Happy, happy

Behind the scenes...

For every single 'decent' picture I present on the blog...

...there are approximately 5,000 rejects like this:

Thank goodness for digital cameras!



Thank you!

Moving along...

Mari is extremely proficient at crawling, but it's taken quite a bit of time and effort to master the art of walking.  We've tried a lot of Rocky-style training with her (chopping down trees, punching slabs of meat making her stand and having her take a couple of steps before she falls on her face, repeat), but it was only in the last couple of days that that she experienced the true walking 'breakthrough'.  We now are very confident that with continued practice, Mari will be an expert walker. She is pleased as Punch to be upright and always has a huge smile on her face when she walks!

Some pictures of everyone practicing:

Here is a video from today. Look at that champion form and beautiful control!  The speed and distance are also quite impressive. (Note: she plopped down at the end of the video to pick up a toy.)

Summer...

A cry for help...

Dear blog readers,

It all started innocently enough when Mommy put a small clip in my hair to keep my growing bangs out of my eyes.  However, by the photographic evidence below, you may notice that she has developed an unhealthy obsession with obnoxious hair ornaments.  And although I can certainly tear them out of my hair at regular intervals, I am becoming alarmed at their growing size and complexity.  Can you please pass a message to my mommy that a simple hair trim would suffice?  I'm afraid of what she will inflict on my poor head by the end of the summer.

Sincerely,
Mari Jinah Lehman

P.S. Yes, yes, I know that I look cute.  That's beside the point.

Happy Birthday, Mari!

On Saturday, we celebrated Mari's first birthday with family and a cookout.  Mari did not like the cake, much to my disappointment.  After getting both hands quite full of frosting and cake, she simply flailed her arms about, throwing cake on the wall and floor and looking rather distressed.  However, I'm happy to report that the rest of the party went well and we all enjoyed ourselves. In particular, I loved seeing her in the beautiful hanbok from her wonderful foster mom and family.  Happy Birthday, Mari Jinah!  We love you!!

I was so hoping she would pick the Center for Biostatistics pen first, but she ultimately chose the thread.

Documenting the non-enjoyment...