day and we played a long time in the bucket with the clothes pins. Laina decided that playing in the bucket was more fun when she didn't have on her saggy diaper that leaks, so she played without anything on. I didn't take any pictures of her altogetherness to show the world, but it was funny to see her walking around the patio naked holding her precious clothespins.

I know I'm posting LOTS of pictures of Laina eating. I wouldn't do this but for one thing; Eating is one of Laina's FAVORITE pastimes. Anytime you ask her what she wants, she signs "eat, eat, eat". So, today's pictures of Laina eating are of her trying to eat Vanilla yogurt with a spoon. She gave up on the spoon and just tried to pick up the yogurt with her hand and shovel it in. This caused the yogurt to get all over her face. Then she saw me laughing at her and she thought that if she rubbed in the yogurt more, I would laugh more. So, she went for the hair treatment, and sure enough, I laughed more. After she finished with the yogurt, I took her outside and we played in the bucket and got all clean again.

2006-06-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today we went to an AWESOME fun indoor playground! They had a blow up castle deal and Laina had a BLAST climbing up and sliding down and then we had Pizza for snack. So fun!

2006-06-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

MY POOR DEPRIVED CHILD

I've seen other families that have their kids all fancy with lace curtains and all sorts of crap with lady bugs and schnick schnack and whatnot all over the rooms. The kids have toys up to their eyeballs and 47 piles of Chinese squeeky shoes for every hour of the day. Outside they have full on wooden play structures and guest houses to play "Chinese Princess" in. Not my child. My poor poor child gets to play with Clothes Pins and a bucket. Poor poor baby.

2006-06-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here's this week's picture of me and Laina:

2006-06-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's only 1:00 and already we've had a full day! This morning we went to the DMV to get my new drivers license. I only missed 1 question on the test (good job, ME!). After the DMV we went outside and I taught Laina the finer points of car washing. The subaru hadn't been washed since my friend washed after it went on a mushroom picking expedition. So, we washed the Subi. It was truly filthy. I didn't get the inside vacuuumed yet. (yes, the extra 'u's are on purpose. I hate the word vacuuuuuuuuummmm.) After that, Laina decided to play with her new ball and then her other very favorite best new toy. Her clothes pins. Laina LOVES her clothes pins and spent a long time puting them in one tupperware, to the cup and then on the patio and then in the Tupperware. Funny Laina.

2006-06-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went to Atlantis Play Center in Garden Grove. It's a special playground that is run by the Parks and Rec. but you have to pay 1$ to go in. Adults are not allowed in unless they are with a child and Children can't come without an adult. It's an older playground with animals made out of cement, like a whale with a slide coming through his tail and a dragon with a slide down his back. We went there with the "Hip Mommies of OC" group. I had a good time talking with the other moms and Laina had fun on the slides and other things.

2006-05-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day we went hiking in Chino Hills Park with my parents and gave the new back pack a full work out. Laina had a wonderful time riding along. MOST of the time she was alert and looking around and commenting in her own baby talk about the things she saw and heard (mostly "bird" and "airplane"). At lunch time, she was walking around the place where we ate lunch and started running down a hill that went down towards a very shallow, yet existant creek. She's not a good enough walker and couldn't put on her breaks well enough and I had to run down the creek and grab her before she fell down into the creek and got all wet! Here's a picture of where we ate lunch. It's Laina with my parents.

Here's a look of Chino Hills State Park. The spring lasted very late this year and the hills are still green and the weeds, thistles, mustard, grasses are VERY tall. I'm expecting there to be terrible fire storms come the end of summer. But the sky was blue, the wind was blowing off the ocean and it was really quite a nice day.

Here's the a picture of what Laina looked like for the last 15 minutes of our hike. She had lunch in her belly and the rhytmic walking along of Jorg's hiking lulled her to sleep. We put a little sweater under her head for a pillow and she slept.

In the evening she stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while Jorg and I went to the movies. It was the first time since March or something like that that we had gone out the movies! I guess living near Grandparents does have benefits!

2006-05-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, my parents dropped by. Laina had just woken from her nap and we decided to take the new backpack for a test run. We all piled into the car and drove to a nice trail close by for a little hike. We went about 5 miles all together I would say. Jorg's back survived, my dad's feet survived, even though he kept getting debris stuck in his sandals. Most importantly, Laina seemed to really like riding in the pack and was chortleing and babbling along the whole time. Here's some shots of the afternoon:
LAINA wanted to try walking a bit at first.

THEN she decided to ride along:

A NICE portrait with Grandma!

After our walk, we were all tired and mostly hungry. We had brought snack along for Laina, but she was ready for a full dinner. We decided to go to Thai food rather than go home and cook. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were a full 2 hours past our regular dinner time! Laina was a trooper and didn't complain at all. Of course she had snacks on the trail, so she hadn't been deprived.
Dinner was GREAT and Laina was a hit with the waitress. We got free strawberries for a treat special for Laina and she ate all but 2 of them! It's so funny how she eats the strawberries. She likes to plunge her thumb right in the middle of the berry and then eat the berry off her thumb. Funny kid! Table manners are something we'll have to work on, too. But for the most part she did great.

2006-05-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

A New backback!! Today we went to REI to get Laina a new backpack so that we can go on Hikes together. Laina had a good time riding around while we tried them on. After we got home, she played soccer with daddy in the back yard. She has fun chasing the ball around and practicing her kicking skills. I got some good video of that, too. Right now, she's down for a nap and she's quiet, but not sleeping. I can hear her talking to her bears. She'll fall asleep pretty soon, though. This afternoon, after nap, we'll go looking at an openhouse down the street, and maybe go for a walk around the neighborhood.

In other news, the microwave broke this afternoon. It just stopped working for no apparent reason. We should still have it under warranty, so I can take it to the service center on Tuesday.

Laina really enjoyed eating the strawberries and cottage cheese for breakfast!

And do you see that grey mass in the dish? That is a rock! Laina wanted to have it in her hand at the table and then she started using it to pulverize the strawberries. When I tried to take it away from her she was NOT HAPPY! So, I let her keep it in the bowl with the strawberries. Funny kid.

Before we went to REI I tried to convince Laina that she should wear her hat. She tried it on and thought it was very funny to run around and shake her head back and forth. But she didn't leave it on. I caught this funny picture of her doing her little hat dance.